Young Storytellers

Last updated

Young Storytellers, formerly known as the Young Storytellers Foundation, is an arts education non-profit operating primarily in Los Angeles.

Contents

Young Storytellers currently serves elementary, middle, and high school students in Southern California, [1] including the cities of Los Angeles, Culver City, Santa Monica, Burbank, New York City, Austin, Little Rock, and Akron. Young Storytellers supports students in Title 1 schools; [2] these are schools and school districts with the highest concentrations of poverty in which academic performance tends to be low and the obstacles to raising performance are the greatest. The program improves writing and self-confidence while also focusing on social and emotional learning and including components of Learning for Justice's Social Justice Standards. [3] [4]

History

Young Storytellers began as an in-school mentoring program in 1997. The company was founded by three screenwriters Mikkel Bondesen, Brad Falchuk, and Andrew Barrett upon learning about cutbacks in funding for creative arts programs in the Los Angeles public schools. [5] [6] The first school adopted into the program was Playa Del Rey Elementary School in Culver City. [7] The program was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 2003. [5]

Programs

The organization supports students elementary, middle, and high school. [7]

Script to Stage

This 9-week, Common Core-aligned elementary school program places students with an adult mentor one-on-one to write scripts that are entirely their own, then actors perform those for the students and their peers live at a show. [7] [8] [9]

Volunteers

Programs are run by volunteer Head Mentors and volunteer Mentors. Mentors in the Script to Stage Program work one-on-one with a student for the duration of the nine-week program to create a screenplay and the resulting screenplay is then performed by a volunteer performer. [10] There are currently over 1,200 volunteers in Los Angeles serving more than 2,000 students in 60 schools. [7]

Funding

The organization received grants from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association multiple times. In 2013 the organization was represented by Olivia Wilde [11] and received a portion of the $1.6 million in grants given by the HFPA that year. [12] 2016 in the amount of $10,000. [13]

In 2015, the organization received a grant from the $4.5 million given to the Los Angeles arts scene from Michael Bloomberg Philanthropies. [14] Jane Fonda's, Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power & Potential, has also provided funding. [15]

Notable Partnerships

In 2016, 20th Century Fox invited Young Storytellers students to participate in the Fox Writers Intensive.

March 2017, Young Storytellers partnered with Disney to give a group of students early access to see the live action version of Beauty and the Beast [16] These students then created their own stories based on the film. [17] Then, in collaboration with Tongal, an independent creative network, the students’ stories were turned into live action and animated short films. [17]

In February 2018, a group of Young Storytellers students were invited to a special premier of Disney’s A Wrinkle in Time and given the opportunity to create and then share stories based on the film. [18] Disney then turned these stories into either short films or live performances to highlight the students’ storytelling. [18]

In October 2020, Young Storytellers partnered with Netflix to have members of the Over the Moon cast host a dramatic reading of a student's story. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Institute of the Arts</span> Private university in Santa Clarita, California

The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both the visual and performing arts. It offers Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees through its six schools: Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music, and Theater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Burnett (director)</span> American film director

Charles Burnett is an American film director, film producer, writer, editor, actor, photographer, and cinematographer. His most popular films include Killer of Sheep (1978), My Brother's Wedding (1983), To Sleep with Anger (1990), The Glass Shield (1994), and Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation (2007). He has been involved in other types of motion pictures including shorts, documentaries, and a TV series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eli Broad</span> American businessperson and philanthropist (1933–2021)

Eli Broad was an American businessman and philanthropist. In June 2019, Forbes ranked him as the 233rd-wealthiest person in the world and the 78th-wealthiest in the United States, with an estimated net worth of $6.7 billion. He was known for his philanthropic commitment to public K–12 education, scientific and medical research, and the visual and performing arts.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) is a nonprofit organization of journalists and photographers who report on the American entertainment industry for predominantly foreign media markets. It is best known for founding and conducting the annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, California every January, which honors notable achievements in film and television. The HFPA consists of about 105 members from approximately 55 countries with a combined following of more than 250 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judd Apatow</span> American comedian and filmmaker (born 1967)

Judd Apatow is an American filmmaker, comedian, and actor best known for his work in comedy and drama films. He is the founder of Apatow Productions, through which he produced and directed the films The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), Funny People (2009), This Is 40 (2012), Trainwreck (2015), The King of Staten Island (2020), and The Bubble (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Stanton</span> American filmmaker

Andrew Ayers Stanton is an American filmmaker and voice actor based at Pixar, which he joined in 1990. His film work includes co-writing and co-directing Pixar's A Bug's Life (1998), directing Finding Nemo (2003) and its sequel Finding Dory (2016), WALL-E (2008), and the live-action film, Disney's John Carter (2012), and co-writing all four Toy Story films (1995–2019) and Monsters, Inc. (2001).

The Getty Foundation, based in Los Angeles, California at the Getty Center, awards grants for "the understanding and preservation of the visual arts". In the past, it funded the Getty Leadership Institute for "current and future museum leaders", which is now at Claremont Graduate University. Its budget for 2006–07 was $27.8 million. It is part of the J. Paul Getty Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visual Communications</span>

Visual Communications –– is a community-based non-profit media arts organization based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1970 by independent filmmakers Robert Nakamura, Alan Ohashi, Eddie Wong, and Duane Kubo, who were students of EthnoCommunications, an alternative film school at University of California, Los Angeles. The mission of VC is to "promote intercultural understanding through the creation, presentation, preservation and support of media works by and about Asian Pacific Americans."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Bohnett</span> American philanthropist and technology entrepreneur

David C. Bohnett is an American philanthropist and technology entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of the David Bohnett Foundation, a non-profit, grant-making organization devoted to improving society through social activism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Sistema</span>

El Sistema is a publicly financed, voluntary sector, music-education program, founded in Venezuela in 1975 by Venezuelan educator, musician, and activist José Antonio Abreu. It later adopted the motto "Music for Social Change." El Sistema-inspired programs provide what the International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies describes as "free classical music education that promotes human opportunity and development for impoverished children." By 2015, according to official figures, El Sistema included more than 400 music centers and 700,000 young musicians. The original program in Venezuela involves four after-school hours of musical training and rehearsal each week, plus additional work on the weekends. Most El Sistema-inspired programs in the United States provide seven or more hours of instruction per week, as well as free use of an instrument.

WriteGirl is a Los Angeles-based project of Community Partners, founded by Keren Taylor in 2001. Taylor was recognized by CNN as a "CNN Hero" in 2021. The organization's focus is connecting professional women writers in Los Angeles, CA with underserved teenage girls who might not otherwise have access to creative writing or mentoring programs. The mentoring program focuses on creative writing and empowerment through self-expression. WriteGirl Alum Amanda Gorman, was chosen as the Inaugural Poet for the 59th Inaugural Ceremonies on Jan. 20, 2021, when Joe Biden was sworn in as President of the United States. In 2013, WriteGirl was honored by-then first lady, Michelle Obama, with the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award.

Matthew Humphreys is an American actor, producer, and co founder of the Bachelor of Fine Arts Acting for Film, Television, Voice-overs, & Commercials (FTVC) at Pace University. He is known for his work in Bar Karma, The Immigrant, and The Good Shepherd.

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation is the charitable arm of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The Foundation’s educational and preservation programs include the Summer Internship program, the College Television Awards, the Fred Rogers Memorial Scholarship and The Interviews: An Oral History of Television which chronicles the stories of TV's pioneers, innovators, artists and legends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashaan Nall</span> American actor

Rashaan Harvey Nall is an American writer, director, screenwriter and actor of stage and screen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloomberg Philanthropies</span>

Bloomberg Philanthropies is a philanthropic organization that encompasses all of the charitable giving of founder Michael R. Bloomberg. Headquartered in New York City, Bloomberg Philanthropies focuses its resources on five areas: the environment, public health, the arts, government innovation and education. According to the Foundation Center, Bloomberg Philanthropies was the 10th largest foundation in the United States in 2015, the last year for which data was available. Bloomberg has pledged to donate the majority of his wealth, currently estimated at more than $54 billion. Patti Harris is the CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maureen Dragone</span> American journalist and author

Maureen Dragone was an American journalist and author. She was one of the longest-standing members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association which presents the annual Golden Globe Awards. In 1978 she founded the Young Artist Association, which presents the annual Young Artist Awards.

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) was established in 1991 by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation of Japan and the Mitsubishi Electric US group companies, which manufacture, market and distribute a wide range of consumer, industrial, commercial and professional electronics products. Based in the Washington D.C. area, MEAF works to make societal changes by investing in innovative strategies to empower youth with disabilities to lead productive lives. The Foundation supports national grant programs and employee volunteer programs across the United States. Since its inception, the Foundation has contributed more than $9 million to organizations assisting young people with disabilities.

Ellen Goldsmith-Vein is an American television and film producer. She is the founder and CEO of the Gotham Group, a management company founded in 1993. Goldsmith-Vein is the only woman to own her own management company, with over 45 employees, and she was the first talent manager ever featured on the cover of the “Power 100” special issue of The Hollywood Reporter in 2006.

ARCS® Foundation, Inc. is an American nonprofit volunteer women's organization that promotes US competitiveness by providing financial awards to academically outstanding US citizens studying to complete degrees in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and health disciplines at 49 of the nation's leading research universities. The organization has awarded more than $115 million to 10,000 scholars since 1958. ARCS Foundation Scholars have produced thousands of research publications and patents, secured billions in grant funding, started science-related companies, and played a significant role in teaching and mentoring young people in the STEM pipeline.

Christine Nicole Simmons is an American businesswoman and the first African American and woman to serve as Chief Operating Officer for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She leads the Academy's first Office of Representation, Inclusion, and Equity.

References

  1. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (9 October 2013). "Young Storytellers Foundation Helps Kids Bring Out Their Inner Writer". Variety. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  2. ↑ Whelan, Corey (11 March 2015). "Storytelling Skills Boosted For Public School Students Through Special Program". CBS Los Angeles. CBS. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  3. ↑ "EYE ON L.A. FOR JUNE 20, 2009 Originally aired Sat., June 20, at 6:30 p.m." Eyewitness News ABC 7. ABC Inc. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  4. ↑ "Why It Matters".
  5. 1 2 Flynn, Kathleen. "Pros Have Supporting Roles in Scriptwriting Sessions". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ↑ Evaristo, Jasmine. "TV STARS SUPPORT YOUNG STORYTELLERS ARTS INITIATIVE". Young Hollywood. Young Hollywood LLC. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Greiving, Tim (18 October 2016). "Seth Rogen, Tony Hale and Jordan Peele will perform short plays written by fifth-graders". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  8. ↑ Martin, Brittany. "Seth Rogen, Tony Hale and other stars are performing a series of plays by fifth graders". Time Out. Time Out America LLC. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  9. ↑ "What We do".
  10. ↑ Rodriguez, Briana. "Volunteer Org Seeks Actors to Help Kids". Backstage. Backstage. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  11. ↑ HFPA. "GRANTS 2013: OLIVIA WILDE FOR YOUNG STORYTELLERS". Golden Globe Awards. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  12. ↑ Pond, Steve (13 August 2013). "Hollywood Foreign Press Promises To Get Serious About Journalism, Gives $1.6 million in Grants". The Wrap. The Wrap News Inc.
  13. ↑ Celada, Luca. "HFPA Announces 2016 Philanthropy at Annual Banquet". Golden Globes. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  14. ↑ Boehm, Mike (18 September 2015). "L.A. arts groups get $4.5 million from Michael Bloomberg's foundation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  15. ↑ Adeniji, Ade. "Jane Fonda's Philanthropy: A Hollywood Legend Keys in on Reproductive Health". Inside Philanthropy. Inside Philanthropy. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  16. ↑ "Young Storytellers is the Ryan Murphy-Backed Organization Helping Kids Create Screenplays". 23 March 2017.
  17. 1 2 "'Beauty and the Beast' Short Imagines How Gaston and le Fou Met (Exclusive Video)". The Hollywood Reporter . 24 March 2017.
  18. 1 2 "Student Writers Present Short Films Inspired by Ava DuVernay's 'A Wrinkle in Time'". The Hollywood Reporter . 23 February 2018.
  19. ↑ "Page introuvable - Netflix News : Toutes les nouveautés et l'actualité de vos programmes !".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.