The young filmmakers of our Advanced Documentary Lab breathe nervous sighs in anticipation of the debut of their films. Family, friends, faculty, mentors, and industry partners flood the space.

The 2022 Reel Works in Schools Film Festival welcomed over 50 film entries from over 500 New York City public school students. The films displayed a diversity of genres at the festival that reflects the range of courses available in our In-Schools Program.

For several years, Reel Works has had the wonderful opportunity to partner with Paramount and participate in the Paramount Community Day. Volunteers came together from all backgrounds with the purpose to give back to young filmmakers in our programs.

Every month Reel Works hosts a Master Class with top industry professionals to expand our students' sense of possible career pathways. In the last few months, we’ve hosted talent agents, gaffers, set designers, and most recently, editor and director Farah X.

Farah’s clients include Mariah Carey, Prince, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and more. Her big directing debut was with a feature documentary on fashion and hip hop called The Remix. Although Farah has worked with some incredible celebrities, her advice was grounded and accessible.

Reel Works has been thrilled to take our MediaMKRS participants and filmmaking lab students on tours of famous camera equipment rental facility, Panavision.

Thank you for making our ChangeMakers Gala a huge success! Together, we raised over $500,000 to support Reel Works filmmakers.

On Monday, April 4th, Reel Works held our third Town Hall on Access to the Media and Entertainment Industry. The goal of the event was to help young filmmakers explore barriers that must be overcome to break into the industry and what strategies they can take to pursue their dreams as creators.

As Reel Works toured the empty hallways of P.S. 272K – a public elementary school located in Canarsie of Brooklyn – we marveled at the excitement exuded by the administration. The school's Principal, Verna Taylor, directed us into a large classroom filled with stacked chairs and student desks. "This room is used for storage now but will eventually be our media studio", Principal Verna exclaimed! We fervently took down notes as the principal described what this future studio will be used for – a news broadcast show, supported by Reel Works, that will be directed and produced by the students of P.S. 272K. The title of the production would become known as "The Believe Show".

On Wednesday, March 16th, 2022, the Fellows 2020 & 2021 screening highlighted the importance of youth filmmakers in NYC. The audience witnessed some of our Fellows' works of expression through various forms of filmmaking within this program. The works displayed the two cohorts’ skills in cinematography, lighting, foley, acting, directing, and more.

After graduating Brooklyn College in May of 2021, Destiny Blackwell secured work as a Production Assistant on the Amber Ruffin Show. The show’s small crew has allowed her to work closely with showrunners and Amber Ruffin herself. As a production assistant, she keeps the show running and is happy to help on a show she feels passionate about.

The Studio at Reel Works is a youth-led, Emmy-winning production company that pays young filmmakers to create original media for real clients. Alex, Elijah, and Clarissa joined as our Studio Interns in January 2022. During their internship, they have been learning how to develop media projects from inception to completion. Some of their work this past month has involved writing educational video scripts, participating as camera operators and sound recordists in external shoots, and editing narrative short films to be screened this Spring.

Reel Works is thrilled to have launched our first post production supervisor training in January. Led by Reel Works’ MediaMKRS workforce development program and WarnerMedia Access to Action, this program expands on their commitment to build a more inclusive workforce, specifically focusing on diversifying the field of Post Production. Fourteen talented New Yorkers were selected for this program for seven weeks of intensive virtual classes to prepare them to work as Post Production Supervisors in high-end scripted television.

This month, we welcomed the 2022 Reel Works / MediaMKRS Youth Ambassadors cohort. Ten students were accepted into the program! The Ambassadors will be actively engaging and representing Reel Works in their communities and professional lives.

Aliyah Grant is one of the newest members of the Reel Works team. As the Career Development Program Assistant, she is working within the MediaMKRS team to support the Career Development Programs and graduates of all of the MediaMKRS programs in gaining access to jobs in media.

The Reel Works Fellows program launched in early January, and the group of young filmmakers has begun their year-long journey to explore new skills and techniques while collaborating on three films to debut this Summer. Nineteen students were selected as screenwriters, producers, directors, cinematographers and editors. Each of the roles dives into the work of skill-building and all join together once a week to learn film history and theory as a collective.

Reel Works wrapped up 2021 by hosting two virtual Mentor Meet & Greets for the 2022 Documentary and Narrative Labs. In a whirlwind of ice breakers, pitch decks, and breakout rooms, students and mentors had the opportunity to get to know each other and decide for themselves who they would most like to work with. A ranking survey was conducted at the end and used by Reel Works staff to make the final mentor-mentee matches.

In late December, Xenia Thomopoulos, a high school Media Arts and English teacher at The Young Women's Leadership School of Astoria, ushered her students through the front doors of Reel Works office in Gowanus, Brooklyn. It was their first time visiting, and with this visit came 21 young women ready to convert their personal Philosophical Treatises into a self-produced Late Night Talk Show format.

The long trip from Astoria, Queens on the subway, in the midst of a pandemic, did not phase them. They arrived excited to learn the ins and outs of their “Talk Show set”- replete with a guest couch, host chair and desk with coffee mugs, as well as professional lighting, sound, and camera equipment.

Reel Works Documentary and Narrative Lab students participated in the ViacomCBS “Season of Giving” online event on December 6th. This volunteer day brought together employees at ViacomCBS who used their expertise to give advice, guidance, and feedback to our young filmmakers.

On Wednesday, Picture Shop Colorist, Alex Durie visited the Reel Works Narrative Lab and shared the impact of color in pre and post-production.

Brooklyn is in the (Broadway) house! Reel Works hosted its first-ever night at the theater with students and friends of the organization for a very special evening.

This season eight black playwrights are on Broadway. Keenan Scott II wrote the new hit, “Thoughts of a Colored Man,” which follows seven black men during a single day in Brooklyn as they discover what it means to live in America together. The performance blends spoken word, slam poetry, rhythm and humor to create a daring new play.