Fact Sheet

Who We Serve

Reel Works serves teens 14-19 from across New York City.

  • 64% Are minorities
  • 53% Come from low-income homes
  • 46% Live in single-parent households
  • 33% Are at risk of dropping out or other negative behaviors

All have a story to tell: stories of identity, loss, racism, homelessness or the struggle to stay in school and off drugs. We give them a mentor, a camera and a chance to be heard.

Over seven million viewers have seen our student films across all media since our founding in 2001.

Why Reel Works?

  • Half of all NYC teens are at risk of dropping out. At Reel Works, 99% of our teens graduate high school and 95% go on to college.
  • 95% of NYC public schools have no media arts program. Reel Works partners with over 20 high schools to provide free after-school and in-school workshops for over 200 teens annually.
  • 90% of the teens we serve have never had a mentor. All Reel Works teens are matched 1:1 with a professional filmmaker-mentor.

Impact

We're the only youth media program in the world that matches each student one-on-one with a professional filmmaker-mentor. It's a powerful combination that unlocks young talents, unleashes young voices and changes young lives.

Millions have seen our student films, which have been broadcast on HBO, PBS and the Oprah Winfrey Show, among others. Reel Works has received countless honors, including five Student Emmys and the President's 2007 Coming Up Taller Award – the nation's top honor for after-school arts programs.

Our free after-school workshops engage young people from middle school to high school to college and beyond. Our classes teach vital skills of literacy, technology, leadership and self-confidence that young people need to build productive futures. By training young filmmakers, we create better students today and industry leaders tomorrow.