Our Mission
Reel Works educates, trains, and mentors emerging talent from all backgrounds to succeed in the media industry.
Our Vision
At Reel Works, we believe talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Through the power of storytelling and workforce development, we remove barriers to entry, unlock creative potential, and equip young people and emerging professionals with the tools to thrive in a rapidly evolving media industry.
By 2031, Reel Works’ 30th anniversary, our goal is to have directly served 20,000 people through our programs and to see a meaningful percentage of Reel Works alumni actively hiring, mentoring, and leading within the industry.
We believe with the right support, every person can gain the confidence, skills, and professional networks they need to succeed, leading to a more inclusive and representative media landscape.
Our Core Values
We are a learning organization that grows through compassion, adaptability, and sustainability. We nurture the development of the storytellers and communities we serve, as well as our own continued learning and well-being.
We honor the unique identities, voices, and creativity of individuals. By creating space for authentic expression, we enable stories and ideas that drive innovation and connection.
We hold ourselves and each other accountable through transparency, honesty, and shared responsibility.
We actively confront inequities by learning from historical and current-day marginalization and working towards a more just and inclusive world.
We nurture a brave, inclusive environment where people are supported, celebrated, and encouraged to contribute.
We connect individual purpose with collective goals, driving meaningful results that strengthen our mission and communities.
Diversity. Equity. Inclusion. Belonging. Representation.
Change the storytellers, change the world.
Reel Works was founded in 2001 to encourage young people to share their stories through filmmaking. Our work has since expanded to help build a more inclusive media industry and provide emerging talent with the mentorship, skills, and professional networks needed to succeed.
Our strength is in the diversity of our program participants and team. We strive to overcome systemic barriers and center equity, inclusion, and antiracism in our work every day, while recognizing historical and present-day marginalization. Our commitments, briefly described below, are enacted through our in-school and after-school programs, workforce development efforts, and production studio.
Lift unheard voices.
We deliver programs that create a safe, accessible space for diverse creatives to express themselves.
Learn and grow together.
We are committed to the growth of the storytellers and communities we serve as well as our own development, and recognize that sustainable growth takes time, compassion, and adaptability.
Lead with trust and empathy.
We strive to create an environment that allows for transparency, openness, and trust.
Maintain accountability.
We will not always get it right, and hold ourselves accountable to continuously improving our work, culture, and actions in service of equity.
Drive economic mobility.
Our industry partnerships and education programs help youth and adults to have successful careers in media.
Include everyone in our community
This holds true for our program participants as well as our staff, creating a nurturing, brave space for all to bring their intersectional identities to our work.
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