• Tuesday, Mar. 26, 2019
F2F, Deutsch, Steelhead partner again in grAD SCHOOL for underserved students
Members of the grAD SCHOOL class of 2017 with F2F founder Rachel Miller
  • LOS ANGELES
  • --

Film2Future (F2F), a non-profit organization helping minority students gain skills and connections in the film industry, is re-shaping the advertising business. For the second year in a row, F2F will partner with creative agency Deutsch, and Steelhead, a full-service production studio, to offer it’s "grAD SCHOOL" Program.

F2F provides underserved high school students with an intensive, film-making and production course that leaves them well-positioned to meet the industry’s growing need for more diverse talent.

“I am beyond excited to partner with Deutsch & Steelhead for a second year to achieve Film2Future’s mission of building a direct pipeline of diverse young adults into the entertainment and advertising industries,” said Rachel Miller, founder of F2F. “For our 2019 class of 100% diverse, under-represented young voices, this partnership allows Film2Future to continue to provide our students with hands-on creative and technical advertising experience that directly results in jobs and a portfolio.”

The three-week intensive course, hosted at Steelhead’s state-of-the-art facility in Playa Vista, Calif., featuring a 7,000 sq. ft. sound stage and full pre/postproduction services, will introduce high school grads to the basics of the advertising industry. The summer program, which runs July 8-26, gives 15-20 students the opportunity to learn the campaign-making process from start to finish: from the advertising brief to the production of 30-second spots. The "grAD SCHOOL" course is designed to give students access, knowledge and real-world experience to bolster their portfolios. Participants will also get to produce advertising work for Deutsch clients; last year’s Film2Future students made spots for 7-Eleven which can be viewed here.

Determined to build a pipeline to bring more diversity to the creative industries, Miller founded Film2Future four years ago. Many of the program’s graduates have garnered full college scholarships and paid internships at companies including Shondaland & Netflix. 

Student Algernon Jackson, who just received a full ride into University of Wisconsin-Madison and pitched and directed F2F’s 2018 virtual reality short Do Something!, said of the program, “Film2Future is a phenomenal program that gives students the resources to accomplish their cinematic dreams. This program has motivated me in numerous ways to achieve every dream I set forth for myself. I love Film2Future!”

In addition to educational training and networking opportunities, the non-profit brings in more than 100 guest speakers per year, including entertainment heavyweights Kristen Schaal and Will Forte. Later this month, Sony Pictures Animation will host the students for a screening of Into The Spiderverse, and Q&A with the film’s directors.

Film2Future has also hired Valentia Cardenas as its first director of operations. The former Peace Corps volunteer has spent the past decade working to inspire at-risk youth through the arts.


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