The BRIC Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing employment diversity in entertainment, gaming, media, and tech, has recently launched the Arts, Media, and Entertainment High Road Training Partnership (AME-HRTP). This groundbreaking initiative aims to address the challenges surrounding the hiring and retention of employees from historically excluded backgrounds in high-skill and high-wage jobs within the arts, media, and entertainment (AME) fields, including film/television, animation, visual effects, games, music/audio, live entertainment, and design.
To achieve its goals, the AME-HRTP will establish a network of registered apprenticeship programs and community-based organizations that will provide continuous support for participants. This support includes on-site job training, mentorship, and career coaching, all designed to empower individuals and help them thrive in their chosen AME career paths.
Nicole Hendrix, co-founder of the BRIC Foundation, emphasized the need for collaboration to drive systemic change in the industry: “As the industry continues to face challenges of increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), we recognized the need to work collaboratively in order to find a solution that supports tangible systemic change. We’re proud to lead this initiative from BRIC and provide a coherent structure that will advance the way AME industries recruit and sustain diverse talent across every sector.”
The AME-HRTP received a $3.5 million, three-year grant from the California Workforce Development Board’s High Road Training Partnerships Resilient Workforce Fund. This grant enabled the creation of this groundbreaking initiative, which emerged from BRIC’s collaboration with the California Department of Education Arts, Media and Entertainment Advisory Board and the Entertainment Equity Alliance (EEA). The EEA is a coalition of labor organizations committed to cultivating a diverse and equitable workforce in the entertainment industry. The members of EEA include Arts2Work, Music Forward Foundation, Event Vocational Entertainment Network, Handy Foundation, Group Effort Initiative, Television Academy Foundation, Women in Animation, IATSE Local 80, CVL Economics, Manifest Works, Academy Gold, California Department of Education (AME), California Film Commission (Career Readiness and Pathways), Better Youth, and South Bay Workforce Investment Board.
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As the recent strikes by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) draw attention to the challenges of making a living wage in the industry, the AME-HRTP also aims to support the creation of guild training and mentorship programs that will lead to union jobs. DeJon Ellis Jr., business manager of IATSE Local 80, stated, “Additionally, with the changes to the California Film Commission tax incentive program and the spotlight on diversity from legislators in Sacramento, we feel that this AME-HRTP program will help us build upon the existing work and meet our goals to support a more diverse industry.”
The AME-HRTP is a groundbreaking initiative that will not only improve the representation and inclusion of historically excluded individuals in the AME fields but will also support the creation of sustainable job opportunities and career paths. By providing comprehensive support, including training, mentorship, and career coaching, the program aims to empower individuals from diverse backgrounds and enable them to thrive in their chosen AME careers. With strong partnerships and financial support, the BRIC Foundation is committed to driving tangible systemic change in the industry and building a more diverse and equitable future for the arts, media, and entertainment sectors.
