NBCUniversal has partnered with the Alliance for Media Arts + Culture to build on the company’s Creative Impact Lab.
The Lab, launched last September, is meant to boost diversity in the creative marketing field by giving apprentices from historically excluded backgrounds the opportunity to develop marketing assets for NBCU’s nonprofit partners, with guidance from employee volunteers. These spots are then seen on Comcast NBCU’s various networks and platforms.
NBCU will grant $119,000 to the Alliance, a nonprofit focused on cultural impact in media arts, to train NBCU volunteers on how to mentor the Lab apprentices effectively and to share best practices with the apprentices’ nonprofit creative agencies on how to create powerful and impactful spots. These agencies include Reel Works, RE:IMAGINE, PhillyCAM, Spy Hop and Youth FX. The Alliance’s grant will also be used to support its own Arts2Work workforce development program and its Accelerator Fund to help women, young adults and veterans as well as low-income, BIPOC and disabled creatives in the field.
“The Alliance is proud to launch this new partnership with NBCUniversal that strengthens our commitment to paid apprenticeships and building equitable career pathways for creative workers,” Alliance executive director Wendy Levy said in a statement. “Support from NBCUniversal will help the Alliance build a national network of community media centers, encourage employers to hire and mentor a new generation of apprentices and ensure that those often left out of the creative sector have access to the training and professional experience they need to succeed.”
The Lab and this latest $119,000 grant is part of Comcast’s Project UP, the $1 billion commitment the company pledged in March 2021 to promote digital equity.
“The creative industry needs more paid apprenticeship programs that provide career development for underrepresented communities,” NBCU executive vice president of corporate social responsibility Hilary Smith said in a statement. “Media companies like ours can help meet this challenge by extending the learning experience beyond the college classroom to on-the-job training. We are pleased to partner with the Alliance for Media Arts + Culture to help make the Creative Impact Lab a place where diverse apprentices can learn best-in-class storytelling techniques – and at the same time help shine a light on the incredible social impact work of our nonprofit partners.”
