FutureTellers bridges the gap between the classroom and real-world experiences
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Youth-focused creative agency, Adolescent Content, is launching FutureTellers, a free educational initiative designed to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world media careers across the United States. FutureTellers aims to offer middle and high school students career opportunities in advertising and enhance their creative skills while supporting educators with a robust media-arts curricula.
FutureTellers features virtual and in-person lectures, educational workshops with industry leaders and real-world projects for students in grades 6 through 12 on a range of topics covering directing, content creation, production skills, and professionalism in a business environment. The initiative also provides access to mentoring and networking opportunities through Adolescent’s creator network, Storytellers, a global community of over 6,000 youth professional creators globally. FutureTellers will be managed through partnerships between Adolescent Content and school districts, superintendents, principals, and teachers interested in expanding their media-arts programs.
“It was amazing to give my students this opportunity,” said Caleb Esquivel, a teacher at Atrisco Heritage Academy High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, whose students recently participated in the program. “They were so excited to see that they can make a career with their art and explore all the different possibilities available to them.”
Audiences are increasingly flocking to digital platforms to engage in immersive storytelling experiences, whether they are sponsored by brands or not. In turn, individual content creators are becoming a growing part of the advertising and entertainment industries, as evidenced by Adolescent’s own business model, which centers around their Storytellers’ network which partners Gen Z creators with brands, including Meta and Pinterest, who are eager to authentically connect with youth audiences around the world.
While many students see media-arts classes as an elective fulfilling school requirements, Adolescent Content co-founders, Ramaa Mosley and Hope Farley, aim to support the strong foundation schools have already built, offering additional career-focused instruction, real-world mentorship, and opportunities for aspiring student creators to connect with the industry.
“I started directing at 16 years old because of the kindness of a mentor, and I’ve made it my personal mission to help the next wave of storytellers through mentorship,” said Mosley, co-founder and chief creative officer of Adolescent Content. “In my case, I was lucky to pass by a film set while riding my bike through my neighborhood and be invited by the director to observe and learn. This random event launched me in an industry I love. I am well aware that most careers require more than chance to take off.”
Mosley’s co-founder, Hope Farley, who is also Adolescent’s chief executive producer, also emphasized mentorship. “I was fortunate to begin my career at RadicalMedia, a powerhouse production company,” said Farley. “Given the digital nature of content today, creators can contribute from anywhere. But not all people have access to formal instruction and that is why FutureTellers is so needed in the education system and our industry.”
FutureTellers’ curriculum also will encompass instruction for students interested in film/TV, illustration, animation, photography, graphic design, writing, and editing. Students will leave the virtual classroom better prepared to develop and refine their content styles for the business world.
To arrange a presentation or for more information, school superintendents, principals and media-arts instructors are invited to reach out to Serenity Griffin at Serenity@adolescentcontent.com or via FutureTellers at futuretellers@adolescentcontent.com.
Adolescent Content was founded in 2013 to give emerging, diverse young creators an opportunity to enter the advertising and film worlds. The company’s mission is to expand opportunities for diverse youth and open doors for brands to work with emerging voices in culture. Students who take part in the FutureTellers program will have the opportunity to join Adolescent’s Storytellers’ roster of content creators as well as its Gen Z research network, Youthtellers, with parental permission.
About Adolescent Content
Adolescent Content is a youth-focused creative ad agency co-founded by Ramaa Mosley and Hope Farley in 2013. Our mission is to create pathways for emerging, diverse young creators to enter the advertising and film industry while helping brands effectively connect with Gen Z.
SOURCE Adolescent Content