Case Studies
Expanding Career Pathways in the Film Industry
Reel Works, New York City
Reel Works, an organization that empowers youth through filmmaking, aimed to broaden its programming with Jigsaw Productions, a documentary film production company committed to diversifying the industry’s talent pipeline. Their goal was to create a program that connected young adults with industry professionals, providing mentorship, career exploration, and networking opportunities. To bring this vision to life, they partnered with WPTI to design a structured, hands-on career mentoring program.
Over four months, WPTI facilitated a comprehensive program design process that included:
The Career Accelerator Program at Jigsaw Productions successfully connected emerging filmmakers with industry professionals, offering hands-on career exploration and mentorship opportunities. Following this success, Reel Works has expanded the program to additional employers, including Harbor Picture Company and A+E Networks. They continue to rely on WPTI’s framework and training model to replicate the program, ensuring that more young adults gain access to meaningful mentorship and career pathways in the film and documentary industry.
“WPTI was able to take their expertise and apply it to our industry, even though workforce development in media and entertainment isn’t their core focus. That speaks volumes about their ability to adapt and deliver value.”
— KEISHA KATZ, DIRECTOR OF WORKFORCE AND EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIPS
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