https://reasonstobecheerful.world/hollywood-jobs-film-tv-manifestworks/
"Four years ago, Leslie was on the edge of homelessness. “Everything was going
wrong. I was sleeping on the floor of relatives’ living rooms with my two
kids,” she remembers.
Then, Hollywood called.
It wasn’t a talent scout or a casting director that brought her into the
industry. It was ManifestWorks, a unique program that guides people from
homelessness, incarceration and foster care directly into entry-level jobs in
film and TV.
“When I started the ManifestWorks program, it was more than just learning the
steps. It was really therapeutic for me,” says Leslie. “It was uplifting during
a time when I was really not in a good place.”
By the third week of classes, Leslie (who prefers to only give her first name)
had secured her first gig as a production assistant. The same person who hired
her brought her back for the next two years and seeded additional relationships
that led to more work.
Today, Leslie works in a sound department as a union member, has consistent
work at a living wage and has been able to upgrade both her housing and her
car. “Life is a lot better today,” she says. “I can pay for things that my kids
enjoy like baseball, private tutors and tennis lessons. We are going to Hawaii
for spring break. I could never imagine doing any of this before
ManifestWorks.”
The nonprofit ManifestWorks has more than 270 alumni currently working in the
film industry, and purposely recruits its students from populations that face
barriers to success. “We serve three different communities: people coming out
of foster care, incarceration and homelessness,” co-founder and executive
director Dan Seaver says. According to ManifestWorks, 25 percent of foster care
youth end up incarcerated within two years of turning 18, and unemployment
impacts the formerly incarcerated at a rate 12 times higher than the national
average."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
