aNnuAl repoRt - Young Storytellers

2016 - 2017
aNnuAl repoRt
We believe our young people,
regardless of background, deserve
equal access to creative exploration.
play
We believe our young people need
meaningful play in order to fully
engage with learning.
We believe caring mentors positively
influence the engagement, confidence,
and achievement of young people.
creativity
We believe in building on the inherent
strengths of our young people. They are
individuals; each possessing a uniquely
creative point of view.
We believe in empowering our young people
by validating their ideas and celebrating the
power of their creative voice.
empowerment
access
community
core values
Young Storytellers engages creativity through the art of storytelling. Using the timeless techniques of mentoring,
collaboration, and performance, we provide public school students with an opportunity to write stories and see them
brought to life on stage and film. Our mission is to inspire young people to discover the power of their own voice.
mission
In 1997, a group of young film students learned that Los Angeles public schools were cutting creative arts programs from
their budgets. Knowing the value that arts education held in their own lives, they created a volunteer-based creative arts
program they could take directly into public schools at no cost to the school. Today, Young Storytellers offers a variety of
programs designed to engage the creativity of students at several points in their education experience.
BUILDING COMMUNITY IS AS SIMPLE AS SHOWING UP.
CONSISTENTLY.
history
our StORy
Here’s how we work to rewrite that script.
Bottom line: Students are not being given consistent access to programs that will help their developmental growth, aid
their literacy, help control behavioral issues, and give them the potential to thrive at higher levels of academics.
In many public schools, however, a lack of consistent funding leaves students without access to the arts. A recent
survey by public radio station KPCC noted that while arts education is a mandated part of the curriculum for Los
Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), only 1 in 3 students receive full access to arts programming.
• Challenge imagination;
• Give students the opportunity to explore ambiguity and emotion; and
• Introduce critical thinking concepts such as interpretation, connection,
engagement, and reflection.
Arts education is a critical component of a well-rounded education. By engaging and developing all of a student’s
learning faculties, the arts:
OuR programs
student
cycle
the young storytellers journey
All of our Movie Makers direct professional actors and
see the words they wrote captured on film, but for
Jordan, that’s an even bigger deal. As a young person on
the Autism spectrum and living with dysgraphia (which
can make it hard to express oneself in writing), Jordan’s
Mom put it best: “I like to that think all our children
are talented, gifted, and special. The Young Storytellers
program actually shows us that this is true.”
Meet Jordan, the auteur behind the short “She’s Mime.”
The saga of two friends - one an average Joe, one a mime
- competing for the love of a girl (played by the camera
itself), is a sweet, point-of-view exploration of how much
a friendship can handle.
A YEAR-LONG, AFTER-SCHOOL
SCREENWRITING AND FILM PRODUCTION
PROGRAM FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS
CULMINATING IN A PITCH AND SCREENING OF
STUDENT-MADE SHORT FILMS.
A quick read of his script, “The Adventures of La La &
Frederick,” tells us he’s also an incredibly brave, open kid.
The tale of a couple navigating bitter goblins and overly
cautious vampires in a spooky amusement park is really a
story about not hiding your fears because you never know
where you’ll find support. Alex is living proof that good
advice knows no age.
Meet Alex, aka “Alexander the Great”, aka “Lil Biggie
Smalls”. In the words of his mentor Adrienne, Alex is,
“the goofiest and most culturally aware kid I have ever
met” - and not just because he wore cologne to his
school’s Big Show.
A SEMESTER-LONG, COMMON CORE-ALIGNED
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAM WHERE
STUDENTS WRITE THEIR OWN ORIGINAL SHORT
SCRIPT, THEN SEE IT PERFORMED LIVE BY
PROFESSIONAL ACTORS AT AN EVENT CALLED
“THE BIG SHOW.”
“Even though I was just a kid, everyone took my work
seriously. I was mentored, nurtured, and respected as a
young artist with a story to tell. I got to hear my words
performed in front of classmates and parents on our school’s
humble cafetorium stage with adult actors who dedicated
themselves to my characters. And I got that opportunity
thanks to Young Storytellers.”
Meet Eliana, Young Storytellers alumna and current
Columbia University student. College Chapters offer
students in higher education an opportunity to develop
and implement Young Storytellers programs in their local
community, which for Eliana means Head Mentoring a
Script to Stage program in New York City’s Morningside
Heights neighborhood. A double major in Creative Writing
and Computer Science, Eliana puts her motivation for
volunteering with Young Storytellers best:
A COLLEGE-BASED OPPORTUNITY FOR
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AROUND YOUNG
STORYTELLERS PROGRAMMING.
In P.O.V., Dominique examined her own experiences to
create “Color Culture,” a dramatic short about an AsianAmerican teen girl’s quest to see herself represented
in the media. Heady stuff for anyone to tackle, but as a
teenager Dominique is already artfully contributing to
the discussion about diversity in media and the city of
Los Angeles. It’s her story and the story of many young
women of color.
Meet Dominique, the first student to complete the
Young Storytellers Student Cycle (Script to Stage in 5th
grade, Movie Makers in middle school, and P.O.V. as a
high schooler). Dominique began her relationship with
Young Storytellers when she was 9 years old in our Script
to Stage program, one of those kids recommended to
us as “painfully shy.” By the time she joined the P.O.V.
program at 14, she’s grown into a powerhouse filmmaker
who knows she has something to say.
A YEAR-LONG WRITING AND FILMMAKING
INTENSIVE PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS BASED IN SELF-EXPLORATION.
Programs
99
Every
we raise provides
$1
Scripts
994
Students Served
1,101
Alumni hired as
Summer Interns
34
Short Films
129
Audience
8,000+
worth of Script to Stage programming
77%
$2
75%
According to parents & teachers,
Volunteer Instruction Value
$529,065
High School Mentors
54
Volunteer Performers
1,118
Volunteer Mentors
924
our impact
of the selected students fit two or
more of the above selection criteria.
28%
26%
of students were selected because
they are English Language Learners.
of students were selected because
they are in the Foster Care System.
1%
of students were selected because
they are on the Autism spectrum.
4%
of students were selected because they
have a predisposition to the performing
arts but they lack the resources for
enrichment classes / programs.
39%
of students were selected because
they are highly shy / introverted
44%
Why are Students Hand Selected by their
Teachers for Young Storytellers?
dEmOgraphicS
Beethoven Elementary
Betty Plasencia Elementary
Brentwood Science Magnet Elementary
Broadway Elementary
Canfield Elementary
Carthay Center Elementary
Castle Heights Elementary
Cheremoya Elementary
Coldwater Canyon Elementary
Crescent Heights Elementary
Culver City High School
Culver City Middle School
Disney Elementary
Dolores Mission School
Dominguez High School
Edison Elementary
El Rincon Elementary
Farragut Elementary
Foster Elementary
Frank D Parent School
Glenwood Elementary
Los Angeles
headquarters
p.o.v.
movie makers
script to stage
SchOols
Hamilton High School
Hollenbeck Middle School
John Burroughs High School
Jordan Middle School
La Ballona Elementary
Linwood Howe Elementary
Mark Twain Middle School
Marvin Elementary
McKinley Elementary
Melrose Elementary
Mendez High School
Micheltorena Elementary
New Roads Elementary
Nora Sterry Elementary
Overland Elementary
Palms Elementary
Palms Middle School
Para Los Niños
Playa Del Rey Elementary
Richland Elementary
Rio Vista Elementary
Saturn Elementary
Selma Elementary
*Pays a sponsorship fee for the program to
fund a Title One school
Daniel Webster Elementary
san francisco
PS 63 (East Village)
PS 111 (Midtown West)
NYC
SMBCC Elementary
St. Anne Elementary
Stevenson Elementary
USC/32nd Street Visual and
Performing Arts Magnet
Valley View Elementary
Venice High School
Westminster Elementary
Whaley Middle School
Wilshire Crest Elementary
Willows Community School *
$649,894
TOTAL
$499,173
$45,882
$43,334
$588,389
$61,505
$341,697
$529,065
Program (1)
Management & Administrative (2)
Fund Development (3)
TOTAL
Surplus Added to Cash Operating Reserve
Net Assets
In-kind Value of Volunteer Instruction
expenses
$148,496
$129,000
$224,000
$36,900
$108,323
$3,175
Individual Contributions (1)
Corporate Grants (2)
Foundation Grants (3)
Government Grants (4)
Special Events (5)
Program Revenue (6)
Revenue
Fiscal Year 2015
Revenue & Expenses
FinaNcIAlS
4
2
3
5
3
6
1
1
2
corporations
foundations
Government
SupPorteRs
AEG / Staples Center Foundation
Brotman Foundation of California
City Unified
Donna Roth
Ellen Goldsmith-Vein
Fox Audience Strategy
Front and Center Theater Collaborative / Culver
The Gotham Group
Greg Hodes
Hauptman Family Foundation
IBM Corporation
Ilene Resnick & Daniel Weiss
Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA)
LA Dodgers Foundation
Mikkel Bondesen
Natalie Fair
Steven and Ben Fischman
US Bank
$5,000-$9,999
The Box Scene Project
Give Back Brands Foundation
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Lynda and Stuart Resnick
Marla Lynch
Morgan King
Rosenthal Family Foundation
Sony Pictures Entertainment
State Farm Insurance
Time Warner Cable
WME Foundation
$10,000-$14,999
Herb Alpert Foundation
Annenberg Foundation
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Thelma Pearl Howard Foundation
Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
Los Angeles County Arts Commission
Weingart Foundation
WME Foundation
$15,000-$24,999
Ahmanson Foundation
The Antholis Family
Bettina Weary Trust
Dwight Stuart Youth Fund
Home Box Office
The JIB Fund Community Building Initiative
$25,000-$49,999
Walt Disney Co.
$50,000+
SECRETARY
Marketing Strategist
Writer & Founding Member
LANI MONOS
TREASURER
Executive Director, Global Corporate
Social Responsibility, Sony Pictures
Entertainment
SUSAN ARNOLD
BOARD MEMBER
Producer, Roth-Arnold
MARIKA CAHN
BOARD MEMBER
Writer
FRANKLIN LEONARD
BOARD MEMBER
Founder, The Black List
~
juan munoz
BOARD MEMBER
Young Storytellers Alumni
Jasmin Sayyah
BOARD MEMBER
VP, East West Investment Services
President, HBO Miniseries and
Cinemax Programming
TERRI EDDA MILLER
VICE-CHAIR
Executive Producer, ABC’s Castle
TRACY AFTERGOOD
BOARD MEMBER
Development Executive
SEBASTIAN BUCK
BOARD MEMBER
Co-Founder, Enso Collaborative
JAY GIBSON
BOARD MEMBER
Writer / Producer
`
Mauricio
Mota
BOARD MEMBER
Executive Producer, East Los High
DONNA ARKOFF ROTH
BOARD MEMBER
Producer / Roth-Arnold
Writer / Producer / Director
BOARD MEMBER
E. JEFFREY SMITH
EVP Production, The Walt Disney Company
BOARD MEMBER
Tendo Nagenda
Executive Producer, The Office & The
Newsroom
BOARD MEMBER
PAUL LIEBERSTEIN
Executive Producer, Disney Channel’s
Bizaardvarks
BOARD MEMBER
ERIC FRIEDMAN
Attorney
BOARD MEMBER
DARREN BERNSTEIN
DIVYA MENON
Head of Production, STX
Entertainment
VICE-CHAIR
CO-CHAIR
CO-CHAIR
SAM BROWN
ANDREW BARRETT
KARY ANTHOLIS
board of directors
our TEam
CEO, Coalition for Engaged Education
BRAD FALCHUK*
Founding Member, Co-Creator GLEE,
American Horror Story, Scream Queens
NESS HAMAOUI*
Executive Managing Director, Studley
ROB MANDEL*
Founding Partner, The Management Group
JAMIE TARSES*
Producer
troy williams*
Owner, Simply Troy Events
Founding Member, President &
CEO Fuse Entertainment
natalie fair*
Educator
ERIC GARCETTI
Mayor of the City of Los Angeles
NORMAN LEAR
Writer & Producer
ILENE RESNICK*
Philanthropist
RICHARD WEITZ*
Partner, WME Entertainment
Development Manager
rachel fleischer
Movie Makers and P.O.V. Director
ASHLEE FRANDELL
Volunteer Coordinator (AmeriCorps VISTA)
CURTIS BAXTER
Interim Programs Director
Executive Director
Lexi Notabartolo
Operations Manager
Netta Most
Script to Stage Director
Pierre Pandy
Outreach & Programs Coordinator
Education Director
Pilar Alvarez
jaylene chung
Bill thompson
staff
*Denotes former Governing Board Member
PAUL CUMMINS
MIKKEL BONDESEN*
advisory board
CEO, MediaWeaver
MATTHEW WEAVER
President, Fox Animation
vanessa morrison*
Partner, WME Entertainment
GREG HODES*
CEO, Prime PR
JOY FEHILY*
CEO, The Gotham Group
ELLEN GOLDSMITH-VEIN*
923 East 3rd Street, #307
Los Angeles, CA 90013
p: (323) 962-4500 f: (323) 843-9842
[email protected]
youngstorytellers.com
(photos courtesy of Aaron Jettleson and Kristine Ambrose)
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