BRIC Foundation Unites Government, Industry, and Labor to Pioneer Arts, Media, and Entertainment High Road Training Partnership

Historic $3.5 million contract to establish the first, large-scale multi-year initiative to shape a more inclusive and diverse industry 

LOS ANGELES, August 10, 2023 – BRIC Foundation, in partnership with the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB), is honored to announce the inaugural Arts, Media, and Entertainment High Road Training Partnership (AME-HRTP). This initiative is the first of its kind to bridge training and education programs with employment, and drive economic mobility for underrepresented arts, media, and entertainment (AME) workers in Film/Television, Animation, VFX, Games, Music/Audio, Live Entertainment, and Design. 

Over the course of the three-year grant term, BRIC Foundation’s AME-HRTP will target high-skill, high-wage jobs in AME industries and address challenges around building and sustaining a more diverse and inclusive workforce. AME-HRTP will support  a network of Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAP) and Community-based organizations to  facilitate  paid on-the-job training, mentorship, career coaching, and ongoing support for participants. AME-HRTP will also support the establishment of entertainment industry union training and mentorship programs leading to union work. 

“As the industry continues to face challenges of increasing DEIA, we recognized the need to work collaboratively in order to find a solution that supports tangible systemic change,” said Nicole Hendrix, Producer and Co-Founder of BRIC Foundation. “We’re proud to lead this initiative from BRIC and provide a coherent structure that will advance the way AME industries recruit and sustain diverse talent across every sector.”

In light of the recent labor disputes, this work to elevate worker voice and support access to sustainable, living wage jobs across the entertainment industry is more crucial than ever. “Additionally with the changes to the California Film Commission tax incentive program and the spotlight on diversity from legislators in Sacramento, we feel that this AME-HRTP program will help us build upon the existing work and meet our goals to support a more diverse industry,” says DeJon Ellis Jr., Business Manager for IATSE Local 80.  

AME-HRTP was born from BRIC’s work with the California Department of Education Arts, Media and Entertainment Advisory Board, and the Entertainment Equity Alliance (EEA). EEA is a coalition of industry-connected workforce and labor partners committed to ensuring equity and access to careers in the arts and entertainment industry for historically excluded and underrepresented groups. AME-HRTP will activate EEA’s goals of identifying research-based solutions to industry-specific challenges and expanding the coalition of mentorship, training and employment pathway programs to promote DEIA within the arts, media, and entertainment industries. Members of EEA include BRIC Foundation, Arts2Work, Music Forward Foundation, Event Vocational Entertainment Network, Handy Foundation, Group Effort Initiative, Television Academy Foundation, Women in Animation, IATSE Local 80, CVL Economics, Manifest Works, Academy Gold, California Department of Education (AME), California Film Commission (Career Readiness and Pathways), Better Youth, South Bay Workforce Investment Board, and more.

AME-HRTP is a grantee of the High Road Training Partnerships Resilient Workforce Fund grant program at the California Workforce Development Board. The grant program awards projects embodying the sector approach and championed by industry partnerships that deliver job quality, economic equity for more workers, and climate resilience. For more information about BRIC Foundation’s AME-HRTP program, please visit bricfoundation.org/ame-hrtp. 

About BRIC Foundation

BRIC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit company dedicated to increasing representation in Entertainment, Gaming, Media and Tech. Founded in 2018 and led by Nicole Hendrix and Alison Mann, BRIC Foundation was created to change how entertainment companies approach and discuss hiring around diversity. By teaming up with Education, Government, Non-Profit, and Industry partners, BRIC is proud to be creating equitable pathways for future generations of diverse creators to tell their stories and make an impact on the world. To learn more about BRIC, visit https://bricfoundation.org or follow @bricfound on social media.

About California Workforce Development Board

The California Workforce Development Board (CWDB) is the Governor’s agent for the development, oversight, and continuous improvement of California’s workforce development system. The CWDB assists the Governor in setting and guiding workforce development policy, developing innovative initiatives through statewide programs, and expanding the High Road vision through its field branch. 

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