● Rec — Film · Music · Live Events
Your seat
in the industry.
We don't just create content. We create pathways.
Paid work, mentorship and real experience on set, in the studio and backstage — for underserved and underrepresented talent in an industry not built for them.
Who we are
We create careers in entertainment for people who wouldn't get the chance otherwise.
The Culture Works Initiative is an entertainment workforce apprenticeship — film, music, scoring and live events. We hire people from underserved and underrepresented communities onto real productions, recording sessions and live shows, pay them, pair them with working professionals and help them build the credits and contacts that lead to a lasting career.
Careers in entertainment — not just film
Film & TV
Camera, lighting, sound, production office, editing and post.
Music & Score
Recording, scoring, music supervision and soundtrack production.
Concerts & Live Events
Stage crew, concert logistics, tour and event production.
Marketing & Media
Behind-the-scenes content, publicity and entertainment marketing.
Why your gift matters
Talent is everywhere. The doors into entertainment aren't.
Most entertainment careers start with a first paid job on set — and those jobs usually go to people who already know someone. Fewer women and people of color are getting the top creative roles, not more. Your gift pays for the first job, the mentor and the credit that open the door.
36% → 24%
Women creating original U.S. streaming series, 2024–25 to 2025–26
SDSU, Boxed In 2025–26
32% → 22%
Women directing original U.S. streaming programs, same period
SDSU, Boxed In 2025–26
8.3%
Creators of most-watched scripted streaming shows (2024) who were people of color
UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report, Dec 2025
3.3%
Creators in that same study who were Black
UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report, Dec 2025
What we're building
A pathway from first day on set to a real career.
Paid apprenticeships
Apprentices are hired onto real productions — camera, lighting, sound, production office, post and marketing.
Mentorship
Every apprentice is paired with a working department head who teaches the craft on set, day by day.
Professional experience
Real credits, real call sheets and a professional network that carries into the next job.
How it works
You fund a production
Your gift supports a film that serves as a live training set.
We hire and train apprentices
Underrepresented talent gets paid roles and hands-on mentorship.
They leave career-ready
Credits, skills and contacts to keep working in the industry.
Where apprentices work
The Other Side
Our feature film is the live training set. Apprentices don't sit in a classroom — they're hired onto this production and learn on the job.
A young music executive. A powerful mogul. One question: what would you tolerate if the person hurting you was also making your dreams come true?
- ✓ Camera & lighting
- ✓ Sound
- ✓ Production office
- ✓ Editing & post
- ✓ Behind-the-scenes media
- ✓ Marketing
- ✓ Music & score
- ✓ Premiere & live events
Our programs
National reach. Local roots.
National
Culture Works
Paid apprenticeships on real productions — in production, marketing, live events and documentary storytelling.
North Carolina · $500K goal
Culture Works NC
Training NC crew and hiring NC businesses, starting in Raleigh-Durham.
The talent is here. Access isn't.
Help us open the door — one production, one apprentice at a time.