The Chicago Film Office, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) developed a 8-week hands-on skill-based program in partnership with local production, costumes, and camera industry unions and post-production.

The 25 students selected to participate have begun attending virtual and onsite instruction. Each participant is developing specific skill sets in production, editing, accounting, hair/make-up, costumes, grip, lighting, camera and many more industry pathways. A few students have also had the opportunity to work on the set of local productions, shadowing working professionals. One of those students is Jane Georges. A resident artist of the Chicago Art Department in Pilsen. Jane is a student in our set decorator pathway. She receives regular instruction at Big City Sets onsite at MK Studios provided by I.A.T.S.E. Local 476 - Chicago Studio Mechanics union trainers. Jim Hartnett Jr. 476 Training Coordinator says, "The students participating in the ChicagoMade program are displaying a strong desire to learn and work in our industry, and the instructors have all made mention of their positive attitudes and willingness to learn."

Brianna Cokley and Jubril Adeagbo are also ChicagoMade students who have participated in an onset production utilizing their new camera skills during pre-production on a new episodic series from FX. Brianna and Jubril also contributed to the preparation and shooting of a TV commercial. Over the last four weeks both students attended on-site classes at equipment rental houses - Keslow Camera and Panavision Chicago, instructed by International Cinematographers Guild, IATSE Local 600 trainers. Peter Kuttner, a Chicago-based Local 600 camera technician with over 45 years of feature and TV experience acts as a liaison between IATSE Local 600 and the ChicagoMade program. “ChicagoMade has been a longtime coming. As a lifelong Chicagoan, I am proud that my city sees the need to diversify our workforce in a very real way by paving a path to employment.”

As graduation approaches, students are preparing for upcoming internships and employment opportunities. The Chicago Film Office is coordinating partnerships with independent filmmakers as well as big budget studio productions like Netflix, NBC, and Disney starting this Spring.

The ChicagoMade program is managed by XD Technology Industry. A 10 year old latino owned MBE firm that has been responsible for delivering innovative workforce development solutions in the form of sustainable skill-based programs. Aimed at servicing the economic development needs of local residents throughout Chicago’s under-resourced neighborhoods. XD Tech CEO Xavier Hernandez states “Our goal is to transform this region's TV and Film industry into one of America’s most competitive sectors by 2025.” For more information and partnership connections please visit www.xdtechindustry.com/

Transforming ideas into reality is one of the most fulfilling things that a small business person does. However, it’s not enough to just have an idea and start a business. To succeed in the long term, you need to put in the work to make your basic brand story thrive through the equally important elements of strategy and execution. READ MORE AT BUSINESS2COMMUNITY

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today welcomes 96 Black and Latino founders and CEOs to the 2022 cohort of the EY Entrepreneurs Access Network (EAN). A national business accelerator, EAN is a comprehensive, executive program designed to elevate emerging and established Black- and Latino-owned companies through access to resources, networks and one-on-one mentoring. This marks the second full cohort of EAN participants, after the program officially launched in January 2021. READ MORE AT CISION

Applications for new businesses rose 20 percent last year, after languishing for a decade. Many newly minted founders attribute it to the pandemic.

“People have become disaffected with what they’re doing, and might as well do the thing they've been wanting to do for a while,” says Stewart Thornhill, executive director of the Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Michigan. Some people who were furloughed or laid off near the start of the pandemic became entrepreneurs out of necessity. Others took stock of their good-enough jobs and decided they could do something better. READ MORE AT WIRED

With dramatic growth in the U.S. Hispanic population, the number of Hispanic-owned businesses is growing faster than in other ethnic groups. And Latino entrepreneurs are going far beyond the sterotypical blue-collar industries like restaruants, hospitality and construction.

A January report from Stanford University concluded that Latino-owned businesses with employees are more likely than their white-owned counterparts to be technology innovators. The study found that 19% of Latino-owned firms develop and sell a tech or software product, compared to 14% of white-owned firms. READ MORE AT GBH

Latinos in the fight against climate change will gather this week during a virtual summit highlighting the community’s growing environmental activism. By the numbers: 81% of Latinos in the U.S. consider addressing global climate change a priority, compared to 67% of non-Hispanics, according to a Pew Research Center poll. READ MORE AT AXIOS

While Latino-owned businesses are growing at a much faster rate than any other business segment in the country, they continue to face greater barriers to financing and report lower than average revenue per company than white-owned companies, according to new data released last week.

On Friday (January 28), the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative (SLEI) released its seventh annual research report, State of Latino Entrepreneurship, exploring the impact, challenges, and opportunities of the fastest growing business segment in the U.S. economy. READ MORE AT POETS AND QUANTS

Average annual revenue for Latino-owned businesses ($258,251) in 2020-21 was $82,535, lower than their revenues the previous year ($340,787), a 24.2% decline, according to the annual Biz2Credit Latino-Owned Business Study. The analysis also found that average annual revenue for Latino-owned businesses was $45,435 greater than for non-Latino-owned companies ($212,816).

However, despite some superior performance measures, the funding rate for Latino-owned companies was 34.5%, slightly lower than the funding rate for non-Latino-owned firms 36.6% in 2020-21. Further, average loan size for Latino-owned companies was $47,031, compared to $81,156 for non-Latino-owned firms in 2020-21. READ MORE AT FORBES

The universities and colleges providing students with the most opportunities for long-term economic success are Hispanic-serving Institutions in California, New York and Texas, according to an analysis published Thursday.

Based on the EMI metric, six state schools in California, two public colleges in New York, and two public universities in Texas are doing a better job of promoting economic mobility and a path to the middle class. All of these schools also happen to be Hispanic-serving Institutions, or HSIs, meaning that at least a quarter of their student population is Hispanic. READ MORE AT NBC NEWS

Hispanic-owned businesses have been the fastest-growing segment in the U.S. over the past 10 years, their numbers increasing by 34% since 2010, versus only 1% growth for all other business owners, according to a recent Stanford University study. READ MORE AT MEDIAPOST

The tech industry is growing in Arizona and nationally, with net employment in 2018 bringing on more than 260,000 new jobs nationally. Since the employment shortage that followed the Great Recession a decade ago, net tech employment has increased by an estimated 1.9 million jobs. Yet, as the industry is growing, it’s leaving people of color and women behind. READ MORE AT CRONKITE NEWS

Projections show half of all homebuyers nationally will be Hispanic in the next decade. Latinos are the only demographic in the U.S. to increase their rate of homeownership for each of the past six years, according to the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals. Oklahoma had the fifth-highest growth at 95.5% from 2009 to 2019, according to NAHREP. READ MORE AT THE JOURNAL RECORD

According to a report by UCLA’s Latino Policy & Politics Initiative, Latinas are leaving the workforce at higher rates than any other demographic.

For some Latinas, the mirage of the American Dream faded amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and many chose to divest from the cultural, societal, and professional standards placed on first- and second-generation communities. READ MORE AT REFINERY 29

Latinos are an economic engine for the US. They are the fastest growing minority: by 2030, 1 in 5 workers will be Latino. And they have the highest rate of entrepreneurship of any race: their businesses have grown by 12.5 percent over the past five years, compared to 5.3 percent for White-owned businesses. READ MORE AT MCKINSEY & COMPANY

Latinos are projected to make up 22.4 percent of the US labor force by 2030 and more than 30 percent by 2060. Yet they remain concentrated in roles generally dismissed as “jobs no one else wants to do.” They are underpaid, less likely to have nonwage employer benefits, and disproportionately vulnerable to disruption. The $288 billion annual gap in income compared with non-Latino White workers not only represents lost economic opportunity but has significant implications for Latinos’ ability to start businesses, build wealth, and fully participate as consumers. READ MORE AT MCKINSEY & COMPANY

The rise of remote work during the pandemic led several Silicon Valley venture capitalists to escape California, with its wildfires and high taxes. Miami, with a large Latino population, and Atlanta, with a large Black population, have both seen higher interest.

Data from Crunchbase compiled for Reuters showed startups with a Black or Hispanic founder got 3.5% of the record $311 billion U.S. venture funding in the year to Dec. 16, up from an average 2.5% in the previous five years.

Florida and Georgia were the only states with significant deal flow that showed an increase in the number of deals for Black and Latino companies. READ MORE AT WHBL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 10, 2021
CONTACT:
DCASE Communications, dcase@cityofchicago.org
Jamey Lundblad, Jamey.Lundblad@cityofchicago.org

MAYOR LIGHTFOOT AND DCASE ANNOUNCE NEW “CHICAGO MADE” INITIATIVE TO STRENGTHEN CHICAGO’S TV & FILM INDUSTRY

Innovative workforce development program and public awareness campaign are outcomes of Mayor Lightfoot’s COVID-19 Recovery Task Force

CHICAGO—Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Chicago Film Office at the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) today announced a new initiative to strengthen Chicago’s TV and film industry. The new “Chicago Made” workforce development program and public awareness campaign are based on recommendations from the City of Chicago’s COVID-19 Recovery Task Force outlined in the Forward Together advisory report. “This initiative will play an important role in the resurgence of our city’s TV and film industry, which remains one of the largest and most diverse in the country,” said Mayor Lightfoot.

“Chicago’s growing film industry not only ranks our city first in the Midwest for production, it also highlights the diverse culture and immense talent
found throughout our 77 neighborhoods.” The Chicago Film Office at DCASE has partnered with management consulting firm XD-TECH to deliver an innovative workforce development program that aims to transform the region’s TV and film workforce — by offering job training and placement to Chicago residents ages 24 to 50, primarily from underserved areas of our city, to help meet the industry’s increasing demand for skilled workers. Many of the positions are entry-level and do not require a college degree including carpenter, costumer, grip, lighting tech, production assistant and set decorator.

Twenty-five participants will be selected for the first cohort, across 12 career pathways. More than 20 industry partners are providing training or other supports for the program. Chicagoans interested in this opportunity should register for a virtual info session on Friday, December 10 at 6pm CST and can learn more (including eligibility criteria and pre-requisite requirements) at XDTechIndustry.com/ChicagoMade. Applications to participate in this free program are due by December 15.*

*Participants with previous training and/or specific pre-requisite skillsets will be prioritized in order to maximize the effectiveness of the condensed training period.

“Chicago film production is on track to hit an all-time high this year,” said Kwame Amoaku, Director of the Chicago Film Office. “The new ‘Chicago Made’ initiatives will increase our capacity to serve and accelerate the growth of the local industry — building our workforce while supporting residents in every neighborhood.”

The Chicago Film Office led the City’s efforts to bring a record 15 productions to Chicago this summer, at an estimated economic value of well over $700 million this year alone. In 2019, the Illinois film industry employed 20,000 people and 51% of local crew hires were women or minorities. NBCUniversal, Netflix, The Walt Disney Company and WarnerMedia will provide onset training for the workforce development program. The following partners consulted on the curriculum and will provide direct training support: Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) Midwest; Brittanni Perkins, production
accountant; Chicago Filmmakers; Essanay Studio & Lighting Co.; IATSE Local 476; IATSE Local 600; IATSE TWU Local 769; Keslow Camera; Last Looks Chicago; The Mill; ONE at Optimus; Panavision Chicago; and Periscope Post & Audio.

Additionally, BTECH Studios and Creative Cypher are working with XD-TECH on program outreach and implementation. Bloomberg Associates, Columbia College Chicago and Kennedy-King College provided consultation support. Additionally, DCASE is launching an ongoing public awareness campaign using the “Chicago Made” brand to highlight the vital role Chicago’s TV and film industry plays in the city — benefiting Chicago residents in all 50 wards (both residents affected by filming in their neighborhood and Chicagoans interested in film production jobs) as well as industry stakeholders. The campaign will showcase the industry’s enormous economic impact, introduce local film workers as neighbors and friends and
highlight the diversity of “reel” jobs available across our city. The campaign’s creative will emphasize the grit and authenticity of Chicago’s film industry and its unique style of filmmaking — via digital billboards, advertising on CTA trains and busses, advertising at O’Hare, social media, community news and more. Learn more at ChicagoMade.us (launching soon; Music and other creative industries to be added in 2022) and join the conversation on social media using #ChicagoMade.

# # #
Chicago Film Office
The Chicago Film Office is part of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and leads the City’s efforts to attract and enhance the production of feature films, television series, commercials, documentaries and all forms of local screen entertainment. For filmmakers, it is a one-stop liaison for all City of Chicago production needs, including permits, City services and logistical support. For more information, visit chicagofilmoffice.us.
Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to enriching Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicago’s non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City’s future cultural and economic growth, via the Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City’s cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors. For more information, visit chicago.gov/dcase.

Latinos will make up more than 1 in 5 U.S. workers by 2030. Yet despite high rates of job participation and entrepreneurship, a massive wage gap is one of the factors hindering their economic mobility, a new study has found.

The wage gap for Latinos is as high as $288 billion per year, according to "The economic state of Latinos in America: The American dream deferred," a report by McKinsey & Co. in partnership with the Aspen Institute, which was released Wednesday. READ MORE AT NBC NEWS

Latinos now make up 19% of the country’s population, and half of them are under age 29. And while America’s Latinos spend an estimated $1.7 trillion annually, the Hispanic Marketing Council says only 6% of overall industry investment is spent targeting the Latino community. READ MORE AT WTTW NEWS

Obesity and diabetes disproportionately affect Latinos in the United States, a group that comprises 18.4% of the population, or approximately 60.5 million people. Latinos are 1.2 times more likely to be obese than non-Latino Whites, according to HHS Office of Minority Health.

Almost 4 out of 5 (78.8%) Hispanic women are overweight or obese compared with 64% of non-Latino White women. Latinos are twice as likely to have type 2 diabetes (17%) than Whites (8%), according to the CDC. READ MORE AT MANAGED HEALTHCARE EXECUTIVE