LOS ANGELES — mitú, the leader in creating media and entertainment through a Latino lens, is partnering with Bixel Exchange, part of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce’s Center for Innovation & Technology, to provide training and mentorship to multicultural creators in L.A. through mitú’s ACCELERATOR program. The initiative is supported by AnnenbergTech and Annenberg Foundation through convenings and funding, in partnership with L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti’s HIRE LA’s Youth initiative.
“L.A. has never had a shortage of innovation, but we do have a lack of diverse creators in our booming digital media industry,” said Sean Arian, president of the L.A. Area Chamber’s Bixel Exchange. “Our partnership with mitú, Mayor Garcetti and the Annenberg Foundation allows us to pull new content creators from diverse communities across Los Angeles into mitú’s cutting-edge digital media accelerator and, eventually, a rewarding career.”
mitú’s ACCELERATOR program provides multicultural creators an opportunity to learn every aspect of the digital media industry in a boot camp-style environment. Through mitú’s ACCELERATOR program, aspiring digital creators develop innovative content for key community organizations, educational institutions and industry partners to gain tangible workplace experience. The program also gives creators the opportunity to develop digital content eligible for distribution across mitú’s owned and operated platforms.
“For years Latinos have been grossly underrepresented and stereotyped in the entertainment industry,” said Beatriz Acevedo, president and co-founder of mitú. “With mitú’s ACCELERATOR, we’re providing opportunities and empowering the next generation of multicultural storytellers and creators to have a more prominent and authentic voice in media.”
Mayor Garcetti’s L.A. Tech Talent Pipeline program, part of his HIRE LA’s Youth initiative, is placing more than 15,000 young people in summer jobs this year. As part of the program, they are providing subsidized internships to each ACCELERATOR participant who graduates from the program.
The L.A. Tech Talent Pipeline brings together public and private sector partners to expand training and job opportunities for the next generation of talent, and aims to place at least 100 young Angelenos in paid tech internships this year.
“L.A. is quickly becoming the global capital of digital media, and we need to make sure that young Angelenos have the skills and networks they need to succeed as digital content creators. I am delighted that our HIRE LA’s Youth program will support mitú’s ACCELERATOR, a springboard for career success in digital media,” said Mayor Garcetti. “I’m grateful to mitú and the L.A. Area Chamber’s Bixel Exchange for their partnership.”
Annenberg Foundation, whose focus on the intersection of tech and philanthropy resulted in the recent creation of the initiative AnnenbergTech, hosted multiple convenings with tech thought leaders to help brainstorm and build on mitú ACCELERATOR’s original pilot program. The Foundation also created the Annenberg Challenge for Innovation in Technology through My LA2050 Grants Challenge, and selected the mitú ACCELERATOR as one of its grant recipients.
About mitú
Our audience is the 200% – youth who are 100% American and 100% Latino – they inspire us to create authentic, culturally relevant stories. We reach a massive, cross-cultural audience who will soon be the majority of youth in the U.S. Our audience is nearly 100 million people in the U.S. each month. Globally, we drive over 600 million content views and over 100 million video views monthly.
mitú is the leader in connecting brands, content buyers, and creators to Latino youth in America. Our investors include Upfront Ventures, WPP, AwesomenessTV, and Verizon Ventures. mitú is headquartered in Downtown Los Angeles and has operations in Miami, New York, Chicago, and Bogotá, Colombia. For more information, visit www.wearemitu.com.
About Bixel Exchange
Bixel Exchange was founded in 2011 to support and grow L.A.’s tech ecosystem. Bixel Exchange plays a critical role connecting business leaders, educational institutions and nonprofits throughout the region. Bixel works with tech companies to prepare the next generation of Angelenos for careers in the fast growing tech sector. Currently, Bixel Exchange works with 10 community colleges, 30 high schools and more than 60 tech companies.
About Annenberg
The Annenberg Foundation is a family foundation that provides funding and support to nonprofit organizations in the United States and globally. Since 1989, it has generously funded programs in education and youth development; arts, culture and humanities; civic and community life; health and human services; and animal services and the environment. In addition, the Foundation and its Board of Directors are directly involved in the community with innovative projects that further its mission of advancing a better tomorrow through visionary leadership today. Among them are Annenberg Alchemy, Annenberg Learner, Annenberg Space for Photography, Annenberg Tech, explore, GRoW @ Annenberg and the Metabolic Studio. The Foundation encourages the development of effective ways to communicate by sharing ideas and knowledge.
About HIRE LA’s Youth
Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a new goal to hire 20,000 young people for year round employment by 2020, more than quadrupling the number of youth jobs coordinated by City Hall when he entered office. A summer job is key in helping young people ages 14 to 24 learn about the workplace, find a mentor and enter a path to meaningful and lifelong employment. HIRE LA’s Youth is an investment that pays off in lives today and holds the promise of a brighter future for our city and the entire region.
About LA Chamber of Commerce
The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce represents the interests of business in L.A. County. Founded in 1888, the Chamber promotes a prosperous economy and quality of life in the Los Angeles region. For more information, visit www.lachamber.com.
