The NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and NYC Small Business Services are launching a workforce development initiative to support those who hope to work in arts and entertainment. The “Made in NY” Media Academy will run in partnership with several City University of New York (CUNY) colleges, including Queensborough Community College (QCC), Kingsborough Community College (KCC) and Hunter College.

The announcement of the new media academy was made at Queensborough Community College on Tuesday (June 16) and included a Masterclass in Music Production by Kid Capri. The new program will include training in audio production, graphic arts, digital content creation and emerging technologies.

“New York City’s creative economy is powered by working people — the musicians, designers, editors and producers whose talent and labor make this city the cultural capital of the world,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement. “The ‘Made in NY’ Media Academy will open doors to creative careers for more New Yorkers, providing free training for jobs that are hiring right now. As we build an affordable New York City, we’re creating pathways to the good-paying jobs that will shape the future of art, media and entertainment for the world.”

The 10-week music production bootcamp at QCC begins on Sept. 15 and promises to help graduates to secure employment in commercial recording studios, live music venues, broadcast, radio and music production manufacturers. KCC’s seven-week content creation program, which starts Sept. 21 and is focused on video editing and digital strategy skills, is in partnership with Reel Works. Hunter College’s 11-week graphic design bootcamp, which begins in the fall, will teach skills in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. It will also facilitate paid micro-internships with organizations such as Bloomberg, Hearst, NBCUniversal, ABC News, Penguin Random House, Shore Fire Media and more.

“This city runs on people who make things — music, art, content, stories that the rest of the world watches and listens to,” Julie Su, NYC’s deputy mayor for economic justice, said in a statement. “‘Made in NY’ changes that. It’s free training on real industry equipment, with a credential and job placement support at the other end of it. That’s what it means to build an economy that works for the people who are already doing the work that makes this city what it is.”

Applicants for each program must be New York City residents aged 18 or older, be authorized to work in the U.S. and make under $60,000 if employed. Information on the music production program is available here, information on the content creation program is available here and information on the graphic design bootcamp is available here.

“The ‘Made in NY’ Media Academy represents a new way to train New Yorkers for opportunities in our city’s world renowned creative industries,” Rafael Espinal, the commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, said in a statement. “Rather than focus on a single occupation, the Academy’s offerings will evolve in response to real-time labor market shifts and emerging demands across the media sector, ensuring New Yorkers have the relevant skills to stay employed and take on new career paths.”

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