On August 15th, Paramount welcomed early career professionals from the following two organizations as part of the Unlimited Potential (UP) program, which helps build pathways into media and entertainment:
- LaunchPad – A nonprofit organization dedicated to creating life-changing career opportunities in entertainment, sports and finance for young adults facing barriers.
- Don’t Follow the Wave (DFTW)- A foundation started by NBA star Anthony Edwards with the mission to inspire, empower and uplift youth by providing educational, athletic and social programs.
Participants from Atlanta, Minnesota and New York gathered for a full day of career exploration. The day began with opening remarks by Makeda Green, SVP, Paramount Cultural & Digital Consumer Insights, who shared “Collaborating with community partners to inspire a new generation of industry professionals is impact in action.”
Additional remarks were provided by Jon Winkel, President of Launchpad: “LaunchPad is honored to be part of such a meaningful and impactful day. The young adults in our program were lifted in a way that would never be possible without the combined efforts of an iconic institution in Paramount and two high-profile impact organizations all joining forces.” Justin Holland, co-founder of Don’t Stop the Wave, introduced a video from Anthony Edwards himself! Anthony gave thanks to all of those who helped create this opportunity and drummed up excitement for the day ahead.
The program opened with a powerhouse career panel moderated by Harold Anderson of Paramount’s Corporate Social Responsibility team. Panelists provided an overview of their day-to-day responsibilities, career journey, and advice on how to find your own path and more.
The panelists were:
- Genisha Metcalf, Partnership Lead, NBA
- Adam Robinson, VP, Corporate Social Responsibility, Paramount
- Garrett Beltis, Senior Producer, Nickelodeon Digital Studios
- Luke Kwon, Senior Financial Analyst, Paramount Tech Finance
Gianni Wong from Paramount’s Emerging Talent team later joined and offered best practices, tips and advice for aspiring young professionals searching for job/internship opportunities.
Over lunch, participants networked with panelists and Paramount employees before touring the CBS Mornings studio. And in the afternoon, participants created 30-second ads for Paramount+, mapping out their innovative ideas on large storyboards.
The day concluded with a fireside chat with CJ Miles, a retired 17-year NBA star now capturing all that life (and the NBA) has to offer as a photographer. Moderated by Jay Ross, SVP of Growth at Professional Athlete Community, CJ reflected on life after basketball. “I think my favorite part was the access given [to the professionals] which allowed [for] beautiful conversations face to face. The event [was] great because of its creative and forward thinking but it does not overlook [providing] the traditional and foundational skills needed.”
Participants ended their day at Wheelhouse NY for additional networking as the sun set. It was clear the day opened long-term pathways for participants to envision careers in media entertainment. Paramount looks forward to continuing to support community partners through workforce development programming.
