The application for our Media Arts Apprenticeship (MAA) is officially open and will remain open until May 10th. Our MAA program is an intersection of technology and storytelling. If you are interested in using audio and video technology to tell stories through music, photography, podcasting, video/film, or anything in between, do not look any further! No experience is required, and this is a paid opportunity. The application is available on our website and does not take long to complete. All requirements are posted at the top of the application, but we are focused on working with 18–26-year-old people of color and women living in the Greater Boston area.
In January, we hosted our second annual film screening for the short documentaries that our 6th cohort of the Media Arts Apprenticeship created in partnership with Audible. This showcase was held at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge and hosted by Roxbury International Film Festival Executive Director and our advisory board member, Lisa Simmons. It also marked the end of the instructional portion of the program for the cohort. In February, we held a second screening for these short documentaries at Google Headquarters in Kendall Square. Both events closed out with a Q&A with the filmmakers afterwards. You can now view these short documentaries (and past cohorts’ as well) on Audible’s YouTube channel here.
After finishing instruction, our apprentices begin a fellowship at an A/V or media company in the Greater Boston area to get on-the-job experience. Below is the list of different sites our apprentices are working with:
Xavier Asamoah – Northern Lights Productions (Allston, MA)
Destiny Cuevas – Encore Global (Boston, MA)
Kuran Freeman – Loop Lab Studio (Cambridge, MA)
Ethan ‘Nino’ Leite – Q Division Studios (Cambridge, MA)
Soteary Levy – Tufts Technology Services (Medford, MA)
Anna Montano – Loop Lab Studio (Cambridge, MA)
Noel O’Neil -- BlackMath TV (Chinatown, Boston, MA)
Andres Osorno – ELEMENT Productions (Back Bay, Boston, MA)
Additionally, we have made several strides with our high school programming this year. In the past, our only high school engagement consisted of the MSYEP program over the summer, but we have now embarked on two additional engagements focused on a partnership with Boston Public Schools (BPS). During February vacation week, we hosted 10 BPS students from a variety of high schools for a three-day intensive media arts bootcamp at our Downtown Boston space. This was all done in partnership with Boston PIC and would not have been possible without them.
Students at TechBoston work with Loop Lab alum and Assistant Instructor, Xavier Montes
Additionally, we have begun a residency at TechBoston Academy in Boston. Coordinating with the faculty at this BPS school has allowed us to work with classes during the school day for a three-week period. We have worked with two separate classes to this point and have one more on the docket! Here is how some of the students have responded to our programming so far:
“Loop Lab benefited us by teaching us skills that we may not have had before and expand our mind on what we might want to do in the future.”
“They were beneficial to me because I learned better techniques for editing, but also how to use the programs efficiently. It also taught me something new about myself, as I enjoy editing and will most likely pursue it as a hobby.”
“I do recommend them to work with the art department because it is a good skill to learn how to edit videos online and it could open career paths for many students.”
Ruth Rieffanaugh, an educator at TechBoston Academy who we have worked closely with, had this to say about working with The Loop Lab:
A TechBoston student records their classmate
“This partnership was valuable. The lessons were scaffolded based on the class's needs. Students were able to interact with professionals in the field and receive feedback on their projects. An important aspect of this partnership was their ability to come to our classrooms for extended periods to work with the students. Field trips or after-school programs are not always viable options for some students for numerous reasons, so having the program join our classroom provides an opportunity for these students. We also found it helpful for the students to learn industry standards with more than one adult in the room. Teaching in 2024 has changed. The needs are higher, and attentiveness is lower. Having professionals able to interact with students, and answer questions, allowed for a greater learning experience and helped stimulate a creative working environment.”
Lastly, we have added two new staff members to our department! Please welcome Miranda Yung, an instructor to our apprenticeship program, and Matt Feener, our primary instructor for all high school opportunities. Miranda is a multi-talented visual artist with an MFA in film from Emerson College. She has a passion for inspiring hope and healing through the magic of storytelling, and has experience working in narrative film, music videos, and documentaries to name a few mediums. Matt is a versatile creator who went to MassArt and has worked with RAW Arts, and the Transformative Culture Project. He has extensive experience with instruction and is looking forward to helping our high school programming grow. Both, respectively, can be reached at mfeener@thelooplab.org and miranda@thelooplab.org.