PRESS RELEASE
24 May 2022
Apple expands Today at Apple Creative Studios, providing new opportunities to young creatives
Select Apple Store locations across the globe will host all-new Creative Studios sessions open to the local community
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple has unveiled plans to bring its Today at Apple Creative Studios initiative to even more young creatives from underrepresented communities around the world. The expanded program offers career-building mentorship, training, and resources across a wide range of artistic disciplines, which now include all-new curricula in app design, podcasting, spatial audio production, and filmmaking. This year, Creative Studios will launch in seven new cities, including Nashville, Miami, Berlin, Milan, Taipei, Tokyo, and Sydney. It will also return for its second year in Chicago; Washington, D.C.; New York City; London; Paris; Bangkok; and Beijing.
“Our stores have long provided a platform to showcase the great talent of local artists, and our retail teams are proud to play a role in supporting creativity within their communities and creating a place where everyone is welcome,” said Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail + People. “We’re enormously grateful to our Apple Creative Pros, our retail team members, and local partners, who together make it possible for us to expand access to free arts education and mentorship to even more communities.”
Designed to support young people who face barriers to receiving a quality creative education, Creative Studios connects participants with mentors from Apple and more than 30 nonprofit community partners who specialise in areas such as books and storytelling, app design, radio and podcasts, and photography, film, and TV. Participants will receive hands-on education, training, and feedback on their projects. In addition to nurturing participants’ creative skills, mentors will encourage them to think about how their talents can encourage social change in their communities.
Apple Store locations in select cities will also host public Today at Apple Creative Studios sessions. Led by the established artists mentoring young participants in Creative Studios and Apple Creative Pros, these free events will be open to the public, with registration available at apple.com/today.
“It was an honor to share my passion for Apple technology and storytelling with these young people,” said Rudy P., an Apple Creative Pro at Apple Carnegie Library in Washington. “Technology entered my life at a young age and completely changed my trajectory. My hope for these published authors is that they continue to tell the stories of their lives. The world needs their point of view.”
Last year, over 400 young people participated in Creative Studios programming. Communities celebrated the books, films, and music the participants developed, and showcased participants’ art via Apple TV, Apple Books, and Apple Music.
This year’s program includes:
App Design (New York)
New for this year, Creative Studios New York will provide mentorship, insight, and resources to women and nonbinary creatives as they conceptualise apps to drive social impact.
Books and Storytelling (Miami, Washington)
Young creatives in Washington will hone their skills in creative writing and visual storytelling as they make their own board books, audiobooks, and storyboards. In Miami, Apple joins community partner O, Miami in a program for BIPOC+ emerging artists to explore storytelling through the creation of micro audiobooks.
Music, Radio, and Podcasts (Berlin, Nashville, Chicago, Paris)
Aspiring musicians in Berlin will learn about radio production while exploring themes of belonging with guidance from inspiring mentors, working closely with Refuge Worldwide and Open Music Lab. In Nashville, in collaboration with the National Museum of African American Music, the program will specialise in spatial audio recording by granting participants access to Apple Music studios. In Paris, participants will build skills in creative storytelling, audio engineering, and recording through new programming focused on podcasting. And in Chicago, young creatives from the Southwest Side will amplify their own narratives and stories around the theme of belonging and identity through an experience focused on radio production and audio/video experimentation.
Art and Design (Taipei, Milan)
Creative Studios in Taipei and Milan will connect mentors with aspiring young designers as they explore identity while designing, creating, and promoting content that represents themselves and their communities. In Milan, participants will have the opportunity to create an inclusive media landscape through a program that celebrates the diversity of fashion, art, and design led by Afro Fashion, while Taipei’s program will create a safe space for young people to explore gender and identity through creativity. These programs will guide participants through production, provide mentorship and inspiration, and create access to resources and insights from the design industry.
Photography, Film, and TV (London, Sydney, Beijing, Tokyo, Bangkok)
Participants in London and Sydney will explore identity, culture, and representation as they create short documentary films and build skills in cinematography, direction, and editing, with feedback and insight from established artists. In Beijing and Tokyo, participants will receive professional guidance to dive into photography and videography as a means to tell their own stories. In Bangkok, Apple joins community partner Saturday School Foundation for a second year, providing young creatives the opportunity to explore a wide range of Apple-led sessions taught by Apple’s Creative Pro team. This six week in-store program will focus on photography and music creation.
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