Tomorrows Talent: Nevada Film Industry
“My name is Dale Marsden, I’ve served in public education for over 30 years, and most recently as Superintendent of San Bernardino City Unified School District, one of our country’s largest and most diverse districts, where 90% of students are traditionally marginalized and live in poverty. Yet during our 8 year tenure together, our team was able to see our graduation rate grow from 66.8% to 93.6% (surpassing state, county and national averages), we saw a doubling of students eligible for college, and a growth from 5 to 53 pathways in high-demand, high-wage fields, culminating with experiences that connected students to the real world of work through paid internships well before stepping foot off the graduation stage to enter a professional trade, college or career.
My family boasts multiple generations of hay farmers and an honorable veteran of the Vietnam war in this great state. Each of their experiences has taught them the kind of grit and hard work it takes to build a life where they can live unmolested and provide for themselves and their families. However, during their lifetimes, they’ve seen the advances of technology transform a farm to a point where just two people can manage 360 acres well into their 80’s. They’ve also seen how this industry and so many others have struggled to remain viable for future generations.
Birtcher Development Group has teamed up with my company Tomorrow’s Talent through the proposed Nevada Education and Vocational Fund to bridge the gap between education and industry that currently leaves 53% of college graduates under- or unemployed and employers overwhelmingly dissatisfied with the readiness of young employees in the workforce. Closing this gap from our rural schools to large urban areas is key to Nevada diversifying its economy and re-shaping the workforce system.
More than 100 years of combined experience gives the Tomorrow’s Talent team a distinct understanding of what it takes to bridge the world of education to the real world of work. Starting as early as elementary school, students will learn in the workplace through job tours, internships, pre-apprenticeships, and apprenticeships in the film industry including every specialty from actors to camera operators, game designers to programmers, set designers to costume designers, as well as the intersection of technologies from Artificial Intelligence to Augmented Reality to Cybersecurity that impact this diverse field. Together we can build not just a physical space for the future of Nevada’s economic growth, but the kind of place where once again grit and hard work can help our future generations provide for themselves and their families. We believe in connecting local talent to local employers to grow the local economy.”
Learn more at Tomorrow's Talent Website (tomorrowstalent.org)