SeriesFest, the non-profit organization that champions and empowers artists at the forefront of episodic storytelling, announces a national expansion of their seminal education program through a partnership with the Best Buy Foundation™. SeriesFest Mobile Cinema Lab™ will reach over 200 students this summer across four states, including California, Colorado, Illinois, and New Jersey.

“The mission of SerieFest Mobile Cinema Lab is to celebrate the unique voice inside every student and we are excited to bring this robust filmmaking education program to students across the country,” said Neil Truglio, SeriesFest Director of Education. “SeriesFest has historically focused on championing voices at every level of the creative process and thanks to the Best Buy Foundation’s Blue Gives Back program, more students will have access to storytelling through technology this summer.”

SeriesFest Mobile Cinema Lab is a traveling program that brings video production and storyteller education into schools and community partner organizations. The program features professional film and audio equipment and instruction by film educators, with a fully developed curriculum that guides students through writing, production, post-production, and more. Through this one-of-a-kind program, SeriesFest strives to break down the traditional financial barriers that limit access for students in under-resourced communities.

As schools change and grow, the importance of visual literacy and 21st-century skills has become more and more important. SeriesFest Mobile Cinema Lab™ brings STEAM-based educational strategies to students and schools, offering both in-school education, extracurricular programs, and opportunities through community partners. The program serves students 6th–12th grade.

“The Mobile Cinema Lab struck just the right balance of providing big-picture principles of good storytelling, along with nuts-and-bolts techniques to help the student’s films look more professional,” said middle school teacher Elizabeth Ann-Rowlison. “The ability to connect with and empower students helped them approach the work with confidence and creativity.”

For half a century, Best Buy has been a catalyst for the rise of technology to improve virtually every aspect of our lives. Technology know-how is crucial for young people preparing to enter the job market for the first time. Nearly 90% of jobs over the next decade will require tech skills. The Best Buy Foundation is committed to giving teens from disinvested communities hands-on access to the tech education and tools they need to be prepared for the tech-reliant jobs of the future; seeking to create the best possible opportunity with technology, training, and tools that transform teens from consumers to creators – a new generation of engineers, entrepreneurs, teachers, designers, and dreamers.

Summer program partners include:

Boys & Girls Clubs of Riverside-Redlands, California, Girl Scouts of Colorado, Anythink Libraries of Colorado, The YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region-Colorado Springs, Colorado, Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, Boys & Girls Clubs of Union County, New Jersey, and Boys & Girls Clubs of Hudson County, New Jersey

Community partner organizations and schools can find out more about the program by visiting https://seriesfest.com/mobile-cinema-lab. The program is available year-round to reach students both in Denver and across the country.