Destiny Outreach Celebrates Apprentices With A Showcase

Twenty-one young people completed their apprenticeships through the DO! Entertainment Industry Apprenticeship Program. Photo provided by Destiny Outreach.
Twenty-one young people completed their apprenticeships through the DO! Entertainment Industry Apprenticeship Program. Photo provided by Destiny Outreach.

Destiny Outreach Celebrates Apprentices With A Showcase

By Tia Carol Jones

Destiny Outreach recently celebrated the graduation of its first cohort of the DO! Entertainment Industry Apprenticeship Program (EIAP). Through the Entertainment Industry Apprenticeship Program,  Amir Owens, Aneli Gonzalez, Daniel Tolbert, Dyvell Thompson, Jelani Hill, Khaliyah Sykes, Michael Banks, Jr., Andrew Carr, Aurora Barazza, Darius Donald, Endya Robsinson, Jordan Sweet, Mariah Brown, Samuel Garrett, Andrew Tolbert, Ciara Hooks, Destiny Banks, Jada Harper, Kamryn Gibson, Me’Cai Luckett and Sara Monday received hands-on training throughout the summer, which has enabled them to have a craft and a career that will last them a lifetime.

Danita E. Patterson is a veteran film and TV producer, writer and entrepreneur with more than 30 years in the entertainment industry. She is the CEO and Principal Content Developer for Destiny Unlimited, which creates, develops and produces film, television and multiplatform properties. She founded Destiny Outreach in the late 1990s with the knowledge she gained from her own experiences in the entertainment industry. She launched Dreams and Destiny to expose young people to careers in entertainment, technology and business.

During the ceremony, Natasha Olguin, the Chicago Film Office Deputy Commissioner, said the Chicago Film Office is committed to partnering with dedicated industry stakeholders in building a workforce pipeline that develops and retains talent, which strengthens the city’s vibrant entertainment community. Vee Harrison, Publicist for Destiny Outreach, congratulated Patterson for creating a pipeline for the future of entertainment in Chicago. She said that Patterson, with the apprenticeship and Destiny Outreach, has changed the narrative locally and internationally about Chicago.

Patterson told the apprentices that they were not just the future, they were the now. She called the apprenticeship program a powerful journey with her “destiny babies.” She encouraged the attendees, both in person and watching on the live stream, to open their hearts, open their imagination and dream again.

“When you are supporting the dreams of others, you’re really supporting your dreams too; because we’re connected,” Patterson said. “We have got to come together and realize that when I inspire their dreams, their inspiring my dreams, because they are my dreams come true.”

Patterson said that having the support of entities like the Chicago Film Office, and The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the Blessman Family Foundation, Greenwood Archer Capital, CineCity Studios and the Phalanx Family Services were essential in the success of the program. Through the Dreams and Destiny program, apprentices were placed in both Tier 1 (union) jobs and Tier 2 (non-union) jobs. Tony Barracca of IATSE Local 476 said that through apprenticeships programs like Dreams and Destiny, he wants to give young people the kind of opportunities that he was given. He said the program is a golden opportunity and encouraged the apprentices to keep their faith.

Dr. Patricia Jones-Blessman, Destiny Outreach Board Member, said with Destiny Outreach, Patterson has been changing the lives of many young people. She said she has been thankful to be able to walk with Patterson as part of Destiny Outreach and watch the program grow. She called it “DO! Magic.”

For more information about Destiny Outreach, visit DestinyOutreach.com.

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