Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Javon Walker-Peters, Alumni of Reel Works
5:24:20
ยท
162 sec
Javon Walker-Peters, an alumni of Reel Works, testifies about the impact of film programs on New Yorkers' lives, particularly focusing on his personal journey with Reel Works. He emphasizes how the program taught him filmmaking skills, storytelling, and provided career opportunities in the film industry.
- Walker-Peters highlights the various programs he participated in at Reel Works, including Real Impact, summer lab, and fall lab, which helped him develop his skills and voice as a filmmaker.
- He credits Reel Works for providing workforce readiness training, leading to work on TV shows and movies, and an opportunity to teach and inspire other young filmmakers.
- The testimony concludes with a plea for increased funding for film and art programs to amplify stories like his and provide opportunities for underrepresented voices in the industry.
Javon Walker-Peters
5:24:20
Good afternoon.
5:24:21
My name is Javon Walker Peters and I am a proud twenty fourteen Railworks alumni.
5:24:25
I wanted to get up here and testify about what it is like to be an alumni in a film program and how it might impact a New Yorker's life.
5:24:34
Growing up, I always loved storytelling but I never knew how to tell my own story.
5:24:38
That changed when I entered high school because a friend of mine introduced me to a program called RealWorks.
5:24:44
It sounded like an amazing opportunity, so I applied thinking it would be easy to get in, but I was rejected multiple times.
5:24:52
I didn't give up and before long I was finally allowed into their program called Real Impact in 2014, where I learned the fundamentals of filmmaking and storytelling and the impact of it all.
5:25:04
Once in, I kept moving.
5:25:06
First to the summer lab where I learned the challenges of collaboration, then to the fall lab where I realized my voice and experiences mattered, and thanks to that I made a film about grief, violence, and prejudice.
5:25:20
Through RealWorks, I didn't just learn how to shoot, edit, and direct, I learned how to make impactful stories, lead, and support other artists.
5:25:30
After high school, RealWorks then stopped supporting me.
5:25:33
Thanks to them and their programs, I was able to join their media makers program which led to me working at CBS and the Maisel's documentary center in Harlem.
5:25:43
There I saw editors that looked just like me and they ignited my passion for video editing, But at home, I was told filmmaking wasn't sustainable, especially for someone who looked like me.
5:25:55
However, on the other hand, I was pressured to go to college, but couldn't afford it.
5:26:00
Feeling lost, I turned to RealWorks yet again, and they introduced me to their workforce readiness course.
5:26:06
Thanks to this, I was able to work on five TV shows and movies that same year, after being taught everything I needed to know about handling not only a work not only a workplace, but also the industry.
5:26:18
At 19, RealWorks reached out with another opportunity, asking if I would be interested in assistant teaching, and I finally thought this is my way to give back to the community that helped me so much.
5:26:30
So I did it.
5:26:31
I taught for three years and I didn't really think about the impact I had until I decided to leave and a student told me that seeing someone that looked like them really helped them decide to become a director someday.
5:26:43
And it got me thinking, if it wasn't for RealWorks, people like me and that student wouldn't have the ability to tell the stories that need to be told.
5:26:52
And I I just ask that you guys think about providing more funding to film programs and art programs, so that stories like mine can be amplified and told.
5:27:01
Thank you guys so much.