Local initiative is opening up job channels for creative people of color

When Geneva White, 38, worked at a nonprofit in the Flatiron District several years ago, she focused on after-school career pathways programs in arts education. When the program got defunded, she recognized the strong need for arts programming to support young adults.

This sparked her to found and launch Scope of Work in 2016, a talent development agency for underrepresented young people that aims to establish equity in the creative industry.

“That [previous nonprofit] was just for high school students,” said the Bushwick resident.

“Once they graduate high school, their access to our program ended. If they didn’t land somewhere with institutional support, the floor dropped out from them. That’s why we specifically work with 17- to 24-year-olds to transition them. We built Scope of Work out of that need for young people in the community that we knew were being left high and dry. They’re being left outside. The goal is to kick open the door.”

Scope of Work is a talent agency is open to creatives who are black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC). They can become members for free in Scope of Work’s six month career development program, and mid-senior level creatives who are nonmembers are also eligible to apply for Scope of Work’s listings. “They simply sign up to be added to SOW’s network directory in the hopes of booking work through SOW,” said White.

Scope of Work charges recruitment fees to companies who are hiring creatives in full , part-time and freelance roles. (It’s free for all job-seekers.)

Once a company has been vetted by Scope of Work and provides job descriptions, White’s team provides them with a candidate list, complete with their portfolios and resumes. Scope of Work makes the official introduction and supports the company and candidate throughout the process.

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In addition, members can apply to Scope of Work’s summer fellowship program that builds a talent pipeline connecting fellows to potential employers — 15 participants are selected and paired with the talent agency’s partners to work from early June through the end of August. Partner companies pay fellows at least $20 per hour.

Scope of Work charges the companies to participate in the fellowship, which included training for them, coaching for fellows and monthly coaching for managers. Scope of Work also trains partners about unconscious bias, racial and financial equity and provides templates on people-centric onboarding.

The companies get a discounted fee if fellows are hired after the fellowship concludes, because “the goal of the fellowship program is to matriculate fellows into full-time positions,” said White.

It’s a win for employers and talent. Kapono Chung, 41, of Crown Heights, also the partner and head of design at strategy and design agency Combo in Chinatown, said after recently hiring a fellow, “We see the fellowship as a path to full-time employment. We believe in a grassroots feeder approach to building our teams. More Barcelona than Real Madrid. Our goal is to create a chain of mentorship with SOW that goes up and down our organization.”

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Combo is among one of the 39 dozen creative companies, brands and agencies that Scope of Work has partnered with since 2017.

Cameron Gipson, 23, of Prospect Lefferts Gardens, landed a full-time role at Combo as a junior researcher this past September after his summer fellowship ended. He made important connections and learned how to understand an ask from a client, how to intake and research information and present ideas to clients.

“The opportunity forced me to figure out how my skills and thought process could be valuable in the position in a way that no one else could offer,” said Gipson who learned from Scope of Work about how to turn art into a business — skills that weren’t taught in school. “Having a community of people was really reassuring, and it was nice to know that other people were feeling similar to how I was at times … I also learned that the path to success as a creative isn’t always in a straight line.”

In order to open up the resources to young candidates, every November, 17- to 24-year-olds who identify as a person of color and can show examples of consistent creative practices are selected for a talent development program. New Yorkers are prioritized.
Applicants are interviewed and 150 are selected by White’s team for participation. The program, which lasts from January to June, kicks off with creative skill-building and professional development and includes biweekly virtual office hours with White so participants can get feedback.

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Portfolio review week is held every spring when mid to senior-level industry creatives meet individually with the members to provide feedback.

While this is free for participants, Scope of Work earns revenue by securing agency and brand sponsorships for the programming, like portfolio review week and master classes, which are always taught by people of color. “We want people to see themselves and their experiences echoed back to them in somebody who’s made it in the industry already,” said White.

White is a recent recipient of the David Prize, an initiative supporting and recognizing people with extraordinary ideas, projects or plans who have been endeavoring to make New York City a better place. She was awarded $200,000 to build out her business plan and hopes to use the funding to secure headquarters in the Lower East Side.

Moving forward, White hopes Scope of Work’s path will become a robust conduit for thousands of young people of color into creative careers.

“The goal is to drive a seismic shift in the way the creative industry in NYC centers and invests in young, local BIPOC talent to build a more equitable creative economy,” White said.