N'DIGO Studios in Chicago runs state-funded program to train students in content creation
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A state-funded program is helping aspiring students train to keep up in the ever changing world of media.
The Kickback Hub provides training and professional mentorship to college kids and recent graduates before they enter the industry.
Their stories don't just stay in-house. They're published and aired on TV.
"I want to say this is my fifth one now. So, from pizza to museums to exploring the museums and Willis Tower around Chicago, this is one of my hidden gems," said Precious Adediran.
Adediran and her team are spending the morning and the better part of the afternoon filming out and around the institute for the study of advanced cultures on UChicago's campus.
Their show, "So Chicago," is one of a list of programs they produce as part of their internships with the Kickback Creative Hub.
"We get to bounce off ideas with one another and create a lot of shows from touring Chicago to mix and match where we're cooking lots of foods to even making music," Precious said.
Inside the hub, there are scores of equipment, green screens, cameras, editing software, and the machines that run it.
"There's nothing short of mentorship here and resources, so I'm always staying like a sponge and trying to soak up knowledge wherever I can," she said.
Everyone learns how to do everything to get them ready for the very real demands of an ever-changing media industry.
"When I started in media at CBS, by the way, you did one thing. You were a producer, you were a cameraman, you were a writer, you were a talent. but now the world has changed, said Dr. Hermene Hartman.
"You might write, you might produce, you might shoot, you might be the talent, you might do the editing, and you've got to have proficiency and all of that."
The whole kickback setup is the latest creation of Dr. Hartman, founder and publisher of the Black Legacy Newspaper— N'Digo
"We printed until 2017 and until there was a real dive in the newspaper business, as well as magazines. And then we went digital," Hartman said.
When N'Digo was pivoting to digital, so was most every other magazine, so Hartman decided to go back to what she knew.
"I went to television, so I started doing indigo studio after realizing that not only had the mediums changed, newspaper, magazines, digital, but the dollars changed, too," she said.
Shortly into her foray back into TV, Dr. Hartman was approached by State Rep. LaShawn Ford.
"And he says you ought to be sharing the skill set of cameras and sounds and television with students because, as you know, there is a lack of black professionals in the news industry. And so I said, okay, let's do it," she said.
Two years and $500,000 in state funding later, the hub has served as a training ground for 40 students in the art of content creation.
"We're recognizing a media gap. We're recognizing that. And thank goodness that some legislators, some politicians are trying to fulfill it," Hartman said.
She brings in media professionals to work alongside the students and teach lectures on different parts of the craft.
"They're learning collaboration, they're learning team building, all they're learning how to use various equipment. We're talking about camera work, we're talking about sound, we're talking about lighting, we're talking about perspective," Hartman said.
"I can see professionalism growing. And they know they know how to go in. You know, how to set up. They're not afraid. They're not timid. They can take charge, and they can do their thing."
The Kickback Creative Hub's programming can be found all over the internet, on their social media pages, and even on Canada TV. All internships are paid and last for around six months.
Right now, they're taking on about twenty interns a year.