movtogether

Pre-pandemic. Pre-George Floyd. With mounting pressure for DE&I initiatives, the industry was only beginning to take small steps in the right direction. Instead of empty CTAs and hiring C-Suite DE&I heads for optics, we wanted to take action at the ground level—by proactively empowering young and underrepresented creatives with mentorship, connection, networking resources, and possible job prospects. Then the pandemic hit. Then the murder of George Floyd.

With the pivotal and crucial resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement upon Floyd’s death, and job security at an all-time low for new graduates amidst the pandemic, it was our time, more than ever, to take real action. That’s when .movtogether went from an idea to a pilot program that was quickly coming to life.

.movtogether is a non-profit created by a coalition of some of the world’s leading agencies, companies & design studios, looking to give back & move things forward in times of crisis. Today, we’re a cross-disciplinary community of directors, designers, brands, educators, creators, and artists determined to pass this industry on to a new generation.

Our team at Trollbäck took the lead in creating a visual identity system, dedicated website, and manifesto that communicates the power of our collective creative forces and amplifies our call to others in the industry to join us.

Companies who joined our coalition run the entire industry gamut—from television networks, advertising agencies, branding studios, streamers, and everything in between. To find the most eligible and promising students, .movtogether partnered with Pipelines—a mobile app that connects underrepresented talent to career and training opportunities in tech, entertainment, and creative industries.

In addition to providing creative resources, creative leads from Trollbäck and other leading brands and agencies from internship placement, to portfolio-building, creative counseling, networking, and beyond, mentorship at .movtogether does not follow a set formula. Rather, mentors champion each student’s unique offering by getting to know their ambitions, where they’re at in life, what their goals are, and most importantly, where their passions lie.

In our first year, we hosted informative panels with top industry creative leaders from sonic branding studio Syn Music, art studio State, branding and design agency Hiro, and animation studio BUCK, and well as a conversation with legendary Disney animator, Floyd Norman. .movtogether events offered the program’s talent resources and inspiration to push their creative careers forward.

In addition to mentorship sessions, the .movtogether coalition offered free, online, cross-disciplinary workshops covering essential skills, ideas, and outlooks in film, media, animation, design, and writing. The first year program concluded with a celebratory wrap event and project showcase giving mentees the opportunity to network with industry professionals in person.