"Made in NY" PAs Crystal Jackson, Heyward Thomas, and Fernando Hernandez were on hand to receive the Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation. Photo courtesy Ben Asan.

December 5, 2007 - Claremont Graduate University has awarded the Peter F. Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation to the "Made in NY" Production Assistant Training Program. The first-place award includes a $35,000 prize.

The "Made in NY" Production Assistant Training Program enables unemployed and low-income New Yorkers to start careers in the TV and film industry. Co-sponsored by Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, a nonprofit organization, and the New York City Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting, the program offers four weeks of free training followed by two years of job placement and career advancement services.

"Long before it was fashionable, Peter Drucker taught us that nonprofit organizations are often leaders in innovation—doing things with a creative spirit and effectiveness that most businesses can only hope to emulate," said Rick Wartzman, director of the Drucker Institute at Claremont Graduate University, which presented the award. "This year’s winners underscore just what Peter was talking about."

The "Made in NY" PA Training Program impressed the judges, in part, because of the success it has achieved in a relatively short period of time. The program was launched only last year; it has since certified 101 individuals as "Made in NY" PAs and has placed every single one of them into the production workforce. Additionally, several of the program’s graduates have already moved into higher positions. Ninety-seven percent of those who have gone through the program are people of color, and all are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Drucker Award for Nonprofit Innovation has been given annually since 1991 to recognize existing programs that have made a real difference in the lives of the people they serve. Consideration is based on Drucker’s definition of innovation—change that creates a new dimension of performance. In all, more than 340 organizations applied for these honors.

"We’ve had so much success because we’re helping people develop skills the employer really wants,” said Katy Finch, the Program Director of the "Made in NY" PA Training Program. "The staff has a production background, so we really understand what happens on a set."

"PAs are the first point of contact that residents have with film and television shoots on our city streets," said Katherine Oliver, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting. "The 'Made in NY' PA Training Program is committed to providing well-trained PAs from diverse backgrounds for the hundreds of films, television shows, and commercials that come to New York each year. These talented graduates further the goals of smooth relations between productions and communities. We’re very proud the program has already accomplished so much."

The Drucker Institute honored the winner and two runners-up on Nov. 19 in New York City at a gala dinner co-hosted by the Leader to Leader Institute.

The next cycle of the "Made in NY" training program begins in February. For more information on how to apply, click here.

Front row, from left to right: Amy Yarcich, Rx Partnership; Aaron Shiffman, Director of Brooklyn Workforce Innovations; Katy Finch, Program Director of the "Made in NY" PA Training Program; France Hesselbein, Leader to Leader Institute Board; Kevin Wallace, Career & Retention Specialist "Made in NY" PA Training Program; Heyward Thomas, graduate of PA Training Program; Sylvia Hopkins, Catholic Charities Arizona. Back Row, from left to right: General Robert Gaylord, Leader to Leader Institute; Dean Ira Jackson, Claremont Graduate University; Rick Wartzman, The Drucker Institute. Photo courtesy Ben Asan.