RECAP: On August 7, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-IL-01), hosted a press conference and roundtable discussion on gun violence prevention at Gary Comer Youth Center, where our FSM News South programming is hosted.
Read MoreANNOUNCEMENT: Free Spirit Media is so humbled and grateful to be a part of the MacArthur Foundation Jack Fuller Initiative. Jack Fuller, former Editor and Publisher of The Chicago Tribune and MacArthur Trustee, was a firm believer that good journalism and civic engagement are inextricably linked.
Read MoreWe want to tell REAL stories about REAL people living the REAL realities of the various systemic inequalities plaguing black and brown communities in this city.
Read MorePHOTOS: Last week the Industry Pathways Cohort hosted a wrap party to celebrate another cohort graduation!
Read MoreThe McCormick Foundation generously extended a two-year grant to Free Spirit Media to continue our work supporting youth artists to tell authentic stories about Chicago, an especially urgent need in our current climate of increased distrust in the media.
Read MoreCHICAGO — National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $80 million in grants as part of the NEA’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2018.
Read MorePHOTOS: This past weekend the Industry Pathways Cohort wrapped production on their short film, "Fuzzy Legs." On Friday, they shot at the DePaul stages at Cinespace using their home set and on Saturday they shot at Hales Franciscan.
Read MorePODCAST: This week Free Spirit Media was asked to speak on the Teaching in the Arts Podcast!
Read MoreToday is an exciting day for the growing #FSMfam as our new Deputy Director, Glenance Green, is starting her work with Free Spirit Media!
Read MorePHOTOS: The InPathways Cohort Training Program launched on February 20th with an orientation at Stage 18! Cohort members from 2017 returned to discuss what they've been up to since completing the program, and new members came up with shared values for their group.
Read MoreCHICAGO - Feb 20, 2018 Thirteen members of Free Spirit Media’s Industry Pathways Cohort today began a 12-week intensive training program to prepare for work in the film, media and TV industries with an orientation at Stage 18 Chicago.
Read MoreYou may have noticed a change. The Chicago Track was started in 2014 as a partnership between Free Spirit Media, Young Chicago Authors and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs with support from Chicago Community Trust.
Read MoreTwo crews of high school documentary filmmakers at North Lawndale College Prep have launched research and outreach for their short documentary films on a variety of social issues. See a topic in which you have personal or professional expertise? Open to being interviewed on camera? Send us a note and help enrich these budding documentarians’ stories!
Read MoreOctober brought even more festival wins for Free Spirit Media participants. InPathways alum Terrence Thopmson's Drive Slow won Best Student Film at the Gary International Black Film Festival.
Read MoreOur digital landscape is continuously evolving, and we needed a website that could both accommodate and anticipate that innovation - not only as we grow as a organization, but also as our participants grow as immersive and responsive creators.
Read MoreFree Spirit Media transforms media and society by providing opportunities for emerging creators, primarily from communities of color, to produce and distribute original content and to pursue artistic, personal and professional aspirations.
Read MoreNYTVF (www.nytvf.com) today announced the official selections for its flagship Independent Pilot Competition (IPC), including Drive Slow, created by Terrence Thompson and produced by Free Spirit Media.
Read MoreThe McCormick Foundation generously extended a challenge grant to Free Spirit Media to tell authentic stories about Chicago's youth, including court involved youth.
Read MoreFree Spirit Media is honored to be selected, along with 7 other youth serving organizations across the country, as a program partner and grantee of the SCE Digital Learning Challenge.
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