October 16 — In our session today, students had the chance to hear from each of our key partners and sponsors (The College of New Jersey, Metafy and Visible Hands). Thanks to all of the phenomenal professionals who shared their time and expertise.

TOPICS RECAP: Journalism + Technology, AI + AR+ VR, Storytelling + Animation, Brand Identity + Audience

We had an unbelievable lineup of phenomenal facilitators:

• Darrel Frater, Investment Associate at Visible Hands (Venture Capital Overview)

• The College of New Jersey (Journalism + Technology, AI + VR, Leveraging Collegiate Opportunities)

  • Kim Pearson, Associate Professor Journalism and Professional Writing

  • Jamal Johnson, Senior Assistant Director for Mentoring and Retention

• Metafy - team leading the planning of our Esports tournament (Brand Identity + Audience Selection)

• John Adams, Head of Partnerships and Talent

• Shaun Hinklein, Vice President of Growth

• Jeffrey Stango, Social Media Strategist

• Jonathan Drake, Social Media Strategist

• Jonathan Stauder, Cinematic Game Director at Deck Nine Games (Interactive Storytelling + Animation)

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Next on deck —- Game Selection + Design

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October 9 — Amazingly talented students and parents had a chance to meet during orientation for the Fall 2021 Beyond Expectations Young Entrepreneurs Academy and upcoming launch of our BETV ELeague!

Special thanks to Joe Gallant, Senior Manager of Competition Operations at ESports Engine for an awesome overview of the Esports ecosystem, broadcast production & tournament operations.

Philadelphia Eagles Legend Reggie “Truck” Brown made time for a special kickoff appearance energetically encouraging the students embarking upon the 6-week virtual immersive program.

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Next on deck on 10/16 —- our key partner organizations and invited guest presenters.

#youthentrepreneurship #esportsbusiness #gamingindustry #publicprivatepartnerships #nonprofits #volunteering

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Gearing up for the launch of our exciting BE.TV ELeague!

Beyond Expectations is always on lookout for trends in business for our Youth Entrepreneurship Academy. Each year we focus on a different industry. Turns out that gaming is a $1.08 billion market with multiple doors of entry. During the 6-week program, a team of amazingly talented middle and high school students will have a firsthand opportunity to plan and produce every aspect of our 1st ever virtual charitable tournament!

This is not about ‘playing’ the game. Our goal is to create a pipeline of talented & tech-savvy Content Creators as future hires or future founders.

Under the direct instruction of a phenomenal team of eSports and Gaming professionals, students will learn about storyboarding, animation, coding, music, marketing, venture capital and more. This participatory strategy is intended to keep students engaged and build impressive content portfolios to help give them a competitive edge as they transition beyond high school.

The final training session will feature a Business & Careers Summit to speak directly with professionals and entrepreneurs across varied industries and an open forum to ask any questions they may have on their minds.

Our partnership with The College of New Jersey will provide students with the educational pathways exposing them to the university’s exciting collegiate level programs in Journalistic Storytelling, Game Design as well as VR & Journalism.

Special thanks to our partners at Metafy for their time and expertise in making this tournament possible!!

** SAVE THE DATE **

Esports Tournament November 20

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Groundbreaking New Jersey Initiative Announces Inaugural Series of Grants

Montclair, NJ -- On Thursday, the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium announced its inaugural round of grants, a milestone in the years-long effort by residents, journalists and local organizations to invest public funding to foster more informed communities.

The Consortium has awarded 14 news-and-information initiatives with grants of up to $35,000. Grant recipients come from every part of New Jersey; their work focuses on diversifying journalism, improving government transparency and providing community-health information, among other issues.

“Thanks to the bipartisan foresight of the legislature and governor, New Jersey has set a national precedent for public funding to inform and engage local communities through the groundbreaking legislation that created the Consortium in 2018,” said Civic Information Board Chair Christopher J. Daggett. “Today’s announcement marks a new beginning for civic information in New Jersey. These grants are funding 14 innovative projects aimed at bolstering access to local news and information, increasing access to community health and training more people in journalism. We received 74 applications this round, from almost every county in New Jersey, which shows a tremendous interest in the Consortium’s mission. We look forward to working with these grantees and thank everyone who applied for this inaugural round of grants.”

>> FULL PRESS RELEASE

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