LOS ANGELES — Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of Gov. Gavin Newsom, visited an innovative apprenticeship program last week aimed at opening up more career pathways for underrepresented youth in the entertainment industry — including women of color.
In a visit to the Handy Foundation offices and a sound stage and production training facility at a local office of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Siebel Newsom met with program apprentices, instructors, alumni, and a few of the entertainment industry partners that employ its graduates, including Netflix, Lionsgate, and Bunim-Murray Productions, a part of Banijay Americas.
The Handy Foundation apprenticeship program helps train young people for “below-the-line” roles in the entertainment industry, from assistant editing, to production and post management, audio and virtual production roles, and more.
A partner of the California Film Commission, the Handy Foundation is also a 2025 recipient of the state’s California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship Grant, which offers pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs for youth across the state.
The Handy Foundation will receive $1.22 million over the next three years from the grant to provide apprentice programs in a variety of entertainment industry positions. The Handy Foundation grant was the largest of the 29 grants awarded in the state program. A total of $14.5 million was distributed in the grant program.
“The Handy Foundation has demonstrated how apprenticeships can bring together labor and industry to expand access and equity across California’s film and television workforce,” said Stewart Knox, secretary of Labor and Workforce Development for the state.
“Its program reflects key elements of the governor’s master plan for career education and shows what’s possible through investments like our COYA grants, which support community-based organizations that are connecting opportunity youth to long-term career pathways.”
Last month, Gov. Newsom said signed legislation that expanded the California Film Commission’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program to $750 million, which is designed boost entertainment production in the state.
“The governor’s expansion of the film and TV tax credit program sends a clear message: California is serious about building a stronger, more inclusive entertainment industry,” said Ri-Karlo Handy, CEO and founder of the Handy Foundation. “That means creating real, long-term career pathways for underrepresented voices.
“With the support of the COYA grant, state tax credits, and our committed industry partners, we’re using tools like registered apprenticeships to help people not just get in the door, but thrive in well-paid, sustainable careers,” he added.
Handy got his start in the entertainment industry directing and producing music videos. He also has produced scripted and unscripted television series for BET, MTA and Fox. He served as senior vice president of original programming for Bounce TV from 2014 to 2017 and now operates his own production company, Sunwise Media.
For Handy Foundation trainees, the fight for career opportunities and pay equity is personal. Two alumni shared what the program means to them and how the foundation is helping lead change.
“Through the Handy Foundation, I’ve not only had the opportunity to work, but to be recognized for the operational excellence I bring to each production,” said Brooke Nicholas, a former production coordinator for the Handy Foundation who is now working in the entertainment industry. “In an industry where our labor has too often been overlooked, equity is transformative. It says we belong, we lead, and we deserve to be paid accordingly.”
“As a Mexican-American working in entertainment, I’m so grateful that an organization like the Handy Foundation exists and is helping change the industry by opening doors for voices like ours,” said Dalia Soto Beltran, a former assistant editor for the Handy Foundation who also now works in the industry.
Launched in 2020, the Handy Foundation partners with labor unions, high schools, community colleges, government organizations, other non-profits and industry leaders to create pathways for underrepresented talent to build lasting careers in entertainment.
