FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Thomas Maddrey, ASMP General Counsel & Head of National Content and Education
maddrey@asmp.org
San Francisco, CA, July 6, 2022 — The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), with its NYC-based Chapter ASMP NY, and Bridge Program education partner BKC, announces the second year of The Bridge, a unique 360-degree real world mentorship, education, and industry immersion program designed to launch emerging photographers into a successful career in commercial photography. The Bridge is sponsored by Sony and the ASMP Foundation, with support from LaCie, Capture 1, and others. Classes commence for the NYC 2022 Session on Monday, July 11th.
The student body in these first two years has included a range of participants representing diverse communities, including some students with formal photography experience and others who are self taught. The program emphasizes providing opportunities for those from underserved communities, and is free to all enrolled students.
“This program is unique in that it integrates classes, mentorship, industry immersion, and networking into a single program designed to teach skills often ignored in creative instruction — skills like business practices, communications, legal strategy, and business development, as well as the development of a creative point of view,” said ASMP’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant Brandyn Campbell. “Those are critical skills emerging photographers need to have a realistic path to success in the industry, and ASMP has unmatched expertise in those arenas to offer these talented students.”
In this way, The Bridge is designed to be “future-proof” in that it teaches core career skills that remain critical regardless of ongoing changes in technology and industry trends. In its first year, The Bridge participants engaged with 30 top industry professionals and visited 8 photo venues in NYC.
More than two-thirds of the students from The Bridge’s first-year have already been hired for production jobs or acquired new clients, including one hired as a photo assistant for Saturday Night Live, another hired for a shoot for Puma, a participant hired by HBO, and one who photographed two music shows.
ASMP National and its partners plan to expand the successful program to other U.S. cities in its next phase.
Individuals and companies can support the Bridge Program both in New York and through its roll-out across the country by making a tax-deductible donation to the ASMP Foundation by clicking here.
About ASMP: The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) is the premier trade association for the most respected photographers and content creators across the worlds of media, advertising, photojournalism, portraiture, sports, fashion, entertainment, fine art, video/film, and beyond. ASMP is the leader in providing extensive education and resources to photographers on the best practices to run and grow a business in these fields, promoting the rights of photographers through a comprehensive program of legal and public policy advocacy, connecting member photographers with clients, and producing business publications for photographers that set the industry standards. The organization exists because the work of these visual creators is so important to our economy and our culture. Founded in October of 1944, with a storied history that is an integral and pivotal part of the progression of photography as a profession, industry, and cultural force, ASMP recently celebrated its 75th Anniversary and has over 4,000 members in 22 countries, with 38 chapters.
###