The Pegasus Media Project (PMP), was founded in 2012 by Iranian-born artist-educator Niloo Jalilvand, who taught at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts for 21 years, where she launched the student-led Pegasus Film Festival in 2015 to inspire and empower young people to pursue their passion for filmmaking.
In 2021, Jalilvand joined forces with Dallas filmmaker, Christian Vasquez, to establish the Pegasus Media Project (PMP) as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
What we do for Artists and Audiences:
Our programs are free-of-cost and designed to champion diversity through transformative storytelling, empowering marginalized communities through comprehensive education, collaborative works, and career pathways.
Media Apprenticeship Program: This free program offers personalized education with access to state-of-the-art equipment, professional development opportunities and On-the-Job-Training (OJT) in media arts and creative technologies with special outreach to women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+.
MAP is a 10- month program designed to prepare candidates to work in the media arts industry. Includes: Equipment, software, & support. Apprentices will have in-person & virtual educational classes, on-the- job-training, mentorship, and production experience- creating original media content! MAP is divided into 3 Phases. Phase 1 is Film School Bootcamp containing class hours filled with practice and theory. Phase 2 is Film Sets which will include apprentice-led films and client-requested projects. Phase 3 will be the Apprenticeship matched in your choice career path.
Pegasus Film Festival (PFF): As the largest youth-run film festival in the country, the Pegasus Film Festival offers a platform for emerging young artists from underrepresented communities to exhibit their craft to a global audience. Selected students, with a special outreach to BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and underrepresented communities, organize and run a top-tier film festival with the guidance of educators & industry mentors.
This next year's The Pegasus Film Festival will be June 27-29, 2025.
Exhibition of Visions: We create and participate in events that allow exhibition of art by our program participants, staff, and community members. These events allow for us to grow as artists ourselves, and collaborate with the amazing community of artists and industry experts that we work with. We engage the public in open dialogue and expose of our local community to arts initiatives.
Youth Portable Film Program: Through immersive workshops and practical training sessions, this program offers students a comprehensive education in filmmaking that inspires creativity, critical thinking, and enhanced technical skills. This initiative provides under-resourced communities and schools without film programs with film and media education from industry professionals that empowers youth to explore various facets of film and media. Curriculum is structured around the needs of each individual school that we serve and can manifest in a tailored delivery for optimal impact.
Pegasus Media Project champions diversity in transformative storytelling from a holistic perspective in film and media arts, empowering marginalized communities with comprehensive education, collaborative works, and career pathways.
PMP envisions a future where diversity and inclusion are the driving forces behind a thriving film and media arts industry. We strive for a narrative landscape where every voice is celebrated, marginalized artists lead, innovate, and contribute to an equitable and authentic media environment.
Our goal is to raise $12,000 for our education programs: the Multimedia Apprenticeship Program (MAP) and the Portable Film Program for Youth (PFPY).
This will assist us in giving our new 2024-2025 apprentices and two classes of high school students the opportunity to work and learn under the mentorship of skilled industry professionals to learn modern film curriculum.
Donations directly support free access to our programs via free equipment, food, and film production costs.
At Pegasus Media Project, we value equity, diversity, and inclusion and are committed to creating a workplace that is free from discrimination, harassment, and bias. Our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion applies to all aspects of our organization, including our hiring practices, work culture, and programming.
Organization name
Pegasus Media Project
other names
Pegasus Film Festival
Causes
Arts & Humanities
Operating Budget
$100,000 - $249,999
Counties Served
Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Tarrant
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latinx, Native American, Other
BIPOC Leadership
Executive Director/CEO
Address
2904 Floyd St Suite C