TalentForge: Career Innovation Lab

In Atlanta's booming creative industries, contributing over $900 billion annually, only 13% of leadership roles are held by individuals from marginalized communities. For mid-career professionals, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, there are only two choices: learn how to use AI creative tools or risk being left behind. This gap hits hardest for experienced creatives over 35. These individuals have deep industry expertise but limited exposure to emerging tech training.

Despite Metro Atlanta ranking in the highest percentile for tech workforce diversity, most of its tech professionals remain white, even though the city’s population is majority non-white. Also, access to AI education remains limited, especially for community members with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities. Surveys across Atlanta’s creative sector reveal that 72% of mid-career professionals feel “left behind” by AI advancements, and awareness of upskilling programs, especially ones with technical prerequisites, prevent access to essential training.

Through surveys, interviews, and collaborations with local organizations, we’ve identified an estimated 15,000 mid-career creatives in Georgia at risk of career displacement. This gap represents more than a loss of opportunity for individuals—it’s a systemic failure that deprives the creative industries of diverse voices, deep experiences, and inclusive leadership needed for responsible AI adoption.

TalentForge is an AI-centric career innovation lab that combines online learning with hands-on community workshops to help experienced professionals master creative technology. Our platform delivers over 40 interactive modules spanning graphic design, storytelling, video production, and AR/VR design, all built to be accessible to non-technical communities.

The heart of our solution is a "storytelling-first" approach: instead of diving straight into technical skills, we start with each professional's existing creative expertise and gradually layer in AI tools. Our learning hub features mini-projects, detailed analytics tracking skill development, and an active network of ambassadors who have made similar career transitions.

Beyond online learning, we run weekly hands-on workshops in partnership with local arts organizations where professionals can experiment with AI filmmaking tools, test generative art techniques, and build their portfolios. Each learner gets an opportunity to tailor their growing project portfolio, develop their skills, and build career seeking strategies. When participants are ready, our talent portal connects them directly with creative tech employers actively seeking experienced professionals who understand both traditional creative work and emerging AI tools.

In Atlanta, we serve mid-career creative professionals aged 35-65 who may have industry experience but face displacement by AI technologies. Our participants are artists, designers, filmmakers, and storytellers – some of which have 10-20 years of expertise – who find themselves suddenly needing to master AI creative tools to stay competitive.

Specifically, we focus on creatives from communities historically excluded from tech training: 72% of our learners are from low-income backgrounds, 65% are people of color, and we actively support disabled artists and refugee creators through partnerships with local advocacy groups. What makes these professionals unique is their creative experience – they're not starting from scratch; they're adapting existing expertise to new tools.

For example, one of our participants, a 52-year-old filmmaker with 25 years of experience, wanted to integrate AI-generated imagery into her client workflow. Through TalentForge, she learned to integrate AI into her filmmaking workflow while maintaining her distinctive style. She now can command higher rates by combining her years of filmmaking expertise with generative video and image workflows, and she mentors others making similar transitions.

TalentForge transforms career uncertainty into opportunity, helping these creative professionals leverage their experience while mastering new technologies that expand their creative capabilities.

Our leadership reflects the communities we serve. Our Executive Director, Jeremiah Long, spent years as Director of Media for The Atlanta Voice Newspaper, documenting diverse community stories. As a filmmaker and producer working with both the union and non-union film industry, he understands firsthand the challenges of adapting to new technologies while supporting a creative vision. His experience teaching arts technology to students, professionals, and Public Arts organizations isn't just professional – it's personal, rooted in his own experiences growing up in low-income housing.

Our team reflects our commitment to community representation, with 67% of staff coming directly from the creative community. Our advisory board includes active members from refugee communities, disability advocacy groups, and low-income neighborhoods, ensuring decisions are guided by those we serve.

Community feedback actively shapes our programs. For example, when participants in our hands-on workshops struggled to learn new tools while creating art simultaneously, we developed a pre-event primer video and email series. This change, driven by direct participant input, significantly improved workshop engagement and outcomes.

We maintain continuous community dialogue through:

• Pre and post-event surveys from every workshop

• Quarterly meetings with our citizen community advisory committee

• Regular feedback sessions between events

• Active newsletter engagement

Our approach isn't top-down – it's collaborative, evolving with our community's needs and aspirations.

Wedge has delivered over 30 hands-on AI and creative technology workshops across Atlanta since 2022, reaching 5,000 learners through partnerships with major institutions like Georgia Tech, Emory University, and Fulton County Public Arts. Our initiatives range from AI filmmaking workshops at Carver STEAM Academy to creative tech programs with refugee artists in Decatur.

Key accomplishments include:

• A 12-session NextGen AI Art Residency across three high schools in partnership with NBAF

• "Witness to Beauty" exhibitions combining AI art with community storytelling, showcasing work from disabled and refugee artists

• AI workshops series at Museum of Design Atlanta focusing on emerging creative technology

• Development of our accessible AI Art platform supporting 10,000 concurrent users

Results demonstrate our impact:

• 87% of participants show measurable skill improvement

• 72% of participants come from low-income backgrounds

• Featured presenter at MIT AI & EDU Summit 2024

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TalentForge focuses on a "storytelling-first" approach that fundamentally reimagines how experienced professionals transition into creative technology careers. Instead of leading with technical concepts, we begin with each professional's existing creative expertise and industry knowledge, then gradually layer in AI tools through hands-on projects that directly connect to their work experience.

Our solution uniquely combines online learning with intensive community workshops in partnership with local arts organizations. This hybrid model allows professionals to immediately apply emerging technologies to real creative projects while building supportive networks with others making similar transitions. For example, experienced filmmakers learn AI tools by incorporating them into actual production workflows, while graphic designers apply generative AI within existing client project frameworks.

Our deep focus is on mid-to-late career professionals, 55% of our learners have 5+ years of industry experience. Our curriculum acknowledges that these individuals don't need entry-level creative training; they need targeted support bridging their extensive expertise with new technologies. 

TalentForge is a change from traditional upskilling. We make our freemium curriculum open source, enabling other organizations to adapt our storytelling-first methodology. Our model shows how creative industry experience and unique perspectives can be leveraged rather than replaced by AI, establishing a new method for professional upskilling that preserves and enhances existing creative expertise.

We're reshaping the creative technology landscape by building a pipeline of diverse, experienced professionals who understand both traditional creative work and emerging AI tools.

TalentForge aims to create measurable economic mobility for underrepresented, mid-career professionals in creative industries through targeted technology upskilling. Our core impact goals are:

Scale and Reach:

• Train 20,000 learners by 2026, maintaining minimum 55% mid-to-late career participation

• Expand to 5 new cities beyond Atlanta, prioritizing areas with high creative industry presence

• Build network of 200 active industry ambassadors, with 85% from underrepresented backgrounds

Career Outcomes:

• Ensure 90% of participants demonstrate measurable skill improvements

• Increase average income by 25% for program ambassadors within first year

Industry Impact:

• Partner with 50 creative technology employers to create direct hiring pipelines

• Launch 10 local ambassador programs led by program graduates

• Make curriculum open source, with adoption by minimum 20 organizations

We measure progress through:

• Pre/post program assessments tracking technical skill development

• Quarterly employment surveys following program completion

• Portfolio review scoring by industry professionals

• Demographic analysis of participant engagement

• Partnership growth metrics

• Longitudinal studies measuring career progression

Our metrics align with SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), focusing specifically on indicators related to technical/vocational skills, employment rates, and income growth among marginalized populations.

We currently have the following team members working on TalentForge:

• Three full time staff members
• A network of approximately 20 contractors
• 10+ volunteers working on a per project basis

Wedge has been working on building and growing TalentForge for two years.

At Wedge, our workplace is one where all people are welcome, regardless of their disability, ability, differing way of thinking, orientation, identity, level of education, race, gender, national origin, or age. We are committed to being a leader among accessible and diverse arts organizations, and we will strive to inform and educate our colleagues on our progress.

Here, you will feel respected by the highest levels of the company down to the people you work with or manage every day. Our mission is to connect underrepresented people with creative storytelling technology, which means we also will focus on making technology accessible to our employees, regardless of skill level or background. In order to effectively implement our policy, we will take a multi-tiered, collaborative approach that prioritizes leadership involvement, community engagement, accountability, and continuous improvement.

TalentForge delivers value by providing AI-centric upskilling programs tailored to underrepresented mid-career professionals seeking career advancement in creative industries. Our primary beneficiaries are experienced creative professionals, typically over age 35, who need to integrate emerging technologies into their existing expertise.

Our hybrid service model includes:

• Interactive online modules in graphic design, storytelling, and digital media

• Weekly hands-on community workshops with local arts organizations

• Project-based portfolio development

• Direct connections to employers seeking experienced creative talent

Revenue is generated through a diversified model:

Freemium Access:

• Core modules available free

• Premium features and advanced courses with paid subscription

• Tiered pricing for corporate and government partners

Industry Partnerships:

• Paid workshops and training for organizations

• Corporate talent pipeline programs

• Ambassador placement services

Consulting Services:

• Program implementation consulting for other organizations

• Creative technology strategy advisory

• Inclusive design consulting

Community Programs:

• Grant-funded workshops and events

• Paid summits and conferences

• Speaker series and educational events

As a nonprofit, we reinvest revenue into expanding our reach and developing new programs, with 70% of core services remaining free to participants to maintain focus on economic mobility for underserved communities.

Our financial sustainability plan combines earned revenue, grants, and strategic partnerships. We're reducing grant dependency by scaling our earned revenue model while maintaining accessibility through freemium access and tiered pricing. Current cash reserves cover 6 months of operations, with projections showing full financial sustainability by 2026 through increased earned revenue and expanding corporate partnerships.

Revenue Streams (40% of operating budget):

• Freemium platform with 15% conversion to paid subscriptions

• Corporate training partnerships generating $150,000 annually

• Consulting services for program implementation ($80,000 in 2024)

• Industry summits and specialized workshops ($50,000 annually)

• Speaking engagements and educational programs ($30,000 in 2024)

Grant Funding (35% of operating budget):

• National Science Foundation SBIR Phase I Grant ($250,000)

• Fulton County Public Arts Program Grant ($5,000)

• Emory University Partnership Grant ($5,000)

• Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs ($30,000)

Strategic Partnerships (25% of operating budget):

• In-kind support from tech partners (valued at $200,000 annually)

• Corporate sponsorships for events and programs ($100,000)

• Community organization cost-sharing agreements ($75,000)

Our sustainability metrics show strong growth:

• 40% year-over-year revenue increase

• 85% program cost coverage through earned income

• 65% participant retention in paid programs

• $500,000 in committed multi-year funding

TalentForge is applying to the Truist Foundation Inspire Awards to accelerate our impact on mid-career creative professionals facing technological displacement. Beyond funding, partnering with Truist Foundation and MIT Solve would provide three critical advantages:

Strategic Expansion Support

• Expert guidance on our geographic expansion strategy beyond Atlanta

• Access to Truist's regional networks to validate market needs

• Mentorship on building sustainable revenue models while maintaining accessibility

• Support in developing corporate partnerships for job placement

Curriculum & Program Enhancement

• MIT Solve's expertise to strengthen our "storytelling-first" approach

• Validation of our teaching methodology from education experts

• Guidance on making our open-source curriculum more adoptable

• Support measuring and improving career transition outcomes

Credibility & Network Access

• Association with Truist Foundation to attract major corporate partners

• Connection to other innovative workforce development organizations

• Enhanced visibility to attract industry ambassadors and employers

• Leverage to secure additional funding and partnerships

Specific barriers this partnership would help overcome:

• Limited expertise in multi-city expansion strategy

• Need for validated impact measurement frameworks

• Challenge of balancing accessibility with financial sustainability

• Difficulty securing corporate partnerships for job placement