Director's Message

Photo credit: Joe Iano Photography

Reel Grrls: An Expectation to Lead

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, arguably this moment’s most influential woman leader in the United States, recently stated that the rights of women represent "the unfinished business of the 21st century," not only around the world but also “here at home.” She pointed, as so many feminist leaders have, for so many years, to the need for more women in the United States to achieve equality with men: "If America is going to lead the way we expect ourselves to lead, we need to empower women here at home to participate fully in our economy and our society…”

Reel Grrls leads the way, along with Clinton and all of our allies, to gender equality, across our nation and beyond. Reel Grrls positions young women artists and technologists at the leading edge of emerging media, encouraging them to experiment at the boundaries of expectation in Seattle, a city that is a global center of technological innovation and employment. In doing so, we are helping to lead the way to a new and necessary normal: a more equitable day when there are so many women in top roles across all the arts and sciences that we no longer use the qualifier “woman” to describe world-class makers, doers, innovators, and leaders.

Reel Grrls, the first media arts center for girls in the United States, is changing forever what is considered “normal” for girls and young women. Reel Grrls makes media that matters, modeling the more equitable future we want to see. Through our programs, apprenticeships, and media production company female media professionals provide young women with hands-on, year-round immersive workshops and mentorships, which are crucial to young makers. Reel Grrls is not only a vital training ground for young women to learn the hard and soft skills of digital video production. We also teach media literacy and critical awareness, helping young women interpret and respond to the flood of images and messages they encounter in the media that surrounds them.

I thank you for visiting our site, and I look forward to seeing you soon at our events and in the Reel Grrls Media Lab.

Robin Held