By Layla Eason,
Special to the AFRO
Root Branch Media Group, a full-service media production and communications company, has recently expanded and purchased a 14,400-square-foot media production facility located on 2220 Boston St. in Baltimore.
CEO Dr. Vonnya Pettigrew says that the facility will be used to further its partnerships and advance their multiyear contract with Baltimore City schools.
In the program, students will gain skills in the many aspects of media from photography, production, filming, recording, editing and more.
Pettigrew recognizes that– in today’s day and age– future generations are becoming more media-oriented. She is trying to give back to the Baltimore community, creating jobs and opportunities for the youth that will have a long-lasting impact in the future.
In addition to the Root Branch Media Group’s new partnerships, they recently founded a coffee shop that will be located within the building. Pettigrew feels as though coffee shops and production work goes hand-in-hand.
Recently, a new branch has been added, targeting adult outreach development (GROW). The program gives adults and people who did not receive college degrees opportunities to work within media and gain media skills.
“We’re really excited that we are launching our GROW Academy, which is our adult programming. We’re just so excited about what GROW has to offer. And what that would do for adults who also want to be more savvy in the tech and media space,” said Pettigrew.
“We’re essentially creating our own ecosystem so that we can train you up to turn around and hire you and give you the skill set that you too can become an independent contractor or a freelancer. So for us, this is really what GROW stands for: generating resources and opportunity for a growing workforce, so we were being intentional about building that.”
Pettigrew reflected on how the initial feeling of being a part of Black history feels, as she is the first Black woman to own a block and grow a media conglomerate in Baltimore City.
“It is one of the most rewarding things and highest achievements of my career thus far, quite honestly. There are days where it’s actually still surreal to me, when I drive past the block on Boston Street to know that I am a property owner, owner of a piece of land here in Baltimore City, along Baltimore’s skyline, fixated in a position to be a landmark someday so [this is] something that has a legacy that will live on beyond me,” Pettigrew said.
This new space is giving Baltimore citizens youth and adults newfound opportunities that have not been seen in the city yet. With these new sets of skills, the community of Baltimore can grow and expand within the media industry.
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