Group Effort Initiative, LLC.

Launched in August 2020, Group Effort Initiative (GEI) exists to create a pipeline for members of marginalized communities to establish a long-term career within the entertainment industry. To start, GEI has provided paid, on-set training opportunities targeted at BIPOC and other marginalized communities at any stage in their career. The positions have focused mainly on below-the-line jobs in the entertainment industry. In June 2021, GEI absorbed Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti’s Evolve Entertainment Fund (Evolve), an alliance between the City of Los Angeles, industry leaders in entertainment and digital media, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions, dedicated to building career pathways into film, television, and music for women, people of color, and low-income Angelenos through paid internships, focused mentoring, and an ongoing series of educational workshops, panels, networking events and company site visits. 

A separate entity, seed-funded by Reynolds and Lively, was created in April 2021 where both GEI and Evolve are being housed. The entity is under fiscal management at the Social Impact Fund (SIF), an LA-based 501(c)(3) organization. The merger of Evolve and GEI is expanding the reach of the program beyond Los Angeles to other cities in the United States and around the world, and is opening up opportunities to all age groups.