Ep 17: Creating Narratives with Dan Hudson

During this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Ashraf and Jeff discuss the importance of public and personal investment in narrative building. Ashraf interviews Dan Hudson, the executive director of the National Film Festival for Talented Youth. They discuss how technology, pedagogy, and adults can help young people cultivate their own stories. Ashraf and Jeff debrief about the importance of shifting narratives, debates about “talent,” and how privileged adults can use their power (or cede it) for the empowerment of young creatives. In this episode you’ll learn: How organizations can structure their work to empower young creatives to build their own narratives; The impact of representation and technology to democratize youth participation in film; and How adults with privilege can navigate youth spaces to share power. ABOUT DAN HUDSON: Dan first started with NFFTY in 2015 as venue manager and outreach coordinator. Venue manager again in 2016 and 2017, and has programmed the animation and music video categories since NFFTY 2017. He joined NFFTY full-time in 2018, first as Festival Manager for NFFTY 2018, and has been NFFTY’s Executive Director since January 2019. A graduate of Seattle University’s MFA in Arts Leadership program, he has over ten years of professional experience working with arts nonprofits. He primarily has worked with theatre and film organizations—including Intiman, ArtsWest, SIFF, Northwest Film Forum, and Scarecrow Video—in a variety of marketing, development, and operations roles. He programs Seattle's Grand Illusion Cinema—where his programming was twice profiled by The Stranger—as well as Art House Theater Day, a nationwide event. He also serves on the board of TeenTix, an arts access and youth dev organization. WHERE TO FIND DAN: IG: @nfftyfilm TikTok: @nfftyfilm Facebook: facebook.com/nffty Twitter: @NFFTY This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. Produced and Edited by Daniel Stanley. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit the episode webpage and follow us on social media @Campaign4GenC