A New Collective, the Shout Syndicate Announces a New Fund for Greater Boston Youth Arts Organizations

A new collective, The Shout Syndicate, made up of music industry veterans in Boston, has come together to help support Boston-area youth arts programming. The group announces the first three of many fundraising efforts aimed at establishing a competitive grant program for local arts organizations that focus on out-of-school programming for youth.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh recently gathered members of the music industry at City Hall in Boston to discuss one of the elements of Boston Creates, the City’s 10-year cultural plan, which had risen to the top as an immediate need: the support of out-of-school youth arts. After hearing from non-profit arts organizations that funding mechanisms in this important sector were changing, the administration sought to help identify possible new supports for these kinds of organizations. Members of the informal Boston Manager’s Group, started by Ralph Jaccodine (who manages Livingston Taylor, Ellis Paul, Rebecca Loebe, and Shun Ng) and former Aerosmith manager Tim Collins, along with Boston’s concert promoters, musicians, recording companies/studios, attorneys, publicists, and other stakeholders met to share ideas on raising funds for youth. The Shout Syndicate will establish a competitive grant program for Boston-area arts organizations that run proven programs for youth. Recognizing the important role the arts play in youth development, it is the goal of The Shout Syndicate to support programs that have had measurable impact on the youth they serve, with an emphasis on low-income communities. The fund will be housed at the Boston Foundation, which will help develop the scope of the program and provide grant-making infrastructure. Eligible organizations will serve youth from middle school to young adulthood, be limited to out-of-school programming, and will focus on organizations that have been in existence in the Boston area for more than five years with a track record of exemplary work. “We’re looking to all arts genres,” says Mark Kates, founder and principal of Fenway Recordings, “including music, theater, comedy, film, visual and literary arts, to help grow a fund specifically to ensure potential pathways for Boston’s youth. Over the next twelve months, we’ll reach out to touring bands and comedians, artists with ties to Boston, and the Greater Boston entertainment community inviting everyone to ‘stand up and give back’ to the arts – helping a future generation to enjoy what the arts have provided to us over our careers.”

“We are grateful to this community for embracing the youth arts sector,” says Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, “And to Don Law, Judd Apatow and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones for raising their hands first. We were not surprised that they immediately got to work on a plan. Boston’s music community has always been generous, and no one knows better the power of the arts to transform lives. I look forward to supporting these efforts, alongside our Boston Creates Plan moving forward.”

The first three donations to The Shout Syndicate’s new fund include proceeds from writer/director/producer/comedian Judd Apatow’s (Girls, The Big Sick, Trainwreck and others) stand-up performances at The Wilbur in July; a portion of proceeds from Don Law/Live Nation New England’s concert venues; and proceeds from The Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ 20th Anniversary Hometown Throwdown concert series’ fundraiser at the House of Blues in December. Over the next twelve months, the collective hopes to raise $500,000.

“Arts and cultural after-school programming provides youth with an opportunity for expression and inquiry,” says Julia Gittleman, an expert in the value of arts programming and participation on youth at MGA Associates, LLC. “Participation in the arts stimulates imagination and creativity; celebrates individuality while building self-esteem; reinforces academic principles and skills; increases problem-solving skills and techniques; encourages a sense of joy, which leads to engagement in learning; and prepares young adults for entering the workforce and increases their chances to compete better in a global economy.” “We are grateful for these first three participants,” says Mark Kates. “As we continue to reach out to artists and the entertainment community, we won’t forget those who stood up as we began. This initial support shows us that the actions of individuals, together, can affect change. ”

About Judd Apatow Judd Apatow is considered one of the most sought-after comedy minds in the business. He has been closely associated with many of the biggest comedy films and hit TV shows over the last decade and a half. Apatow’s latest project is the HBO series Crashing serving as co-executive producer. He is also the co-executive producer of HBO’s Girls and Netflix’s Love. On the film side, Apatow recently produced The Big Sick starring Kumail Nanjiani and Ray Romano. 2016 marked Apatow’s documentary directorial debut with the ESPN 30 For 30 documentary, Doc & Darryl. He co-directed the upcoming HBO documentary, May It Last, which will premiere later this year. Apatow’s film credits include hit comedies The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Bridesmaids, Knocked Up, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Pineapple Express, The Cable Guy, Anchorman, Anchorman 2 and numerous others. About Don Law, President, Live Nation New England Don Law is the president of Live Nation New England, the largest live concert promoter in the area. In his early career he operated the legendary Boston Tea Party club where he helped break bands like Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac and Jethro Tull. The son of notable Columbia Records producer Don Law Sr., the promoter grew the Don Law Company to the point of selling it to SFX Entertainment for $92 million in 1998. He also operates a number of venues, including the House of Blues in Boston under his own Crossroads Presents.

 

 

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About The Mighty Mighty Bosstones The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983, often credited as one of the progenitors of the genre of ska punk and the creators of its subgenre ska-core a form of music which mixes elements of ska with punk rock and hardcore. Since the release of their 1989 debut Devil’s Night Out, the band toured and recorded extensively throughout the 1990s, becoming a key figure in the development of the American third wave ska scene and one of the first bands to popularize the genre in the musical mainstream, reaching their commercial peak with their platinum-selling 1997 album Let’s Face It and its hit single “The Impression That I Get.” The band had released seven studio albums, three EPs and a live album by the time they announced a hiatus in December 2003. In 2007, the Bosstones reunited to resume recording and touring. From 1994-2002, and since 2007, they have hosted the annual Hometown Throwdown music festival.

About The Boston Foundation The Boston Foundation, Greater Boston’s community foundation, is one of the largest community foundations in the nation, with net assets of some $1 billion. In 2016, the Foundation and its donors made $100 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and received gifts of more than $107 million. In celebration of its Centennial in 2015, the Boston Foundation launched the ongoing Campaign for Boston to strengthen the Permanent Fund for Boston, the principal endowment fund focused on the most pressing needs of Greater Boston. The Foundation is proud to be a partner in philanthropy, with more than 1,000 separate charitable funds established by donors either for the general benefit of the community or for special purposes. The Boston Foundation also serves as a major civic leader, think tank and advocacy organization, commissioning research into the most critical issues of our time and helping to shape public policy designed to advance opportunity for everyone in Greater Boston. The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI), a distinct operating unit of the Foundation, designs and implements customized philanthropic strategies for families, foundations and corporations around the globe.

About The Shout Syndicate A collective of Boston-area music business veterans, The Shout Syndicate formed in the spring of 2017 to help raise funds for after-school youth arts development in areas of music, comedy, theatre, dance, visual and literary arts. The initial core collective, who hopes to welcome more entertainment professionals to help with this work includes: Mark Kates: Founder Fenway Recordings; former president of Grand Royal Records; former A&R Director, Geffen/DGC Records; member, Leadership Council, Boston Creates; and Board Member, Music For Relief. // Jake Brennan: Principal JBW Media, LLC, creating branded entertainment and culture-driven advertising strategies for its clients; Board Member Massachusetts Cultural Council; Executive Director, Boston Music Awards. // Adam Klein: Principal and Co- Founder, Callanan & Klein Communications, an award-winning, integrated communications firms with a passion for telling stories; whose public relations expertise includes strategic communications planning, message development, media relations, social media management, event marketing, and more; Board Member of ZUMIX. // Ami Bennitt: Principal Motor Media, an independent arts and culture public relations and marketing firm in Boston; founder of low-brow art galleries Space 242 and The Paradise Lounge Gallery; former manager of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones; marketer at PolyGram Group Distribution. www.theshoutsyndicate.com ###

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