Jai Al-Attas started a record label at 16, sold it to Virgin Records at 24, and never went to college. So when he moved to LA and tried to get people from a reentry program and a homeless youth org into music industry internships, the question that kept coming back — "are these people in college?" — landed personally.

He didn't have a plan. He had a chip on his shoulder and $1,800 he needed for rent. He spent it on 10 Chromebooks instead. 🩵

Today Creative Futures Collective has moved 3,500 creatives through its programs in 10 cities across three countries — into Nike, Live Nation, Interscope, Forbes 30 Under 30, and one Ralph Lauren artist residency.

In this episode, you'll hear:

Why renaming "internship" to "futureship" unlocked doors that had been closed for two years — and what that says about the language your org is using
How Jai and his co-founder funded the first cohort out of their own savings, and why that upfront risk was the only way to get a case study worth showing
Why he refuses to call any of this charity, and how that reframe changed who was asking whom for a favor
How COVID accidentally democratized access to the creative economy — and the alumna who did her placement from a reservation in Arizona
What to do when corporate partners write you a check but won't open the door you actually asked them to open

You'll walk away with permission to start the thing you've been waiting to be ready for. 🩵

Episode Highlights:

(3:33) From a record label at 16 to a one-way ticket to LA
(5:48) "Are these people in college?" — the gatekeeping that started it all
(7:24) Futureships, and paying for them out of pocket
(9:21) COVID, remote work, and Naomi Glasses' path to Ralph Lauren
(12:36) Scaling with Amazon, Soho House, and 10 cities
(14:38) Why this was never charity — and how Untalent was born
(19:13) Best Buy Teen Tech Centers and what partnership looks like
(25:10) One good thing: start before you're ready

Episode Show Notes: www.weareforgood.com/episode/740

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740. Start Before You're Ready: How Creative Futures Collective Grew from 10 to 3,500 Without a Roadmap - Jai Al-Attas

We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits

740. Start Before You're Ready: How Creative Futures Collective Grew from 10 to 3,500 Without a Roadmap - Jai Al-Attas