Ghetto Film School, the 23-year-old nonprofit that develops students for top universities and careers in the creative industries, held its annual Fall Benefit on Thursday night, honoring a starry trio of Quinta Brunson, Sandra Oh and Danielle Brooks.
The event was held at the Los Angeles home of Veronica and Brian Grazer, with guests including Everything Everywhere All at Once’s Daniel Scheinert and Jonathan Wang, Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, Sebastian Stan, John David Washington, Bryce Dallas-Howard, Jeffry Wright, Casey Affleck and Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Related Stories
In her speech, Brunson celebrated places like GFS for even existing, with her version having been the education she got from Second City and Buzzfeed.
“This is just very inspiring. I just started up my writers room again because WGA was successful in their strike. We started last week, and I already was inspired to get back to my show, but sometimes I really worry about the future, and I worry about kids,” the Abbott Elementary creator said. “I see the Tik and the Tok, and I get really scared. I worry that there aren’t places where people are honing in on their crafts anymore — and I say this as a child of the internet, I’m a YouTube, Instagram kid.
“But now I really worry if there are places that young people can go where they get to learn about and care about their craft, and coming here tonight — probably after I went on my 10th rant in the writers room about how TikTok is ruining art — it is nice to come here and see you guys and know that the future is in very good hands and know that there are people who are honing in on their craft, there are people who are supporting you, who are giving you money to do it. Do you know how tight that is? It’s super fucking tight,” she continued. “As someone who is looking to start the philanthropy leg of my career, this is the kind of place that I want to support; this is where I want to put my money, it’s where I want to put my efforts. I want to make sure that creators of tomorrow are fully funded and fully supported.”
During Oh’s time at the podium, she recalled participating in a GFS table read during the pandemic, noting, “It was a difficult time then, and it is a difficult time now. I am a believer in art; not the kind that rules markets or perpetuates exclusionary systems that most of us are unconscious of, but art that helps us make sense of the world. More than ever, we need to support young people to make sense of this world and their place in it. There is a life to be made in the arts — it is a deeply personal, challenging and satisfying one, that is why most of us are here, and we know we don’t get here by ourselves.”
Brooks also commended the organization for “leading the next generation, it’s pretty dope what you all are doing here,” remembering the organizations she was involved in growing up, which took her to see her first Broadway show, The Color Purple — of which she is starring in the latest film adaptation later this year. “It changed the trajectory of my life,” she added. “So, I know the importance of programs like this.”
