Legacy Collective RI is Forging a New Path for Local Youth

Ian Barnard, right, and his team teach students about camera operation and editing to tell a story in film. Photography courtesy of Legacy Collective RI.

Legacy Collective RI is a nonprofit  started in early 2024 by Ian Barnard, a commercial photographer and videographer who wanted to give back by helping young people interested in learning an often-confusing business without incurring any costs. The nonprofit is now teaching its fourth cohort of students. Rhode Island Monthly recently sat down with Barnard to discuss the initiative.  

How did this come about? It was the result of a lot of the work I was doing in the community surrounding impact-focused filmmaking. We say often that the landscape of storytellers is limited so we wanted to expand the opportunities for people in all communities across Rhode Island to participate in the freelance/creator economy.

Photography courtesy of Legacy Collective RI.

Me and my core team spent the better part of two years developing a program that would allow young creatives to learn the pathways to starting a career in that space. We developed a twelve-week program teaching the fundamentals of freelance content creation and how to navigate the gig economy while also allowing them to learn on a variety of sets and scenarios.

There’s no charge for this; how did that happen? It was made possible mostly through the incredible generosity of the Papitto Opportunity Connection. In fact, much of this work was inspired by storytelling we were already doing. 

Photography courtesy of Legacy Collective RI.

What sort of things do you teach? We start with the fundamentals of camera operation and basic editing, and then spend the latter portion of the program on best practices of freelancing by covering topics like pitching, invoicing and getting clients. Alumni can also continue renting from the equipment library at no cost while they save enough to acquire their own.

What are some important traits you look for in applicants? Passion and interest in the industry. And it’s nice if they have a glancing knowledge of the industry, even if it’s just filming with their phone. Honestly, I’d rather they have no knowledge and a lot of passion than a ton of knowledge and think they know everything.

Photography courtesy of Legacy Collective RI.

Your young artists find a lot of work? We’ve had students land retainer content work for clients like United Way of RI and be on set for national ads like Toyota. We had a team create content for PVDFest and many work in businesses across the state. One young woman said she discovered herself here and found the ability to forge her own path. We’re not giving them a roadmap, we’re giving them the tools to find it themselves.