Founded in 1999, Spy Hop provides approximately 1,000 youth participants per year with hands-on and mentorship-based learning experiences in the documentary arts, film/video production, audio engineering, and web design. In collaboration with community partners such as the Utah State Office of Education, the Sundance Institute, the University of Utah, and the Salt Lake’s Mayor’s Office, Spy Hop Productions’ dynamic studio learning environment actively engages youth in an array of innovative multimedia programs. All of Spy Hop’s programs encourage youth to explore issues that are meaningful to their lives, to become critical consumers of media, and to become actively involved in their communities. Through the production of their own media, youth are given an opportunity to discover their voice, to think creatively, and to work collaboratively with peers from diverse backgrounds.
Spy Hop’s core programs include: the Youth Documentary Arts program (Reel Stories, Documenting Communities, Razapalooza, and Kainga Malosi), the Pitch-Nic Young Writer/Director program, the Loud and Clear Youth Radio program, the Media Studio Apprenticeship Program, and numerous other community partnerships. The young producers’ creative works have reached local and national audiences in the millions, appearing in numerous local, national and international film festivals.
