Ward 1 Productions is Ypsilanti's youth-driven creative agency. Our mission is to teach youth marketable skills in the new creative economy. We are supported in part through MichiganWorks! job training programs and the incredible support of our partner/ customers.

Our Beliefs: We are a team of adult and youth coaches who share certain basic beliefs: We believe stories from seldom-heard communities have particular and extraordinary power; We believe the best stories come from within the story's own community; We are practical people who believe in the power of good jobs and see ever-growing demand for production expertise in the new media economy

Our Work: We produce authentic, beautiful and prideful media content. Along the way, we also teach youth leadership and job skills through our project-based training program called the Ward 1 Productions System: Project Management, Budgeting, Documentary Writing, Storyboarding, Interviewing for Film, Videography, Lighting, Sound & Staging, Editing, Social Media Management, Event Planning

Our Home: We are based in Ypsilanti Michigan's Ward 1, the traditionally African-American voting district in the heart of town. Our pride runs deep: Ward 1 was a major stop on the Underground Railroad where African-American churches organized the final leg into Canada - just a short river trip away
During WW II, Ward 1 was home to African-Americans working at the nearby Willow Run bomber plant - a huge force in the Arsenal of Democracy. Today Ward 1 is still home to people who make things and make things happen. We are now all sorts of colors, ethnicities and races who live by the beautiful Huron River and work everyday to advance justice and find joy

Our First Project; We started with a project for the Ypsilanti Housing Commission telling the story of the historic Parkridge neighborhood. Check it out on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=38Oy4M2aWEA