Pleasantville's Magic Box Productions Gets State Grant

PLEASANTVILLE, NY — Magic Box Productions, the Pleasantville-based nonprofit that connecting students to media arts, will receive a $28,000 grant from the state.

The money is part of a new $700 million round of funding awarded through New York's Regional Economic Development Council initiative, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last week.

Magic Box Productions, Inc. will hire a Development Officer, a new position to expand its fundraising efforts to sustain the organization's growth in staffing, and in programming to underserved students with little access to high quality arts and technology instruction, according to the REDC.

“Through the Regional Economic Development Councils, we have replaced the ‘one-size fits all’ approach to economic growth with a ‘ground-up’ strategy that focuses on cooperation and investing in regional assets to generate opportunity,” Cuomo said in his announcement. “By bringing together ideas from local government and community leaders with state resources, we are giving these councils the tools to create jobs and drive economic activity in their communities for generations to come. I congratulate the Regional Councils on their awards, and look forward to continuing to work together to build a stronger New York for all.”

Magic Box Productions partners with schools in the NYC metro area with media arts workshops that help students bridge the digital divide. Magic Box teaching artists come into the classroom to help students create photography, video, animation, audio, and web-based projects while building critical 21st century skills.