The REACH Complex provides professional training to Metropolitan Atlanta's underprivileged youth and adults in all aspects of music and entertainment. Trained participants are assisted in acquiring gainful related employment. We have been proudly serving the Atlanta Metropolitan community since 2003.

• REACH Vision
• REACH Philosophy
• REACH Background
• REACH Organization
• REACH Goals & Objectives

REACHing Out to Atlanta

The REACH Complex (Rivers Entertainment & Arts Center for Harmony) trains youth, under-employed, and unemployed adults in all aspects of the arts and entertainment industry and assists trained participants in acquiring gainful related employment.

The REACH Complex accomplishes its mission by providing professional instructional training in the areas of:

• Artist Acquisitions
• Events Management
• Sound System Set-Up
• Lighting and Truss Design
• Video, Film, TV & Radio Production
• Stage Set-Up & Design
• Stage Management
• Recording Studio Management
• Record Label Management
• Live Concert Production
• Vocal Instruction
• Instrumental Instruction
• Dance Instruction

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REACH Vision

• To REACH youth, using the entertainment industry as a vehicle
• To teach youth and professionals to REACH for harmony in their relationships (family, community, business, and professional)
• To provide opportunities and training to REACH the highest standards
• To REACH entertainment professional standards and practices and facilitate the ethical advancement of the arts and entertainment industry
• To REACH for fulfillment and self-discovery through the arts and entertainment

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REACH Philosophy

The REACH Complex is a place where children and adults come together, in partnership with existing organizations, agencies, and industry professionals to be educated in all aspects of the billion-dollar entertainment industry and to REACH the highest levels of their professional potential. The atmosphere and culture of The REACH Complex will be governed by the organization's E.S.P.R.I.T. Principle:

Experience Something Positive: Respect, Identify, & Teach

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REACH Background

In 1981, Don Rivers formed Rivers Productions, Inc. (RPI) to offer entertainment and concert production services, events management, and artist booking and management services. RPI has serviced an impressive list of national and international clients and events, ranging from intimate receptions to large conventions, festivals, and concerts. RPI has earned and held a long-standing reputation of professionalism, integrity, and versatility, offering the following services for a vast array of nonprofit, civic, corporate, organizational, and individual clients:

• Artist Acquisitions
• Events Management for concerts, festivals, fundraisers, conventions, and social events
• Event Production including sound, lighting, and staging for concerts, corporate conventions, social events, press conferences, and receptions

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REACH Organization

The REACH Complex, the brainchild of Don Rivers, operates under the auspices of an independent board of directors comprised of entertainment industry professionals, educators, and community leaders.

Board of Directors

• Jennifer Bell
  Owner/Consultant, The Enhancement Agency
• Kenny Cresswell
  Owner, Avatar Events Group, and Avatar Rehearsal Studios
• Tracy Gray,
  President &CEO, Gray & Associates Diversity Advertising & Public Relations, Inc.
• JD Jackson
  CPA & President, Debits and Credits, Inc.
• Joe Jennings
  Director, Jazz Studies Spelman College
• Dennis Kurtz
  President, Showgun Entertainment
• Stacy LaCroix
  President, Backstage Entertainment, Inc.
• Karen Hunt
  Owner, KH Artist Group 
   

Ex-officio Members

• Kysa Smith
  Director of Finance and Administration, The REACH Complex
• Don Rivers
  Executive Director, The REACH Complex

The REACH Complex is established as a full-service entertainment production facility to service Atlanta's growing entertainment production needs and to provide the necessary training and education to industry professionals and Metro Atlanta's disadvantaged youth. The organization is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization which has begun initial operations on a limited basis, offering events management and production training to three (3) young adults and vocal and instrumental instruction to one (1) elementary school student.

Don Rivers' network of civic, industry, academic, business, and political leaders come from environments where they have witnessed, first-hand, the needs of disadvantaged youth. The dedication, commitment, and expertise they bring in support of this program ensures the success of the REACH Complex activities and programs.

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REACH Goals & Objectives

The goals and objectives of The REACH Complex activities are to:

• Nurture individuals by providing an alternative to juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, depression, and other psycho-emotional disorders
• Develop a pool of highly trained and qualified persons as industry employees and performers
• Create jobs and internship opportunities for REACH program participants within the Metro Atlanta communities served by the program
• Place graduates of REACH programs in internships, and provide career guidance for long-term employment in the entertainment industry at large.

REACH is designed to include various entities that will develop in two phases as the physical, financial, human, and other resources become available to support the program's growth and development.

Phase I

Phase I of the project will consist of the following programmed activities:

• Recording Studio
  The REACH Complex will house a state-of-the-art recording studio with professionally trained engineers who will train program participants in all aspects of equipment operation and maintenance, studio management, and inventory control.
• Rehearsal Halls
  The REACH Complex will house several sound stage rooms, rehearsal rooms, and dance studio space for rental to performing artists. Program participants will be trained in rehearsal hall management, including the coordination of space, scheduling, equipment, musical instrument acquisition and maintenance, and the set-up of staging, sound, and lighting.
• Arts Management and Instruction
  Classrooms and dance studios will be housed within The REACH Complex to provide arts instruction in :
  • Piano
  • Guitar
  • Drums & Other Percussion Instruments
  • Dance & Choreography
  • Vocal Instruction & Interpretation
  • Music Theory
  • Artist Acquisition
  • Events Management
  • Concert Promotion
  • Artist Management
  • Entertainment Law
  • Music Publishing
  • Equipment Operation
  • Television, Film, & Video Production
• SLAM Rentals
  A full-service entertainment rental entity offering sound, staging, lighting, and band equipment.

Classes that foster research and youth development provide a firm foundation of technical training, career exploration, leadership skill development, and hands-on experience for Metro Atlanta youth. Highly-skilled, trained, and experienced professionals will offer classes 2-3 times per week. Industry forums that feature trained and experienced arts educators and entertainment professionals will complement the regularly scheduled instructional programming.

Phase II

Phase II of The REACH Complex expansion will include the addition of three (3) complementary entities:

• Resource Library
• Independent Record Label
• Community Resource Center

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