Meet Evan Farrell of KidWiseman in Greater Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Evan Farrell.

Evan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I moved to LA and started working as a creative for ad agencies as well as designing for the music industry on the side. Fortunately, I quickly started working with some of the world’s top content creators and had access to cutting edge equipment and professionals. It was time to unveil an idea I had since high school. It was time to create KidWiseman. A brand that inspires young creatives and provides resources to become creative professionals. Rather than starting a non-profit, I created the character and brand KidWiseman. A persona that youth can relate to and look up to, cultivating a brand identity and a presence in the community. KidWiseman creates opportunities using multi-media street art to inspire under-appreciated creatives. KidWiseman includes students in all aspects of a full scale production including design, videography, light design, areal cinema, fashion, and performing arts with an underlying emphasis in street art.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Yes and no. At first the biggest challenge was mostly mental. I knew it would be difficult to make myself into a character. I had to mentally make the decision to push myself as this character KidWiseman while working and I knew people wouldn’t understand what I was doing at first. Thankfully the response I got was incredible and fairly rapid. After about a year of painting free walls with students and pulling strings and favors from friends, I started getting sponsorships and commissions from some of the top agencies and brands like Red Bull, TedX, and Balenciaga. Thanks to working as a creative director in the music industry, I was able to position myself and partner with music festivals, work with DJ’s, and hip hop artists including Zedd, Skrillex and Logic who all share similar passions for young creatives.

However, even with these partners and sponsors the problem is that our work usually comes on a project to project basis. Our public schools are under attack. Art funding in schools (especially our public schools) is dying and most people aren’t willing to give money to fund the level of production and value we provide to these students. It’s been an uphill battle to find sufficient grants and funding for these important projects.

This year we’re planning on throwing fundraising events and parties to support some of these projects by involving our wide network of friends and partners in the industry.

Please tell us about KidWiseman.
Art funding is continuously being cut nationwide. The majority of students in public high schools are denied access to real-world experiences and relevant tools. KidWiseman creates opportunities by creating large scale multimedia projects with an underlying emphasis on street art. KidWiseman teams up professionals in the industry to teach all aspects of full-scale production. Students and participants are invited and gain hands-on experience in all facets of each project. Since 2015, we completed 45 large scale productions, produced over 50 pieces of video content, and have worked with over 7,000 students across 15 school districts.

In 2019 KidWiseman successfully created a college level curriculum that was implemented and executed at an arts center with a group of high school students. We’re working on packaging the curriculum and putting it online. To kick off 2020, we painted a massive wall on the back of Sunset Bronson Studios in Hollywood. It’s a testament to how far we’ve come in the past few years. The gigantic 140×35 ft wall itself is a historic monument in Hollywood. Sunset Bronson Studios hosts working spaces for Netflix, KTLA and other Television shows. We partnered with Arts Bridging the Gap, the local students and the LAPD to achieve this milestone.

We are most proud of the multitude of young lives we have been able to change along the way. Every time we have a project we see students’ eyes light up. It’s this moment when they self actualize that they too can be a professional creative. In too many instances students aren’t aware that striving for a creative career is an option for them because they aren’t being taught what they need to know. They aren’t provided the tools or resources they deserve because they are trapped in an outdated school system. As a result of KidWiseman we have introduced students to mediums such as lighting, film, aerial cinema, and street art that are now working as professionals in their field.

What sets us apart is that we are truly here for the youth. We are not here for teachers or parents. The students can relate to KidWiseman. Our main focus, instead of treating them as adolescent delinquents we invite them to participate as members of our team. We treat them as young professionals because that’s what they are. We don’t sugar coat anything. There’s always a point when the students realize we are being real with them. In return, they respect us and they appreciate what we are trying to do for them. They engage and take advantage of the opportunity to work with our equipment and our team. Ultimately, achieving our mission as the youth support each other and the project at hand.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
To reach most goals, it takes a combination of patience, persistence and confidence. It’s worth dedicating your time and life to something you believe in because the intrinsic rewards and respect of the people you help far outweigh any sum of money. Never give up.

Contact Info:

• Address: 200 S Los Angeles St.
  Los Angeles CA 90012
  Suite #A416
• Website: kidwiseman.com
• Phone: 310 613 9312
• Email: info.kidwiseman.com

Image Credit:
– Kat Monk (SouthBay Magazine), Tyler Paget (Red Bull Producer), Deisel Films

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