Annual Report 2017

ANNUAL REPORT 2017

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

“Help us win the hard way—the right way—not with hate, not with retribution, but with wisdom and hope. Help us become champions.” --Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel (Champions Vol. 2 #1) When Marvel Comics introduced Kamala Khan—a Muslim teenager—as the new Ms. Marvel, it was a clear sign from the country’s largest comics publisher that the U.S. continues to become a more diverse, pluralistic society…like it or not.

We like it. The mission of Pop Culture Classroom (PCC) compels us to “inspire a love of learning, increase literacy and celebrate diversity,” but we know that a minority of our fellow Americans do not celebrate our growing diversity and seek to stifle it with their words and their actions, sometimes with tragic results. At PCC, we are inspired by the real-life heroes who stand up for justice in the face of bigotry. We know that pop culture can be a powerful vehicle for unity and understanding.

In 2017, PCC continued to expand the diversity and the reach of our programs. Denver Comic Con, our signature event, celebrated its 6th year with the most wide-ranging mix of guests we’ve ever had from the worlds of comics, books, TV and film. Our Colorful History series of comics on individuals and events in Colorado history reached thousands of students in classrooms across the state and around the world. And we’ve launched a nationwide effort to recognize and promote the best in educational graphic novels: the Excellence in Graphic Literature (EGL) awards.

We also found a new home in 2017. Our office in Denver’s Valverde neighborhood includes a classroom full of comics, graphic novels, art supplies and technology that will inspire and enable kids to learn, create and grow in a fun, safe space.

I invite you to learn more about these efforts and our many other programs by reading this report and exploring our website. Please also join us at the 2018 Denver Comic Con, June 15-17 at the Colorado Convention Center!

At Pop Culture Classroom and Denver Comic Con, we find hope in the power of stories and the beauty of art. Thank you for helping us continue to champion these ideas and make a positive difference in the life of a child and the fabric of our community.

Sam Fuqua Executive Director 2017 BY THE NUMBERS

Pop Culture Classroom taught 7,200 Students using our innovative curriculum and programs. Readers downloaded COMICS We stocked Colorful History COMICS#1 --free bi-weekly comics-- #1 13,058 times 512 from comic books titles 2 3 and board games 45 diﬀerent 1 in our brand-new countries. classroom. Viewers watched the Justice League Animated Reunion panel on YouTube 66,040 times.

52 outreach

workshops were PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS oﬀered at45 115,000 total diﬀerent sites. attendance at Denver Comic Con. 1,063 volunteers put in 16,130 hours Attendees experienced almost during Denver Comic Con. 600 HOURS

of panel, workshops, and demos at Denver Comic Con. NEW YEAR, NEW HOME

Two years ago, Pop Culture Classroom was crammed into a small office suite in Downtown Denver, which it was quickly outgrowing. Many of its employees were crowded in small offices together, and its storage was becoming overwhelmed. The dream of having a space that could effectively reach the community was compromised by the office PCC was in. We knew that we needed to find a new location where we could reach out into the community and become a place where all were welcome.

Pop Culture Classroom looked for two years for the right spot. We wanted a classroom space so that we could host workshops and camps on site. Plus, we wanted to be in a low to moderate income neighborhood in Denver in order to be surrounded by the community we hoped to serve. The search was challenging, but when we found our new place with a landlord who was willing to build with our specifications in mind, we jumped on the opportunity and moved in the fall of 2017. Now, PCC has the chance to change the lives of children around the state, around metro Denver, and around our own neighborhood of Valverde.

“We want to provide a service that can help kids tap the creativity we know is inside each one of them,” said Sam Fuqua, Executive Director of Pop Culture Classroom. “Our hope is the classroom space will be a center of creative learning and a safe space for kids to be together with others who are into comics, games, art and literature.”

The new Pop Culture Classroom location has quickly become a space alive with excitement and opportunity. From the ever-expanding library of games and comics, to the beautiful murals on the walls, Pop Culture Classroom is a fun and imaginative place. Over time, we will grow our resources and develop workshops and programs to provide more services to the entire pop culture community. CELEBRATING SUCCESSFUL SUMMER WORKSHOPS

In summer 2017, Pop Culture Classroom worked hard at developing and running pop-culture based workshops for diverse sites and students throughout Colorado! These workshops are all part of our educational mission to inspire and engage students’ love of learning using the tools of pop culture including comics, board games, cosplay, and so much more.

Between June and August, PCC conducted over 100 hours of programming at 24 different libraries, schools and community centers across the Front Range.

These innovative workshops gave us the chance to work with almost 500 students over the summer. Students ranged from 1st graders through high school seniors, and represented an incredible array of talents, interests and backgrounds.

Our summer started with lots of comics and clothes! As part of the Greenwood Village Art in the Park summer series, PCC offered two workshops – “Superhero Design” and “Cosplay 101” – for younger students aged 6-10. These workshops gave elementary learners the chance to engage with pop culture and learn the ins and outs of comics and costume-making.

Another way PCC connected learners to pop culture came through one of the most exciting new opportunities this summer. We partnered with the African Community Center (ACC) and their efforts to help refugees rebuild safe, sustainable lives in Denver. We participated as a program provider for ACC’s OnTRAC (Training Refugees Accessing College) youth program, which supports refugees by offering college literacy lessons, while honoring their identities, experiences and strengths. We offered two summer workshops as part of this innovative program, with the goal of using Storytelling Through Comics, our comics creation program, as a way to help these refugee students improve their literacy skills and prepare for college applications. In addition to our partnership with ACC, we teamed up with the YMCA of Metro Denver to offer 6-week programs at two of their Denver-based Power Scholar Academies for the 3rd year in a row. These K-6 programs boost students’ math and reading confidence while preventing them from falling behind their peers over the summer.

This year, we ran Game On!, our cutting-edge game design program, during YMCA programs at Wyatt Academy and Omar D. Blair Charter School, helping 2nd-5th grade students to develop vital critical thinking, literacy, and problem solving skills in a collaborative environment.

With the generous support of the Jefferson County Public Library this summer, we offered comic creation workshops at 10 different library sites up and down the Front Range. Over the summer, we introduced and engaged 150 students in comics at these 10 different libraries, both spurring their creativity and self-expression and giving them the basic tools and knowledge to develop more comics of their own at home!

For the 3rd year in a row, we partnered with the Youth One Book, One Denver (YOBOD), a summer reading program designed for 9- to 12-year-olds. During the 6-week program, students were offered fun activities and events related to the book Upside Down Magic, enhancing their reading experience and combating learning loss.

PCC also proudly offered four unique workshops at sites throughout Metro Denver in support of YOBOD. Sites included the Sun Valley Youth Center, Johnson Boys & Girls Club, Colfax Elementary, and Heart & Hand Prep Academy.

These workshops focused on everything from designing creatures to creating board games and comics based on Upside Down Magic, giving students the opportunity to deepen their reading experience and respond to the book with their own creative projects.

Adam Kullberg, Pop Culture Classroom’s Education Program Manager, said: “YOBOD workshops are a great opportunity we have every summer to engage at-risk students in reading and provide them pathways to success, whether it be in their schools or their communities or both, through pop culture.”

Overall, we are thrilled with the outcome of our workshops in summer 2017! It was such a rewarding experience to help students across Colorado improve their literacy, creativity, critical thinking and ability to express themselves. We look forward to impacting more young lives with the power of pop culture. AN EXCITING REUNION AT DENVER COMIC CON

Although the television series ended in 2004, the animated Justice League show is still considered one of the best DC Comics adaptions of all time. To honor the show and its fans, Denver Comic Con organized a reunion of the iconic Justice League cast. During this special event, Andrea Romano, the original casting director of the series, led George Newbern (Superman), Susan Eisenberg (Wonder Woman), Kevin Conroy (Batman), Phil LaMarr (Green Lantern), Michael Rosenbaum (The Flash), and Maria Canals-Barrera (Hawkgirl) in a live reading of the emotional, three-part series finale “Starcrossed.”

With the help of DCC alum Susan Eisenberg, Bruce MacIntosh, Programming Director for Denver Comic Con, worked for an entire year to bring together the original cast. When they were finally together on stage, their original chemistry filled the entire room, bringing back the unique dynamic of the series. Not only did DCC reunite the actors, but were able to engage the fans with the cast through an interactive Q&A session. Everyone in the room had a blast reminiscing about the past, and the cast even tried out a few new accents for the characters.

One of the most exciting parts of the event is when The Nerdist, a news website for all things fandom, picked up the story and gave DCC national coverage. This recognition caused our YouTube video of the reunion to go viral in the geek community, and raised awareness of both our nonprofit and our con.

The event and the subsequent news coverage allowed Denver Comic Con to pursue its unity mission, which strives to bring together everyone in the pop culture community, regardless of age, race, gender, or background.

“Themes like the Justice League animated reunion are a great way to encourage people who may not typically think a comic convention is for them, to come out and celebrate,” said MacIntosh. FINANCIALS

In 2017, Pop Culture Classroom generated $3,275,178 in total income.*

ADMINISTRATION INCOME EXPENSES & FUNDRAISING 15%

OTHER 20%

TICKETS PROGRAMS 80% 85%

The majority of Pop Culture We spend most of our funds on Classroom's revenue comes from Pop Culture Classroom’s two major tickets sales to Denver Comic Con. programs: Denver Comic Con We also receive income from (our annual educational and merchandise sales, individual donors, celebratory event) and the exhibitor booth rentals, business Classroom (our year-round sponsors, workshop fees, educational programs). curriculum sales and grants.

*Unaudited financials. Audited 2017 IRS form 990 available in July 2018. Thank You to Our 2017 Partners and Donors

Corporate and Foundations In Kind Gifts Alamo Drafthouse Goodbye Blue Monday Aleph Objects, Inc. Holland & Hart Amazon Smiles IHeartMedia Apple Corporation Outfront Magazine Ball Corporation Matching Gift Fund Westword Barnes and Noble Benevity Breckenridge Brewery Education Partners ClientSolv Alicia Sanchez International Elementary School Colorado Fabrics Aurora Frontier P-8 Community First Foundation Boulder County Jail Colorado I Have a Dream Foundation Boulder Valley School District Colorado Lottery Bromley East Charter School Eide Bailly, LLC City of Greenwood Village - Art in the Park Elitch Gardens Theme and Water Park Colfax Elementary School Experient, Inc. Colorado Connections Academy Hard Rock Cafe of Denver Columbine Elementary Holland & Hart Crest View Elementary i273, LLC CU Denver Kenzan Denver Arts & Venues and Parks and Rec Illegal Pete’s Denver Public Schools LINE Webtoon MOA Architecture Denver Quality Afterschool Connection (DQUAC) Nelnet Loan Services, Inc Denver Women’s Correctional Facility Network for Good ECDC/African Community Center PayPal Giving Fund Girls Athletic Leadership School (GALS) Public Service Credit Union Jefferson County Public Library RAW Foundation Mackintosh Academy Shopify Moore Middle School Tattered Cover Book Store Morey Middle School Tentacle Kitty North Arvada Middle School The Binning Family Foundation Omar D. Blair Elementary The Molly and Joseph Herman Foundation Sterling Correctional Facility Visit Denver Timberline Elementary School VMWare Foundation University Hill Elementary School Whittier International Elementary School (Boulder) Whittier K-8 School (Denver) Sports Teams Wyatt Academy Colorado Avalanche YMCA of Metro Denver Colorado Rapids Youth One Book, One Denver Colorado Rockies Community and Government Individuals Arapahoe Public Libraries PCC Board of Directors Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Colorado PCC Staff Binning Family Foundation Denver Comic Con Volunteers Bonfils Blood Center Anonymous Donors Boulder Public Library Marisa Barslund Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver Roslyn & Allen Bellman CEO Conferences Jeffrey Burzynski City of Denver Office of Children’s Affairs Vicki and Nolan Carey-Davis Colorado Creative Industries Jesse Carver and Tina Mueh Colorado Movie Cars Sarah Chamberlain Colorado Symphony Orchestra Derek Dye Colorado Youth at Risk Jesse Elliott COWLUG Tone Ellis de Jesus Curtis Arts & Humanities Center Margaret Fogarty Denver Art Museum Meghan F. Denver Botanic Gardens Sam F. Denver Museum of Nature & Science Karen Gavigan Denver Office of Children’s Affairs Mitchell Lee Hursh Denver Open Media Foundation Bryce Jackman Denver Public Library Mollie Kelleher Faraway Creations Duane Kline Girl Scout Troup 62161 Jack Kronser Heart & Hand Preparatory Academy JP Kronser History Colorado Center Cammen Lowstuter Johnson Boys & Girls Club Zeke Perez Jr. Lighthouse Writers Workshop Emily Petersen Louisville Public Library Imagine Rigney Mile High United Way James Shima Mount Saint Vincent Chris & Dana Talbot-Heindl Museum of Contemporary Art Denver Franco and Ty Templeton National Endowment for the Arts The Venneman Family Nederland Community Library Alyson Wells Rise Above Colorado And the thousands of Denver Comic Con attendees Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design whose ticket purchases help support Pop Culture Rocky Mountain PBS Classroom Scientific and Cultural Facilities District Second Star to the Right Children’s Books Sewall Child Development Center In Honor Of Star Trek, USS Tiburon Indy Jones Star Wars Fan Group Seyan Lucero Sun Valley Youth Center Braden Skoropat Umbrella Corp Denver University of Colorado-Boulder In Memory Of Where the Books Go Book Store (Evergreen) Cuzco Youth on Record Lauren Peterson