Written by, Vanessa Cole

October 7, 2025

As long time talent & creative professionals (and a former college athlete)--- now with two young-adult children chasing their own, similar dreams--- my husband, Chad and I, are the CO-FOUNDERS of the AddyPres Organization--- because WE CARE ABOUT the talent, creative, entertainment & athletic industries we built our lives around. We care about the welfare & prosperity of the people who work within these industries, the vitality of the pipeline that feeds into them, and the commerce infrastructure that supports these multi-billion dollar economic ecosystems. These are the industries which entertain, engage, dress, move and inspire all of society.

Indeed, our sincere care led me, in 2020, to author a vision. While our family was displaced from our home & all of our belongings sat in storage-- prompted by industry shut downs caused by a global pandemic. We didn't know how or when productions would open up again or what any of what was going on in the world would mean for our careers or our lives. We operated our nonprofit efforts through our own investment and my husband's career was the main source of support. A catastrophic event wiped out our livelihood almost over night and I knew there had to be a better way for creative & talented professionals to find security in their long term prosperity. At the time, I had been serving as our organization's president for about 6 years focused on education reform & career development through my devotion to make school a more engaging, warm and inspirational place for children. Through this work I produced several tools, programs & frameworks--- all designed from a mother's heart and passionate hope to prompt kindness, stewardship & curiosity in young people. The experiences through those years helped prepare me for the years that would come, when I would author & introduce a vision of a lifetime...

During Covid closures I took time to evaluate solution opportunities I believed could be a positive contribution toward career paths specific to the talent, creative and athletic genres. This focused contemplation supported me in authoring the AP FUTURE CAREERS INITIATIVE-- and it's multi-sector municipal framework & smart technology user pathway. I developed the plan through insights I had gained from years of research & development and mine & my husband's lived experiences as parents, advocates & long time talent, design & creative professionals who followed nontraditional career paths--- the plan felt like a solid solution with real perspective that could evolve & shift based on societal need, relevant to rapid changes that were happening in the world--- a plan that would improve lives, outcomes, society and the planet--- and it became the vision that guided our organization's efforts thereafter. With our plan in hand, we were driven to support common drop points we knew well in order to open the boundless possibilities that lie within each talented, creative and athletic person...making their success and prosperity our mission, their continuously evolving growth our commitment and their impact... our legacy.

Through the work we had already accomplished over the years, Chad and I knew that society had stepped into an entirely different era defined by technology; calling on an evolving need to align humanity in harmony with purpose and human & ecological wellness. We also realized that the creative industries we had built our lives on were experiencing great transformations and these shifts were sweeping over the full economic landscape--- driving a whole new workforce guided by automation.

Through our continued exploration with our partners, we came to understand that while these shifts held opportunity, they also presented potentially catastrophic impacts on the outcomes of so many young people and professionals, especially those who chase passionate, creative and nontraditional career paths, like we had--- requiring immediate attention be paid to reinventing traditional education models, career development systems and their connection to commerce, in order to better meet the demands of the rapidly evolving technological & skills based economy... something the vision I wrote could support. So we continued to share the AP Future Careers' community system & smart technology pathway and all it's possibilities with leaders and community members... guided through our passion to ensure the vitality of the industries we cared so much about and the young people & professional's whose outcomes depended on this vitality.

That vision and our commitment to share it, has served to provide a revolutionary approach to education, youth development and career lifecycle strategy, which leaders across multiple sectors have valued in their objectives to improve 21st century education-to-career municipal infrastructure and drive economic growth through investments in multiple ventures. Reflecting on the challenging time in our nation when I authored the plan, and then the first meetings presenting it-- I could never have known how relevant & timely my framework solution would become. Today, the vast span of its direction, integrations and its ability to adapt to demand by design, has helped empower innovative opportunities that multiple others are gaining from. While some of the strategies moved in directions beyond our intended vision or shared values, the blueprint has served to grow improved municipal and commerce infrastructure with the space to adapt its impacts through guided leadership, faith & ethical intention.

Now, extending from the commitment & impact the AP Future Careers Initiative established,

the AP Ambassador Initiative will continue our family's legacy by supporting talented & athletic individuals who chase their dreams within creative, performing and athletic ecosystems--- by providing SCHOLARSHIP & DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES for their prosperous outcomes.

LEARN MORE, DONATE, RECEIVE OUR SUPPORT OR BECOME A SUPPORT PARTNER: 

VISIT THE AP AMBASSADOR INITIATIVE PAGE NOW