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 with the goal to end unemployment and secure long term prosperity. So, while our family was displaced from our home & all of our belongings sat in storage-- circumstances prompted by industry shut downs that were caused by a global pandemic-- I used the time to explore common drop points that lead to professional outcomes, as my husband and our family had found ourselves in a place unexpected, not knowing how or when productions would open up again or what all of it would mean for our careers or our lives moving forward. We operated our nonprofit efforts through our own investment and my husband's career was the main source of support. Therefore, the catastrophic event that wiped out our livelihood had the same impact on our lives, almost over night. I knew there had to be a better way for professionals like us, who followed nontraditional career paths, to find security and long term prosperity.

At the time, I had been serving as our organization's president for about 6 years, conducting research and development toward education reform-- work I was devoted to---focused on finding solutions that would make school a more engaging, warm and inspirational place for children by connecting with leaders I believed shared our values, authoring tools, programs & frameworks and hosting community events that would inform parents of their important need to be aware and involved in transformations that were taking place in schools at the time. All of the work we accomplished was led from my perspective as a mother of two and the passionate hope to prompt kindness, stewardship & curiosity in young people. The R&D gained through those years led into our organization's next chapter, when I authored what I consider the vision of a lifetime...

It felt like a natural evolution to shift from our organization's focus on early education into evaluating development pathways and career life cycle management solutions as I deep dove into understanding what was happening across commerce landscapes. My goal was to develop system improvements that could adapt to the rapid changes occurring across these landscapes and to provide pathways that uplift individuals throughout the unique lifecycle of their careers-- specifically those who chase talent, creative and athletic career-- with pathways most often including part time & gig work and many pivots.

This brought forward the AP FUTURE CAREERS INITIATIVE--- a vision that included a cross-sector education-to-career development framework managed by smart technology. I pulled from insights gained through the years of R&D I had previously led in education reform and mine & my husband's unique lived experiences as parents, advocates & long time talent, design & creative professionals who followed nontraditional career paths, all contributing to the development of an articulated plan--- which outlined solid solutions with real perspective toward eliminating common drop points that long led to unemployment or unfulfilled outcomes. A plan especially designed to bridge the gap between these unique and creative workers and their long term opportunities within a rapidly evolving 21st century commerce infrastructure, as new technologies entered the space.

My husband and our very small team could see that society had stepped into an entirely new era, largely defined by technology, calling on the need to align humanity in harmony with purpose, wellness and a value for creative contributions. We also understood that the industries we had built our lives on were experiencing great transformations, driving a whole new workforce as automation charted its course.

As we continued to share our solution, 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 & the pipelines that connected them to commerce, in order to better meet the demands of the rapidly evolving technological & skills based economy... solutions the vision I authored could provide a roadmap for, with the opportunity to improve lives, outcomes, society and the planet.

Therefore, the AP Future Careers Initiative became our organization's North Star, holding the promise of the boundless possibilities that lie within each talented, creative and athletic person we could support...making their long term prosperity our mission, their continuously evolving growth our commitment and the positive impact of these efforts... our legacy.

Our steadfast commitment beyond roadblocks was driven by our passion to ensure that young people would be safe and supported to chase their dreams while securing their future through improved pathways. Over several years we continued to share the vision for the AP Future Careers' community system & smart technology, while seeking multiple grants, venture capital and community partnerships that we participated in hope of empowering our lead. Unfortunately, we did not receive the funding we sought, or establish any long standing partnerships that would last despite the clear indication of other's value for our municipal framework design, and without this required funding & support our opportunity to lead our solution's integration was lost. However, over time it became clear that the many connections, meetings & partnerships we sought and participated in resulted in others leading their own interpretations of our vision.

And while these vast integrations came through the interpretations of others who were positioned to lead, instead of how we intended, we remain honored that our commitment to our life's work has served in many ways to provide a revolutionary approach to education, youth development and career lifecycle management, serving across sectors to achieve objectives that have improved 21st century infrastructure and the establishment of multiple programs, initiatives and ventures that are driving economic growth and improving lives today.

When reflecting on the challenges that drove me to author the AP Future Careers' framework design and smart technology system, I could never have known how timely & relevant the solution would become. The blueprint has provided an effective guide for improved education-to-career infrastructure, and we can only hope it will be led with integrity to serve the public benefit long into the future, evolving over time through demand, as it was designed to do... a legacy we can feel proud of.

Extending from our commitments and the infrastructure the AP Future Careers Initiative helped others establish,

the AP Ambassador Initiative will continue our family's legacy by supporting talented, creative & athletic individuals who chase their dreams within today's evolving ecosystems--- providing SCHOLARSHIP & DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES for their prosperous outcomes, as our vision was established to accomplish.

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

VISIT THE AP AMBASSADOR INITIATIVE PAGE NOW