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A St. Petersburg non-profit organization has secured a historic partnership with one of the largest entertainment and concert promotion companies in the world.
The Arts Conservatory for Teens (ACT), which is dedicated to exposing underserved and at-risk teens to creative arts, has partnered with premiere promotional company Live Nation to give local teens the opportunity to explore careers in live entertainment.
ACT CEO and President Dr. Alex Harris tells Power Broker that the partnership makes ACT the first outsourced educational partner of its kind to work with Live Nation.
“This is huge for our community because our students do not get this kind of exposure in one of the fastest growing workforces,” Harris said.
The partnership officially began this summer. Live Nation hosted 50 ACT students at two concert events in Tampa — the Post Malone show at Raymond James Stadium on July 8 and Jack Johnson with Lake Street Dive at MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre on Aug. 19.
The collaborative idea was sparked in 2024 when Harris met the LIVE regional president, Brittany Flores. Harris said there was great synergy between both parties.
He said at that time, LIVE was in space and place in time to impact communities beyond the concert headlines and elevate the experience of the community through educational opportunities.
“This is an opportunity I was able to seize and start to nurture and this year we’re able to officially launch the beginning of our programming for young people,” Harris said.
Holistic, Experimental Education
Within the curriculum created by Harris and his team, students are offered experimental, in-person masterclasses from various artists where they are able to get hands-on training, talk to the artist and ask questions.
“They get a chance to see how things function, the operation behind the scenes, not just with the artists themselves, but also those people who are a part of the crew, venue operators, the Live Nation team itself,” he explained. “They get a chance to really engage all of these different moving pieces of the operation before the spotlight ever hits.”
The curriculum is based on Harris’ methodology, also known as the Alex Harris Creators’ Learning Method (AHCLM).
Grounded in the theoretical frameworks of Albert Bandura and David Kolb, it “provides students a holistic model for creative, personal, and professional development.”
Harris added that, “ACT’s partnership with Live Nation further strengthens this mission by expanding students’ access to industry-informed opportunities, mentorship, and experiences that support their growth and provide a meaningful competitive advantage in the creative field. “
In addition to the masterclass, Harris anticipates adding a shadowing experience within the next two years in which students observe an artist or professional for the day in tour preparation or rehearsals.
Greater Vision and Intention
Harris shares that the partnership is long-term and the overall goal is to hopefully pilot a LIVE global community impact program that other organizations can follow. He believes the initiative presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the St. Petersburg community to help shape a global model for community impact by providing young people with experiential learning and career opportunities at the same time.
“The great thing that I’m excited about is that our city [St. Petersburg] has an opportunity to lead in this global model of what cities can do when strategic partnerships happen with entities like mine [ACT], especially in the not-for-profit sector and major Fortune 500 companies,” says Harris.
Over the next three years, Harris hopes to have year-round opportunities and between 500 to 1,000 students to be involved in this program. Interested students can apply through the ACT website. It’s set up for those who already participate in the Conservatory.
Founded in 2012, Harris says ACT’s mission extends beyond career development. It also uses the arts to help build healthier, safer communities by first recognizing creativity as a powerful influence on how people learn, connect, and grow.
He believes the partnership with Live Nation is a significant opportunity to combine the resources of a major global entertainment company with ACT’s educational mission, and that the partnership gives families in St. Petersburg and Tampa access to experiences typically found in larger cities such like New York.
“This is the kind of thing I think our community needs,” Harris said. “I think this is what the residents of the community want, and we are here to provide that in a selfless way, being very inclusive and looking at opportunities to expand what we do with an organization such as Live Nation to benefit our students and our families.”
Learn more about ACT at artsconservatoryforteens.org
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