AlabamaCreates exists because Alabama's creative talent has always been bigger than its perception.

We're a Birmingham-anchored creative workforce development initiative with a 15-year vision to turn the page on Alabama's narrative.

For decades, Alabama's most ambitious creative talent has had to leave the state to build a career.

The infrastructure was somewhere else. The clients were somewhere else. The proof was somewhere else.

The cost of that loss compounds. It costs Alabama the stories it doesn’t get to tell about itself. It costs Alabama’s industries the in-state creative partners they should be building with. It costs the next generation the role models they need to know that careers like these are possible from here.

Our strategy is organized around three pillars and three orientations.

The pillars are Surface, Develop, and Showcase. We surface the talent already here. We develop the craft. We showcase the work.

The orientations are Brand, Motion, and Interactive. Each is a craft. Each is a career path. Each has a place in the industries that already make Alabama what it is.

Across both, we work in cohorts.

We ship real projects. We measure success by the careers we help launch, not by attendance numbers or impressions.

Film Exchange

Our youth filmmaking fellowship for Alabama high schoolers. Fellows produce a portfolio of professional-grade work over a semester, with mentorship from working filmmakers. Active in Dothan and Birmingham.

Studio

Our adult creative accelerator. Multi-disciplinary training across Brand, Motion, and Interactive, with cohorts working alongside practicing professionals on real projects with real ship dates. Launching summer 2026.

Built for Durability

AlabamaCreates operates as a program of Student Creative Exchange, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We are funded through a combination of grants, corporate partnerships, and individual donors, with explicit independence from any single funder.

We maintain transparent financials and report to our board quarterly. Our funding model is designed for durability rather than dependency. We accept funding that aligns with our mission and decline funding that compromises it.

If you're interested in supporting our work, let's talk.

Tyden Rickard

Founder & Executive Director

Raised in Southeast Alabama, Tyden began his career in media production at 14 and went on to build a creative studio working with more than 150 clients across fashion, entertainment, hospitality, technology, and nonprofit sectors. His work has supported campaigns and productions connected to global brands and cultural institutions, generating more than 1 billion views across digital platforms.

Through AlabamaCreates, Tyden is focused on a simple belief: talent is not limited by geography, but access often is. His work centers on surfacing creative talent across the state, equipping people with modern production skills, and showcasing Alabama’s creative capacity to the world.

Tyden’s broader mission is to help Alabama become a place where storytellers across legacy and emerging mediums can build meaningful careers without having to leave home.

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Will Smith

Program Coordinator

Will Smith is the Program Coordinator for AlabamaCreates, where he supports Film Exchange programming and helps expand creative opportunities for young people across Alabama.

Will began with the organization as a junior in high school, joining the very first Film Exchange cohort and winning the inaugural competition. He later launched his own media production business and created a high school film festival in Dothan to spotlight emerging student talent.

After merging his festival concept with Film Exchange, he joined the AlabamaCreates staff to help integrate student showcases into the program model and support Film Exchange’s expansion across the state.

A multidisciplinary creative, Will also releases music under the The Will Effect, with several singles, an EP and debut album released in 2026.

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Support System

Advisors

Jared Weinstein

Founder, Overton Ventures

Estes Hughes

VP, Economic Development Partnership of Alabama

Emily Jerkins Hall

Founder, Bloom Economy Labs

Matthew Jaeh

Managing Director, Tech Stars

Brooke Gillis

CEO, Innovation Depot

Todd Greer

Executive Director, Innovation Portal

Melanie Hill

AlabamaCreates Board | Senator Katie Britt's Office

Glenn Maloy

AlabamaCreates Board | Retired Houston County Career Tech Director

Program Mentors

Ward Simmons

President, Moleskine Americas

Reid Myers

Head of Marketing, Baccarat North America

Ben Blackburn

Founder, Origin Brand

Jessica Chriesman

Director of Education, Sidewalk Cinema

Preston Little

Creative Director, Cedar Creative

Dylane Hurd

Freelance Filmmaker

Ronnie Gatrey

RLG Productions

Josh Bane

Evergreen Creative

The Masterplan

A 15-Year Horizon

AlabamaCreates begins with commercial creative work, not because culture matters less, but because the economic infrastructure for sustainable cultural work has to be built first. Phase 1 lays the base. Phase 2, beginning in 2030, raises what the base makes possible.