History

PSWIFT has been serving the Coachella Valley for more than two decades with networking and growth opportunities for those in our community who seek involvement and/or who work in entertainment, film, television, communication and new media industries. 

PSWIFT’s most relevant program – the Filmmaker Lab – offers cost-free film and television education for aspiring filmmakers and media professionals in the Coachella Valley. The program is helping to build careers, offering hands-on experience and providing local jobs in the film and television industries. The PSWIFT Filmmakers Lab has produced short films which have received a number of accolades from short film festivals around the world – as well as a talk show series called PS After Dark with actor Tristan Rogers as the host. 

PSWIFT holds a number of events each year – from master classes and a speakers series to networking mixers and fundraisers which support PSWIFT’s scholarship program for local students interested in pursuing education and careers in the film/television and new media industries. 

An important part of the organization’s past is its BookPALS program, which featured volunteers – many of whom were actors or performers -- introducing reading and literacy to thousands of children weekly by reading in the classrooms of a number of Coachella Valley schools. During the pandemic, PSWIFT reached out to celebrity book readers who read stories on video that were then shared online with students who were doing remote learning at home. Celebrity readers included Donna Mills, Patrick Warburton, Willie Garson, Eileen Davidson and more - you can watch them all at our YouTube Channel or by visiting www.celebsreadbooks.com. During the onset of COVID-19, BookPALS was not able to operate as it had traditionally since volunteers were not allowed into schools any longer and the program wrapped up by donating $5,000 in books to local schools.