Center for Communications

What Center for Communications does

The Center for Communication (CenCom) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1980 by Dr. Frank Stanton, longtime CBS president, and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. It operates as a career-education platform serving aspiring media professionals, with a stated reach of more than 10,000 students and recent graduates annually across a network of 185+ colleges and universities. Its core offerings are a portfolio of recurring programs: three annual summits (Media Career Summit, Diversity + Media Career Summit, Women + Media Career Summit), the Frank N. Stanton Award for Excellence in Communication (entering its 43rd year), virtual Office Hours sessions, a Job Board, a weekly newsletter, a video resource library, and the 'Make It In Media' podcast distributed on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Underlying technology is a standard digital content and event-registration platform built on Squarespace, with no proprietary AI, API, or mobile application.

The organization's business model rests on a hybrid nonprofit revenue structure with four primary streams: corporate sponsorships from major media companies (Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, Hearst, Paramount, A+E Networks, Nielsen, Mattel, NBCUniversal, FOX, ABC News, and others); donations and fundraising anchored by the annual Stanton Award dinner; low-cost event ticket sales ($15–$35 per attendee for summits); and government/foundation grants from the NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and the New York State Council on the Arts. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: students and recent graduates register directly through the website, while media-company recruiters participate as speakers, sponsors, and hiring partners at summits — creating a two-sided marketplace where CenCom curates talent supply (students from underrepresented backgrounds) and demand (diversity-focused hiring pipelines at flagship media employers).

Name

Center for Communications

Legal name

Center for Communication

Website

https://centerforcommunication.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for Communication is a Brooklyn-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1980 that runs annual career summits, networking events, and skill workshops to connect more than 10,000 students and recent graduates annually with recruiters from major U.S. media companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Career Education

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conference Communications, Marketing & Community Engagement (THAHACAN), Workplace Communication & Professional Etiquette (EDAAAKAE)

Keywords

• Media career education
• Career summit events
• Nonprofit media training
• Diversity in media
• Media industry networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The organization raises funds through its annual Stanton Award celebration and direct donations to support career education programs
2. Event Tickets: Revenue from ticket sales for summits and career events for students and recent graduates
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships from media companies including A+E Networks, Disney, Hearst, Mattel, Nielsen, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, and others for events and programs
4. Government and Foundation Grants: Support from New York State Council on the Arts and NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Center for Communication is a nonprofit organization that trains aspiring media professionals and fosters interaction with experts in news, entertainment, and technology. It runs annual career summits (Media Career Summit, Diversity + Media Career Summit, Women + Media Career Summit), produces the Make It In Media podcast, maintains a media industry job board, hosts the Frank N. Stanton Award for Excellence in Communication, and offers workshops, video resources, and virtual Office Hours for students and recent graduates.

Product overview

The Center for Communication is a nonprofit organization offering a unified suite of career development programs and resources designed to promote diversity in the media industry. Its portfolio includes annual career summits (Media Career Summit, Diversity + Media Career Summit, Women + Media Career Summit), the Frank N. Stanton Award ceremony, a podcast (Make It In Media), a job board, video resources, virtual Office Hours sessions, and a blog (Community Voices). These offerings work together to provide students and recent graduates with the knowledge, skills, and industry connections needed to launch careers in media.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Frank N. Stanton Award for Excellence in Communication: Annual award honoring individuals who achieve excellence in communication and mentor next-generation media leaders.
• Diversity + Media Career Summit
• Women + Media Career Summit
• Media Career Summit
• Make It In Media Podcast
• Cooper-Leibner Fellowship

Products and services

• Media Career Summit
• Diversity + Media Career Summit Annual diversity-focused summit connecting students from underrepresented backgrounds with media industry recruiters and executives, featuring skill workshops and networking sessions.
• Women + Media Career Summit Annual summit empowering women pursuing media careers through keynotes, panels, networking, and skill-building workshops with industry executives.
• Frank N. Stanton Award for Excellence in Communication Annual awards ceremony honoring individuals who achieve success in media while mentoring the next generation of media leaders. Proceeds support the Center's career education programs.
• Make It In Media Podcast
• Job Board
• Video Resources
• Office Hours
• Community Voices Blog
• Newsletter

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of students feel more confident about pursuing a career in media after CenCom programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

29 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Warner Bros. DiscoveryflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor media company partner participating in career summits and recruiting events. Supports Diversity + Media Career Summit and other CenCom events. Provides internship and job opportunities for students.
• DisneyflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor of annual career summits including Diversity + Media Career Summit and Women + Media Career Summit. Participates in recruiting events.
• HearstflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing media company partner. Participates in career summits and recruits talent through CenCom programs.
• ParamountflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor of Diversity + Media Career Summit. Recruits through CenCom talent pipeline.
• A+E NetworkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedia company partner participating in career events and recruiting at CenCom summits.
• NielsencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMeasurement and data company partner supporting career summits and recruiting diverse talent.
• MattelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate sponsor of Diversity + Media Career Summit and Women + Media Career Summit.
• NYC Mayor's Office of Media and EntertainmentflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner co-presenting events including the Diversity + Media Career Summit and other programming. Provides public funding support.
• McKinsey & CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKnowledge Partner for annual career summits, providing expertise and executive involvement in programming.
• Emma Bowen FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiversity-focused media foundation partner that prepares students of color for media careers. Participates in networking events.
• BRIC Arts MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrooklyn-based arts organization hosting CenCom events including Diversity + Media Career Summit. Co-presents programming.
• ABC NewscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNews organization participating in career events and providing keynote speakers for summits.
• NBCUniversalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedia company partner participating in diversity career summit and recruiting through CenCom events.
• FOXcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBroadcast company sponsor of Diversity + Media Career Summit and participating in recruiting events.
• MSG EntertainmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEntertainment company participating in Women + Media Career Summit networking.
• Reel WorksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrooklyn youth media organization participating in career summit networking events.
• DGA Assistant Director Training ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDirectors Guild training program participating in career summit networking.
• Rubenstein CommunicationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPR firm participating in Women + Media Career Summit recruiting and networking.
• WABC-TVminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYC broadcast station participating in career summit recruiting.
• MagniteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStreaming advertising technology company participating in Media Career Summit as speaker.
• NetflixminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStreaming platform participating in Media Career Summit programming with inclusion program leadership.
• Horizon MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedia agency founded by Stanton Award honoree Bill Koenigsberg. Executive participates in career summit as speaker.
• Sphere EntertainmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEntertainment venue company participating in Women + Media Career Summit with VP of Sales.
• United Talent Agency (UTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor talent agency with agents participating as speakers and panelists at career events.
• WME (Endeavor)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor talent agency with partner and agent participating in career summit programming.
• CSE (Carsey Werner)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTalent agency with SVP participating in talent management panel.
• Bloomberg LPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial media company providing interview preparation workshops and recruiting through CenCom.
• NYU Production LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYU facility co-presenting talent management panel event.
• PIX11minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYC broadcast station with news anchor participating as keynote speaker.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• She Runs It (formerly AWNY): NYC-based nonprofit organization supporting women in marketing, media, and advertising through mentorship, events, and awards. Comparable as a NYC-based nonprofit running summits, awards, and career programming for women in media with corporate sponsorship, mirroring CenCom's Women + Media Career Summit positioning.
• Emma Bowen Foundation: Nonprofit that prepares students of color for careers in media through paid internships and corporate partner pipelines. Directly comparable mission and target audience (students of color pursuing media careers), with overlapping corporate sponsor base. Emma Bowen Foundation is already a CenCom partner but also a competitor for sponsor and student mindshare.
• Paley Center for Media: NYC-based nonprofit media organization that runs public programs, screenings, and industry events celebrating and educating around media. Directly comparable to CenCom as a nonprofit media convener in the same geography with overlapping audience (media professionals, students, general public) and similar event-driven model. CenCom's president J. Max Robins was previously VP/ED at Paley.
• BRIC Arts Media: Brooklyn-based nonprofit arts and media organization that hosts events, education programs, and community programming. Already a CenCom partner co-presenting summits, and comparable as a Brooklyn-rooted nonprofit media convener serving overlapping communities and partnering with similar corporate sponsors.
• National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation: Broadcasting industry trade association education arm that runs career development and diversity programs for students entering media. Comparable as a nonprofit/association-funded media career pipeline operator with similar diversity-focused programming and broadcaster sponsor base.
• Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) Foundation: Journalism and news industry association providing training, scholarships, and career resources to students and early-career journalists. Comparable as an association-style nonprofit building the news and broadcast talent pipeline with industry-funded programming.

Emerging players

• NAACP Hollywood Bureau: Run by the NAACP, this bureau focuses on increasing diversity in the entertainment industry through advocacy, programs, and industry engagement. Comparable as a diversity-focused media nonprofit with Hollywood and media industry stakeholders, though more advocacy-oriented than CenCom's pipeline focus.
• Promax (Variety): Membership organization for entertainment marketing professionals that runs conferences, awards, and training programs. Comparable as a media industry convener serving marketers and content professionals with event-driven programming and corporate sponsorship model.
• International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences: Nonprofit organization best known for the International Emmy Awards that also runs education and student programming around the global television industry. Comparable as a nonprofit media convener with events, awards, and student engagement, though with a more international and awards-centric focus.

Broad incumbents

• The Newhouse School at Syracuse University: One of the largest and most established university-based media communications schools, with deep industry alumni networks and corporate recruiting relationships. Comparable as a media career education institution with corporate sponsorship and recruiting functions, though academic rather than nonprofit-conference model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLHPErIoLSwy9ai8MJzg0JckCN1PaDpL3c
• Instagraminstagram.com/centerforcommunication
• Xx.com/cencom
• Facebookfacebook.com/centerforcommunication

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Communications