Our Mission:

Art. Tech. Education. Training.

Hughes Who Technologies Studio-NFP is committed to raising the percentage of the under-served in the diversity-lacking gaming and interactive industries. We accomplish this through our youth STEAM workshops and young adult apprenticeship program which raises awareness of opportunities and exposes young people, especially those who are under-served and at-risk, to the fundamentals of game design, animation, art, programming, producing/QA; and introduces emergent technologies such as VR (Virtual Reality), AR (Augmented Reality) and IoT (Internet of Things).

Our motto: “Don’t just play the game, get in the game.”

What We Do

Hughes Who Technologies Studio is a not-for-profit that uses art, technology and gaming to enhance the academic, social and creative skills of at-risk youth; and prepares young adults for future employment in the gaming and interactive industries (film, video and online).

Facts

Gaming is a multi-billion dollar business surpassing the motion picture and music industries combined.

The Games market is expected to hit $180.1 billion in global revenues in 2021 (Newszoo).

Gaming has grown beyond fun and entertainment. It plays a growing role in healthcare, business training, and education.

In addition to gaming and animation, other related technologies such as Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence, are redefining how we live, learn and work.

Though Blacks and Hispanics make up 25% of the gamers market (Statista) roughly 3% of game developers.

Opportunities

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of multimedia artists and animators is projected to grow eight percent by 2026. However young people who live in under-served communities are unaware of this growing job market. For at-risk elementary and middle school students who take Hughes Who Technologies Studio STEAM workshops, they have fun learning new ways to create and collaborate, and get a glimpse at careers they may consider in the future.

For at-risk high school and college-aged youth, Hughes Who Technologies Studio offers an apprenticeship program that teaches the business of gaming, gamification and real world game development so they will be better prepared when considering post-secondary education, career options or becoming an indie game developer.

Our Partners

Hughes Who Technologies Studio-NFP is supported by organizations that believe that offering STEAM through game development, animation, art and emerging technologies will help under-served young people thrive academically, creatively and socially as well as encourage them to consider, or be better prepared for, careers in the lucrative arts and technology fields.

Our Founders

Hughes Who Technologies Studio-NFP is led by founders Darryl Hughes and Edye Deloch-Hughes. Their goal is to use their professional experience, creative skills and parent advocacy to build confidence and a love of learning through gaming, animation and other technologies. This is especially important for those who struggle academically.

Darryl Hughes

Principal Instructor:  Over 30 years’ experience as a Game Developer, Creative Director, Producer and artist/animator for top global gaming and animation companies in the U.S and other countries. Also adjunct gaming and animation professor for a host of colleges and universities. Currently an adjunct professor at DePaul University. Developed several animation and gaming curriculums for these institutions. Darryl took a 4 student team of game developers to Microsoft’s Imagine Cup and won the U.S. National Championship. Many of Darryl’s students have gone on to work for Disney, Warner Bros., Blue Sky Productions, Blizzard Games and Pixar. Darryl has over 10 game patents. Just developed a game development program for Kennedy-King College, a first for Chicago City Colleges!

Edye Deloch-Hughes

Co-Instructor Being a creative director/writer in advertising for over 25 years was Edye’s profession; serving as parent educator, youth advocate and mentor was her passion. As volunteer President of the A.P.P.L.E. parent organization, she implemented a successful Parent/Tutoring program to help close the Achievement Gap. She served as mentor at various organizations, and a para-educator at her local school district. Edye authored two books, “I Like Gym Shoe Soup” children’s book and “Raising Hell or Raise Them Well” self-help guide for under-served parents. Both on Amazon.

Our Board Members

We seek brilliant minds in education, art and technology to help support our mission.

Dr. Adrienne Coleman

Dr. Coleman is a speaker, researcher, and DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) expert, Dr. Coleman serves as the Director of Equity and Inclusion at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA). In this role, she is responsible for assessing potential barriers and developing strategies focused on recruiting and retaining a diverse community as well as implementing IMSA’s equity and excellence plan. She has examined strategies to address inequities that exist in the STEM education to career pipeline as well as the motivation of Black and Latino students to engage in this STEM pipeline. This resulted in the development of the D-STEM Equity Model, a comprehensive approach to diversifying the STEM education to career pipeline, from a racial perspective. Not only has she influenced practices at IMSA, she has assisted educational institutions, social-service organizations, law enforcement, government agencies and international groups in moving DEI work forward, for approximately 15 years.

Dr. Ashley Knapp

Dr. Ashley Knapp is a research assistant professor at Northwestern University within Chicago’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Her research is focused on adolescent digital mental health broadly, with a particular interest in designing and implementing accessible, community-based digital tools with and for underserved youth. Current digital health interventions have primarily been developed to fit the needs of white, middle-to-high socioeconomic status populations. Ashley is passionate about partnering with minoritized groups who have historically been underrepresented and not included in research to co-design digital tools to fit their needs and deploy those tools in public settings that are easily accessed. She is thrilled to partner with Hughes Who Technologies Studio!

Ellery Hunter

Mr. Hunter has over 30 year’s experience at AT&T, and is currently the Asst Vice President of Labor Relations for the Midwest Region.  He serves as the Chief Spokesperson for collective bargaining in the Midwest region and provides strategic counsel to internal clients on Labor matters.  Ellery’s life is enriched by his commitments to his family (wife Nina, 4 children and 6 grandchildren) his faith and his determination to help others.  He is a teacher, author (“The Second Peter Principle: Keys to Becoming an Effective Christian” – published in 2017), and blogger (ELLWord.com).    

Gail Mitchell

Gail Mitchell is an Assistant Professor of Visual Communications at Kennedy-King College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago, teaching a new generation of designers. Prior to this role, she held a number of positions in the graphic design field for over 20 years, including as art director at the Chicago Tribune, Sophisticate’s Black Hair Style and Care Guide Magazine, JC Whitney, and Johnson Publishing Company.  She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Master of Arts in Teaching Adults from DePaul University.

Devin hughes

Devin Hughes is a Chicago native that relocated to Austin, Texas in 2017. He graduated with his B.A. in Advertising Communication and currently holds an MBA from Southern Illinois University. Devin has 10+ years of sales and recruiting experience and currently utilizes his skills and knowledge as the Admission Representative at South University. Devin’s expertise includes building relationships with key personnel; identifying and communicating with potential candidates. As an active member of his community, Devin taught at Southwestern University and also works with students at local high schools and colleges teaching financial literacy, college-readiness, and life skills.

Apostle Kevin Brown

 After accepting his call to the ministry Apostle Brown was ordained under the direction of Renounced Community Activist and Pastor Rev. Al Sampson of Fernwood United Methodist Church in Chicago, Illinois. Apostle Brown is a devoted father and husband to his lovely wife of over 24 years. He celebrates 23 years of Pastoral ship, we honor and cherish the work Apostle Brown has done and is continuing to do. He has had many programs and currently maintains a Food Pantry that serves over 5,000 families monthly in the Englewood community. Apostle Brown is very active with the CAPS organization as well as Believe In Thine Heart Ministries is Partnered with Various organizations in the Englewood community.

KAi Hughes

Kai Hughes is a game developer and artist with eight years’ experience in the gaming industry. Kai Hughes served as a game artist for 2 By 2 gaming, Hughes Who Technologies and now is currently with Everi Holdings. Kai has developed top notched licensed products such as Gunsmoke, Buffy the Vampire Killer, Penn and Teller, South Park and Shark Week for the adult gaming industry. An accomplished artist and sculptor, Kai has exhibited his work at a host of art shows and galleries throughout the Chicago-land area. 

Roderick Woodruff

Roderick brings to the table over 45 years of proven business experience as a former advertising/marketing executive, IT professional and social entrepreneur, with an extensive knowledge in information systems management and training – Roderick remains driven by his dual passions -- multimedia communications and STEM education technology. A Vietnam-era veteran, Roderick attended college in Detroit, Michigan on the GI-Bill.

Our Advisory Council Members

We seek brilliant people to help support our mission

Workshop Testimonials

Mr. Hughes of Hughes Who Technologies Studio-NFP opened the minds of our high school teens to a world of new discoveries with their Game Design Workshop. The teens learned to think like game designers and actually created a completed original game at the end of the program. Mr. Hughes even went above the call of duty by arranging time for the students to meet with game developers at Everi Games in Chicago. They could relate to and speak with game developers about their future plans (college, possible internships, and gaming careers). I would highly recommend Hughes Who Technologies Studio to anyone in the future. 

Angelica K. Lewis | Librarian I 

Chicago Public Library | Chicago Bee Branch

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