ED HAJIM
Inspired by businessman and philanthropist Ed Hajim’s 2023 book “The Island of the Four Ps: A Modern Fable About Preparing for Your Future,” a new program that will launch at NJPAC in Newark this fall, titled The Ed Hajim Professional Readiness Program, will help aspiring artists create a successful career in the performing arts world.
The program will be offered at no charge to alumni of NJPAC’s arts training programs, and current NJPAC students.
Hajim, a veteran Wall Street executive who wrote about his own life in his 2021 memoir “On the Road Less Traveled: An Unlikely Journey from the Orphanage to the Boardroom,” is supporting the program with a significant gift, and will meet with participants personally. “I believe it is important for all young people to have time, resources and opportunities to think about the life they want to make for themselves and not just how they will make a living,” he said in a press release.
John Schreiber, president and CEO of NJPAC, said that “The career-readiness aspect of our arts education programming will be turbocharged by this gift and by Ed’s personal engagement with our students.”
Schreiber also said that “Ed Hajim’s life story is a remarkable one, and the lessons he’s gleaned from his extraordinary career have inspired us to create a series of workshops and programs for our students to ensure they’re fully prepared for their professional lives. Success in the performing arts requires talent, of course, but also practical and interpersonal skills that Ed has uniquely identified.”
Beginning in the fall, offerings will include “Business of the Arts” workshops (for students ages 14-18); a theater production program (for students and alumni ages 18-30); and a network for alumni of NJPAC arts training programs.
Also, NJPAC will expand initiatives it is already offering, including Creative Coaching (pairing arts students with mentors); The Creator’s Room (a series of conversations with professional artists); and Brick City Booking (helping students and recent alumni land paid performance opportunities).
For information on all of NJPAC’s arts education and career readiness programs, visit njpac.org/arts-education. For more on Hajim, visit edhajim.com.
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