Inspiring the Creators and Innovators of Tomorrow at Universal Epic Universe
In partnership with Universal Destinations & Experiences (UDX), we welcomed nearly 200 college and high school students from across the country to the first Inspiring Future Innovators Summit — a multi-day experience designed to spark ideas, build technical skills, and show students firsthand how creativity can open doors to careers in technology and entertainment.
Guided by mentors from Comcast and UDX, students participated in a design challenge where Universal Epic Universe was their innovation lab — and where gaming, storytelling, and thrill design were powered by their imagination.
Impact Report: Why We Teach Video Game Design 2025
WHY GAME DESIGN?
At Urban Arts, students don’t just play games—they create them. As the nation’s premier nonprofit teaching video game design, we prepare young people for college and career by blending coding, 3D modeling, animation, and storytelling with the essential workforce skills of collaboration, leadership, and design-thinking. Students learn to build original games from the ground up, pitch their ideas, and develop portfolios that colleges and employers notice.
Game design fuels creativity while building critical problem-solving and technical expertise for a $300B industry and beyond. The results speak for themselves: Urban Arts students have earned over $46M in scholarships and launched careers at Lucasfilm, Unity, Amazon, Salesforce, and more. With Urban Arts, creativity isn’t just encouraged—it’s the pathway to the future.
Impact Report: College Access 2025
Here! And below ⬇️
Philip Courtney, CEO, Named Notable Leader in Philanthropy 2025
Philip Courtney Named a Notable Leader in Philanthropy in New York City
Urban Arts CEO Recognized for Visionary Leadership and Transformative Impact on Local Students
New York, NY — June 2025 — Urban Arts proudly announces that its Chief Executive Officer, Philip Courtney, has been named a Notable Leader in Philanthropy by Crain’s New York Business, a prestigious recognition honoring individuals who are driving meaningful change and championing social good across New York City.
Under Philip’s leadership, Urban Arts has emerged as a powerful force for equity and opportunity, particularly among underserved communities. Since stepping into the role in 2003, Philip has overseen explosive growth, producing profound mobility and personal success for students, including:
• Winning a 3rd highly competitive $4M Education Innovation & Research (EIR) grant from the U.S. DoE (totaling $12M),
• Stewarding the #CreativeCoders partnership with Minecraft Education serving middle schools nationwide,
• Gaining the @collegeboard endorsement of Urban Arts’ #STEAM curriculum that’s shared freely with all Title 1 schools,
• Crafting a college access program that has 100% of seniors matriculating to college, earning $46M in scholarships,
• Challenging the organization to a new goal—$100M in scholarships by 2030.
CEO Philip Courtney X Spark ⚡️ Talk
Urban Arts CEO Philip Courtney delivered the energized Spark Talk “Video Gaming: An Equitable On-Ramp to Workforce Development” at the Infosys Foundation conference in Indianapolis May 8, 2025—and coined the phrase “digital DaVincis.”
How many times would you have raised your hand?
Read the speech below to catch the spark.
Let’s play a game…..
COLLEGE ACCESS 2025 A New Generation of Game-Changers Takes the Next Step
Urban Arts is thrilled to celebrate our seniors as they commit to colleges across the country, armed with scholarships and dreams that are no longer just possibilities, but realities. These students — predominantly from low-income communities and first-generation applicants—are not just getting in. They’re thriving, rewriting the narrative of who belongs in the world of higher education, technology and game design. Urban Arts students have earned $45+ millions in scholarships since 2017.