The Portal at the Leatherby Center Builds Entrepreneurial Skills Through Real-World Media Projects with Local Startups

Student-run media initiative connects startups with creative talent, offering hands-on experience and affordable video storytelling.

ORANGE, CA, UNITED STATES, August 12, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A student-led media venture is entering its second year, continuing to address a regional challenge: how early-stage startups can access affordable, high-quality branding and media support while helping students gain real-world experience.

Known as The Portal, the initiative is housed at Chapman’s Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics. Developed by investor and educator Ray Chan, the program immerses students in media production roles that support early-stage companies with cost-effective video storytelling and branding solutions.

The Portal model is structured as a student-run venture. Participants take the lead on projects from start to finish, gaining practical experience in video production, client management, editing, and branding. Since 2024, the program has worked with nine Orange County companies and generated approximately $40,000 in revenue. All student team members are paid, reinforcing lessons in entrepreneurship and financial sustainability.

The initiative was first launched at UC Irvine before the pandemic and was reestablished at Chapman in mid-2024, where it now operates under Chan’s guidance. In addition to overseeing The Portal, Chan teaches courses in venture capital and angel investing, helping to build a stronger pipeline between academic learning and business practice.

Students involved in The Portal cite the opportunity to lead projects and make creative decisions as key to their growth. Current Managing Director Reese Paddock and Creative Director Jake diTargiani oversee operations, balancing academic commitments with client deliverables in a studio-style learning environment.

To enhance its offerings, The Portal is also exploring the integration of AI tools to support automation in video production and workflow management—potentially expanding its reach to serve more small businesses across Southern California.

While the immediate impact of the program includes skill development and client support, organizers say the longer-term goal is to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Orange County by cultivating talent and encouraging collaboration between students and startups.
For more information about The Portal and the Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship at Chapman University, please visit https://www.chapman.edu/research/institutes-and-centers/leatherby-center/index.aspx

About The Portal
The Portal is a student-led program at the Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics that provides affordable, high-quality video storytelling services to startups and small businesses. Founded by investor Ray Chan, the program offers students hands-on experience in media production, client management, and entrepreneurship, bridging academia and the local business community.

About Chapman University
Founded in 1861, Chapman University is a nationally ranked private university in Orange, California, about 30 miles south of Los Angeles. Chapman serves nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, with a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Students can choose from over 100 areas of study within 11 colleges for a personalized education. Chapman is categorized by the Carnegie Classification as an R2 “high research activity” institution. Students at Chapman learn directly from distinguished world-class faculty including Nobel Prize winners, MacArthur fellows, published authors and Academy Award winners. The campus has produced a Rhodes Scholar, been named a top producer of Fulbright Scholars, and hosts a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society. Chapman also includes the Harry and Diane Rinker Health Science Campus in Irvine. The university features the No. 4 film school and No. 66 business school in the U.S. Learn more about Chapman University: www.chapman.edu.

About The Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics
The vision of the Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship is to inspire, educate, and empower the next generation of talent to have an entrepreneurial mindset. To teach students how to innovate and take risks, whether they are starting their own venture, or working inside a corporation. Through our curriculum and our incubator, we provide hands-on experience to the next generation of talent, teaching them how to develop, scale, and launch their own ventures as future global citizens in the world economy. https://www.chapman.edu/research/institutes-and-centers/leatherby-center/index.aspx

Disclaimer: Funded in part through a grant with the California Office of the Small Business Advocate. All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the California Office of the Small Business Advocate.

Lisa James
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