Jaedun Ward is 15, a sophomore at Cass Technical High School, and already building the thing he wishes he had. The founder of MAKE, Making Access Kindle for Everyone, a registered Michigan nonprofit, and of his own film and television studio, Ward, he is building a platform that helps people find opportunities in the arts, entrepreneurship, culture, and beyond, especially those who don't already have the connections to find them first.
Who are you, and what are you building right now?
"My name is Jaedun Ward, a 15 year old sophomore at Cass Technical High School, an entrepreneur with multipotentiality, and the founder of MAKE, Making Access Kindle for Everyone, a registered nonprofit in the state of Michigan. I'm building a platform that helps people find opportunities in arts, entrepreneurship, culture, entertainment, and other areas that can help them grow. I launched MAKE alongside my independent film and television production and distribution studio, Ward, because I know what it's like to have an interest or a dream but not know where to go next. I'm trying to make those opportunities easier to find, especially for people who might not already have the connections or resources to discover them."
What was the moment you decided to actually go for it?
"When I was 13, I was struggling. It was near the end of middle school, and that was a point where I was interested in becoming a deadset artist rather than an entrepreneur as a career. Through trial and error, I realized that maybe the problem wasn't that opportunities didn't exist. The problem was that people didn't always know where to find them. That's what pushed me to stop just thinking about the idea and actually build something. MAKE started from that feeling of being lost, but it became a way for me to make sure someone else doesn't have to feel that way. Many of my peers have the ego problem, where everything is always shining on themselves instead of who they're striving to help. I use what resources I have to tell the stories of others in a way that is authentic and true to them."
"The problem wasn't that opportunities didn't exist. People didn't always know where to find them."
What does Detroit mean to your work?
"Detroit is a huge part of what I do. Detroit has so many artists, entrepreneurs, students, musicians, filmmakers, writers, and people building things, but I think there's still a question of access. Who knows about the opportunity, who gets connected to it, and who feels like it's meant for them. I don't want MAKE to just talk about Detroit's potential. I want to contribute to it. For me, Detroit represents creativity, resilience, and people making something out of what they have. That's the same spirit I want MAKE and my future projects to carry."
What's something people get wrong about what you do?
"I think people can look at MAKE and think it's just an Instagram page or another place where people promote their work. It's much bigger than that. MAKE is about connecting people to access. That could mean finding an art competition, discovering an entrepreneurial opportunity, finding a creative program, promoting your own work, or eventually coming together at an event in the community. I'm also not trying to build something that replaces people's creativity with technology. I'm using technology to help people find the doors that already exist, and hopefully open some new ones. People think that means I must be a typical businessman chasing the golden ticket to fame and fortune, but that's not true, and it never will be. As a community leader, the best thing anyone can do is help advance and reinvest in what we have."
"The best thing anyone can do is help advance and reinvest in what we have."
What's next? What does the near future look like for you?
"Right now, I'm focused on growing MAKE beyond an idea and turning it into something people can consistently use. That means expanding the opportunity directory, connecting with more artists and entrepreneurs, continuing our interviews and community outreach, and developing events that bring young creatives and business minded people together. I'm also working toward growing MAKE's reach beyond Detroit while keeping Detroit at its heart. Multipotentiality is the best word to describe myself as a whole. I love being an entrepreneur and coming up with new ideas, I love doing journalism and telling stories, I love to travel, I enjoy sports, and I like arts and science. I don't know what my near future may look like, no one does, but I hope that I can build an empire of connection and innovation like Apple or Disney, where stories can be told and people, especially youth, can continue to build new things that change the country and the world. Forever."
