HATCH North America // Montana
Southwest Montana is consistently recognized as one of the best areas to live, work and play in America by magazines such as Outdoor Magazine, Business Week, USA Today, New York Times, and Forbes. The Kauffman Foundation has ranked Montana as #1 in startup activity four years running, and Montana was recently named the #1 most entrepreneurial state by CNN’s Money Magazine, and three years in a row by the Kaufman Foundation, while Bozeman, home to one of HATCH’s educational partners, Montana State University, thrives on its ability to blend a lifestyle rich in culture, arts and the great outdoors. Learn more about the start-up landscape and Montana Economic Development here.
The base camp for HATCH Experience North America is Mountain Sky Guest Ranch in Paradise Valley. Mountain Sky sits on over 17,000 operational acres of unspoiled wilderness in the heart of Yellowstone Country. The property begins near the mighty Yellowstone River on the floor of the aptly-named Paradise Valley and continues upward through grass-covered foothills, meadows filled with sagebrush, thick pine forests and stands of aspen until you reach the vast Gallatin National Forest at their back door. The trout-filled, rushing waters of Big Creek flow 4.5 miles through the entire property, linking the main lodge and the guest cabins with the working ranch operation down below. Trails running through the Gallatin National Forest are available to explore under permit by the Forest Service, and one of the world’s greatest natural wonders – Yellowstone National Park – is just a picturesque 30-minute drive away.
Beyond having a beautiful location, Mountain Sky Ranch also has a positive impact on the land. They have a deep appreciation for the natural heritage that is sewn into the landscape and look to the future with creativity and profound respect for natural resources. They manage their property in a responsible and sustainable manner and strive to bolster good stewardship of the land.
“HATCH is truly one of the most incredibly inspiring experiences I have ever been so lucky to see. Being surrounded by this mass amount of talent and passion is phenomenal expands my horizon of what’s possible. I cannot begin to explain how grateful I am to have been a part of this glorious experience – one that has forever changed my life for the better.”
~ Ellie Quackenbush, Lone peak High Student
The growing impact of HATCH on the world.
“For over a decade, HATCH has stimulated mentorship, amplified innovative thinking, and sparked collaborations between current and next generation thought leaders. The relationships curated through HATCH have led to numerous collaborations, award-winning games, books, films, educational tools, inventions, and company launches, in service of a better world. HATCH has grown into a global network, movement, and a series of experiences designed to ACTIVATE CREATIVITY through an eco-system of peer to peer mentorship to elevate current and next generation leaders.” says Kraner.
The two main HATCH experience summits (Montana and Latin America), which are portals into the network. 3 1/2 days of mind melding, music, presentations, idea exchange, and rapid prototype sessions working collaboratively on solutions to real-world challenges. In addition to the HATCH experiences, HATCH is conducting HATCH Labs for Fortune 500 companies, to help optimize innovation pipelines, and is currently building a multi city Innovation tour.
The HATCH & Montana community partnership
“The brand of HATCH is growing globally and will continue to bring more awareness to the Montana area. We plan to add support to the work that WMPAC has done to help put Montana on the map as a cultural and educational destination, as well as it’s world-class skiing and outdoor adventure recreation.” Said Kraner. “We hope to continue to build out year-round programs that can benefit everyone in the community, from talks to workshops, to concerts.”
This fall, the Moonlight Community Foundation generously agreed to fund scholarships for five students and educators to attend the HATCH Experience, in conjunction with a year-long mentorship program designed and tailored to each participant.
HATCH piloted two year-round projects last year at Lone Peak High, and Ophir Middle School: The HATCH Story-teller’s workshop, and the HATCH Ostinato Project.
During the last school year, HATCH conducted an ongoing Storytelling workshop and lecture series. This three part series was hosted by HATCHer, Elke Govertsen, founder and publisher of Mamalode Magazine.
Topics covered included screen writing, reading, poetry, long form goal setting, and social media footprint. The school wide assemblies featured members of the HATCH network such as JV Hart (screenwriter for HOOK, Contact and more) and Stephanie Kent, from Call Me Ishmael.
The workshop was extremely successful and well received. 14 students participated in the after school workshop and produced stunning work, including 4 of the students getting published digitally and one, Cora Ide, in print.
“It was inspiring to see how the students transformed and blossomed with their stories. Two of the students were published as a result” said Govertsen. On one of the school-wide Skype sessions from Los Angeles, writer JV Hart told the kids “Your imagination is the best movie you will ever see. Your ideas are important. And the world wants to hear them.”
The other completed pilot from last fall is the HATCH Ostinato project, which originated when composers Spurlock and Sheppard visited Lone Peak High School in Big Sky, Montana as part of the 2015 HATCH Experience. This led to a semester long collaboration with John Zirkle and his music classes. Each week, collaboration on a new music track became the basis for that week’s music lesson. The twelve tracks on this album were composed over the course of ten weeks, and a musical CD inspired and composed by the students was created. All proceeds are being reinvested back into the Ostinato Project for arts programs, like the one at Big Sky School District.
The core mission of the HATCH Ostinato Project is to empower students to realize that they can compose music by removing inhibitive barriers to hear fully realized sounds. The program ultimately results in a professional music production that can be licensed and act as a funding mechanism for music programs in schools. Two of the tracks have already been licensed by a national television snow.
In October 2015, the HATCH Ostinato Project was presented at the Google for Education Summit in San Diego to an enthusiastically receptive audience of 1,000 educators, principals, and superintendents. With that momentum, the idea has grown into a platform for musicians, composers, and music teachers to collaborate, communicate, and mentor online.
A new website for HATCH Ostinato Project is being launched August 10th, the day of the HATCH fundraiser @ The Moonlight Lodge. The website will serve as a conduit to connect musicians, teachers, and students from across the world to the Ostinato project.
This fall HATCH will launch a “Makers & Inventors” Innovator’s Series, inspiring youth to be independent and creative thinkers and led by award-winning game and product designers.
HATCH is proud to be a partner with Big Sky to HATCH a Better World together. The impact is life-changing for many of our young fellows, and we could not have facilitated these dreams without the partnership with Lone Peak High, Ophir Middle School, John Zirkle, Principal Ide, Superintendent Shipman, and the Moonlight Community Foundation.