Dallas iMedia programming turning kids into actors and producers

by Staff of Dallas iMedia

Two new media projects for young producers and viewers are being launched by Dallas iMedia Network, the public access television system for Greater Dallas. Halloween fans will enjoy participating in the first-ever “Scare Up Some Fun!” short film contest and festival, while a new reality show, STEP TV, tracks 10 junior high students as they follow Stedman Graham’s steps for success as presented at the “S3 = Student Success Summit” held September 13.

“Scare Up Some Fun!” Film Festival

Youth film makers 18 and younger are encouraged to submit original videos in categories that include: Most Original, Best Makeup-Costuming, Best Spoof, Best Fake Movie Trailer, Downright Scariest!, and Most Gratuitous Use of Fake Blood. Entries will be featured at the festival held October 25, 2008 at the Central Dallas Public Library, 1515 Young Street “Scare Up Some Fun!” Film Festival will begin at 2:00 p.m. Winning producers will receive trophies at the festival.

Film and video professionals will judge the entries, all of which will be showcased on Dallas iMedia Youth Channel on Time Warner Cable channel 95 and Verizon Fios channel 43 on Saturday, October 25th and throughout the Halloween season. Deadline for submission is October 20, 2008. Festival rules, submission forms, and scary music downloads are available at www.dallasimedia.net.

STEP TV– Student Television Empowerment Process

This 10-episode reality show follows ten of the 150 participants in the recent

“S3 = Student Success Summit” hosted by Dallas iMedia. These at-risk students were asked to find their passion and develop a plan to achieve their goals, following Graham’s “Nine Steps to Success,” a process documented in Graham’s book Teens Can Make It Happen.

Among the students that STEP TV will follow during the school year are Khalil Coffield, a 13 year-old student that attends Comstock Middle School and lives with his three siblings and their grandmother in South Dallas. Khalil says he wants to become a better public speaker and to one day be elected president of the United States.

STEP TV will also follow Rachel Dupard, a talented 13-year-old student who was deaf and speech impaired until age 3 when surgery allowed her to hear and learn to speak. Rachel debuted on the national scene last year in several competitions on the network program America’s Got Talent and hopes to grow her singing and acting career.

The STEP TV program will be cablecast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 5:00 p.m. beginning October 23rd and running through the end of the academic year. Regularly scheduled cablecasts of Stedman Graham’s “Nine Steps to Success” workshop along with comments from ESPN’s Nancy Lieberman and other motivational speakers from “S3 = Student Success Summit” will also be shown on Dallas iMedia Network. Visit www.dallasimedia.net for viewing schedule.