Three Emerson College Los Angeles students won a pitch competition for television, movie, and web series ideas. Dondre Taylor-Stewart, Elizabeth Ruddy, and Evan Yee each won by pitching their ideas to alumni judges in 90 seconds. The competition was organized by Associate Professor Jim Macak and aimed to teach students the important skill of pitching story ideas concisely. Taylor-Stewart, Ruddy, and Yee stood out with their compelling pitches despite competing against nine other students and seven alumni.
The document summarizes the extracurricular activities of several famous celebrities in high school, including Alec Baldwin, Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Oprah Winfrey, and Nelson Mandela. It notes that they were involved in activities like student government, debate team, drama club, newspaper editing, and sports. The document emphasizes that these celebrities were highly engaged in high school through various extracurricular activities.
This document outlines the weekly curriculum plan for a preschool classroom focusing on transportation. The plan includes daily interest areas, read-alouds, discussions, activities and learning standards for each day of the week from January 22-26, 2018. Key events during the week include a special guest speaker on air traffic control, a field trip to the ELI center, cooking club, paper airplane making, car patterning activities and designing boats. The curriculum incorporates learning in art, literacy, math, science and social-emotional development through exploration of transportation modes like planes, cars, boats and more.
Jennisha Mares is a 12-year-old girl from Brownsville, Texas who enjoys playing sports, baking, and watching movies. Her hobbies include basketball, volleyball, art, and computer class. She has four puppies, a bird, and a turtle as pets. In her free time, she likes to play outside with friends and family, bake cookies and cake, go to the park and listen to music. Her favorite foods are pizza, hot dogs, nachos and hamburgers and she enjoys listening to songs like "I Got a Feeling" and "Americano." Jennisha likes eating at places like McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and Burger King. Some of her favorite movies are
The students in Class 1-109 interviewed family members to learn about their experiences in school when they were the students' ages. Many of the family members lived in other countries and had different types of homes than the students' current homes in Richmond Hill, New York. They played with toys like dolls, kitchen sets, and balls. The interviewed family members attended a variety of schools, from private schools to government-run schools, with class sizes ranging from 14 to 50 students. While some brought lunch from home, others had to purchase food. Most walked to school each day rather than taking a bus like some students do now. The interviews revealed both similarities and differences between school experiences then and now.
This document discusses challenges in teaching gifted middle school students. It notes that gifted students may drop out of school or feel unchallenged if their academic needs are not met. When gifted students are segregated from general classrooms, it can undermine a sense of diversity and inclusion. An ideal approach is to teach gifted students to value diversity, see strengths in others, and work for social change. The document uses questions and dystopian works like "Anthem" to get students to critically examine concepts like individualism, utopias, and what defines an ideal society. The goal is to challenge gifted students while also teaching them respect and inclusion.
The Shepard High School marching band performed in the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 26. They then traveled to New York City to have dinner in Times Square, see a performance at Radio City Music Hall, and tour Manhattan landmarks. The three day trip allowed the band to march in a famous parade and experience New York City over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The document provides information about various school-related events and announcements at Northridge Middle School for the month of April. It recognizes students of the month, lists the school lunch menu for each week, announces benchmark testing and changes to lunch schedules, and provides information about upcoming school dances, book fairs, musicals, sports physicals and more. The document acts as a central location for all important April updates and notifications for the Northridge school community.
The document summarizes the extracurricular activities of several famous celebrities in high school, including Alec Baldwin, Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Oprah Winfrey, and Nelson Mandela. It notes that they were involved in activities like student government, debate team, drama club, newspaper editing, and sports. The document emphasizes that these celebrities were highly engaged in high school through various extracurricular activities.
This document outlines the weekly curriculum plan for a preschool classroom focusing on transportation. The plan includes daily interest areas, read-alouds, discussions, activities and learning standards for each day of the week from January 22-26, 2018. Key events during the week include a special guest speaker on air traffic control, a field trip to the ELI center, cooking club, paper airplane making, car patterning activities and designing boats. The curriculum incorporates learning in art, literacy, math, science and social-emotional development through exploration of transportation modes like planes, cars, boats and more.
Jennisha Mares is a 12-year-old girl from Brownsville, Texas who enjoys playing sports, baking, and watching movies. Her hobbies include basketball, volleyball, art, and computer class. She has four puppies, a bird, and a turtle as pets. In her free time, she likes to play outside with friends and family, bake cookies and cake, go to the park and listen to music. Her favorite foods are pizza, hot dogs, nachos and hamburgers and she enjoys listening to songs like "I Got a Feeling" and "Americano." Jennisha likes eating at places like McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and Burger King. Some of her favorite movies are
The students in Class 1-109 interviewed family members to learn about their experiences in school when they were the students' ages. Many of the family members lived in other countries and had different types of homes than the students' current homes in Richmond Hill, New York. They played with toys like dolls, kitchen sets, and balls. The interviewed family members attended a variety of schools, from private schools to government-run schools, with class sizes ranging from 14 to 50 students. While some brought lunch from home, others had to purchase food. Most walked to school each day rather than taking a bus like some students do now. The interviews revealed both similarities and differences between school experiences then and now.
This document discusses challenges in teaching gifted middle school students. It notes that gifted students may drop out of school or feel unchallenged if their academic needs are not met. When gifted students are segregated from general classrooms, it can undermine a sense of diversity and inclusion. An ideal approach is to teach gifted students to value diversity, see strengths in others, and work for social change. The document uses questions and dystopian works like "Anthem" to get students to critically examine concepts like individualism, utopias, and what defines an ideal society. The goal is to challenge gifted students while also teaching them respect and inclusion.
The Shepard High School marching band performed in the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 26. They then traveled to New York City to have dinner in Times Square, see a performance at Radio City Music Hall, and tour Manhattan landmarks. The three day trip allowed the band to march in a famous parade and experience New York City over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The document provides information about various school-related events and announcements at Northridge Middle School for the month of April. It recognizes students of the month, lists the school lunch menu for each week, announces benchmark testing and changes to lunch schedules, and provides information about upcoming school dances, book fairs, musicals, sports physicals and more. The document acts as a central location for all important April updates and notifications for the Northridge school community.
The Black Women Playwrights' Group collaborated with Carnegie Mellon University to create transmedia extensions of plays, bringing the stories beyond the theater. Their first projects included an interactive website and video game complementing the plays "By the Way, Meet Vera Stark" and "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity". This pioneering transmedia storytelling approach aims to expand the audience for plays and help playwrights promote their work.
This document provides an overview of the Summer Talents Academy program in Marshall, Minnesota. It discusses how the program was founded 13 years ago by Lucy Tokheim to provide creative and critical thinking opportunities for students outside of the regular school year. It describes some of the classes offered like pottery, LEGO building, and veterinary science. However, the program may be ending this year due to funding issues. The article highlights how the program has benefited students and the community.
This document is the December 2014 issue of Smoke Signals, the student newspaper of Peters Township High School. It includes articles about the upcoming Coffeehouse variety show, bloopers from filming the school's lip dub video, the crowning of Mr. PTHS, and the varsity ice hockey team's hopes to repeat as champions. It also previews the new college football playoff system and recaps the boys soccer team winning both the WPIAL and PIAA state championships. The issue features student writers, photographers, editors and is laid out by the newspaper staff.
Has e4 cracked the formula for successful teen tvDaniel Bailey
Skins is a British teen drama that follows a group of teenagers in Bristol through sixth form college. It explores controversial issues like dysfunctional families, mental illness, sexuality, substance abuse and death. The cast is replaced every two series to show the characters' transition to adulthood. Misfits is a comedy-drama about young offenders doing community service who gain supernatural powers after a storm. It has received critical acclaim for its realistic portrayal of the characters and sharp humor. The Inbetweeners follows four suburban teenagers and their awkward experiences in school and attempting to be popular. It has been praised for its accurate depiction of teenage life and crude humor.
The document discusses the work of Alex Ago, the Director of Programming and Special Projects at USC School of Cinematic Arts. It describes how Ago curates the American Film Showcase program that sends American filmmakers around the world, including a screening of the documentary "Kids With Cameras" in Tajikistan. It also outlines how Ago programs the "Outside the Box [Office]" weekly screening series at USC SCA that features international, independent and documentary films. The summary highlights Ago's passion for cinema from around the world and his goal of introducing international films to audiences both abroad and in the US through his work.
The article summarizes the new process for selecting the commencement speaker at Peters Township High School. It outlines the eligibility requirements for seniors applying, which include having a GPA of 3.0 or higher and no disciplinary issues. It describes the application process of submitting an anonymous typed speech between 3-5 minutes in length by April 13th. The speeches will be evaluated anonymously by a selection committee who will choose the top five applicants to do an oral presentation. From those five, the committee will select the commencement speaker.
The document summarizes the results of ZTE (USA) INC's first Children's Artwork Contest held in 2014. It provides details on the contest such as themes, age categories and prizes. It then lists the winners of each category and age group. The document also includes commentary from Maria Teresa G. Pedroche of the Dallas Museum of Art who judged the artwork exhibits and congratulates ZTE on the contest. In total, 23 pieces of artwork were entered and displayed at ZTE headquarters with winners receiving trophies, ribbons and cash prizes.
This document provides schedules and information for the Austin Youth Film Festival (AYFF). It lists the film lineups for the first and second film blocks, including 17 short films in various genres like animation, narrative comedy, documentary, experimental, narrative drama, music videos, and short-shorts. It also outlines the schedule of events for the AYFF, including film screenings, workshops, roundtables, and a keynote speech. The AYFF seeks to create opportunities for young filmmakers and foster a love of media arts.
The document summarizes several upcoming events at Kalamazoo Valley Community College including:
1) An exhibit called the "Human Race Machine" from March 22-26 that allows people to see what they would look like as a different race, and they are still seeking 9 volunteers for monitoring shifts.
2) KVCC's 7th annual Diversity Conference on March 26 featuring keynote speaker Greg Forbes Siegman and a performance by Kinetic Affect, along with a panel discussion on different life experiences.
3) A concert by the John Jorgenson Quintet on March 20 playing American gypsy jazz in the Dale Lake Auditorium, with tickets $15.
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The Black Women Playwrights' Group collaborated with Carnegie Mellon University to create transmedia extensions of plays, bringing the stories beyond the theater. Their first projects included an interactive website and video game complementing the plays "By the Way, Meet Vera Stark" and "The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity". This pioneering transmedia storytelling approach aims to expand the audience for plays and help playwrights promote their work.
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2) KVCC's 7th annual Diversity Conference on March 26 featuring keynote speaker Greg Forbes Siegman and a performance by Kinetic Affect, along with a panel discussion on different life experiences.
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Similar to Students, Alumni Pitch Their Way to Success (11-16-15) (10)
Students, Alumni Pitch Their Way to Success (11-16-15)
1. Emerson L.A. News
Students, Alumni Pitch Their Way to Success
Three students win ELA pitch competition
Written by Daryl Paranada -- Emerson College News & Events
November 16, 2015
Evan Yee ’16, ELA Founding Director Kevin Bright, Dondre Taylor-Stewart ’15,
Elizabeth Ruddy ’16, Zach Ehrlich ’15 and Associate Professor Jim Macak,
Nine Emerson College Los Angeles students and seven alumni spent 90 seconds trying to pitch
their television, movie, and web series ideas to a panel of three alumni judges. Winners of the
inaugural pitch competition, sponsored by the screenwriting software company Final Draft,
were Dondre Taylor-Stewart ’15, Elizabeth Ruddy ’16, and Evan Yee ’16.
The evening began with a panel discussion featuring judges Liz Alper ‘08, a staff writer on
Chicago Fire, Sean Barclay ’99, senior vice president of television at The Gersh Agency, and
Thomas Pettinelli ’13, director of development at Branded Pictures Entertainment. Zach Ehrlich
’15, who won the Austin Film Festival’s pitch competition in 2011 and works as a writer’s
assistant, moderated the panel.
2. As a writer, Alper advised the audience to think of more than just a great pilot and pitch ideas
that have legs. When it comes to actually making the pitch, she told the audience to speak with
clarity.
“It’s the writer’s job to figure out the cleanest way to pitch an idea as concisely as possible,”
said Alper.
Barclay gave the audience advice on what makes a good pitch work.
“What makes it current and why are you the one person on the planet able to tell this story?”
said Barclay.
Pettinelli emphasized how you carry yourself in a pitch meeting. As talented as someone is, he
said, if you can’t articulate your pitch, it won’t get sold.
Pitch competition judges Thomas Pettinelli '13, Sean Barclay '99, and
Liz Alper '08 with panel moderator Zach Ehrlich '15.
The student and alumni pitches covered a wide range of stories: from a sports doping movie to
a Space Jam sequel featuring Beyonce, a dark teen drama about a boy’s quest to attain
perfection to an action-adventure pitting family members against each other. The competition
was the brainchild of Emerson Associate Professor Jim Macak, a visiting Visual & Media Arts
faculty member this semester.
3. “I didn’t really learn about pitching until I was a finalist in the Austin Film Festival’s TV writing
competition in 2007,” said Macak. “I saw the pitch fest and I realized this is a skill my students
need to know.”
The pitch competition attracted a full-house of students, alumni, faculty and staff at ELA.
Macak entered and won the Austin pitch competition in 2008 -- but only after listening to other
pitchers and realizing his existing pitch wouldn’t cut it. He went into to the men’s bathroom
and there he rewrote his entire pitch from scratch. Dondre Taylor-Stewart ’16 did something
similar with his pitch for All My Skinfolk, about a teen who joins the surreal Black nationalist
underground at his parents’ alma mater in search of his racial identity.
“I rewrote the pitch this morning because I pitched it to my Writing Television Pilots class and I
was afraid of some of the language I was using,” said Taylor-Stewart, who has been working on
the pitch since the summer.
His class encouraged him to use the language he had originally written, but to state it
confidently. It worked. At the end of the evening, he had a business card from a representative
in the audience.
4. Elizabeth Ruddy '16 gives her 90-second pitch.
Yee pitched an hour-long TV crime drama about a maple syrup cartel while Ruddy pitched an
hour-long sci-fi drama about a young woman who enters a virtual, Matrix-like role-playing
game in search of her missing sister and ends up playing for her life. Ruddy not only won the
Final Draft software, but was also awarded the audience favorite prize, a $40 gift certificate to
Delancey’s Pizzeria.
Many of Macak’s former students were competitors in the competition, including Jacob
Davison ’12, who pitched an adult animated action series. Davison says he learned a lot about
pitching while interning at SyFy Films as a student at Emerson College Los Angeles. While
Davison has pitched before, he was particularly excited to do it at ELA.
“It’s great practice to pitch in front of an audience of my peers—and a good time,” said
Davison.
Other alumni pitchers included Rio Contrada ’13, Bryce Fallon ’13, Dasha Fayvinova ’14,
Charvelle Holder ’13, Daniel Houbrick ’15, and Mike Sellari ’12. Other ELA students who
participated in the competition included Marissa Bickford ’16, Christina Catucci ’16, Ben
Ellenberg ’16, Maxwell Friedlander ’16, Charles Greenwald ’16, and Tim Lawson ’16.
5. Student pitchers. From left: Dondre Taylor-Stewart '15, Christina Catucci
’16, Ben Ellenberg ’16, Elizabeth Ruddy '16, Tim Lawson '16, Evan Yee '16,
and Charles Greenwald '16.
Alumni pitchers. From left: Daniel Houbrick '15, Jacob Davison '12, Bryce
Fallon '13, Charvelle Holder '13, Dasha Fayvinova '14, Mike Sellari '12, and
Rio Contrada '13.
6. At the end of evening, both Macak and Ehrlich heard addition pitches from students and alumni
on the stand-by list. The standby pitchers competed for prizes in this separate competition.
Ehrlich said he was happy to participate.
“This is a great opportunity for Emerson students to get a taste of one of the most fundamental
concepts in entertainment,” said Ehrlich. “It was a great mix of theater and education.”
Dondre Taylor-Stewart '15 (above) and Evan Yee '16 (below)
give their winning pitches to the judges and the audience.