Tell us about your organization. How big is your team? Where are you based? What is your organization’s specialty in the film and video space?

Our team works together virtually from the USA and the U.K.

Teachers and students participate from around the world. We host film festival events and programs in Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and Santa Monica. Our team has traveled around the world to present at educational conferences and media arts education workshops.

Why do you do what you do? Was there a transformative moment that solidified your career choice, your org’s success, or your commitment to storytelling?

The mission of The MY HERO Project is to use media, art and technology to celebrate the best of humanity.

Tell us about your Telly Award winning piece. What’s the story behind it?

REEL HEROES: Student Films and Filmmakers introduces students to the various ways young filmmakers have approached the storytelling process. The video features outstanding short films made by students and insight from the students on filmmaking.

Can you share a behind the scenes story or fun fact about the making of your piece?

Since 2005, MY HERO has hosted an International Film Festival inviting students and professional filmmakers to shine a light on heroes from around the world in short films.

The Scripps Family Impact Fund selected MY HERO to help promote youth journalism and filmmaking with a generous grant. With guidance from one of our heroes, Esther Wojcicki, and her former student Jonah Steinhard, we produced the MY HERO: Journalism & Filmmaking Workbook. The workbook is available for FREE to teachers and students.

The video Reel Heroes: Student Films and Filmmakers was created as a companion to the workbook – a starting point for teachers introducing students to the project of making their own short film. The program features excerpts from award-winning short films and input from the filmmakers. The host of the video, St. George Thompson, is an accomplished filmmaker and artist. He has been working with MY HERO for over a decade.

Grateful to the filmmakers who share their work with our global audience.

What was your biggest challenge during production and how did you solve it?

We really wanted students to understand that there is no one right way to tell their story. Working with a narrator helped us highlight the various approaches students use to tell impactful stories about their heroes.

What are you most proud of about this piece? What is the most memorable response you got from this work?

So grateful to the Scripps Family Impact Fund for giving us this opportunity to share insights we have learned from producing MY HERO over the last three decades. The films included in this video are timeless treasures. It was great to reconnect with the filmmakers and to learn how much getting the MY HERO award had meant to them and their careers.

You won a Telly Award for this piece. Why is recognition important for you, your team or your work?

The Telly Award helps us reach a wider audience with this work. We want more teachers and students to view the video and download the workbook as a result of this recognition.