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Four industry professionals share their insights and experiences with students

PATERSON – High school students working on anti-bullying PSA videos had a chance to hear from a panel of media professionals about their careers and experiences in the movie and TV production industries.

“We’re all working on a project about harassment, intimidation and bullying. I really wanted to expand your learning for this,” said Director of Climate and Culture Nicole Y. Payne as she welcomed the students to International High School’s auditorium. “Some of you are interested in this field. It’s always good to hear from other people to hear their perspectives.”

The audience was made up of students from Eastside High School, John F. Kennedy High School, and Rosa L. Parks Schools of the Fine & Performing Arts as well as the Essex County Donald M. Payne School of Technology.                 

Superintendent Eileen Shafer told the students that the best way to learn is from someone who has already been where they hope to go.

“Be like a sponge today and take up as much good information from these professionals,” Shafer said. “They are all success stories.”

CLICK HERE to see the video of the panel discussion.

The panelists were prompted by questions asked by three student moderators: Yuralvi Valdez from Eastside High School, and Samuel Pitman and Noelly Gomez Reyes from Rosa Parks High School.

Rahman Ali Bugg, the sole Paterson native on the panel, spoke about his experiences as a media professional for more than 25 years, having worked as a producer and director for a variety of television networks.

Another panelist, Kenneth Gifford, who founded the Newark International Film Festival and Ironbound Studios in Newark, spoke about the importance of seizing the present-day opportunities to be creative and productive rather than waiting for success to start at some point in the future.

Jamal Hall, a former Paterson Public Schools teacher, echoed the sentiment. The filmmaker emphasized that a student with a smartphone is equipped with everything he or she needs to create a quality video, upload it to social media, and perhaps have it seen by industry pros.

Documentary filmmaker Donfred Napolean, who participated on the panel remotely, talked about the importance of delegating work to team members, especially when other team members may be better at certain aspects of filmmaking than the director.  

The anti-bullying videos the students will create are scheduled to be presented to the Paterson Board of Education during a meeting in June. The videos will then be posted to the district website and distributed to all of the district schools.

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