- [Announcer] Funding for this program has been provided by.

(upbeat rock music) - Hi, I'm Olivia, and welcome to Young Creators Studio.

This season we're coming to you from Mount Cuba Center in Delaware.

Kids from all over Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware have been hard at work creating their student films.

So stick around and see what we have in store for you today.

(rock music) - Shut up, Kosmo!

This isn't real.

We've never had another brother.

(ominous music) - Broadcast number 500.

This will be my final broadcast.

- Video production and storytelling is a great tool for students to learn because we all have a story to tell.

(upbeat rock music) - Tragedy and comedy, the two types of dramas that date back to ancient civilization.

From Greek epics to Shakespearean farces to modern-day Shonda Rhimes shows, drama has always been an important part of storytelling and filmmaking.

Today's student filmmakers are flexing their skills at creating dramatic work.

You'll laugh, you'll cry.

You'll throw tomatoes at the screen.

Actually, don't do that one, but stay tuned.

(slow jazz music) (Rue laughs) - [Rue] Please, that has no business being so hilarious.

Yeah.

Yeah, I've been chilling.

Yeah, I found this whole scrapbook in the basement.

Wanna see how embarrassing I used to look?

Okay.

Yeah, I'll call you later.

Bye.

(sets down phone) (slow jazz music) No way!

Wait till Kosmo sees this one.

(slow jazz music) (phone thuds) (phone chimes) (slow jazz music) (phone rings) Hello?

- [Mosmo] What do you mean, hello?

Are you finally coming to terms with it?

- Coming to terms with what?

- [Person] Devland's death.

- I don't know what type of joke this is, but this isn't funny.

- [Mosmo] I'm not trying to be funny.

I know how hard it was for you to cope with Devland's death.

Since you blame yourself, but, but I'm glad you're finally starting to see that it wasn't your fault.

I know you tried to push away the guilt and how it followed you throughout the rest of our childhood life.

- Shut up, Kosmo!

This isn't real.

We've, we've never had another brother.

You're just trying to blame me and make me feel bad.

- [Kosmo] Rue, wait!

(sighs) (slow jazz music) - [Person] Get her off the streets of Memphis.

(overlapping newscasts) (newscasts stop) (tense music) (static) (upbeat retro music) ♪ On the farm ♪ ♪ Every Friday ♪ ♪ On the farm ♪ ♪ It's rabbit pie day ♪ ♪ So every Friday, the-- ♪ (tense music) (blood drops) ♪ That ever comes along ♪ ♪ I get up early and sing this little song ♪ ♪ Run, rabbit, run, rabbit ♪ ♪ Run, run, run ♪ ♪ Run, rabbit, run, rabbit ♪ ♪ Run, run, run ♪ ♪ Bang, bang, bang, bang, goes the farmer's gun ♪ ♪ Run, rabbit, run, rabbit ♪ ♪ Run, run, run ♪ (tires screech) (vehicle crashes) (tense music) (static) (tense music) (retro music) (fire crackles) (retro music) (fire crackles) (retro music) (fire crackles) (slow piano music) (liquid drips) - Broadcast number 253.

Welcome back.

I observed last night a meteor shower south of my pond.

According to the measurements taken after leaving my home to examine the events closer, I concluded that the meteorites hitting the earth around me in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, have been increasing by 0.6 centimeters in length and 0.2 centimeters in width every week.

A branch on the tree outside my window was taken out with a half-foot-long meteorite yesterday, and the fire it started had to be put out with most of my clean water supply for the weekend.

But after these past few dark days, the sun has come out this morning.

If I'm lucky, I'll see a good sunset.

It's October 23rd, 2024, and thank you all for tuning in.

(slow, soft music) Welcome back.

(ominous music) (tense music) (door slams) (soft piano music) Broadcast number 398.

Welcome back.

Thank you for tuning in.

Broadcast number 426.

(piano music) Welcome back.

Broadcast number 468.

(piano music) Broadcast number 500.

This will be my final broadcast.

If I knew anyone was out there coming to find me, or if I knew anyone was out there at all, I would keep this up.

It's been over two years since I saw anybody else alive.

My family is gone, my old house, my friends, my work, most of the life I've seen, animals, bugs are all dead now.

The meteorites are getting bigger, and the planet is turning slower.

It's June 27th, 2025, and I'm in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania.

I would say thank you for tuning in, but no one has ever tuned in.

So, goodbye.

(engine revs softly) Welcome back.

(slow piano music) (tense music) - [Announcer] Warning, a catastrophic power failure has occurred.

Backup generators are online.

However, the facility has experienced several catastrophic damages.

There have been nine containment breaches.

Please follow standard emergency procedure.

(insects chirping) (leaves crunching) (gasps) (disorienting music) - [Person] Subject is outwardly calm, but showing elevated heart rate in response to stimulus.

Increase stress on pain receptors.

The subject is behaving erratically.

Increase voltage.

(eerie music) (sighs) (tense music) (siren wailing) (leaves crunch) (tense music) (running footsteps) (gunshot) - Hi, it's Olivia again.

For this Creator Spotlight, you'll get to know an educator who is inspiring their students to become confident and creative video producers.

They're using video production in their classrooms to involve their students in meaningful and fun projects.

I can't wait to meet them.

So let's get started.

- I am a product of youth programs in the Philadelphia area.

I took on a lot of programs at a young age, and because of those programs it gave me that interest and a passion to be a teacher.

Once I realized how big of an impact the mentor has had on me, it was only right for me to do the same.

I feel like it only takes one mentor to change a student's life, and I really believe in being there and being a support for the next generation.

(hip-hop music) I love being a resource for students.

I love when students come to me with questions, you know, they just need help trying to figure something out.

I love when I can give them the answer and just the spark in their face when they feel like someone actually cares about them and cares about their future.

It's just something about being a support for someone, and I know how much it meant to me when people would help me out, so I just want to pass that same love and attention for someone trying to pursue anything.

Maybe just a little bit more, but one sounds great.

My passion for video production and storytelling really came from me wanting to be in front of the camera.

I always wanted to be a actor, but at some point, being around a lot of productions, I had the opportunity to get behind the scenes, work on the camera, work on the editing, help with the pre-production building scripts.

And then I fell in love with the behind the scenes and I decided, you know what?

I'll get behind the camera and I'll tell stories that way.

I had a lot of mentors coming up.

They really helped me hone my craft.

They always had my back.

They gave me a lot of guidance.

I had questions, they had answers, and often I would work on different projects, and they would show me different ways to get things done.

I had a lot of issues, a lot of trial and error, and without my mentors, I don't think I would've been able to be the type of problem solver I am today.

(hip-hop music) Video production and storytelling is a great tool for students to learn because we all have a story to tell.

We all been through things and using video production as that tool is almost therapeutic.

And I love to give students the opportunity and resources to tell their stories, to tell the next person's story.

Before I became a professor here at Rowan University, I taught digital media at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia with a focus on film and video production.

The biggest difference between Rowan University and Overbrook for me was I was able to teach students that came from a similar background as mine.

And it meant a lot to me because I feel like, in a lot of underserved communities, they need the resources and they need the people to come back and show them that they care and give them the skills to to have a career in life.

That meant a lot to me.

I really wanted to be in that position.

I really gave them everything I got, and when some of the students reach back to me, they tell me, "I really appreciate what you gave me "with the the assignments that you gave us in high school or some of the things that we're working on in college," and that meant a lot to me.

So, just showing my community that I care about you, showing, you know, students that look like me.

It means the world to me.

Video production changed my life, honestly.

This is, I wanna say this is all I got.

Like this is all I have.

Honestly, I found something that I loved at an early age, and I took it and ran with it.

Everything that I do now revolves around video production.

Every opportunity that I've had, every opportunity that I'm given, you know, revolves around video production and film.

It helps me express myself.

It helps me find opportunities to work.

It help helps me find opportunities to teach students and help them take things to the next level.

(upbeat rock music) - I hope you enjoyed today's dramas.

To catch more student films, go to whyy.org/young-creators-studio.

I'm Olivia and I'll see you next time.

(upbeat rock music)