Bringing Hollywood to Hampton - Transforming Teaching and Learning by Connecting Students, Educators, Hollywood, and Business

Hampton City Schools (HCS) and Next Generation Storytellers are working with the entertainment industry and local organizations to transform education through our Bringing Hollywood to Hampton project. From June 18 to July 1, 2023, over 200 HCS high school Academy students and staff will participate in this unique project. These students will write, act, and produce high-quality short films in conjunction with entertainment industry professionals (Hollywood actors and film crew). The project will culminate in a film festival at the American Theatre in downtown Hampton the weekend of September 29-October 1. The winners earn a chance to compete at a professional film festival, receive their own IMDB credits, and obtain sponsorships from the Virginia Film Commission. 

Next Generation Storytellers is led by screen actors Jacob Young (two-time Emmy award-winner known for The Girl Next Door, The Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital, and All My Children) and Trent Garrett (known for Disney’s Andi Mack, Netflix’s Army of Thieves, and Fox’s New Girl). Also supporting the Hollywood to Hampton experience and film festival are two-time Emmy award winning director of photography Roy Wagner; assistant director for Midsommar Mercedes Williamson; associate producer of the Broadway hit Beauty and the Beast, Mark Rozzano; and special effects production designer Mick Strawn, known for his work on productions such as Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and the 1994 Fantastic Four. 

This program is supported by the Virginia Film Commission and sponsored by Sony Red and Black Magic, among others.