Do you see yourself as an Entertainment Reporter?
Or a screenwriter?
Join us for one of our Online Boot Camps
Audition for our End of Summer KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Boot Camp
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Online Audition form: https://forms.gle/ngVnSrtwgKDUm4PB6
Deadline Submit online audition: October 15, 2022
Once approved, you will pay for your class via paypal.
Saturday Boot Camp Dates and Times are:
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Nov 12, 19, 26; Dec 3, 10, 17 (12 PM ET; 11 p.m. CT; 10 AM MT; 9 AM PT)
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Note: Everyone, ages 9 to 16 is invited to apply!
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Class Fee is: $120
Classes begin October 15, meeting every Saturday, once a week, for 50 minutes. At the end of each class you will be given an assignment and you will have 48 hours to complete your assignment.
Class times are 12 p.m. Eastern time; 11 a.m. Central; 10 a.m.Mountain; 9 a.m. Pacific. You can join from anywhere, including outside the USA, as long as you speak English as all classes are given in English. All classes are filled on a first come/first served basis.
What happens in class? You will watch and review films, discuss how to evaluate and review them in both written and video format. You will also learn how to prepare for an interview with talent and creators of a film. You will develop your ...
- Critical thinking skills
- Writing skills
- Self-esteem and confidence
- Ream building skills
- Vocabulary and grammatical skills
- Researching skills
- Preparation skills
- On-camera skills
Writers, take note:
For those who are interested in learning how to write a screenplay, we are offering private coaching sessions with one of our highly trained instructors, Christopher Thomas. If you are interested in this, please contact us for more information.
Take a look at one of our previous camps -
Instructors
RANNY LEVY
The invasive impact of media on children became the impetus, in 1991, for Levy
to create KIDS FIRST! / Coalition for Quality Children's Media, dedicated to
promoting and nurturing quality children's media as a vehicle for
social change. A former educator, Levy designed an award-winning
television series, Kidnetics, for PBS Affiliate, WNIT-TV, produced
an ACE-nominated television show (Cable Magazine), and managed an
independent film production and distribution company, OneWest Media,
selling to national and international markets including PBS, the
Discovery Channel and Showtime. Ranny has written two books, "The New York Times / KIDS FIRST
Guide to The Best Children's Videos" and "A Parent's Guide to the
Best Children's Videos, DVDs and CD-ROMs" and is a frequent speaker
at conferences about children's media.
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CHRIS THOMAS
Chris Thomas is an award-winning screenwriter and a seasoned creative writing instructor who specializes in helping young writers get their stories out of their heads and down on paper. A Senior Visual Strategist, she has written and produced animated educational tools for the national anti-tobacco trials, as well as presentations for the DOJ, the Oklahoma Bombing trial, the FAA, NATO, and NASA. As a Senior Film and Video Producer she is the recipient of three Alfie Awards including the Judges Choice Award, The National Retail Council’s Heineman Trophy and an ITVA award for outstanding Achievement. She served on the Board of Directors for the Boulder Writing studio and most recently, her screenplay, Desert Run, took first place in the Writemovies National Screenplay Competition and finished in the top 10% of the prestigious Nichols Competition. Her work has also been recognized by the New Mexico Film Foundation. Chris holds an MA in Elearning.
TERRY SOLOWEY 
Terry Solowey has a wide range of expertise in early childhood / elementary education and children’s media. She is a writer and developer of print and multimedia programs with a focus on outreach, curriculum and content development. Ms. Solowey served as Assistant Director of the Sesame Street Preschool Educational Program, as Manager of Outreach for Thirteen/WNET and Program Director for KIDS FIRST! where she continues to serve on the Advisory Board and works with the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Program. Terry is a certified instructor for the KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Boot Camp and a member of the KIDS FIRST! National Advisory Board.
ED GREENE, PhD
Dr. Ed Greene serves as VP for Partnerships and Community Development at the Hispanic Information Television Network (HITN), Brooklyn, NY. Prior to his work at HITN, Ed worked as director of educational outreach for a U.S. Department of Education Ready to Learn Transmedia project. He has been an instructional leadership coach for principals and PreK-2 teachers in Detroit Public Schools for Teachscape. Ed was a senior adviser and consultant to Cito USA and its Piramide Approach to Early Learning and director of global outreach for Sesame Workshop. Over his forty-year career, Ed has worked directly with infants, toddlers, preschool children, adolescents and families, as well as in a variety of roles and capacities in the philanthropic, private, public sectors and higher education. He is a former board member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation and currently serves on the Boards of the Council for Professional Recognition and KIDS FIRST! / Coalition for Quality Children’s Media.
ANGEL URQUIDI
Angel has worked at KIDS FIRST! for two years and is the Managing Video Editor for KIDS FIRST! Film Critics. He is a graduate of Santa Fe University of Art and Design with a B.A. in Fine Arts, majoring in Film Production. He also has an Associates Degree in Radio, Television and Media Broadcasting from El Paso Community College. Angel has many years of experience working in film, television and radio. He originally developed an interest in film and TV when he was in high school where he was enrolled in his school’s weekly news show. After high school he enrolled in a community college and gained skills in lighting, writing and editing. He graduated from Community College in 2013 and, after taking a year off, enrolled in Santa Fe University of Art and Design where he strengthened his skills in lighting, editing, filming and other production areas. He graduated with honors in 2017. Angel has directed some short films and helped produce others. He wrote and produced a PSA called No Child Hungry, which won an award for best PSA at The Chocolate City Short Film Festival.
PHILOMENA SALEM
Philomena is an artist, educator and advocate of child well-being. Philomena studied Media Technology at Jack Yates High School in Houston, Texas and earned a BA in Moving Image Arts from the Santa Fe University of Art & Design. Philomena has worked directly for the betterment of children since 2007 when she worked as a production assistant and juror for KIDS FIRST! She has worked with children of all ages in preschools, summer camps, museums and juvenile correctional facilities where she teaches video production, photography, theatre, painting and graffiti art, poetry and graphic novels. Philomena is the founder of the non-profit organization, Unlocked Minds, Inc., a programming resource that provides creative outlets, goal-oriented mentorship and professional networks to incarcerated and at-risk youth. Currently, Ms. Salem teaches at the Santa Fe Art Institute, Golden Acorns Camp of Living Arts & Culture, the Garcia Street Club Preschool and a certified instructor for the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Boot Camp.
** This event is subject to cancellation if adequate registration is not received or other unexpected circumstances make it impossible to take place.
All camps have limited enrollment and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
