student filmmakers – At Hollywood High School’s New Media Academy, students learn video production and animation through industry-linked projects, internships, and showcases—turning classroom skills into real film and TV experience.
In an old auto shop classroom off a Hollywood campus hallway, the line between “school work” and industry practice can feel thin—because students are making projects for real feedback.
Mawuena Akorli. a junior at Hollywood High School in Los Angeles. starts each production day with practical directions and improvised creativity.. With a tripod-mounted camera in one hand and a penciled note in the other. she’s preparing for a horror-comedy episode titled as much by mood as by plot.. The scene depends on “black goo”—a mix of food dye and blue agave that her team uses to get the look they want.. Then. in her narrative. the character hunts ghosts across campus and ends up overtaken by the very thing she’s holding.
That kind of hands-on filmmaking is at the center of Hollywood High’s New Media Academy. a career-based arts program designed to prepare students for visual media careers in the heart of the entertainment industry.. More than 300 students move through a structured pathway that combines fundamentals in ninth grade with specialized tracks in video production or animation.. Over three years. they build projects through an interdisciplinary curriculum that connects core academic classes with production work—so what they learn in history. for example. can show up as the subject of a film. not just a grade on a worksheet.
The academy’s model is built around collaboration—students aren’t simply taught techniques. they are trained to operate like a crew.. By the time they reach upper grades. students write. shoot. market. and then present their work to a panel of industry professionals for feedback.. Top projects are showcased at SheikFest. a school film festival named for the school’s Sheiks mascot. where students compete for a 3-D printed Larry award named after filmmaker alum Lawrence Fishburne.. The event. organized with help from faculty and industry guests. has become a measurable moment of recognition for students who often need structure. support. and high expectations delivered in a way that feels relevant.
One senior. Abigail Cordova. described using history research as the foundation for a narrative film about former President Barack Obama and student financial aid.. She said the project helped her step outside her comfort zone. relying on friends and teachers. and practicing communication under real production demands.. Another student. Santino Marchetti. wrote a film critiquing dictatorships and indoctrination through school bullying and also directed a documentary about Native American representation in the media.. His takeaway wasn’t only creative confidence—it was the discipline of leadership on set: becoming the director or the most trusted person requires earned preparation. not a sudden transformation.
Those experiences reflect how the academy treats filmmaking as both an artistic practice and a career skill.. Students develop technical competencies—camera and lighting fundamentals. studio production routines. and the work of taking projects from script to final cut.. They also build professional habits such as presenting their creative decisions to experts and responding to critique.. For teachers, the payoff is watching students translate learning into articulation.. In SheikFest judging rooms. educators describe students defending choices—colors. shading. and storytelling—because they understand the craft. not just the end product.
Beyond showcases, some students step into paid opportunities after school.. They serve as paid interns connected to live taping of a school news show, Inside H Studios.. In the studio, production isn’t theoretical: headset on, cues ready, cameras switching, scripts and audio timed.. That day-to-day practice matters because it mirrors what working in media requires—coordination. timing. and the ability to keep a production moving even when something unexpected comes up.
A key thread running through the program is accessibility and equity in who gets to enter competitive pathways.. In recent years. internships in entertainment have become increasingly competitive. and women and people of color remain underrepresented in parts of the pipeline.. New Media Academy responds by expanding community partnerships. adding field trips. offering trade certifications. and bringing panels to help students from diverse backgrounds develop ideas and connections earlier rather than later.
For program leaders, this is also about breaking down barriers that can start long before students apply to internships.. When mentorship is tied to production—rather than offered only through abstract advice—students build confidence through evidence: a completed film. an internship role. a feedback-driven improvement cycle.. That structure appears to benefit students who might struggle in more traditional academic settings. which is part of the reason the academy grew from a smaller effort into a magnet arts program approved by the Los Angeles Unified School District.. From that expansion, students across Los Angeles now enter a space where creative work is treated as serious learning.
Misryoum sees in programs like this a broader education trend: schools increasingly use career-connected arts to strengthen engagement while offering pathways into real labor markets.. The difference here is that the program doesn’t just teach skills—it integrates students into professional-style critique and production routines. and it builds a community around continued participation.. When students can talk to industry professionals as peers. not as spectators. the message is clear: their ideas belong in the room.
There’s also a human dimension that tends to surface in creative programs.. Mawuena said she was inspired by a Los Angeles-born comedy series. and she keeps returning to what representation changes for her.. For Black girls watching a screen. she wants to feel “not alone.” Her motivation isn’t only personal success; it’s a sense that her work can broaden who gets to see themselves as creators.
For students like her, New Media Academy functions as more than a filmmaking class. It is a bridge—between school projects and industry expectations, between practice and performance, and between aspiration and professional identity.