The Movie Institute Supports Life and Success Skills
Kids are our future. The Movie Institute believes kids should not only be workforce ready, but they should also be good citizens. For more than 20 years, The Movie Institute (MI) has inspired life and leadership skills in young people through the creativity and discipline of motion media. We do this through filmmaking classes, workshops, after school programs, and camps that help build positive character growth and successful career development. MI also empowers those who have completed the program through professional-level video production work for businesses and other nonprofits.
How are we successful?
MI has developed an effective and unique methodology that leverages mentoring and collaboration within diverse groups of students to solve complex problems that engage multiple parts of the brain for many hours at a time. This is a benefit of motion media, as everything we do leverages both arts and science. Because the students are highly motivated to achieve a shared end goal, whether it is a completed commercial, music video, or other work, they must take calculated risks and rely upon others to move ahead as a group. Though guided by multiple adult mentors throughout the process, the students often mentor one another as well, sharing their strengths and learning from one another as they complete milestone after milestone. Each small victory comes with growth that students will continue to process for weeks and months after the project has been completed.
What's the impact?
Most students leave an MI program having learned new "hard skills" such as the name and parts of a camera they've never operated before, how to construct a strong screenplay, or how to create a proper shot list for a short film. They are aware of these learnings, new friends made, shared experiences, and fun had along the way. However, months later when we interact with these students again, we hear about the revelations they had as they grasped deeper lessons learned and "soft skills" developed such as critical thinking skills, problem solving, and organizational skills they did not know they had before their experience at MI. Students find their self-confidence through our programs, their leadership skills, and their path to purpose-driven and successful lives.
Some of our students have come into our programs while going through difficult circumstances at home or at school, and our program helps them step outside those circumstances temporarily and see themselves differently. This has been a successful lifeline for students, and MI is thrilled our program has played this deeper role.
Testimonials from MI Alumni
Shannon Cloud, Key Assistant Location Manager, Paramount Television Studios; Kamp Hollywood Alum, 2010–2013
Kamp Hollywood gave me the opportunity to find my passion in producing. Every camper gets hands-on experience and ultimately decides what their role will be. I learned all the film lingo and experienced the process of making a movie from writing out the ideas to screening the projects for our families, but most importantly I learned how to collaborate as a member of a team. I looked forward to going to Kamp Hollywood every summer and frequently reference my experience in job interviews. I cannot recommend this program enough. If you are a parent considering signing your child up, know you are giving your child a worthwhile experience, full of valuable information and fun times!
Matt Morgan, Co-Founder, Yacht Club Productions, Brooklyn, New York; Kamp Hollywood Alum, 2005–2008
I love this program and the people who run it! As a kid, it was one of the most looked-forward-to weeks of the year for me. I still have lasting friendships with people I met there. Without the program’s instruction and ability to see young people as potential creatives with valuable opinions and not just children, I likely wouldn’t get to make films and commercials for a living today. Signing up for the program was one of the best investments I ever made in my future.
Andrew Disney, Feature Film Director signed with CAA; Kamp Hollywood Alum, 2005–2008
Please never stop doing this camp. It was the reason I discovered my life’s work. It makes a real difference. (Andrew directed and wrote the screenplay for “Searching for Sonny” which won Best Ensemble Acting and Best Screenwriting at the Phoenix Film Festival!)
Ariana Vail, College Student - Filmmaking; KH and MI Programs Alum, 2008 - 2018
Kamp Hollywood - there I learned to embrace my curiosity, my creativity, and my capability. What The Movie Institute is doing is creating young, independent thinkers who will learn so much about themselves and their passions. Not only did MI help me get into college, but they also helped ignite the passion for filmmaking that was already dormant inside me.
The Movie Institute is dedicated to the training of life and leadership skills in young people and adults through the creativity and discipline of the motion media arts and sciences.
Our needs focus on two areas:
1. Enhancements at MI North Studio, including technology classroom completion, acquisition of software licenses to expand curriculum, post-production technology implementation, special effects makeup lab, and makerspace buildout to support training expansion into additional motion media trades.
2. Scholarships to support anticipated growth in the number of students supported per year, including group tours that would reduce costs for Title 1 schools.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy
The Movie Institute (“MI”) is committed to creating an environment that is diverse, inclusive, and equitable, where all participants, staff, community partners, vendors, mentors and board members are treated with respect and dignity. These principles are at the very core of MI mentoring and always has been.
For the purposes of this statement, diversity refers to race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion / life philosophy, sexual identity, familial status, age, disability and socio-economic status. Though MI will always work to create a diverse environment, MI will never sacrifice qualifications, merit or ability; this is also at the core of MI mentoring.
DIVERSITY
Diversity is where workforce, stakeholder and participant composition includes people of different genders, age, sexual orientation, religions / life philosophy, languages, abilities, professional backgrounds, socioeconomic backgrounds, and educational backgrounds that are integrated into the organizations where they can be of the most benefit for themselves and the organization. The differences in people actually strengthen and add to the success of an organization or a project.
EQUITY
Equity is a process that ensures all people have the opportunity to contribute, develop, and grow based on their own unique abilities and talents.
INCLUSION
Inclusion is valuing, respecting, and encouraging the full participation of each individual in the life and leadership of the organization. MI will not tolerate discrimination, biases, harassment, or bullying of any kind, regardless of race, socio-economic status, age, disability, religion / life philosophy, sexual orientation, nationality, gender, or marital status.
MI is an organization that celebrates the richness that differences make in our community. The organization as a whole, including the Board of Directors, are guided by these principles and pledge that they will be reflected in the MI vision, strategic planning, programming, governance, and board composition. Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion extends to our staff, our members, and programs we develop and support.
Organization name
The Movie Institute
other names
Movie Institute, MI North Studio
Causes
Youth & Children, Education - Career Prep, Education - STEM
Operating Budget
$100,000 - $249,999
Counties Served
Collin, Dallas, Denton, Rockwall, Tarrant, Ellis, Kaufman
BIPOC Serving
Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latinx, Native American, Other, Black or African American
BIPOC Leadership
Neither/None
Address
6121 W Park Blvd B214