WABASH, Ind. – A collaboration between the Honeywell Foundation and Heartland Career Center, a pilot Media Arts program is in full swing each school day afternoon at the Honeywell Center. The inaugural class is made up of students from Southwood, Northfield, Wabash, Peru and Huntington North high schools. The Media Arts program offers juniors and seniors from up to nine different schools in the region an opportunity to learn and express creativity through video, audio, and other multimedia platforms.
The purpose of this program is to provide hands-on learning with state-of-the-art media equipment for area students interested in pursuing a career or degree in all facets of media arts. Students also have the ability to earn dual credit through Vincennes University.
This class also connects students to media professionals from all over the United States. In August, students were introduced to Wabash’s own, Mike Ferry, via Skype. Mike is a producer and head content creator for Gleam Futures and lives in Los Angeles. He talked about how he got into the television production business, what he does now with Gleam Futures, and shared a few funny stories from his past growing up with the Media Arts Instructor, Steven Weir.
The following week, Mike connected with the class again via Skype, but this time along with Claudia Sulewski, a self-made YouTube personality, whose channels have over 4 million followers. Claudia grew up in Chicago but decided to make the leap to Los Angeles and now is starring as an actress in a variety of online scripted productions while she continues her YouTube fashion blogs. She had one big piece of advice for the students: anyone can achieve what she has achieved; they just have to put in the work.
The Honeywell Foundation is a public charity in Wabash, Indiana. The organization and its venues – Honeywell Center, Honeywell House, Charley Creek Gardens, Dr. Ford Historic Home, Eagles Theatre, and 13-24 Drive In – provide artistic, social, cultural, and recreational opportunities for all. For more information about The Honeywell Foundation, please visit www.honeywellfoundation.org.