EAST MANATEE — Tiffany Campbell loves reading and writing and has always thought about career paths that involve the two.
“I would love to be an editor or journalist,” says the 14-year-old.
Now, the Braden River High School sophomore sees script writing as a possibility.
A class project she and about 15 of her classmates have been working on piqued her interest in script writing. And, with the TV production company Sanborn Studios coming to Lakewood Ranch she is encouraged about the career possibility.
“I think it’s cool were getting a TV studio,” Campbell said.
On a recent Tuesday morning, Campbell and her classmates were immersed in a movie production assigned at the start of the school year. In the Computing for College and Careers course, students are taking the novel “A Land Remembered” and adapting it into a short, still picture movie.
The project requires the students to think like movie directors.
They outline the novel on storyboards, take photos to illustrate the story, narrate the story by reading excerpts from the book, and use Adobe and Microsoft software to organize, compile and record the content and develop it into a short film.
“They’re learning these skills at a perfect time,” said Mary Thompson, class teacher. “When I heard about this TV company I couldn’t believe it was going to be in our own backyard.”
Sanborn Studios promises to create 117 jobs over the next three years. And, chief executive officer Ken Sanborn says he’s well aware there are budding film professionals who would like the opportunity to gain some work experience through his production company.
“It’s great for kids to go to UCLA and USC but the real experience comes from working in the trenches of this industry,” Sanborn said Monday during a news conference formally announcing the studio’s development plans. “We want this to be a full-service operation where children and young students can learn the business.”
Braden River High junior Effie Protopapadakias plans to study TV production in college.
While working on her adaption of “A Land Remembered,” a rags to riches story set in the 1800s in Florida, the 16-year-old was searching for pictures of Hugh Jackman in the movie “Australia.”
Jackman is who she envisions as the lead character Tobias MacIvey.
“The book explains what he looks like and it says he’s tall and has rugged features,” Protopapadakias said. “What came to mind was him.”
For now the class project has been a good preview of what to expect in TV production but she’s eager to learn more.
“This lets me see what I’m going to be doing later in life,” Protopapadakias said. “I hope the studio takes off. I’d love to do an internship there.”
Christie Gionfriddo, a career adviser at Braden River High, hopes Sanborn Studios can provide internships and much more for local students.
Sanborn Studios is moving into two existing 30,000 square-foot buildings that will include sound stages, production studios, makeup and dressing rooms, and post production offices.
“With this studio, maybe we could have that business partnership where we could send students over to job shadowing opportunities, have guest speakers come in and in the long run, create jobs and internships for students,” Gionfriddo said. “It’s exciting to have something like this out this way. It gives students an opportunity to say ‘Wow, I have something in the area. I don’t have to go to L.A. or New York.’ ”
