HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — From the classroom to the film set, two Hollywood actors are once again sharing their skills with local students to help them realize a future in filmmaking is possible.
Hollywood actors Trent Garrett and Jacob Young brought Next Generation Storytellers to the students of Hampton City Schools in June 2023. This year, they are back sharing their knowledge of the movie industry with students in both Hampton and Newport News Public Schools.
Garrett and Young said they created Next Generation Storytellers to “foster a new generation of storytellers from underserved communities.”
“We wanted to give back to the industry that has curated our careers, that has given so much to us, but there’s a disconnect between especially that high school level and professional industry, because there’s all this red tape,” Garrett said. “So, once COVID happened, one of the silver linings of COVID is educational spaces, and not just the students, but the teachers, the superintendents, the parents. It sped everything up. It became normalized and normalized a way of communicating and working.
“So, for the first time ever, we saw a pathway to connect the Hollywood industry to hometowns, and throughout that process, we worked really hard creating a curriculum with definitely the help of director of curriculum, Dr. Kate Maxwell, and Jen Oliver, and other people at Academies of Hampton. Hampton being my hometown, is the first place we wanted to dive into. So, we came here to Hampton, and we curated a 24-week virtual crash course on how to make a movie at the end of the first eight weeks. Every student should have a first draft of the screenplay over the next 16 weeks. We bring in mentors from Hollywood, talking about every other aspect of making a film.
“At the end of those 24 weeks, we bring those kids’ stories to life by the help of our sponsors. FUJINON has provided us amazing lenses. Blackmagic Design provides us all the cameras. We wouldn’t be able to do without that, because it is so expensive to make a movie, but we’re able to do it at a fraction of the cost with the help of the support from our Hollywood relationships and sponsors.”
One of the students who participated in the NGS progam this year is Nolan Ladison,17, a graduate of Phoebus High School while being enrolled in the Academy of Advanced College Experience (ACE). It’s a dual enrollment program with Virginia Peninsula Community College where students can earn an associate degree while earning a high school diploma at the same time.
Ladison tells WAVY.com he took part in an NGS class that taught different elements of screenwriting. At the end of the course, students could submit their scripts, and four winners were selected. Nolan’s script was one of them.
“It was a little bit of a comedic twist on the last man standing trope,” Ladison said. “There are a lot of zombie apocalypse movies out there, and they’re usually pretty serious, pretty dark in tone, and I just thought, wouldn’t it be funny if the last guy on the planet didn’t even realize the apocalypse happened overnight? So, that’s kind of the general premise. It’s very inspired by stuff like Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim Versus the World. Edgar Wright is a huge inspiration to me as well, and so it’s just a short film that’s based on what if the last guy standing was a very hopeful dope?” said Ladison.
Ladison said he knows the experience he has had with NGS is something he can’t get anywhere else.
“It’s been very, very exciting,” Ladison said. “I’ve learned a lot. It’s a little bit tiring as well. I’m realizing that, but that doesn’t deter me at all. I’m just doing something like this, doing this, getting the ability to get a trial run of what this can be like. It just made me realize that this is something that I want to do for the rest of my life.”
Meanwhile, as a 17-year-old, he said he is amazed that his hard work has gotten him this far.
“I’m going to be honest with you, it’s a thought that has plagued me many times,” he said. “How can a guy raised out of Hampton, Virginia, actually get to Hollywood or get to where they are? You know? Because it just doesn’t seem like likely. It doesn’t seem like there’s a clear-cut path for that. It takes hard work, and that’s why I’ve been trying to find every opportunity that I’ve been given, every time I get to meet with someone who knows someone. I try my best to get that connection, you know, get to where I need to be so I can do what I need to do and fulfill my happiness in life.”
For Garrett and Young, those words are like magic.
“If there is only one thing that these kids could get out of this,” Garrett said, “it’s that if you have a dream, there are people that want to support you, and we’re just very fortunate to be able to bring their dreams to life.”
As for Ladison’s question about how a guy raised out of Hampton could get to Hollywood? Let’s ask the guy from Hampton who made it to Hollywood.
“It’s different for everyone,” Garrett said. “For me, I had $500 and a Buick LeSabre and drove across the country and couch-surfed for three years. So, that is a little different for me. You know, Jacob kind of scored right out the gate. It’s different for him. It’s different for everyone, you know? But it’s what we know. We know the struggle, and it’s a continuous struggle. It’s a process, and that process continues hopefully, God willing.”
He and Young share those experiences openly with the students. Young said he is passionate about Next Generation Storytellers because it’s important to give children a voice.
“I think there are so many times where we throw them to the side,” Young said. “I’m not saying everybody, but to actually listen to what they have to say, listen to what they’re writing and just support that, let them know that people care about what they have to say.”
While it’s a unique opportunity for the kids, it’s inspiring for the Hollywood pros.
“I think the most rewarding thing for me is watching the light go on in these kids and realize that they can actually do this,” Young said. “You know, and also, I guess other than the final product, seeing a smile on their face.”
Both Young and Garrett are proud of the fact that their reach through Next Generation Storytellers is growing.
“The kids are involved in Hampton and Newport News,” Young said. “We’re currently in Charleston, and we’re going to be in Nebraska next year.”
You will have an opportunity to see the movies made by the students on the Peninsula. A film festival is scheduled for Oct. 18-20 at the Ferguson Center in Newport News. There will be showings open to the public. Organizers are still working on ticketing information. As soon as that decision is made, 10 On Your Side will let you know.
In the meantime, Young has a special message for young, budding filmmakers.
“I want kids out there to believe that there’s people that will support them,” Young said, “and support their artistic point of view and message that they like to give the world.”
