Columbia College Hollywood Takes on Every 15 Minutes

TARZANA, Calif. - May 10, 2017 - PRLog -- The number of DUI related auto deaths in the United States on a yearly basis is alarming.  It is only when we begin to look at the daily statistics and the ones that involve high school age kids, that it becomes very clear that we have a huge problem.

In late March, Columbia College Hollywood was called upon to assist Birmingham Community Charter High School in taking part in the "Every 15 Minutes" Program. The program, which is funded and sponsored by local CHP and law enforcement agencies, is an educational tool that is used to make high school aged students more aware of the impact that drinking and driving has on their communities.  This "real-life" experience consists of a staged announcement of the loss of student lives, followed by a staged and very realistic DUI accident resulting in massive injuries and fatalities in front of the entire student body. This staged collision involves law enforcement and emergency assistance teams such as fire and paramedics as they run through a complete rescue and recovery procedure.

The program was designed to evoke raw and real emotion from students as they are challenged to think about the potential consequences of drinking and driving.  While the process can seem brutal and harsh for the students, the CHP feels that witnessing these events allow students to understand the cause and effect of drinking and driving.

"We were beyond honored that Birmingham High School contacted us", said Stephen Herring, Director of Career Development. "This was a great opportunity to not only educate everyone on the dangers of drinking and driving, but also for our CCH students to put their  skills to work.".  Nearly 100 CCH students, Alumni and administrative staff were involved in the live event as well as the pre and post production of the E15 (Every 15 Minutes) film.  "We wanted to use our CCH student's storytelling abilities to bring the intensity and reality of this situation to the forefront for a greater impact", said Herring. "I really think we did that with this film".

CCH will be holding a screening of the completed film on Wednesday, May 17^th for students, their families, city officials, local law enforcement and the public.  Councilman for the 3^rd District, Bob Blumenfield will be on hand to award participants from Columbia College Hollywood for all their hard work and dedication to the project.

The May 17th event will kick off with:

·         A reception from 5:30 to 6pm

·         6pm first screening of the film.

·         Following the screening will be the awards ceremony with Bob Blumenfield

·         Second showing of the film at 7pm.

We encourage the community to learn more about the "Every 15 Minutes" Program and what each of us can do to be better informed to keep our youth and community safe.  For more information about E15 and how it can benefit your school, check out: http://www.everyfifteenminutes.org/

Key CCH Student Crew Members:
Director: Matt Lynch
Director of Photography: Cooper Shine
Production Manager: Emily Lawrie
Post Supervisors: Emily Lawrie and Milan Miller
Editors: Adam Lutge and Nix Ullrich

For more information on the May 17^th event, please reach out to the Career Development Team at: (818) 401-1034.

Columbia College Hollywood educates students in the art and science of communications and the diverse media of contemporary storytelling within an exploration of the liberal arts. Our rigorous course of study and practice prepares graduates to be analytical thinkers and effective communicators who are creative, knowledgeable, and responsible contributors to advancing a curious, thoughtful, and compassionate global community.