By Dion Harding and Ryan Wambo
NABJ JSHOP Reporters
True Star Media provides Chicago’s Black youth the opportunity to develop skills needed to be successful in any facet of journalism and entertainment.
News articles, photography, video editing, graphic design, and television production are all formats of media that students are able to learn through the organization. Business marketing is an additional skill developed at True Star, which has been around for more than 20 years.
“It’s really unique because we’re offering young people in the city of Chicago an opportunity to tell their own stories,” said co-founder Na’tae Thompson.
True Star is based out of the Bronzeville area on Chicago’s South Side. Instead of painting Chicago’s youth in a violent light, as they often are, the students at True Star put importance on topics that usually go undiscussed in mainstream media.
At True Star, everything is created by the youth for the youth.
“We’re literally told to keep in mind that we’re speaking to a younger audience,” True Star journalist Da’Jae Allen, 19, said. “So I don’t feel like I have to write a school article or anything. I get to really just talk like I’m talking to a friend.”
Writing to a younger audience helps journalists like Allen express themselves better in their writing.
On the production side, young adults are given the opportunity to hone the skills that every great movie and television producer needs to possess. True Star also uses state of the art technology. This allows the youth to learn how to operate cameras and lighting for television and movie production.
This is exemplified by the “Two Minute Talks,” in which two people debate topics that vary from the best ice cream flavor to who’s the best presidential candidate.
The show is performed, recorded, produced and edited by the youth, according to Marquis Sewell, a professional actor and one of True Star’s head producers.
“Having the events to go to and recording the content, then shooting it out to social media is a great benefit to what I want to do as an actor in the film industry because it opens up doors for me and exposes me to many opportunities,” Sewell said.
Thompson, co-founder DeAnna McLeary-Sherman, and the rest of the team provide opportunities for students learn about fields that interest them. They explained that content, culture and life is what True Star media is all about.
“They’re learning everything from A-Z to be a professional media maker,” Thompson said.
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