Picnic and a Show!

Today was a really great day back home! Some friends and family came over around lunch time for a picnic, which was very enjoyable. It's always nice to be surrounded by friends and family -- especially when you don't get to see them as often as you'd like.




As if the day couldn't get better, tonight Jessica and I went to see JERSEY BOYS at the Marcus Center. What an INCREDIBLE show! Simply amazing! I loved every second of it, and so did Jessica. I'm really glad we got to see it!

Tomorrow, I am going to be appearing on FOX 6's talk show "Real Milwaukee" to be interviewed about our camp and the Red Carpet Premiere. Be sure to check it out!

Week 2 - Done!

Whew! Believe it or not, I am STILL breathing after an extremely intense second week of camp. Boy, I have not worked this hard in a while. Luckily, I have a fantastic staff that has been nothing but incredible over the past few days.

All this week, our 'campers' were filming their projects. They would start the morning off by going 'on location' with cameras, equipment, and a video mentor who would help them and guide them on their filmmaking journey. From there, the kids came inside to begin editing their projects with their editing mentors.

I have truly been blown away by the quality of ALL the kids' films. This is mainly because we have had such fantastic video and editing mentors helping us out, all of whom specialize in different areas in the industry. One of our editors works for WISN 12, while another is a master at Photoshop. Oh yeah, and one of them is an Emmy award winner. Pretty crazy, eh? Andy Jensen (our editing mentor) brought in his Emmy to share with the camp, and needless to say, it was a HIT!



It sure would be nice to own a golden lady someday. For now, it's just a dream...but hopefully I'll be able to make it a reality sooner than later.

Only a few days remain in the camp, and now, it's the moment we've all been building up to. This coming week will be our Red Carpet Movie Premiere, where the kids will have a chance to screen their films before a LIVE audience. Fingers crossed all goes well.

For now, I have some work to do! :) Check out some pictures below of our trip to SUMMERFEST that we took yesterday to celebrate the end of our second week!

Week 1 - Complete!

Hey, everybody! I know folks are curious about how camp is going, so I wanted to quick hop online and drop a note on my blog.

So far, I am proud to say things are going along GREAT! We have had a fantastic first week of camp, and I am really excited to see what the future holds next week. All of our 'campers' have selected ideas for their films, and over the course of the week, they managed to script, storyboard, and plan for shooting (which will take place all next week). On top of that, we had the chance to tour TMJ4 Studios - where the kids got to watch a live newscast! AND, we traveled to the Scottish Rite Theater - where we even had the honor of holding an all-day theater workshop for the kids with the amazing Mr. Bill Jackson.

I really could not have asked for a better first week. I'm sure more excitement awaits us next week. The parade is tomorrow and we are all crossing our fingers for no rain!

Cross your fingers the weather holds out, and enjoy these highlights from the first week of my camp!

A Visit with Anthony

This weekend, I had the pleasure of traveling to Wausau, WI to meet with my friend, Anthony. Anthony recently moved up north to take a new gig working an IT position.

Over the course of two days, I had a chance to see Anthony's new neighborhood and see some of the neat sights. One of the highlights of the trip was visiting Rib Mountain, which is the third highest point in the state of Wisconsin. I'm looking forward to going back during the winter months to see how the snow transforms this state park into a winter wonderland!

Check out some pictures from my visit!

Heritage Days Parade

Today, the Heritage Days Parade went off without a hitch! No rain! And our kids looked great. Enjoy some of the fun pictures we took during our time on the route today.

Special thanks to Scott and Joe for coming out and supporting our camp! You guys are the best!!

Hello, Wisconsin!

I am back home in my hometown of Milwaukee, WI to offer Year 3 of my Summer Entertainment Camp. I normally don't blog when I am home (since this is my HOLLYWOOD Blog, after all...), but this summer, I am making an exception. This year, the stakes are much higher and the pressure is on. By the end of our two week camp, every single student will have written, directed, and edited their own film.

I'm just now beginning to setup for what is bound to be a VERY busy two weeks, and already, I have a LOT to be thankful for. We have an incredible host location (South Milwaukee High School) and an amazing sponsor (Prime Financial Credit Union). We are even hosting a Red Carpet Movie Premiere at the end of the camp, so the kids can have the feeling I did (four years ago) of premiering a movie on the silver screen!

I also cannot thank my parents enough for all of their help and support during this crazy time. These next few weeks are going to be a lot of fun, but I'm sure I can be a real thrill to put up with at times with all my crazy schedules! :P

More updates to come soon! Here's hoping for a great camp!



Check out the AWESOME bulletin board in my classroom for camp -- created by my mom and Mrs. Thatcher! :)