For the second year in a row, MTV Entertainment Studios has partnered with Atlanta’s Morehouse College to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and will continue to run on all MTV platforms during Black History Month. “City Lights” executive producer Kim Drobes heard from the people who helped this special project come together, Morehouse students and faculty, as well as decision makers at MTV Studios.
At Morehouse College, students interested in filmmaking often pursue a course of study within the school’s CTEMS program, or, Cinema, Television and Emerging Media Studies. The chairman of the department, Dr. Stephanie Dunn, explained how the program introduces students to the critical aspects of film as well as the art and craft of filmmaking. “It’s kind of a complete program, so they can go on to further their education or development in graduate school, or go to corporate programs, or go to work as PAs on set,” Dunn said.
It was Professor Dunn who initiated the interview with MTV in 2021, when the studio was interested in the work done by his students. “It started with a conversation with me and Rosa White, who owns MTV. We met on a completely different project, and in the middle of a couple of sets I listened to her on a topic that I love, which is that those in the industry who care about diversity should recognize the rich pipeline that it’s found in historically black colleges,” Dunn said. “It would be great for our students to have an opportunity where they are creating projects that are moving forward. And they ended up taking it back to the whole MTV team, and lo and behold, they loved it.”
Since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. himself an alum from Morehouse, it made sense for a student film project to celebrate his legacy. Deva Newman, SVP of Marketing at Paramount Media Networks & MTV Entertainment Studios, explained more about MTV’s role in the project: “We really wanted to look at students as creators, and let them write, produce, and star in their own film. Dr. King. Our goal was just to provide resources, guidance, and a platform.” According to Dunn, students participated in the pre-production team, behind-the-scenes work, assisting with movement, props, lighting, and all other aspects of the project. .
Morehouse CTEMS principal Kennedy Womack was one of the student collaborators, helping the project from inception to document management during production. Through the experience, he gained valuable working knowledge, and got to know experts in the industry. “After college, I really want to be an artist,” Womack said. “My ambition is to start my own production company. I think it is very important to realize the power of your voice, in terms of the stories you are able to tell.
The short video for “Keep Moving” airs at the end of Feb. 2023 on all MTV Entertainment platforms. Morehouse College CTEMS program information is available at https://morehouse.edu/academics/majors/cinema-television-and-emerging-media-studies/.
