Minneapolis teens joined hundreds of teens from across the country & filmed an emmy-nominated TV series this summer

More than a dozen Minneapolis-area teens were selected to spend the summer working alongside filmmaking veterans to produce a new episode of Emmy-nominated kids’ TV show, “Detectives Club.”

The teens filmed the episode at The Bakken Museum in August, and joined hundreds of teens in eight cities – from LA to NYC - who each worked on one of eight new episodes

The teens enjoyed the weeklong, hands-on experience for free, thanks to sponsors Best Buy and SUBWAY®. Each teen spent his/her week rotating through various filmmaking roles, from camera to effects to sound to editing, with one-on-one mentoring from veteran film professionals.

“Many teens dream of working in the film industry, but don’t realize that most of the career opportunities aren’t for ‘directors’ or ‘actors,’” says Estlin Feigley, Fresh Films’ director. “Within the $650 billion entertainment/media industry, many in-demand jobs require science, math and technology skills, and Fresh Films arms teens with the exposure and experience to go pursue those careers.”

The teens hailed from all over suburban Minneapolis, with one making the trek in from Iowa: Triza Kwamboka from Brooklyn Park; Lazeah Shields from St. Paul; Mateo Green from St. Paul; Sharon Huang from St. Paul; Josh Carisch from Champlin; Dylan Rinehart from Champlin; Valessa Stech from Eagen; Savina Sisneros from Cottage Grove; Miguel Myers from New Hope; Kyle Sydness from Shakopee; Cameron Rowe from Ramsey; Mario Castillo from Maplewood; and Annika Stahl from New Albin, Iowa.

The summer program is part of Fresh Films’ year-round initiatives for teens, which include school tours, teacher grants, filmmaking workshops and more.

Fresh Films doesn’t just expose kids to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers behind the scenes, but also through the content of many of its film projects: “Traveling Without Moving” (starring Steve Guttenberg and Harry Lennix) will debut in fall 2016 and is a fun, fictional sci-fi film based on real quantum physics; Emmy-nominated kids’ TV show, “Detectives Club” inspires children’s curiosity about the world around them with help from real scientists.

ABOUT ‘DETECTIVES CLUB’

First launched in 2015, “Detectives Club” (formerly titled “Moochie Kalala Detectives Club”) is a fictional kids’ TV series that stars real scientists and museums. The show inspires kids to discover science through fun, fast-paced and funny adventures. The first eight episodes followed the “kid detectives” as they jetted off to museums across Chicagoland on their fact-finding missions.

This summer, the teen filmmakers filmed new episodes of “Detectives Club” at attractions across the country – taking the show national! Starring museums (and episode topics) include:

● The Tech (San Jose, CA) - BioEngineering

● Fernbank Science Center (Atlanta, GA) - Asteroids

● The Bakken Museum (Minneapolis, MN) - Energy of the Body

● KidSpace (Pasadena, CA) - Insects

● Frontiers of Flight (Dallas, TX) - Flight

● Botanic Garden (New York City) - Urban Gardening

● U.S. Bureau of Engraving & Printing (Washington, DC) - Science of Printing Money

● Putnam Museum (Davenport, IA) - Rivers & the Environment

Each episode begins with the “kid detectives” listening to a far-fetched tale from “crazy Aunt Eileen” (played by actress, Olivia Tracey), and then jetting off on a fact-finding quest to discover the truth. The “kid detectives” visit real museums and institutions across the country to get help getting to the bottom of things from real scientists. The new episodes will debut in mid-2017.

Major support for Fresh Films is thanks to Best Buy and SUBWAY®, with additional support from Microsoft, Molex, Exelon, Dunham Fund, Blackmagic Design & ITW. Dell and Blackmagic Design have also donated technology and equipment to power Fresh Films’ editing and filming processes.

As with all Fresh Films’ projects, 100% of proceeds will benefit youth charities and programs.

About Fresh Films:

Fresh Films has been engaging youth behind the camera and creating youth-targeted TV shows, films and original content since 2002 - all purposed to make a difference in young lives. Other recent productions include “The Stream,” a coming-of-age family comedy created by teens, benefitting Boys & Girls Clubs of America and featuring Mario Lopez (Extra), Kelly Rutherford (Gossip Girl), Christopher Gorham (Covert Affairs) and Rainn Wilson; and “Detectives Club,” a science TV show for kids. Fresh Films is the non-profit arm of Dreaming Tree Films. More information at www.fresh-films.com.