Video project shows how Dallas ISD high school students see Dallas

Students at Madison and Adamson high schools got real-world film and advertising experience—while helping promote a City of Dallas initiative—thanks to a program offered through a partnership from the Marcus Graham Project and the Mayor’s Rising Star Council.

Students in the pilot program created 90-second video spots for the city’s GrowSouth initiative, which is a comprehensive strategy to build a foundation for sustainable growth in Southern Dallas. The videos highlighted the communities the students live in and the possibilities inside for potential new residents.

One of the videos, which you can watch above, was shown on the big screen at Alamo Drafthouse

“Through creating the videos, the students got hands-on experience with what goes into creating a marketing campaign,” said Lincoln Stephens, co-founder and CEO of the Marcus Graham Project. “Meanwhile, we got to tap into the students’ experiences and perspectives on living in and growing up in their South Dallas neighborhoods and what they foresee in the future. It really was a win-win situation.”

The Marcus Graham Project, which typically works with individuals out of college, hosted the pilot program with the high school students thanks to a grant from South Dallas Fair Park Trust Fund. About a dozen students from each school participated in the weekly program that happened October–May.