In a world saturated with 24-hour news cycles and constant social media updates, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by a steady stream of negative headlines. Since 1995, MY HERO has offered a powerful antidote — using media, art, and technology to celebrate the best of humanity and spotlight positive role models. Through multimedia storytelling, the organization inspires hope, fosters appreciation for diversity, and empowers young people to see their own potential to create change.
Fueling the Mission: A Time of Growth and Renewal
Recently, MY HERO has entered a new era of expansion and creative momentum — increasing its reach in schools, developing dynamic educational resources, and revitalizing its flagship International Film Festival.
Longtime believers in the power of positive storytelling and desiring to help support the mission of MY HERO, the Scripps Family Impact Fund awarded the organization a $536,330 grant to help MY HERO stabilize and grow its core programs during a moment of leadership transition and renewed vision. As longtime Film Festival Director Wendy Milette prepared to pass the torch, the organization was able to invest in new leadership, strengthen its mentoring model, and scale its resources for youth storytellers and educators
What followed was a period of deepened impact across the Media Arts Education Program, the Film Festival, and the development of a powerful new teaching tool: the MY HERO Journalism & Filmmaking Workbook.
Empowering Storytellers: The Media Arts Education Program
At the heart of MY HERO’s educational model is the belief that young people are more than consumers of media — they are creators, too. Through the Media Arts Education Program students receive the tools, mentorship, and encouragement to tell meaningful stories about real-life heroes, in their own communities and beyond.
The grant helped support recent programming initiatives including hands-on film mentorship at schools like Ascot Avenue Elementary in Los Angeles, where students created original films about their STEAM Heroes–individuals who inspire them in science, technology, engineering, the arts, or math. MY HERO also continued to support college and high school interns, including students from the USC Work Study Program, who gained real-world experience in film production and outreach.
To help guide this ongoing work, some of the funds aided in the creation of a new Media Arts Advisory Board — comprised of award-winning filmmakers, educators, and media professionals — to help refine curriculum and evaluate new resources.
A Global Stage: The MY HERO International Film Festival
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024, the MY HERO International Film Festival serves as a global platform for student and professional filmmakers to showcase short documentaries celebrating courage, compassion, and creativity.
In 2024, the festival returned to an in-person format in Santa Monica — an emotional milestone after several years of virtual programming. Over 200 attendees gathered to view selected films, meet the creators, and celebrate stories of impact from around the world. Hundreds more joined the event via livestream.
The number of submissions also surged in 2024 — up to 611 from 398 the previous year — with over 230 entries coming from students or student-mentor teams. A highlight was the presentation of special youth awards, including the WOJ Reporter Prize, honoring powerful student-made documentaries about inspiring individuals.
As one educator reflected:
“These films are exactly the stories we need to tell our children… instead of falling prey to the despair social media and the news cycle cultivates; they become a part of the fabric of the story we need to tell — that it is possible to make a difference.”
A Lasting Impact: The Journalism & Filmmaking Workbook
One of the most significant outcomes of the Scripps grant is the development of the MY HERO Journalism & Filmmaking Workbook — a robust, interactive guide designed to walk students and educators through every stage of creating a documentary, from idea to final edit.
Co-developed over 18 months by media arts educators, festival leaders, and authors Esther Wojcicki and Jonah Steinhart, the workbook includes tutorials, prompts, and embedded multimedia content. It’s freely available for download and offered in print through Amazon, with targeted distribution to underserved schools and educators nationwide.
Already in use across programs such as USC’s Annenberg Summer Youth Academy, LAUSD’s Lincoln High School, and Idyllwild Arts Academy, the workbook is sparking new interest among teachers and after-school programs nationwide. A companion video is in development to bring the content to life through student film examples and behind-the-scenes stories from the classroom.
Momentum for the Future
As a direct result of the grant, MY HERO has expanded its reach and earned new credibility with institutional partners. LAUSD has officially approved MY HERO as a vendor, opening the door for more in-school programming and partnerships, and interest from additional schools, after-school programs, and media centers continues to grow.
MY HERO’s online platform — now home to more than 3,000 short films — has been enhanced for greater accessibility and visibility. In 2024, MY HERO won a Gold Anthem Award for Best Educational or Literary Platform – a testament to its ongoing innovation and relevance in media literacy and youth engagement.
The Heroic Act of Empowerment
Thanks to the support of the Scripps Family Impact Fund, MY HERO has deepened its commitment to empowering the next generation of storytellers and changemakers.
Whether it’s through a first documentary project, a moment of recognition at the Film Festival, or a classroom conversation sparked by the Workbook, MY HERO is helping students find their voice and understand their capacity to lead, connect, and uplift others.
As Esther Wojcicki writes in the Workbook’s introduction:
“This journey isn’t just about technical magic… It’s about discovering the power of empathy, and the way listening becomes a form of storytelling in itself.”
In that spirit, MY HERO continues to grow — not just as an organization, but as a movement of young creators and everyday heroes changing the world, one story at a time.
