Monterey County Film Commssion Selects Film Student Joseph Blackburn as $2,000 Scholarship Winner

N E W S / Monterey County Film Commission
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   May 8, 2012
Contact:  Karen Nordstrand, 831-646-0910
info@filmmonterey.org    www.FilmMonterey.org

MONTEREY COUNTY FILM COMMISSION SELECTS
FILM STUDENT JOSEPH BLACKBURN
AS $2,000 SCHOLARSHIP WINNER

(Monterey,CA– May 8, 2012) – Joseph “Joey” Blackburn, a student at California State University, Monterey Bay, was named the 2012 winner of the $2,000 scholarship in the Monterey County Film Commission’s Film Student Scholarship & Awards Program.  Blackburn, originally from Paso Robles, is a Marina resident and graduating senior at the California State University, Monterey Bay’s Teledramatic Arts and Technology Department.

Jeff Clark and Joey Blackburn

The Monterey County Film Commission scholarship program was created to provide financial aid and incentive to students of film as well as beginning filmmakers who reside inMontereyCountyor those enrolled in a college or university in the county.  The fund was established as a permanent endowment with the Community Foundation for Monterey County.

This year’s scholarship was funded through donations from the Monterey International Pop Festival Foundation, Union Bank, Alan Vasquez with AVAG, Inc., Teresa and Eric Del Piero, and numerous individual contributors.

Nurten Atila with Union Bank hands check to Joey Blackburn

Blackburnwill use the award to help cover production costs for his Capstone, a senior film project required as his final thesis film by CSUMB.  His film is a black and white horror film entitled, “A Fly in the Room,” which was shot on 16mm film, a more expensive option.

“I wanted to shoot on film for the aesthetic feel that I wanted for my movie, and filming on 16mm was an experience I wanted to have at least one time, knowing that most work opportunities will be in video,”Blackburnsaid. “It feels very good to know that all of my efforts studying filmmaking at CSUMB have been rewarded with this scholarship, and tells me that if I continue to work hard good things will happen.”