Hollywood writer/producer Ken LaZebnik visits HCS high school students

Hollywood came to Hampton yet again by way of Ken LaZebnik, writer and producer of Touched By An Angel, Star Trek Enterprise, Army Wives, When Calls The Heart, and more. His most recent project is working with Michael Landon, Jr and Brian Bird as a co-creator of Home to Harmony starring Trent Garrett, Hollywood actor and co-founder of Next Generation Storytellers, along with Jacob Young. LaZebnik also founded the Stephens College Low-Residency M.F.A. in Television and Screenwriting and is currently the director of the LIU M.F.A. in Writing and Producing for Television, a two-year MFA program based in Brooklyn. 

During LaZebnik’s visit, he spoke to students of all grade levels at Hampton High School and Kecoughtan High School about his personal journey as a playwright, screenwriter, television writer/producer and author. He engaged students with an activity about the 3 Act Structure which divides a story into three parts. Act 1 (setup), Act 2 (confrontation), and Act 3 (resolution). Students were able to take a story, and in real-time build each character and create outcomes based on their interests. Ken also spoke about The Hero's Journey, a story structure where a hero goes on a quest, overcomes challenges, and returns changed.

The session ended with an exciting Proof of Concept short clip of Home to Harmony starring Trent Garrett. The students loved watching Trent transform from a mentor many of our students have met, to the role of a former motorcycle riding Brooklyn pastor, Sam Gardner who returns home to his quirky hometown Harmony, Indiana. Students had the opportunity to meet LaZebnik personally, ask questions, and take pictures so they could remember the exciting experience. He brought the love of filmmaking and writing to life in this impactful visit. 

“Something that stuck with me from Mr. Ken's presentation was the emphasis on objectives when it comes to screenwriting. Without a clear objective for your character(s), your screenplay is simply incomplete,” said Canary Williams, Kecoughtan High School student.

“I learned that a story is broken into three parts, and I thought that was pretty cool because I normally thought you have to break a story into five parts, which is beginning, middle, drama, foreshadowing, then a cliffhanger if it’s a show,” said Kanaiyah Riddick, Hampton High School student. “He was pretty cool to me! Love him and enjoyed making a story together as a class.”