EMBDC’s Image Committee teams up with MHS students

Published 6:30 am Saturday, April 9, 2011

    The East Mississippi Business Development Corporation’s Image Committee is taking a stand on cleaning up the Meridian area.

    They are planning to launch a litter campaign, and in doing so are teaming up with the Meridian High School media students. The media class is taught by Pranati Johnson and began last school year. They have since added new equipment and programs for professional production and editing. The goal of the Image Committee and media students is to bring back community pride and teach kids and adults that it’s not okay to trash your hometown. They wanted to take a new and creative approach, and in doing so, the students were able to receive some guidance from a former Meridianite, and MHS graduate, now working on a national television show.  

    Sara Rea, executive producer of Project Runway, visited with the students and went through a plan for their commercials and a slogan for the campaign. Rea, originally from Meridian, now resides in Los Angeles, Calif.

    “I was so impressed with their knowledge and enthusiasm toward the project and television production in general. The media equipment they are using is really impressive and nicer than some TV stations I’ve seen,” said Rea.

    Together, Rea and the students came up with the slogan “Let’s Talk Trash” for the litter campaign. The students are going to target their own age group and younger students to show that littering is not the “cool” thing to do.

    The commercials should begin to run in the next couple of months.

    “We are very excited to have the MHS students and Mrs. Johnson helping us with this project. The way to educate the community is to start with educating our youth,” says Robby Pickett, EMBDC Image Committee Beautification Chair.