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Create Now! - Talent Show

Create Now! sponsored a Talent Show for 220 teenage boys who reside at Camp Kilpatrick and Camp Fred Miller, detention centers in Malibu. The juvenile court system assigns delinquent adolescent males to reside in these camps anywhere from 10 weeks up to a year. They receive sports and job training, in addition to counseling and an education.

We invited all the boys to participate in three different contests: (1) an Art Contest to develop a logo for Create Now!, (2) a Poetry Contest to write a poem for the organization, and (3) a Rap Music Contest to create a theme song for Create Now!

The boys displayed their artwork, read their poems and performed their songs on a stage in front of all the residents and staff of both camps, about 250 people. The popular hip-hop radio station Power 106 sent their "Flava Unit" to M.C. the event and they passed out ice cream to everyone. Singer/actress Viveka Davis performed, as did rapper M.C. Blvd. along with his friends Azteca and Moses.

Professionals from these arts served as judges. For the Art Contest, Garland Kirkpatrick (instructor at Cal. Arts), Bob Privitt (professor at Pepperdine University) and Wanda Patterson (former art therapist at Optimist Youth Homes) were the judges. For the Poetry Contest, published poets Will Alexander, Jeff McDaniel and Judith Taylor were the judges. And for the Rap Music Contest, Vern Cambridge (Elektra Records), Ingrid Rios (Warner/Reprise Records) and Sinful (rap star from "Malafia") judged the contestants.

Prizes were given to all 45 boys who participated in the Talent Show. In addition to a variety of pens, pads, candy, cookies and a bunch of fun gifts, each boy also received hip-hop CD's donated by Tommy Boy Music and MCA Promotions Department. The Rap Music contestants got additional CDs. All the Poetry Contest participants received the book "Slam," donated by Grove/Atlantic Press. The Art contestants got colored markers along with drawing pads, contributed by Strathmore Paper.

In addition, the three winners in each contest received cash prizes, trophies donated by Hollywood Trophy Company and T-shirts given by MCA Promotions Dept. and Power 106. The winners were selected because of their talent and also for following the guidelines of the contest, which were to focus their submissions on the principles of the Create Now! organization.

Lunch for the judges and volunteers was contributed by the Eclectic Café in North Hollywood. Drinks and snacks were donated by Trader Joe's in Santa Monica. The sound system was provided by Eastside Productions. This event wouldn't have been possible without the help of the following volunteers: Brett Baker, Viveka Davis and her many friends, Frances Lane, Arlene Eisenberg, Mark La Femina, Gayle Newhouse and Sonee Thompson, as well as photographer Frank Lamonea.

The Talent Show was a huge success. The kids all had a wonderful time. Create Now! didn't just let it end without offering all the participants a chance to continue with their creative endeavors. We gave all 22 boys who submitted artwork a chance to meet Gilbert Weems, an animator with Disney. Gilbert spent an afternoon giving them tips on how to draw for animation. Afterwards, Wanda Patterson showed them a half-hour video presentation on the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Wanda gave all the boys applications, and promised them scholarships at the college.

Fred Dewey of the literary arts center "Beyond Baroque" in Venice, arranged for all the poetry contestants to share their work at the open poetry reading on the first Sunday of each month. A number of the boys from both camps have attended two sessions. They were thrilled to be able to read their poems to the general public. They plan on returning there soon. One of the boys has even applied to attend UCLA next year, which he attributes to his experience with Create Now!

All the rap music participants professionally recorded their songs in the recording studio at "A Place Called Home," another nonprofit organization in South Central, with the help of Chris Smart and Cesar Barreto.