While students around the Hill spend their afternoons dribbling balls, running laps, and singing songs, some work in room 313, recording and editing. The Silverstein Media Arts Collaborative is an opportunity for Hill students to collaborate in various media art formats. It was founded by Allen Silverstein, a parent with two sons who attended the Hill School and who wanted to work on films. 

To fund their opportunity, Silverstein created the SMAC, enlisting a teacher he was acquainted with to head up the project. Ned Ide, in addition to heading the SMAC, has an interest in podcasts and writes screenplays, making him the perfect choice to assist students in developing their media-based works. 

This year’s group is comprised of John Ju ’23, Nate Whittemore ’23, Harry Winter ’22, Luke Gerdeman ’23, and Olivia Mofus ’22, who is currently the co-editor-in-chief of The Hill News. They’re working on projects concerning audio, film, screenwriting, and manga.

One such project is an attempt to reconcile the serious and ridiculous sides of the podcast world. Ju teamed up with Aidan Ma ‘23 and Rosa Rodriguez ’23 to create a podcast called “Happy[er].” It’s a chill talk about teenage life with six episodes recorded so far on topics like anxiety, food, and travel. Ju spends his SMAC time working on editing and other aspects, like creating their title card.

“I am so ecstatic to have this time in my day to focus on podcasting, editing, and story-boarding how my episodes will look like,” Ju said. 

On the visual side of things, Whittemore and Gerdeman are collaborating on the only multi-person project this year, a short film about relationships and boarding school. They both work as producers, directors, writers, actors, and editors. Their project has evolved from where they began, but they are enjoying the process of learning more about themselves and each other through it. They’re exploring different aspects of cinematography through their work.

“The Silverstein Media Arts Collaborative is a testament to our human capacity for creativity and possibility. We’re a small unit, but we have big dreams. Together, we keep dreams alive and actualized,” Ide said.