Thursday, May 25, 2000

Mr. Petulla,

This is a progress report on the most recent of the "trainees" you've sent us, Pam Wiselogel.

I still would like to know what screening process you use to obtain your trainees, but whatever it is, keep it up!

Pam is an extraordinarily bright, energetic, intelligent young woman. As you are aware she walked away from a very lucrative non-entertainment based computer-programming career to join your program with the desire to learn to become a video editor.

Within days of her starting with us as a trainee we had Pam on location helping out with a complex video production. Within a week she was in the editing room learning the equipment "hands-on" and within a couple of days after that was editing the tapes we had shot a few days before. Pam was so "turned-on" by the process that she would finish with us in the editing room and go down at night and volunteer at our local PBS station during their pledge drive. There she ran camera and finally, one night, did some directing. She is right now shooting her first Little League documentary on her own and will bring it in to our office within a week or so to get our critique of her work. Immediately after she completes that project I'm hiring her to be one of our principal editors on a six-hour network documentary mini-series entitled "Crisis In Our Community" that I'm producing and directing. This kind of super-accelerated hands-on learning could never have been accomplished in the traditional "Film School" setting.

I congratulate you on your fine program. Two out of two isn't bad: First Mark and now Pam. I look forward to receiving your next candidate or candidates.

Thanks again for your fine Film & TV Connection program in general and for sending us Pam Wiselogel specifically.

I remain yours sincerely,

S. Bryan Hickox
President & CEO