Ariandé King of Tyler grids a light on Brady Litster of Charlotte, North Carolina as they put together a set for the CCM stories series Wednesday June 29, 2016 at Center for Creative Media in Tyler. CCM is a spiritually based organization the works and trains people on technical skills of filming, editing and acting. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

After two years of odd jobs and a few college classes, 22-year-old Nick DelVecchio of Redding, California, searched Google for Christian film schools.  

The Center for Creative Media in Tyler popped up and DelVecchio liked what he saw. So much so that he moved to East Texas and enrolled in the school’s production track, and is working as a camera operator.  

“I use film to tell stories,” said DelVecchio, who one day would like to direct his own feature film. “At CCM, you learn fast and get hands on knowledge to lead and excel in the profession.”

The center is the dream of Emmy Award-winner Doug Rittenhouse, its founder and president.

For more than 30 years, Rittenhouse has worked in television and film production.

This ministry grew out of his love of film production and his need to teach and develop new talent for the film industry.  

“My wife and I prayed about the opportunity to start a studio,” Rittenhouse said. “We prayed that this is something God would bless.”

So far, 165 students have graduated from the center in the past 13 years. Students from around the country are enrolled and developing their skills to compete for jobs in media design and production. But it’s not just about honing their television and film skills. It’s also about growing their spiritual life too.

“We’re about developing and discipling people to be good and excellent in life,” Rittenhouse said. 

Lea Waeckerle, digital marketing director, said the center encourages its students to live out their faith while they work and learn the film making profession.

Regular Bible study, worship services and community groups are a part of the program.

“We want everyone to learn how to worship and praise God while they are here because the industry doesn’t allow for a normal routine,” Ms. Waeckerle said. “In the film industry, we have to learn to worship as believers because we shouldn’t be afraid of darkness when you have a healthy walk with Jesus.”

The school offers five program tracks: production, acting, production management, digital marketing and music composition.

During the admissions process, CCM identifies people with the ability to adapt to their environment.

Once admitted, each student is placed on a team. They will work to complete an actual project for a client that the Center for Creative Media has taken on.  

It’s this real-world experience that students say is one of the most valuable aspects of the school.

“We were treated like professionals,” said CCM alumnus David Fry, 34, of Seattle.

Fry attended CCM from 2006 to 2008 learning about editing, producing, direction and shooting.

Afterward, he worked for eight years at the CW affiliate in Seattle, winning Emmy Awards for his work.

He spent most of his time at that station in commercial production, but also worked on an original documentary program that told the stories of the “best and brightest” of the Northwest, he said.

“For me, Doug (Rittenhouse) was my mentor,” Fry said. “He was awesome. He took his experience of 20 plus years … of being in LA and working for MTV and news stations and really was able to put that into my heart.”

Fry said he not only learned about production techniques, but also about how to be a Christian man in an industry that isn’t very Christian friendly.

Sarah Joy Byington, 26, of Austin, attended CCM from 2010 to 2012 after graduating from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. She came here because she wanted to learn the production side of the industry so that she could be immersed in the film and television industries at all times even if she didn’t have an acting job.

Kenji Ito, of Cleveland, Ohio, completed the two-year program and found his way back to a staff position at CCM as the post-production lead. Ito’s passion for video editing and motion graphics is what drives him to excel.

“I’m passionate about post production,” he said. “I want to pour into others what I know. It’s a continuous training process for me because it reinforces what I know.”

The Cleveland, Ohio native wants people to know that CCM exists to provide an option other than traditional two- and four-year schools.  

CCM prides itself in being able to produce graduates who are not overwhelmed with production life.

“We do this the same way they do in Hollywood and New York,” Ito said.

Klancy Baker had actually made plans to go to an arts academy in New York after she graduated high school in Seattle, Washington.  

But when she attended a Christian fellowship event and heard about the Center for Creative Media, her plans changed.  

“God changed my heart,” Miss Baker said. “God works through CCM. He wants to bring light to Hollywood.”

Nineteen-year-old Hosana Stadler described CCM as a place where students must mature quickly. Learning responsibility and meeting deadlines is what she considers the key to succeeding at the school.  

“CCM is training me emotionally and spiritually,” Miss Stadler said. “My dream is to produce and direct films that make people come to God.”

Twenty student apprentices are at CCM with about five more expected to come in the fall.

No matter how many students come though, his mission remains the same.

“CCM is a ministry with a very specific, artistic and vocational focus,” Rittenhouse said. “God’s people come here to enter the mainstream media business.” 

 

Twitter: @TMT_LouAnnaC

 

Staff writer Emily Guevara contributed to this report

 

Online

Visit www.centerforcreativemedia.com for more information.