Tag:

Education

A Conversation with Robert Runcie, Broward County Public Schools Superintendent

by Dan Perez December 7, 2016

Robert Runcie, Superintendent of Broward County Public Schools, sits down with Ed Pozzuoli, President of Fort Lauderdale based law firm Tripp Scott to discuss the current state of the Broward County Public Schools system, what the future holds for the system, and he reflects of his first five years as Superintendent.

Video not your thing? Listen to the interview over at the Tripp Scott Podcast

Dan Perez is a multiple award-winning documentary filmmaker who has produced distinctive videos for diverse clients such as Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, The United Way, The Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, Easter Seals and many others.

Feel free to contact him HERE to discuss how he can help tell your company or organization’s unique story…

December 7, 2016

Corporate Sound and Vision

Easter Seals South Florida | Small Miracles [Video]

by Dan Perez May 31, 2016

written by Dan Perez

This past spring, I was contracted by the good folks at Easter Seals South Florida to produce a video to be shown at their Small Miracles luncheon, one of their biggest yearly fundraising events. Now, for those of you still unfamiliar with what Easter Seals does, here’s a little history:

Two-thirds of a century ago, in the midst of a polio epidemic, many children in Greater Miami needed therapy and education and could not get those services in public schools. Filling that need was a new organization then called the Crippled Children’s Society. From those days in a church basement has come Easter Seals, who offer a variety of services to help people with disabilities address life’s challenges and achieve personal goals.

In 2006 Easter Seals Miami-Dade merged with Easter Seals of Broward County, gaining more strength in early intervention and autism. Now as Easter Seals South Florida, they serve more than 2,500 individuals and families in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, employing 250 South Florida residents and engaging more than a thousand volunteers.

Through programs like the Easter Seals South Florida Child Development Center, Autism Elementary School, and their Adult Day Services, which offers programs and resources to help provide the best possible care for a spouse, parent, adult child or loved one who needs assistance with daily living, Easter Seals South Florida provides exceptional services so that people living with autism, Alzheimer’s and other disabilities can live, learn, work and play in their communities.

Nationally, Easter Seals assists more than one million children and adults with disabilities and their families annually through a nationwide network of more than 450 service sites. Each center provides top-quality, family-focused and innovative services tailored to meet the specific needs of the particular community it serves.

It was a great pleasure to have been of service to an organization such as Easter Seals South Florida. As for the Small Miracles Luncheon, it was a great success raising over $200,000 for the organization. I’d like to think my video had just a little bit to do with that. Oh, and if you’re interested in volunteering, taking a tour of their facilities or making a donation to Easter Seals South Florida, contact Marta Quintana at marta.quintana@sfl.easterseals.com

Enjoy the video…

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzJjqdymnwI[/youtube]

May 31, 2016

Corporate Sound and Vision

Educare Miami-Dade: Elevating the Quality of Early Education (Video)

by Dan Perez April 26, 2016

written by Dan Perez

Educare Miami-Dade is the demonstration school for the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education. The center is an innovative learning, teaching and training initiative dedicated to elevating the quality of early care and education in Miami-Dade County and beyond. The United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education models proven best practices, and shares those practices with adult learners including parents, educators and child care providers. The center also works with business leaders and lawmakers to raise the standards of early childhood education, and support sustainable and lasting change.

Educare Miami-Dade is where it all comes together. Leading research and expertise on early education’s best practices are put into practice in the school, which serves infants, toddlers and preschoolers from different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. Nurturing caregivers fuel young minds in a state-of-the-art facility. The unique composition of the demonstration school allows for in-depth observation of those practices through one-way mirrors without interrupting the learning process of the children.

Here’s a video I shot and co-produced with the good folks at the United Way of Miami-Dade that truly illustrates how Educare Miami-Dade is working to ensure that all children will have access to the highest quality early care and education…

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrZ9cg6u9DU[/youtube]

April 26, 2016

Corporate Sound and Vision

A Conversation with George Hanbury of Nova Southeastern University

by Dan Perez December 17, 2014

written by Dan Perez

George L. Hanbury II, President of Nova Southeastern University, sits down for a candid discussion with Ed Pozzuoli, President of Fort Lauderdale based law firm Tripp Scott. The President of Broward County’s largest private employer discusses the shift to online education, the opening of the Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center located on the entrance channel of Port Everglades in Hollywood and the development of a teaching hospital.

This is the latest in a continuing series of webinars I’ve been producing for Tripp Scott over the past 6+ years. For Tripp Scott, these videos are one of the most effective ways of maintaining close communication with their clients and subscribers. By featuring interviews with business and community leaders, Tripp Scott deliver compelling content targeted for their audience and establish themselves as a leader in their industry.

How is your company or organization communicating with their “audience”?

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/114824373[/vimeo]

Did you know that video promotion is over 6 times more effective than print and online? If you’re not using video to promote your product, service or event, maybe it’s time you did. Feel free to contact us to discuss how we can help tell your company or organization’s unique story…

Like us on facebook and you’ll make us really happy; we’re not sure why, though, but studies have shown that people who like our facebook page are 37% cooler than people who don’t…

December 17, 2014

Blog Giving Back Sound and Vision

Firewall Centers: Transforming Lives in South Florida (Video)

by Dan Perez November 10, 2014

written by Dan Perez

Firewall Centers was founded as a 501(c) (3) organization in July 2003 with the vision of transforming at-risk students into servant leaders. The tragic death of a 13 year old girl who overdosed on drugs while left unsupervised during after-school hours is what spurred the creation of Firewall Centers. Founders Andy and Janeth Fernandez began meeting weekly in the very mobile home park where the young girl lived and died.

I’ve been a supporter of Firewall Centers from the very first time I was introduced to Andy Fernandez almost seven years ago, right around the time I was starting my own video production business. Through the years, I’ve produced several videos for the organization and have seen their growth parallel my own company’s (he, of course, takes all the credit for that).

This year, we focused on a young lady who was with Firewall from the very beginning, Kathia. Kathia arrived in Florida from Honduras when she was around 7 years old. The oldest of five children, she lives with her family in a small trailer home in Davie, Florida. She knew little to no english upon arriving here and struggled in school. Then her father found out about Firewall and her life was transformed. Here’s her story (you can watch past stories HERE).

Oh, and if you’d like more information on this remarkable organization or would like to support their mission (or even just help spread the word), visit firewallcenters.org.

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/111307799[/vimeo]

Did you know that video promotion is over 6 times more effective than print and online? If you’re not using video to promote your product, service or event, maybe it’s time you did.

Feel free to contact us to discuss how we can help tell your company or organization’s unique story…

Like us on facebook and you’ll make us really happy; we’re not sure why, though, but studies have shown that people who like our facebook page are 37% cooler than people who don’t…

November 10, 2014

Blog It Is Written The Written Word

“Math Test”: A Poem by my Teenage Daughter

by Dan Perez June 22, 2014

written by Dan Perez

I’m not the only one who sucked at math, right? Hated math? Thought that other than being able to ascertain how much change you were due after you handed over a twenty dollar bill to the supermarket cashier, all other forms of math were mere folly? Can I get an “Amen”?

Yeah, I sucked at math; hated it. Why? Because I knew my brain was gonna execute a crash dump of all things geometry, algebra and calculus the minute I passed (survived) the class. Alas, you still had to pass the class or suffer the torment of repeating it the following semester. I wasn’t down with that. I went to one of the worst high schools in the Bronx (Evander Childs) and I sure as shooting wasn’t about to spend another minute in there I didn’t have to – especially repeating math. So as much as I hated math, I found some “creative” ways to get by and as Vito Corleone said in “The Godfather”, “That’s my life, I don’t apologize for that.” But enough about me.

Now, it appears that my “math sucks monkey balls” gene has passed on to my daughter. She’s struggled with it all through high school, failing it a few times already, becoming disinterested with it. Her mother and I know she can pass it if she puts her mind to it but it’s a hard sell when we all know how useless geometry and algebra is unless you plan on being an engineer or scientist.

My daughter has neither of those aspirations.

Her only hope is that math becomes as demonized in the US as Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses” was in Iran and that a fatwā be ordered against anyone teaching math. But that’s merely wishful thinking.

So I get a call last semester from her math teacher telling me my daughter failed her latest math test. Yeah, I was upset but I’m thinking, “She’s failed just about every math test so far – why is her teacher calling me on this one?” Apparently, my daughter didn’t just fail the test, she handed it in without offering up a single answer. OK, still not happy about it but if you know you’re gonna fail – why bother, right? Then her teacher explained to me what my daughter actually handed in – a poem written on her scrap paper.

Now I was interested.

My daughter’s math teacher begins to read me the poem. When she finished, my first thought was, “Dang, that was pretty good.” Getting back to her teacher, I managed to offer up a, “Well, that’s just unacceptable – I’m gonna have a talk with her about that” before thanking her for calling and hanging up.

True to my word, my wife and I did have a chat with our daughter about the whole incident but it ended up with a few words of praise for her well written albeit poorly timed prose.

Now I know some of you out there are gonna think Mrs. Perez and I are bad parents for letting this sort of behavior go by without a serious grounding or any other form of punishment but in times like these, we try to consider our daughter as a whole person and not base our judgement of her solely on her school grades. She might suck at math but there’s a helluva lot of good in her – and when she finally finds that “thing” she wants to excel in, she’s gonna leave this world a whole lot better than how she came into it. We believe that unreservedly.

So without further ado, I present you with my daughter’s poem, “Math Test”. Oh, and it was accepted to be published in the book ‘A Celebration of Poets’ by the good folks over at Creative Communications after she submitted it to one of their poetry contests.

Take that, math teacher.

Math Test

by Miranda Perez

Sitting in my math class staring at this blank test,

I have no idea what I’m doing but they tell me “Do your best.”

I’m playing with my fingers, I’m looking around,

I just see people working, and no one makes a sound.

I wish I knew what I was doing.

I wish I understood.

I can’t do this test,

I would if I could.

My calculator is untouched.

My pencil is useless.

I don’t know why I can’t get math,

I guess I’ll start thinking of excuses.

Everything about who I am changes in this room.

I just keep my head down and hope the bell will ring soon.

I wish I knew what I was doing.

I wish I understood.

But I’m sorry to say that I can’t take this test,

I would if I could.

This is the second published poem by my daughter – you can read the first one HERE.

June 22, 2014

Corporate Sound and Vision

A Conversation with Florida Senator Chris Smith

by Dan Perez May 22, 2014

written by Dan Perez

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/95709533[/vimeo]

Here’s the latest in a continuing series of webinars (produced by yours truly) for Fort Lauderdale based law firm Tripp Scott. In this episode, Ed Pozzuoli, President of Tripp Scott, sits down with Florida Senator Chris Smith to discuss Florida’s budget, the economy, education (including the controversial in-state tuition bill SB 1400), healthcare (including the use of medical marijuana) and the environment.

For Tripp Scott, a webinar is one of the most effective ways of maintaining close communication with their clients and subscribers. By featuring business and community leaders in their webinars, Tripp Scott deliver compelling content targeted for their audience and establish themselves as a leader in their industry.
How is your company communicating with their “audience”?

Like us on facebook and you’ll make us really happy; we’re not sure why, though, but studies have shown that people who like our facebook page are 37% cooler than people who don’t…

May 22, 2014

Corporate Sound and Vision

A Conversation with Broward College President David Armstrong

by Dan Perez April 13, 2014

written by Dan Perez

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/91203937[/vimeo]

Here’s the latest in a continuing series of webinars (produced by yours truly) for Fort Lauderdale based law firm Tripp Scott. In this episode, Ed Pozzuoli, President of Tripp Scott, sits down with David Armstrong, President of Broward College to discuss how the college is meeting the needs of students in South Florida, the controversial in-state tuition bill (SB 1400) which will allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates at Florida colleges and universities, and the 2014 Florida Gubernatorial Debate, which will be held at Broward College.

How is your company communicating with their “audience”?

Like us on facebook and you’ll make us really happy; we’re not sure why, though, but studies have shown that people who like our facebook page are 37% cooler than people who don’t…

April 13, 2014

Featured

DREAMers: Equality for All Students (SB 1400)

by Dan Perez March 20, 2014

written by Dan Perez

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/89467356/settings[/vimeo]

Senate Bill 1400, which narrowly passed its first stop in the Committee on Education this past Tuesday, would extend in-state tuition rates to qualified Florida high school graduates who are in the country illegally. The House version of the in-state tuition bill, sponsored by state Rep. Jeanette Nuñez (R-Miami), was debated on the House floor Wednesday and an amendment requiring undocumented students to have attended a Florida public school for four years (instead of the original three) in order to qualify for in-state tuition was added to the bill. The House could vote on the bill as early as next week.

House Speaker Will Weatherford, who stated it is wrong to “punish” children who were brought to this country illegally by their parents, is among the lawmakers who say undocumented students should be able to pay in-state tuition. “I believe there is a glaring, unfair inconsistency in the way we treat children living in Florida,” Weatherford said in a statement, according to the Orlando Sentinel. “The federal government requires us to educate all children, whether they are illegal or legally in the state. And yet, after they go through our public schools, we somehow pretend they are no longer Floridians.”

Sen. Jack Latvala (R-Clearwater), the sponsor of the Senate bill, said that even with the in-state tuition break the students “are still going to be punished” because they do not qualify for federal financial aid or the state’s scholarship programs. Currently, there are 19 states that allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition. New Jersey became the latest addition to that list when Gov. Chris Christie signed the New Jersey DREAM Act. California, Texas and New Mexico have gone a step further by allowing undocumented students to receive state financial aid.

“Having an in-state tuition option will open the doors for these students to participate in programs that will have a direct impact on global competitiveness,” said Luana Goncalves, program manager at Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Meanwhile, opponents argue it would be unfair for the state to subsidize the education of undocumented students while requiring students from other states who are authorized to be in the country to pay out-of-state tuition rates.

This past week, I was contacted by the good folks at Broward College to discuss how we could create a short video that would illustrate the importance of this legislation being passed and how it would impact many of their own students – the “DREAMers”. So scroll back up to the top of the page and check out the video we produced, it might just open your eyes to why these undocumented students are here and what they’re trying to achieve. Oh, and let’s remember that although The American Dream might have lost its luster to many of us who live here; were born here – it is something that many of these undocumented students still strive for. And maybe they’ll be the ones to make it matter like it once did…

Like us on facebook and you’ll make us really happy; we’re not sure why, though, but studies have shown that people who like our facebook page are 37% cooler than people who don’t…

March 20, 2014

Featured

A Conversation with Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford

by Dan Perez September 19, 2013

written by Dan Perez

As part of a continuing series of webinars I’ve been producing for Fort Lauderdale based law firm Tripp Scott over the past five years, this week, we present a conversation with Tripp Scott President Edward J. Pozzuoli and Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford. Topics discussed include the economy, education, and healthcare…enjoy.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta5X20oLjCg[/youtube]

Did you know that video promotion is over 6 times more effective than print and online? If you’re not using video to promote your product or service, maybe it’s time you did. Feel free to contact us to discuss how we can help tell your company or organization’s unique story…

Like us on facebook and you’ll make us really happy; we’re still not sure why, though, but studies have shown that people who like our facebook page are 37% cooler than people who don’t…

September 19, 2013

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