Kit
Hood Interview, By Natalie Earl Kit
Hood Interview, By Natalie Earl
NE: Kit Hood responded to me I am going to die of happiness.
KH: Your admiration is TOO enthusiastic... you embarrass me.
Please stop before I start to believe my own legend.
KH: Some years ago, Playing With Time (which does still exist,
although it does not produce TV shows anymore) began a Non-Profit
Foundation to help the Degrassi Alumni complete their education
or to get a "kick start" in their chosen professions --
I sit on the board of the PWTFoundation and still maintain
contact with many of the Degrassi Kids.
KH: As for trivia, memories and memorabilia: Oh boy, I have
tons. Stories,
tales, facts and figures -- lots of "whys" and lots of
"whens" (though my memory often fails me when it comes
to accurate dates) But all this stuff should be the subject of a
long discussion when we've both got some spare time.
KH: What am I doing now? I spend much of my time exploring the
WEB, i.e.
INTERNET, Intranets. I'm presently associated with PageActive
where I'm
developing a division devoted to Interactive Distance Education
(or "Remote Learning", which is today's current
buzz-word).
KH: If you wanna see the kind of thing that keeps me in touch
with young
people today, take a look at Canadian Voice 98 Youth Summit. This
explains the G8 Young Peoples' Parliament -- I've spent the last
9 months preparing the Canadian delegates for the presentation of
their position papers. They leave for Birmingham this weekend!
Which is why I'm much too busy. [PLEASE SEE ABSTRACT BELOW FOR
DETAILS]
KH: I'm also happily developing 3 new 'Net driven TV shows for
young people.
--very original, very useful stuff (I trust). Would love to
explain more but..... Just let me tease you by saying that one of
my favorite concepts is for a TV show, for young people, dealing
with "real" issues, kinda like
"DegrassiTalks" but more current. The thingy that sets
this show apart is that it will be Designed and Developed by its
Young Audience!
KH: So, I'm currently building a web-site which will invite
participation through chat and E'mail, from young folk anywhere,
to offer suggestions and ideas for the TV show. I foresee a site
where teenagers can reach out to their peers to ask for help, and
to mentor others.
KH: My present problem is find a way to build a sufficient
"critical Mass" and attract people to the chatrooms,
thus feed the TV show with enough material to justify the
programmes.
Ok, Natalie, gotta go... will try to keep in touch . . . but just
let me get those 58 kids onto the plane to Birmingham first. Best
wishes KH.
*******Abstract from the Canadian Voice 98 Youth Summit Website:
"This year, the g8 summit of world leaders will be paralleled by a youth summit, with young delegates from each of the eight countries:
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, and the United States of America. These two parallel conferences will take place on May 15 to 17 in Birmingham, England. Two student delegates from Don Mills Collegiate Institute will represent the voice of Canada's youth at the Young People's Summit.
"Canadian Voice '98 Global youth summit is the name of the Canadian facet of the Young People's Summit. Don Mills Collegiate Institute students hope to collect the opinions of youth across Canada in order for all of us to be fully represented at the conference. If you would like to be involved, please fill out the form, and we will take your opinions to the table. Chat rooms and message boards will also be put up for further communication.
"The two main issues the world leaders will be discussing are employment and crime, but we would also like to discuss other issues that are important to young people, such as the environment. This Young People's Summit, paralleling the g8 summit is a historical event, as it has never taken place before. It is our hope that this web site will serve as a gathering point for Canadian youth to discuss important issues.
"As well, it will create an archive of all that we will accomplish together. At the unprecedented Young People's Summit in May, young people from different countries will have a chance, to raise their voices together, to be heard, and to represent the concerns and hopes of youth around the world. Your voice is important, so let's make it heard! The Don Mills Collegiate Institute students have prepared various multimedia products with the assistance of PageActive Technologies."
Author's note: In 1988 Degrassi Junior High, Producers: Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler (Playing With Time Inc.) won the Canada Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television
Kit has recently produced an award-winning movie called DANCING ON THE MOON. Here is a description found on http://www.clevelandfilm.org/ciff/films/danci.html
"Dancing on the Moon could rest on alone. It’s that lovely, the one evergreen summer of Maddy Morrison, a 12-year-old farm girl in Lower Canada. Her older sister departs for the city, leaving Maddy with a bedroom and childhood fantasies all to herself — until the arrival of flaky but loving Aunt Ruth, come to help tend to Maddy’s grandmother. Ruth constantly reminds Maddy that she’s growing up, and if the aunt doesn’t do the job, then her brothers, girlfriends and pesky boys pick up the slack.
"Maddy prefers her closest companion, an imaginary dog
named Rex, but as tragedy and awareness touch her life Maddy must
come to terms with dawning maturity. Thematically complex as it
is, DANCING ON THE MOON nonetheless manages to address and
delight young viewers, thanks to stop-motion work by "The
Flying Sneaker’s" Czech animator Bratislav Pojar;
meanwhile, adults will marvel at its depth and eloquence. In
English.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR: A former child actor, Kit Hood emigrated from
the U K to Canada in 1967. After years as a film editor, he
became a guiding hand behind the Canadian TV series
"Degrassi Junior High" and its spinoffs.