In a world where ambition meets opportunity, a few will prosper but only one man will lead the way.

That man is . . .

This is his story.

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Clubs & Such

Happy Valley Film Club I formed — and serve as President of — the Happy Valley Film Club with two friends who love films. Founded October 16, 2013, we meet regularly to watch movies, study film-making techniques, create films to support local charitable endeavors, and strive to improve our cultural literacy through film.

Citizen Kane The Manchurian Candidate7 plus Seven Duck Soup Mean Girls

7 Ups Fahrenheit 451 MirrorMaskAbout a Boy The Godfather On the WaterfrontBaraka The Godfather: Part II Pacific RimThe Big Sleep The Godfather: Part III PattonBig Trouble in Little China

The Kite Runner PsychoThe Birds The Last Wave Rear WindowThe Blob Life Itself Spirited AwayThe Blues Brothers Life of Brian To Kill a MockingbirdBrazil Lord of the Flies War of the WorldsCasablanca The Maltese Falcon White Christmas

Selected Films

Click titles to visit web pages.

Clubs & Such continued

Penn State Film Camp In the summer of 2013, I attended the Penn State Camp for Filmmakers where I had a chance to work with other filmmakers of the future as well as the faculty and staff from Penn State. It was a hectic, incredibly busy week and I left a tired but more experienced person.

That’s me!

Click title to visit web page.

Here I am!

Clubs & Such continued

Dickinson’s Little VaudevilleBefore Television, before computers, before movies, before radio, there was Vaudeville. From 1875 to 1932, Vaudeville was America's favorite form of entertainment. Over 25,000 performers, working in over 4,000 theatres across our country, earned their living working in Vaudeville. Dickinson's Little Vaudeville, founded in 1993, is the one exclusive Vaudeville school in America. From 2006 through 2009 I performed with the troop to raise money for the Illinois Food Pantry. Through my involvement with this troop, I learned how to set aside my time to help those in need.

Click title to visit web page.

Academics

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR TALENT DEVELOPMENTAugust 2005 - May 2006

When I was four years old, my parents enrolled me in The Center for Talent Development (CTD) at Northwestern University. Classes were held on Saturday mornings for gifted children, “age 4 through grade 12”. [sic].INTREPID ACADEMYAugust 2005 - May 2010

The state of Illinois believes that home schools are a form of private school. My parents formed the Intrepid Academy as my own private home school. It was based mostly on the accredited k12 online homeschool curriculum.

Click image or title to visit web page.

Academics continued

PA CYBER CHARTER SCHOOLAugust 2011 — Present

When I was 10 years old my family moved to State College, PA and I enrolled in one of the largest, most experienced, and most successful online public schools in the nation, PA Cyber. I believe the future of education is inextricably tied to technology and the online learning environment was a fun way to connect with instructors as well as my classmates.

PENN STATE UNIVERSITY (HIGH SCHOOL — NON-DEGREE STUDENT)August 2013 — Present

Beginning in my junior year of high school I was able to attend classes at Penn State’s University Park campus. I’ve been in large lecture halls as well as smaller classrooms and have participated in individual work and group projects. Professors like Dr. Kevin Hagopian, Dr. Wilson Moses, and Dr. Heather McCoy nurtured my love for film, history and French. I would like to pursue a double-major in Film and History with a minor in French.Click image or title to visit web page.

Associations

Davidson Young Scholar Program for Profoundly Gifted Young PeopleI joined the Young Scholar program just before my fifth birthday. Not only did I meet and spend time with other young scholars from around the country at annual gatherings, but I also forged early friendships with local young scholars.

National Honor SocietyI was quite excited the night I was inducted into the National Honor Society (NHS), because I knew that it was more than just an honor roll. The NHS honors students who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. I am proud to count myself among them.

As part of my NHS membership, I was able to mentor another PA Cyber student. His name is Josh and he’s in the 3rd grade. We met for a half-hour every week and discussed everything from Legos to how to schoolwork in a virtual environment.

Click image or title to visit web page.

YouTube EDU Guru

Good and Well GrammarIt all began with my mom; she’s amazing with grammar. In fact, I call her the “Grammar Slammer”. You know the old saying, “If you can’t beat them, you might as well join them”? Well it wasn’t long before my dad and I hit upon the idea of creating humorous brain teasers for true grammar fans, as well as to provide educators and students with a fun way to reinforce the rules of proper sentence structure.

Cultural Moments with Ed and AlanMy dad and I research, write, perform and produce these informative videos that explore and educate viewers on various aspects of American culture, everything from the development of cutlery to what is meant by “Beware the Ides of March” to the implications of “executive overreach.” One of my most memorable moments was standing on the steps of the Supreme Court waiting for the decision on The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, aka “Obamacare”.

The Adventures of Ed and AlanEven before I was able to walk, my dad took me on weekly adventures to libraries, museums, zoos, parks, art galleries, historical monuments, shows and so much more. Eventually we began capturing those adventures on video for those who cannot visit them in person. In 2012, on the strength of this series, we were named one of YouTube's Top 10 EDU Guru's.

Click image or title to view videos.

Service to Others

Toys for TotsEach year, from the age of 5, I gave ⅓ of my allowance to charity. My parents helped me research different charitable causes so I understood where my money was going and the impact I was making. The charity I’ve supported nearly every year is the “Toys for Tots” program.

Click title or image to visit web page.

Service to Others continued

Relay for Life of BellefonteIn November of 2012 my dad was diagnosed with cancer. The next year taught me many things about life, so when PA Cyber asked me to captain our Relay for Life team, I enthusiastically said, “Yes!" I couldn't think of a better way to thank the amazing people who worked so hard to help my dad. I managed to raise $2,785 personally for our team and deem every penny worth the effort.

Click title or image to visit web page.

The Great Thing About Centre County PAWSThe first video the Happy Valley Film Club produced was for a local animal shelter, Centre County PAWS. We worked with a still camera, a video camera and a GoPro … and some of the most generous people I’ve ever met.

Service to Others continued

Click title or image to visit web page or view film.

Service to Others continued

Click image or title to view videos.

What is Cancer?

Fight the Sadness

I was scared when I learned what cancer is … primarily because I was 11 years old and my dad had just told me that he only had a few weeks left to live. Spoiler Alert! We were lucky; his diagnosis was changed. He still had cancer, but he had a chance to survive (which he did!). I wanted to help other kids who were in a similar situation, so ... I made a video. In fact, I made two.

Internships

23K Cinema Studios In the summer of 2014 I had the opportunity to work as an intern with a full-service marketing design agency located in the heart of Wayne, Pennsylvania. The project was a series of customer testimonial / documentary / talking head interviews.

From location scouting in Chicago, Illinois to the actual shoot, to the editing back in the 23K offices, I was able to shadow the film’s producer and work with the cinematographer. Click titles to visit web page or to view videos.

Look! There I am!

Check them out:Mega Trends in the Professional Services IndustryTalented Resources in the Professional Services IndustryGlobalization in the Professional Services IndustryBusiness Evolution in the Professional Services IndustryTechnology Innovation in the Professional Services Industry

Honors and Achievements

The Cat of the Round Table

In 2009, a poem I had written the previous year about King Arthur’s court was featured on the children's television series, Green Screen Adventures.

Luddites and Leaders

My video won first prize (High School category) for "Best Use of Technology" in Carnegie Science Center’s i5 Digital Video Competition, presented in partnership with Pittsburgh Filmmakers, in 2013.

Free Candy

My video won first prize (High School category) for C-SPAN’s national StudentCam film competition in 2013.

NOTE: In keeping with my practice of donating ⅓ of my allowance to charity, $1,000 of the $3,000 prize went to Center County PAWS.

Click image or title to view videos.

In the News

“Via the magic of Skype technology, producer/host Bonnie D. Graham in New York chatted live on July 23, 2013 with father-and-son award-winning educational videographers Ed and Alan Shimp in Pennsylvania.”

My dad and I were very honored and excited to be featured on the syndicated cable TV show, “Something To Talk About” hosted by the vivacious and charming Ms. Graham.

Click image or title to view video.

In the News continued

In 2013 — based on my video “Free Candy” which won 1st prize in the high school division of the C-SPAN StudentCam video documentary competition — I was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion hosted by Ms. Susan Swain. Joining me were Josh Stokes (left), the grand prize winner, and Parin Bhaduri (right) who, along with his partners Austin Hoag and Nalin Varma, won first place in the middle school section. The theme of our videos and the topic of the roundtable was “What’s the most important issue the president should consider in 2013?” I also got to attend lunch with the inimitable Brian Lamb!Click image or titles to view roundtable discussion or videos.

In the News continued

Local Student Tells President to "Fix It“WTAJ picked up on the story of my award-winning entry for the 2013 C-SPAN StudentCam film competition (high school category) and asked to interview me. I was quite flattered.

Bill Could Cut Cyber Charter School FundingWhen the PA State House was deliberating on proposals which focused largely on changes in how cyber charter schools are funded, WTAJ asked my opinion.

The Shimp Family StoryPA Cyber interviewed my whole family about our experience with one of the largest, most experienced, and most successful online public schools in the nation.

YouTube's Top 10 EDU Guru'sIt all began when Sal Khan uploaded his first video to YouTube in November 2006. Since then the demand for educational content on YouTube has exceeded billions of views. In 2012, YouTube teamed up with Khan Academy "to search for bright and inspiring educational content creators who have what it takes to build a global classroom." My dad and I were chosen as one of 10 YouTube EDU Gurus from thousands of applicants across the globe. I am very proud of my dad. Click titles to view news articles and videos.