A group of young Twin Cities media-makers is being guided to create and share their authentic stories with a renewed version of Don’t Believe the Hype on TPT.
Taking its name from a 1988 hip hop hit by Public Enemy, Don’t Believe the Hype was on the air on the Twin Cities PBS station in the 1990s, winning an Emmy Award and national acclaim.
After a 20 year hiatus, the education and outreach program for youth of color is back in partnership with its original co-creator, activist and educator Robin Hickman-Winfield, CEO of SoulTouch productions. She is once again working with the new ‘Hype Crew’ to use the power of media making to once again help BIPOC youth amplify their own unique voices.
“We are bringing young people of color into their rightful place to create new and positive narratives,” said Hickman-Winfield. “We teach them skills and put them in a place to engage with the community and develop as leaders.”
A diverse group of 14 Twin Cities’ students from different high schools and educational settings are on the current Hype crew. Working side-by-side with professionals and equipment from TPT, they come to the television station in downtown St Paul on a weekly basis to learn hands-on skills in the studios, soundstage and control room.
“Rarely do you hear the voices of the young folks. This is a way to help kids tell stories when stories are usually told about them,” said Demetrius Trundle, TPT education project specialist. “It’s a way to make them storytellers, both on and behind-the-camera. They look like communities that haven’t always been involved in public media.”
The students collaborate to write and produce original videos that share their perspectives on topics they choose. Currently they are working on three stories. The topics are about violence in schools, how youth are using the arts to address mental health concerns and the house music scene in Minnesota.
“The best part for me is watching them learn together,” Trundle said. “They have different viewpoints and when they bring their experiences and passion together, that’s when it gets good.”
When the show originally began, Hickman-Winfield saw it as an effective way to counteract “the negative stereotypes of Black youth.” She calls it a media movement.
“They have a light that’s worth continuing to ignite. One of my crew members came to me and said, thanks for filling a hole in me that I didn’t know I had,” she said. “I cannot tell you how blessed I am. I am walking in my calling.”
Hickman-Winfield well understands the power of mentorship. She was taken under the wing of Gordon Parks, the acclaimed filmmaker, magazine photographer, author and composer who was her great uncle, and has been the keeper of his legacy. For the past eight years she has taught at Gordon Parks High School in St Paul.
“It’s exciting, bringing what I learned from my Uncle Gordon Parks. They have to know whose footsteps they walk in and whose shoulders they stand on,” said Hickman- Winfield. “I learn from them too. Some days I need them more than they need me. They give me energy, joy; they remind me we still have much work to do.”
A screening of the videos produced by Don’t Believe the Hype is scheduled for June. After that, they will be available for viewing on the TPT YouTube channel and will be aired on the TPT Learn channel. In the fall, TPT will recruit the next group of BIPOC youth to be part of the next cohort of Hype storytellers.
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