Academy of Cinema and Television Works with the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System

Over the next 18 months, the Academy of Cinema and Television (A.C.T.) will be working with the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System as they create educational videos aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles in an effort to improve health outcomes and prevent illness.


The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System has been described as innovative, and now it is living up this reputation as it embarks on a video project focused toward the goals of having consumers choose healthier behaviors and adopt wellness practices.

Jack White, Director of the Academy of Cinema and Television, has directed two of the segments and will be directing additional projects in the series of healthcare videos dedicated to teaching the Arizona population about how to prevent and care for chronic disease. “The first is titled Choices,” said White. It is a short segment that profiles four different ethnic groups, both genders, and a non-descript doctor. (The role of the doctor is played by Kerry Keepers, an A.C.T. instructor.) It is a format to determine if people tend to want to get their medical information from other people who are similar to themselves.

The second one, which was shot in late February is titled “Mort the SuperHero Athlete.” According to White, “Mort tries baseball, but can barely play because he hasn’t been eating well.” The children in the video, which are all A.C.T. students, encourage him to eat better and introduce him to all the “good” food groups. Viewers then see Mort begin to eat healthy foods and comes back to hit a homerun to win the next game.

A.C.T. students appearing in the video include Tatum France, Mikahla Crane, Zackary Cole, Nathan Chenevert, Hannah Blaile, Nathan Folster, Andre Portillo, and Joyce Zhang, along with former students, Christal Hartley, Kurin Hartley, Alejandro Fimbres. All enjoyed working on the set and many expressed good feelings about being involved with a project that afforded both the school and the students the opportunity to serve the community.

Academy of Cinema and Television (A.C.T.) Students

White said about the project, “it has been rewarding to see the results of the students learned skills in a professional working environment.” White also said he enjoyed getting to know some of the student’s parents better – many of the parents and students alike served as extras during certain scenes when they had to fill the baseball bleechers with people.

The producers of the series are state employees Diane Senffner and Kate Hoy. The production company for the series is Knowledge Builders Healthcare Productions. Knowledge Builders produces healthcare education under a federal grant. It’s goal is to improve health literacy, improve compliance to doctor’s prescribed orders and enhance the self-management of chronic illness for Arizona’s low income and special needs populations.

The next film in the series is titled “Joe DeNial.” Joe is a cross between Homer Simpson and Ed Bundy. He’s totally oblivious to his health issues, but does progressively get better through the series. This segment will begin filming in May of 2008 and Jack White will serve as Director along with Kate Hoy.

For free Arizona cultural, and linguistically appropriate health education and wellness information and resources online visit: www.myazhealthandwellness.com — a web portal that allows families access to the tools needed to be healthy.

Contact Information

Jack White

Academy Director

Academy of Cinema and Television

Contact via E-mail