P.C.C. is short for Pasadena City College. This article was written within my first year of being there. It has made me proud considering P.C.C. was the start for my educational foundation.
Aiming for a Slam Dunk In The Film Industry
One PCC student's independent rise into the world of sports editing and film...
Written By: Chantal Mullins
May 19, 2005
He may be only 18, but Chris Manning knows what his goals are and he's on a mission to achieve those dreams.
A loyal Lakers fan and sports buff, Manning is bringing his love for the game into the homes and hearts of many.
His quest began in 2001 when he started making video projects portraying his love for basketball. While watching a basketball game, his passion ignited and he decided he wanted to "make people think" about sports.
Manning was already involved with journalism. He had his own sports column in Yucca Valley's Hi-Desert Star, starting as a sophomore in high school and continuing through his senior year.
He then began writing for various Lakers websites.
Late 2002 marked a defining moment in Manning's life. He viewed a Lakers video on the Internet that had been produced by an amateur and his first thought was, "Wow, I can do better than that." He realized that making videos could be "something special," if he had the right equipment. His parents invested in an Apple Macintosh G4 computer for him. Manning said that at this point making videos "wasn't anything special" - he just started playing around with everything.
In early 2003, Manning released his first video to some online Lakers forums. From then on, he ran with his talent. He said, "I started finding my creativity along the way." He began enjoying putting a story behind his work - it "helped [him] understand what he wanted to do with his life." During the Lakers' 2003-2004 season he created game-footage projects. He described it as "basically throwing it out for the fans." He really started to use his passion in an interesting way. In February 2003 Manning created his website, ld2k.com. Within eight months he had over 1 million hits. People from all over the world began visiting his website.
"Sports emotionally charges a person - it's an escape from life," Manning said. With his videos, he hopes to allow people to feel the same emotions that he experiences. He's been fortunate enough to go to many major sporting events and hopes to provide the fans with something they've never seen before.
Manning makes it clear that he's never wanted a penny for his work. His video projects are "his passion" and he loves what he's doing. His website even contains a disclaimer explaining his purpose and giving credit where credit is due. The disclaimer also states "This webpage is in no way associated with the Los Angles Lakers or the National Basketball Association."
In December 2004, Manning entered a contest for MixMakers.net. His mission was to create a 45-second commercial for the website. Out of approximately 1,200 entries, Manning won. In February 2005 he was selected to judge the same contest he had previously won.
Currently, Manning is trying to expand his horizons and not just focus on Lakers and basketball projects. He recently made a golf video project and is also working with a cartoonist to create a cartoon.
Manning is amazed at how his dreams have exploded. He said, "I started just showing off my videos to my friends - and now look at me."
He hopes to "take on the vision of the fans" and eventually get one of his movies into the hands of one of the Lakers' biggest fans - Jack Nicholson.
Over the past two years Manning has created approximately 130 video projects and released about 80 of them on his website.
His main goal in life is to get into the film industry. He wants to "take [his] passion with sports onto the big screen." He is willing to do "whatever it takes to accomplish this goal."
An advertisement for his website appeared in the second issue of "Swish" magazine, which can be found on newsstands now.
There may be a book in his future, also. He wants to tell the world how he can take sports, videos, and people and connect all three.
With his incredible drive and passion for what he loves doing most, Manning is one to look for in the future. He's ready to take on the world one video at a time.