A number of you have emailed me privately to ask how, if at all, you can be of help regarding the tragic events of the past week. Thanks for asking. Here are some ideas:
* If you are as concerned and offended as I am about decision of the various news outlets to share the killer's self-taped images and/or manifesto, let them know your thoughts about it.
* If you have no connection whatsoever to the events of the past week I request that you pause, for at least 24 hours, reading any news stories on the event, especially from news outlets that have featured the killer's vanity kit. Instead, use that time -- even if it's 5 minutes -- to do something positive in the world.
* If you feel compelled to read the news, I encourage you to visit The Roanoke Times, whose in-depth and respectful coverage has been a source of pride for many of us in the area.
* If you are able to do so, I encourage you to donate to one of the many memorial funds set up to honor the victims.
* Finally, if you are a film professional, in the coming weeks I will be looking for internships and summer work for my 26 filmmaking students. It's vital, to me, to help them find meaningful summer activity, which will move them forward in their career goals and get their minds off of the terrible recent events.
Please contact me directly if you can offer an internship or, even better, paid summer work: pharrill AT selfreliantfilm DOT com