Blake Cortright will have his documentary film on the first Boy Scout camp in America air on WMHT on May 29 at 4:00 p.m.

May 14, 2010 - Shaker High School sophomore, Blake Cortright, is on the fast-track to a promising career in the film industry.

Blake produced a half hour documentary about the first Boy Scout camp in America, held in 1910 in upstate New York at Silver Bay, on the western shore lines of Lake George. This unique, historic documentary will air on the Capital District’s public television station, WMHT, on Saturday, May 29th at 4:00 p.m.

“The feeling of having my film aired is incredible,” Blake said. “I never dreamt I would be on television. I feel extremely privileged and blessed to have been given such a great opportunity while still in high school.”

Blake, who became an Eagle Scout when he was just 14 years old, visited Silver Bay with his Boy Scout troop in 2008. It was here that he met, Bob James, a long time Silver Bay volunteer, who shared about the first Boy Scout camp held at that very site over 100 years ago.

“Mr. James gave his presentation to us at the "Council Ring", the campfire ring commemorating the original camp in 1910,” he said. “He had only his voice and a binder full of old photos. The boys in the troop had rapt attention for the 45 minutes he spoke. We knew this was something special.”

Over the next two years, Blake completed this half hour documentary, supervising every aspect of production. “I learned a lot about sound; too loud, too quiet, too hot, not clear enough, too much gain, too little…,” he said. “I experienced the difficulty of working with antique photographs in high resolution video production. I have met many wonderful people who have helped me along the way and who are very excited about my first professional production.”

His video has caught the attention of local scout leaders, state legislators and professionals in the industry. WMHT has decided to broadcast Blake’s documentary and it will air on channel 11 in the greater Capital District on Memorial Day weekend.

You can learn more about Blake and this historical documentary at www.thefirstencampment.com.