Student Storytellers at Boys & Girls Clubs of Twin Cities Take Center Stage at Dream to Screen Awards Powered by Epson, with Special Appearance by Epson Ambassador Shaquille O'Neal

Student Storytellers at Boys & Girls Clubs of Twin Cities Take Center Stage at Dream to Screen Awards Powered by Epson, with Special Appearance by Epson Ambassador Shaquille O'Neal

Aspiring Storytellers Recognized at Red-Carpet Celebration Hosted by Best Buy Saluting a Centennial and Featuring Winning Videos, Inspiring Student Voices, and Back-to-School Supplies for Every Student

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Epson America, Inc. and Best Buy recently joined forces to inspire and celebrate the creativity of students from the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities through a video challenge, inviting young creators to produce short videos designed to motivate and encourage their peers as they prepare for the upcoming school year. The challenge culminated at a red-carpet Dream to Screen Awards celebration where selected youth were recognized with scholarship awards and every event participant received back-to-school supplies to help prepare for the upcoming school year. Adding to the excitement, Epson Ambassador Shaquille O'Neal made a special appearance to congratulate participants and encourage them to continue using their voices to make a positive difference in their communities. Together, Epson and Best Buy are helping prepare students for the future by providing technology and hands-on experiences that foster creativity, build real-world skills, and inspire confidence in an AI- and media-driven world.

"The future of education isn't just about giving students access to technology – it's about helping them understand how to use it to think critically, collaborate and create," said Mike Isgrig, vice president, consumer sales and marketing, Epson America, Inc. "The Dream to Screen Challenge gave students the tools and a platform to tell their stories while encouraging their peers as they approach the new school year. As AI and digital tools continue to reshape learning, Epson is committed to supporting the evolving education landscape with technologies that complement these tools and help students thrive. We're proud to amplify students' voices, celebrate their visions and help equip them for success in the classroom and wherever their futures take them."

Through the themes of organization, friendship, mental wellness, and staying motivated, the challenge inspired students to share advice, encouragement and personal insights to help other young people start the school year with more self-confidence. To support the creative process, Epson equipped participating Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities with Lifestudio^TM projectors and EcoTank^® printers, providing students with the tools to print storyboards, collaborate on ideas and review their videos on a big screen throughout production. Along the way, participants discovered new ways to express themselves, built confidence both behind and in front of the camera and developed valuable storytelling, communication, and teamwork skills as they brought their visions to life.

During the red-carpet celebration, students watched the premiere of the winning videos, walked the red carpet alongside friends, and reflected on what inspired their messages. Beyond the video challenge, students were also invited to share words of encouragement about how technology – including projection – can help power their success in the coming school year, as well as how their local Boys & Girls Club has positively impacted their lives as the organization celebrates its 100th anniversary. Their inspiring quotes were showcased on the big screen during the event and select students were surprised with Lifestudio^TM projectors to continue exploring big-screen technology at home.

The video challenge was integrated into the summer STEM curriculum for middle school and high school youth attending Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities through hands-on, activity-based group work. Based on the level of participation and positive feedback, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities plan to continue video-based group work beyond the summer initiative. 

"The Dream to Screen Challenge empowered our Club members to tell their stories, strengthen their creative and technical skills, and share meaningful encouragement with other young people," said Terryl Brumm, President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities.

"What makes these videos so impactful is that they are rooted in our Club members own experiences and perspectives. As we celebrate our 100th anniversary, this program perfectly reflects our mission of helping young people reach their full potential through opportunities that build confidence, leadership and a sense of belonging. We are thankful to Epson and Best Buy for investing in our youth and helping amplify their voices."

To further support the students' success, every participant received a backpack filled with back-to-school supplies, reinforcing Epson's and Best Buy's commitment to celebrating student voices, inspiring creativity, and encouraging students to pursue their passions throughout the school year and beyond.

For access to videos and photos from the event, visit: LINK

More About Epson Lifestudio Projectors
Designed to help create unforgettable entertainment experiences, the Lifestudio projector lineup, including the portable Lifestudio Pop, Pop Plus, Flex, and Flex Plus projectors and ultra short throw Lifestudio Grand and Grand Plus projectors, combines Epson's advanced 3-Chip 3LCD projection technology, a custom-designed audio system developed with Bose and built-in Google TV™² for seamless access to favorite movies, shows and apps. Depending on the model, Lifestudio projectors can deliver a picture up to 150 inches, transforming virtually any space into a shared viewing experience.

More About Epson EcoTank
Epson America, Inc. is the global leader in refillable Supertank technology and Epson EcoTank is the world's number-one selling Supertank^† printer^*. EcoTank leverages proven PrecisionCore^® Heat-Free technology² to provide everyday users with stellar print quality and reliability, designed to provide a worry-free printing experience. EcoTank printers also offer uniquely keyed EcoFit^® bottles that help prevent ink from drying out and come with enough ink to last up to three years.³ Each replacement ink bottle set is equivalent to about 80 individual ink cartridges⁴ ensuring zero cartridge waste. The recently announced expansion of the award-winning EcoTank cartridge-free portfolio, including the EcoTank ET-1910, EcoTank ET-2900 and EcoTank ET-4903 Supertank Printers are now available. For more information, please visit epson.com/ecotank-home-office-printers.

About Epson
Epson is a technology innovation and engineering company whose philosophy of efficient, compact, and precise innovation enriches lives and helps create a better world. The company uses technology and engineering ability to implement real-world solutions in precision innovation, industrial and robotics, office and home printing, and visual and lifestyle.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of more than JPY 1.4 trillion. corporate.epson/en/ 

Epson America, Inc., based in Los Alamitos, Calif., is Epson's regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), X (x.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/epsonamerica) and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica).

About Boys & Girls Clubs of Twin Cities
Through our long and rich history, experience, and expertise, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities is leading a transformative change in the opportunity equation for Twin Cities youth through our programs at 12 Club locations. We believe that every young person deserves the chance to realize their full potential and achieve a great future. Our K-12 youth development continuum is a holistic model that helps prepare all young people to succeed in school, develop leadership skills, maintain healthy lifestyles, and build career aspirations. Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities is committed to safety, health, and dignity with a North Star Goal of all members on track for a successful future beyond high school graduation. To learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities programming, visit www.boysandgirls.org.

^{*Source: Based on industry available information and Epson internal cumulative sales data 2010-2025. †Supertank printers are defined as refillable ink tank printers.}

¹ To access Google TV and its features, a Google Account and an Internet connection of 5 Mbps or faster for HD or 25 Mbps or faster for 4K is required. Third-party app compatibility subject to change without notice.
² Select EcoTank models.
³ Based on average monthly document print volumes of about 100 pages.
⁴ Actual savings and costs will vary considerably based on print tasks, print volumes and usage conditions. Savings and cost per ISO page are based on the cost of replacement ink bottles and the cost of enough standard cartridges to achieve the total page yields of the bottles using the MSRP (USD) and yields for Epson standard-capacity ink cartridges for similarly featured Epson consumer inkjet printers as of May 2026.

EPSON and EcoTank are registered trademarks and Lifestudio is a trademark of Seiko Epson Corporation. EcoFit is a registered trademark of Epson America, Inc. Google TV is the name of this device's software experience and a trademark of Google LLC. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. Copyright 2026 Epson America, Inc.

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SOURCE Epson America, Inc.