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Meteor 17 CEO Spencer Proffer Establishes 25 Space Camp Scholarships

Dépèche transmise le 1 mars 2012 par Business Wire

Meteor 17 CEO Spencer Proffer Establishes 25 Space Camp Scholarships

HUNTSVILLE, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The U.S. Space & Rocket Center and Space Camp have teamed with esteemed media production company Meteor 17 (www.meteor17.com) and its founder, music and media producer Spencer Proffer, their CEO, to establish twenty-five Proffer Family Explorer Scholarships for children between the ages of 9 and 11, with twelve going to Native American tribes.

“From the time my son Morgan began his 9 years as a Space Camper and counselor, I sensed that its ethos about fraternity, teamwork and dream fulfillment would be a solid foundation and enriching life experience as well as a lot of fun”

The awards will be announced in Huntsville, Alabama, by USSRC CEO Dr. Deborah Barnhart and Proffer on March 23, 2012, at Saturn V rocket architect Wernher von Braun's 100th birthday celebration.

Meteor 17 and Proffer are currently teamed with Space Camp on a number of media and strategic enterprises, including production and marketing of a family-oriented feature film. Scholarship winners will be invited to participate as extras in the movie. Space Camp will be mounting a national video outreach for every student who wants to qualify for the Space Camp Proffer Explorers Scholarship. You can do so by going to www.spacecamp.com/explorers. You can also visit Space Camp’s Facebook page to learn more about the announcement and how to qualify. Top officials at Space Camp and Proffer, along with his team, will select the winners in the next forty-five days.

The union between Space Camp and Meteor 17 dates back to 1997 when CEO Proffer's younger son, Morgan, began his nine-year journey as a camper. He was the recipient of two Right Stuff Awards (outstanding camper overall) and his love of aviation eventually led him to Space Camp's sistercamp, Aviation Challenge where he earned the coveted Top Gun Award 15 times, even besting his fellow counselors in their own Top Gun tournament.

Meteor 17 and Spencer Proffer have kept a close relationship with Space Camp and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, watching the facility become one of the most respected camps on the planet for young minds to develop team building and friendship skills while having fun and learning about one of the most fascinating platforms of all - outer space. At the same time as Proffer had been building M17, he experienced first-hand the paternal pride of watching his son win awards while learning great leadership and life skills. Now Proffer, through the Proffer Family Explorer Scholarships, looks forward to other families sharing that experience!

"From the time my son Morgan began his 9 years as a Space Camper and counselor, I sensed that its ethos about fraternity, teamwork and dream fulfillment would be a solid foundation and enriching life experience as well as a lot of fun," states Proffer. "To be able to 'pay it forward' and give other kids a chance to build the life skills that my son has achieved is something that means a lot to my wife Judy, our Company and myself. Even though I am European-born, Morgan and his brother Sterling have a little Native American in them on their mother's side. It is an honor for us to acknowledge their roots by extending a select number of scholarships to Native children."

Meteor 17 is a highly regarded media production and strategy company with a long history of connecting with audiences (Gods & Monsters, Adventures of Pinocchio, Robbie Robertson: Going Home, Happily Ever After, Broadway hit It Ain't Nothin' But The Blues are but a few). Their productions and projects have garnered Academy, Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy and Tony awards and nominations. As music producer, the Company's CEO Proffer has sold millions of gold and platinum records, having worked with artists such as Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, The Little River Band, B.B. King, as well as all the Quiet Riot albums and videos. Dating back to the foundations origins of Meteor 17, Proffer's love of extraterrestrial explorations were clearly evidenced years ago in the Billy Thorpe mega classic rock hit “Children Of The Sun” space album and laser planetarium shows, which Proffer produced.

“Working closely with Spencer has been an absolute joy, knowing that his heart as well as enormous talent is next to us and the goals we have set out to accomplish with kids of all ages for decades. Our mission is to coach pioneers of the next generation of discovery. We challenge our trainees to master the educational building blocks of innovation, applying leadership, technology and teamwork to become tomorrow’s flagships of progress. Not just in space travel, but all areas of technical advancement. These Proffer Explorer Scholarships and movie are just the beginning of our working with Spencer who is also helping us establish Space Camp in other countries of the world,” says Dr. Deborah Barnhart, CEO of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.

Proffer's philanthropy dates back to his college days at U.C.L.A. where, for two years, he helped maintain a therapeutic rehabilitation program utilizing the power of music in a weekly program for veterans.

In 2005, the Company and Proffer, along with music manager Doc McGhee and Quincy Jones, produced a star-studded multi-media event which featured Beyonce (and Destiny’s Child), KISS, Hootie & The Blowfish, Ted Nugent and Godsmack, hosted by Cedric The Entertainer, for 50,000 Marines and their families at Camp Pendleton in California. They have recently produced and arranged a theme song for the Special Olympics currently being recorded by worldwide artists.

For More Info, go to www.meteor17.com.