Four Hoover City Schools students have been selected to join the Starnes Media Creator Collective, an elite journalism and media mentorship program designed to provide real-world storytelling experience to high school students across the Birmingham area.
Hoover High School’s Cameron Johnson and Willow Smith, along with Spain Park’s Daniela Marie Sollano and Leyton McCarn, were among the talented students chosen for the program, which offers hands-on opportunities in reporting, multimedia production and digital content creation. They will contribute to Starnes Media publications, including the Hoover Sun, while working alongside professional journalists and industry mentors.
“This year’s selection process was incredibly competitive,” said Tim Stephens, general manager of Starnes Media and executive director of the Creator Collective. “We received applications from an outstanding group of young journalists, and narrowing it down was no easy task. Cameron, Willow, Daniela and Leyton stood out for their talent, enthusiasm and commitment to storytelling. We are excited to work with them and help them develop into the next generation of media professionals.”
Johnson, a senior at Hoover High, is a yearbook staff member and independent sports journalist who runs the Instagram page @cmjournalism, where he covers Hoover High athletics. He also founded the Lunchtable College Football YouTube channel and works as a student manager for Hoover’s track and field team. Through the Creator Collective, he hopes to strengthen his on-camera presence and develop skills in professional sports media.
Smith, also a senior, is an experienced writer and editor for Hoover Voice, the school’s student newspaper. She serves as captain of Hoover’s speech and debate team and is an active member of the Hoover Ambassadors and multiple community service organizations. Inspired by journalists covering political affairs, she plans to pursue a career in media and political reporting.
Sollano, a junior at Spain Park, is the editor-in-chief of the school’s yearbook and a writer and editor for the school newspaper. She also manages an anonymous Substack blog, where she shares personal reflections and social commentary with over 100 subscribers. She hopes to refine her writing and gain hands-on experience in media production and public relations.
McCarn, a sophomore at Spain Park, is a member of the track and field team and an active volunteer in the Hoover community. She has a strong interest in writing, research and storytelling and was drawn to the program as an opportunity to expand her journalism and communication skills. She hopes to develop leadership abilities and learn more about media production while collaborating with fellow students.
As members of the program, Johnson, Smith, Sollano and McCarn will create monthly content for Starnes Media’s print and digital platforms. Their work will include written stories, multimedia projects and social media coverage of community events. In addition, they will participate in skill-building workshops and mentorship sessions with professionals in the journalism and media industries.
The students will meet for the first time in mid-March, with their initial assignments covering prom, graduation and spring sports in print, on websites and across social media channels. They will also collaborate on a group project, producing a mini-documentary chronicling the experiences of the inaugural class of the Creator Collective. Non-graduating students will return in the fall as part of the program for the 2025-26 academic year, and a second round of applications may be held later this year to expand the class.
In addition to the Hoover and Spain Park students, the following students were also selected for the Creator Collective:
- Kinleigh Freeman, Mountain Brook High School (Class of 2026)
- Evelyn Lee, Mountain Brook High School (Class of 2026)
- Harper Wilbanks, Mountain Brook High School (Class of 2027)
- Baker Stewart, Vestavia Hills High School (Class of 2026)
- Corra Maddox, Vestavia Hills High School (Class of 2026)
- Allie Rezek, Alabama School of Fine Arts (Class of 2027)
- Luke Miller, Chelsea High School (Class of 2026)
- Miyelani Mathebula, Homewood High School (Class of 2027)
