BROOKS INSTITUTE PRESENTS THE 2008 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD TO JAMES NEIHOUSE '76

SANTA BARBARA & VENTURA, Calif. – (August 21, 2008) – The Alumni Association of Brooks Institute is pleased to announce the 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient will be James Neihouse '76. This will be the first time the annual award is given and Neihouse was chosen from more than 25 nominations. He will be honored on October 26th at the Brooks Institute graduation.

James Neihouse '76

Since his graduation in 1976 from Brooks Institute, Neihouse has worked on more than 35 large format films including: "Pulse, A Stomp Odyssey," "The Rolling Stones," "NASCAR 3D, The IMAX Experience," "Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees," and "Michael Jordan to The Max."

In 1980 Neihouse was one of the first to fly into the newly-created crater of Mt. St. Helens while shooting "The Eruption of Mt. St. Helens" which was later nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Documentary. Neihouse received a 1996 Gold World Medal at the New York Festivals in the category of Best Camerawork for his contribution to The Learning Channel production "Electric Skies."

In 1999 he filmed "Ocean Oasis" for Summerhays Films. Released in late 2000, this natural history film about the Baja Peninsula and the Sea of Cortés won the Best Feature Film award at the 2001 Jackson Hole Wild Life Film Festival and a Panda Award, also know as the "Green Oscars" in 2002 from the WildScreen Film Festival in Bristol, England.

In April 2001 the Expedition 1 crew of the International Space Station presented Neihouse with the "Silver Snoopy" award. This award is presented by the NASA astronauts to less than one percent of those who are eligible, for outstanding contributions to space flight safety and mission success.

Neihouse was second unit director, director of photography and astronaut-training manager for the IMAX 3D film "Space Station 3D" that opened in April 2002 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. It was selected as "Best of Festival" at the 2002 Large Format Cinema Association Festival and was voted "Best Film" by the Giant Screen Cinema Association in October 2002, and James received the association's award for "Best Cinematography." In 2003, "Space Station 3D" was awarded the KODAK Vision Award at the International Festival de la Geode in Paris, France. Neihouse has also produced, directed, and shot many 35mm, 16mm, HD, and video productions.

James is currently serving as director of photography and co-director of the Warner Brothers IMAX 3D film on the history of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

Neihouse has served on the board of directors of the Florida Motion Picture and Television Association, and the Large Format Cinema Association. He is currently a member of the National Advisory Board for the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, FL and serves on the Production and Technical Committee of the Giant Screen Cinema Association.

In his spare time he enjoys flying, sailing, and playing the banjo.

About Brooks Institute
Brooks Institute celebrates more than 60 years of educating students in the visual and media arts. With campuses in Santa Barbara and Ventura, California, the school offers Bachelor of Arts degrees in fields including Professional Photography, Visual Journalism, Film and Video Production and Graphic Design, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Photography. Brooks' graduates are visible nationally and internationally, working for distinguished organizations including National Geographic, Smithsonian, Los Angeles Times and other national media outlets, including Hallmark Publishing, Cousteau Society, HBO, Kodak and other industry leaders in the visual media arts fields. Brooks Institute is a member of the Career Education Corporation (NASDAQ:CECO) network of universities, colleges and schools. For more information about Brooks Institute and the school's programs, visit www.brooks.edu, or call 805-966-3888.