VENTURA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NAMES BROOKS INSTITUTE
"LARGE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR"

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - (December 17, 2007) - The Chamber of Commerce announced today that Brooks Institute received the "Large Business of the Year" award during its annual Poinsettia Awards luncheon on December 11, 2008 at the Marriot Beach Hotel in Ventura. Stephanie Becerra, 2007 Chairman of the Chamber Board of Directors, made the presentation.

Since 1997, the Ventura Chamber has been honoring local businesses with this distinction. Brooks was selected because of its continued growth, its achievements to date, its partnerships within the business community, its presence within the Ventura community, and its commitment to educating persons in a specified medium.

Brooks Interim President, Dr. Roger Andersen, expressed his gratitude, "We were honored to be recognized by the Ventura Chamber of Commerce as the Large Business of the Year for 2007. The faculty, staff, and students of Brooks Institute have made significant contributions to serving the community and helping to support Ventura as a great place to live and conduct business. Brooks Institute is fully committed to increasing its level of community involvement and civic engagement in 2008 and beyond."

Brooks has four campuses in Santa Barbara and two in Ventura. It recently celebrated its five year anniversary for its main campus in Ventura, located off Highway 33. This campus houses Brooks’ School of Film and Television, School of Visual Journalism and School of Graphic Design. Brooks’ general education courses and administrative offices are located at its Allesandro Campus off the 101 Highway near downtown Ventura.

Zoe J. Taylor, President and CEO of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce, said, "We are honored to have Brooks Institute as a part of our community. This award is a testament to the fine job Brooks does in providing high-quality education to the future filmmakers, graphic designers, and photographers of tomorrow."

The goal of Brooks Institute is to prepare students to successfully pursue careers in visual and media art and design fields. The curriculum promotes critical thinking, creativity, and excellence to broaden student awareness of the world and encourage the full realization of each individual’s potential. At Brooks, students are challenged and engaged; empowered and immersed. They have the opportunity to develop the skill, the discipline, and ultimately the vision, to transform their personal passion into an exciting viable career.

For 62 years, Brooks Institute has trained and educated some of the industry’s finest visual and media arts professionals. From Oscar and Emmy winners to commercial photographers and innovative designers, the more than 10,000 "Brookies" (Brooks graduates) are pursuing excellence and achieving success.

More than 1500 students from throughout the United States and the world are enrolled in bachelor degree programs offered in the areas of Professional Photography, Visual Journalism, Graphic Design, and Film & Video Production offered at four campuses in Santa Barbara and the two campuses in Ventura.

About the Ventura Chamber of Commerce
The Ventura Chamber of Commerce has a well balanced list of business support services for its business members. Membership services are much more than the traditional interpretation. The Chamber as a membership organization represents nearly 1000 businesses with over 24,000 employees. The mission of the Chamber is to promote quality of life through economic vitality. They are dedicated to building a strong local economy, representing business at all government levels, community development and enhancing member benefits through advocacy, programs/training and networking. We promote Business Development by way of participation in local economical issues. The Chamber has a strong working relationship with elected officials, providing them with critical information on business issues and lobby at the federal, state, county and local levels on behalf of business. The Chamber continues as the premiere business organization in the West County region, winning for businesses in policy and political arenas.

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. For more information about Brooks Institute and the school’s programs, visit www.brooks.edu, or call 805-966-3888.