Maui’s Deadly Firestorm
The Department of Journalism & Public Relations (JPR) at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is pleased to host the production team behind the award-winning FRONTLINE (PBS) documentary “Maui’s Deadly Firestorm” for a two-day visit on Tuesday, November 4 and Wednesday, November 5 thanks to a Scripps Howard Fund initiative.
The team consisting of Director/Producer Xinyan Yu, Producer Christina Avalos, Editor Hannah Long-Higgins, Cinematographer Jia Li, Associate Producer Koralie Barrau, and Assistant Producer/Archival Producer Kelsey Belrose will visit journalism classes and conduct a visual storytelling workshop for students from the Long Beach Current, the longest-running and definitive student news source at CSULB.
“Our mission is to prepare the next generation of journalists. We believe bringing award winners — like the production team from FRONTLINE (PBS) that delivered incredible, heart-wrenching coverage of the Maui wildfire — to directly interact with journalism students at Cal State Long Beach will teach and inspire,” said Mike Canan, Senior Director of Journalism Strategies for Scripps Howard Fund.
“Maui’s Deadly Firestorm” won a 2025 Scripps Howard Journalism Award for “Excellence in Local Video Storytelling, honoring Jack R. Howard”; it also won the “Outstanding Climate, Environment and Weather Coverage” News Emmy Award.
A new Scripps Howard Fund initiative is sending winners of the 72nd Scripps Howard Journalism Awards to colleges across the United States to engage with and mentor students. CSULB was one of eleven universities selected to participate in the program.
The production team’s visit to CSULB will conclude with a screening of “Maui’s Deadly Firestorm” on Wednesday, November 5 at 11 a.m. in Hall of Science, Room 102 (HSCI-102) followed by a Q&A with director Xinyan Yu. The event is free and open to all students.
Attendees are encouraged to RSVPin advance to reserve their spots through this link or by scanning the QR code on the flyer.
Event Details
HSCI-102, Hall of Science, Room 102
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
11 a.m. – Screening of “Maui’s Deadly Firestorm” and Q&A with director
12:15 p.m. – Reception
Reserve Your Seat by RSVPing here:
https://forms.gle/CBuiGu2Zieae3zq68
