IVAN, Actor
Stacie McClam, Former Educator and Filmmaker
Stacie McClam’s MR. ADVOCATE brings students, educators and school systems into a timely conversation about artificial intelligence and equity.
I merge advocacy and film to challenge systems that undervalue our children and staff,”— Stacie McClam, Filmmaker
BAY AREA, CA, UNITED STATES, August 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — For certain youths, the summer months represent more than just a break from academics. This period can become an opportunity to innovate, give back, and leverage their skills to confront issues that will define their era.
At age 13, performer Ivan — who works as an actor, vocalist, and dancer — is dedicating a portion of his vacation to helping audiences grapple with a critical topic in education: Are schools equipping children to understand and influence artificial intelligence, or merely training them to respond to it?
Ivan features in MR. ADVOCATE, a 51-minute dramatic film crafted by Stacie McClam, a filmmaker and former classroom teacher. The production makes its theatrical debut in the Bay Area on Aug. 15 at the Cinemark Century Hilltop 16 venue in Richmond, California.
The narrative unfolds within an urban elementary school where standardized test preparation dominates the curriculum. MR. ADVOCATE centers on Nathan Edwards, a novice educator who launches a six-station AI Show to acquaint his third-grade pupils with artificial intelligence. After the principal attempts to shut it down, a broader struggle emerges involving pupils, families, and teachers over creativity, bureaucratic pushback, and the true purpose of schooling.
Ivan’s involvement brings a crucial youth-oriented viewpoint to the storyline. His professional background notes that he laid down his first recording at age 4 and, by 9, became the youngest artist ever signed to Concord Records, as well as the youngest member of Kidz Bop. His career has linked him with musicians across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Mexico.
Within MR. ADVOCATE, he also stands for a generation that views AI not as a far-off concept. It is already integrating into how young individuals study, interact, invent, and resolve challenges.
This reality is advancing more rapidly than many educational institutions. A RAND study from 2025 revealed that 54% of surveyed pupils and 53% of instructors in English, math, and science fields were employing AI for academic purposes. However, only 35% of district administrators indicated that their districts offered AI training for students, while over 80% of pupils reported that teachers had never directly instructed them on using AI for their studies.
McClam emphasized that the film does not depict AI as either a savior or a villain. Rather, it employs technology to highlight deeper issues around fairness, the goals of education, teacher well-being, and whether every pupil will have an equal chance to take part in a future driven by AI.
“I merge advocacy and film to challenge systems that undervalue our children and staff,” McClam said.
Prior to moving into film production, McClam taught in public schools both across the United States and overseas. Her time in the classroom, paired with her legal education, influenced her method of telling narratives about institutional responsibility and the individuals most impacted by educational policies.
The cast, spanning multiple generations, features Rodney Damon Collins, Conrad Cheeks, BZ Cullins, Andre K. Jefferson, Jere’Miah McGhee, Rapheal Gavin, Arturo Spell, and Tehan Davis. In addition to themes of AI and schooling, the movie addresses grief, depression, exhaustion, and the personal struggles of Black male teachers.
MR. ADVOCATE serves as the initial installment in McClam’s upcoming THE SYSTEM Trilogy, which intends to investigate the potential and hurdles of AI within elementary, middle, and high school settings. Tours for screenings at California colleges and historically Black colleges and universities are scheduled for the fall of 2026.
As households get ready for a new academic term, McClam expects the film will motivate parents, teachers, administrators, and students to pose a more profound question: What kind of future are today’s classrooms preparing children to step into?
For details on the premiere, requests for screenings, and updates on the film, go to www.MRAdvocateFilm.com.
About Stacie McClam
Stacie McClam is a former educator, law school graduate, filmmaker and founder of School Dismissed, a production company using film to examine the systems shaping students and educators. Her work explores educational equity, artificial intelligence, mental health and institutional change. MR. ADVOCATE is the first installment of her planned THE SYSTEM Trilogy.
Stacie McClam
MR. ADVOCATE
+1 (510) 473-5608
info@schoodismissed.com
