Award-winning producer visits WNY

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - An award-winning TV producer is back in his hometown of Buffalo and students at Lafayette High School are hoping to learn a thing or two about show-biz.

It's not every day that a group of international celebritiess make their way to the Queen City. On Friday, just such a group came with a strong message for high school students during a workshop held at Lafayette High School.

It didn't hurt that one of the leaders of the group, Tom Fontana, writer and producer of "St. Elsewhere," "Homicide," "Oz" and the "Philanthropist" has deep roots in the Buffalo. Friends of Fontana, Dean Winter, with the "Oz" and "30 Rock" on his bio, along with novelist Thomas Kelly who presently writes and produces CBS's "Blue Bloods," drove home the importance of reading and writing.

There's no question that the message clicked. And it's not just about writing and acting. The group clearly commmunicated the role of tenancity in any career path.