Good School Hunting
Think it's easy to create "reality"? It's definitely not as easy as it looks. Executive Producer R.J. Cutler approached the making of American High with a documentarian's eye for detail. First order of business, finding a high school that could live up to the show's vision.

"The original vision of the show was to do the non-fiction version of My So-Called Life. To find a way to tell the story of what it's like to be coming of age in America right now."

After visiting a ton of schools all across the country, R.J. and his team decided on Highland Park High School in Illinois, both for its history and its diverse student body.

"We really wanted to work with a community and a high school that saw from the beginning what the benefits of doing a project like this were. A school that had a great reputation...but also a school that was ready to take risks..." more >>>