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Leonardo Cross, an 18-year-old student at High School of Art and Design in New York is the national winner of the 2021 American Bankers Association Foundation’s Lights, Camera, Save! video contest. His entry, “Rewind,” won Ridgewood Savings Bank’s local competition in New York.
Lights, Camera, Save!, which launched in 2010, is a competition that encourages teens ages 13 to 18 to use video to communicate the value of saving and motivate their peers. In 2021, 117 banks hosted 133 contests in 47 states as a part of Lights, Camera, Save!
Cross’ video—chosen through a three-day, bracket-style tournament hosted on ABA’s Instagram page — encourages viewers to think before spending. In the 30-second video, Cross demonstrates how quickly a hard-earned paycheck can disappear if you don’t stop to consider your savings goals. Cross took home $5,000 for his first-place finish.
“Ridgewood Savings Bank is thrilled that Leonardo’s video came in first in the highly competitive ABA Foundation ‘Lights, Camera, Save!’ contest,” said Leonard Stekol, chairman, president & CEO of Ridgewood Savings Bank. “We are very proud to participate each year in ABA’s creative program to teach financial literacy to the teens in our community. Leonardo took what he learned to heart and produced a truly award-winning video.”
