Major(s): Film Studies
What is your current role? What was your journey in arriving there?
I’m a director/producer/editor in the indie film world. I always made films growing up, at Wes and continued to do so after graduating. I wound up getting the opportunity to direct a documentary about my favorite comic book writer, Grant Morrison, and from there went on to direct several other docs in the comic book world. At the same time, I developed my own scripts and shot a horror film called House of Demons, and most recently an indie music romance called The Brink Of.
What do you enjoy about your work? What do you struggle with?
I love making films, and all aspects of the creative process. When you find the right collaborators, it’s incredible to throw around ideas while working on a script, work to get the right shots and performances on set, and shape the final film in post. The biggest struggle is always finding money to make the film, and figuring out the best way to distribute/promote it once it’s done.
Do you have any advice for students thinking about entering your industry?
No one will ever ask you to do something you haven’t done before, so if you want to move up in the industry, you need to generate your own projects and make your own opportunities. The more things you create and do, the more likely it is that good things will happen to you.
How did your time at Wesleyan influence your career choice/journey?
On a creative level, seeing so many great films, and talking about them and contextualizing them definitely gave me a deep understanding of the medium, that informs what I do. And, on a business level, many of the people I’ve worked with are Wesleyan people, and I’m always interested in collaborating with new and older Wes grads.
Updated as of September 29th, 2023
