Episode 406: Going Forth

In this episode we visit BYU graduates in New York and California and talk to them about the new experiences they're having as they pursue film-related careers and graduate studies in big cities.

Justin Cook is originally from Los Lunas, New Mexico and graduated with a BA in Media Arts Studies from BYU in 2006. Justin currently lives in New York City with his wife Brecken and their two boys Reuben and Simeon. He is completing his Master of Fine Arts in Film: Screenwriting and Directing at Columbia University's School of the Arts. Pas de Deux, a short film that Justin made as a part of the Columbia MFA is currently screening at film festivals across the nation.

Jon Ventura grew up being home-schooled in Georgia, where he developed an interest in photography, writing, and music. He knew he wanted to study film after watching The Truman Show for the first time. He graduated from the film program at BYU in 2009 with an emphasis in Critical Studies, and is currently working on an M.A. in Cinema Studies at NYU.

Marc Marriott went to grad school at University of California in Los Angeles and earned a M.F.A in directing, he was also awarded the UCLA James Bridges Award in Directing. Among many accomplishments on his resume he has produced several television shows and webseries for AOL, the History Channel, and the Discovery Channel.

Dane Cannon is a 27 year old freelance producer and director. His work has shown at more than 10 film festivals, winning its category four times (including Best Family Film at the Newport Beach International Film Festival and Best Independent Feature at the Kids First! Film Festival). He's currently finishing up his second feature, and sometimes assists Jay Duplass on several documentary projects. He loves every Disney movie ever made (especially "The Emperor's New Groove"), independent film, Animal Planet, and "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!" More of his work can be seen on the Internet.

Ashley Pacini began being interested in film at the age of 16 when her family moved to Rome, Italy. Along with her twin sister she found the local Blockbuster only a few blocks away from their house. Through film they would nostalgically travel to the land they had come from. When she found that BYU had a film program, she didn’t hesitate in finding out more information. She found film magical and the passion that filmmakers displayed was inspiring. After graduating from BYU, she worked as a Producer Assistant for the Church’s Audiovisual department. While working there she applied to grad school and is currently working on an MA in Cinema Studies at NYU. She also works for a business management firm with clients in the entertainment industry.

Jed Cowley grew up in the backwoods of Southern Oregon as one of five boys. At the age of 19, he served an LDS mission in El Salvador before pursuing a BA in Film and English at Brigham Young University. While at BYU, Jed produced and edited various short films. He also directed an award-winning commercial for the Utah Film Commission. The Loss of a Wrestling Match, Jed’s first short film, was an official selection at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Currently, Jed resides in New York City with his wife Kate. He is working on an MFA at Columbia University, with an emphasis in film directing and screenwriting.

Tristan Whitman studied film at Brigham Young University where he received his B.F.A. He went on to receive his M.F.A. in Cinematography at American Film Institute in 1998. Since then, Whitman has been working as a director of photography on commercials, features, music videos and corporate films. Whitman's recent work includes: ongoing second unit DP on FOX’s Bones; the feature Take, starring Minnie Driver and Jeremy Renner; Axmen on the History Channel; and How Stuff Works and Out of Egypt, both for the Discovery Channel. Whitman's work has also been seen on HBO, Showtime, MTV, MTV2, VH1, NBC, Nick at Night and the Sci-Fi Channel. Whitman is a lecturer of cinematography at USC's School of Cinematic Arts and is a member of International Cinematographers Guild [ICG], IATSE Local 600. You can see more of his work here.

Original Air Dates:

08/11/2010 8pm
08/18/2010 12pm
08/18/2010 6pm

Episode 405: Starting Over

Featuring "Peter Bayer" with director Sean Slobodan and "Clean Break" with director Chas Kelly. Also featuring faculty host Jeff Parkin.

Documentary filmmakers Chas Kelly and Sean Slobodan discuss their rewarding experiences making films about people at a crossroads and explore how we can find hope even during the toughest trials.

Although he was left behind at home and forgotten by his family on his birthday at a young age, Chas followed in the footsteps of his brothers and father before him (just as two of his sisters did after,) by earning his bachelor's degree in film studies. He emphasized in documentary film production and editing. He graduated from BYU in August 2009 as he finished his student film, Clean Break. Since then he has been freelance editing and assisting in production work for the LDS Church in Salt Lake City, where he lives with his beautiful wife, Samantha, along with whom he just bought his first scooter. He's got no complaints.

Sean Slobodan's main areas of interest are cinematography and documentary filmmaking. During his time at BYU he was involved in several projects including documentaries shot in Samoa and Argentina. He's now found work as the main photographer/cinematographer for Nature's Sunshine Products in Provo, Utah. He's currently shooting an energy drink advertisement in San Francisco and is also involved in the pre-production phases of a short horror film scheduled to shoot mid-June of this year. Sean is married to the beautiful Megan Slobodan and they are the proud parents of a chubby little 6 month old daughter named Evelyn Rose.

Original Air Dates:

08/04/2010 8pm

08/11/2010 12pm

08/11/2010 6pm