Gabby Sumney

Nonfiction Filmmaker

Gabby Sumney (née Follett) is an Afro-Latinx, queer, nonbinary nonfiction filmmaker with a disability based in Boston, Massachusetts. They work in experimental nonfiction with a special emphasis on issues of identity and personal narrative. Their work has been screened at curated screenings and festivals across the US and Europe including the Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival, Indie Grits, and Fracto Film Encounter. Gabby is also the creator of “This Week in Experimental”, a weekly newsletter that features links to experimental films and videos, reading suggestions, and optional assignments.

Georg Koszulinski

Filmmaker and Professor, UNCW

Georg is a filmmaker whose work addresses issues of the Anthropocene, merging his interests in science, poetry, ecology, the ongoing effects of colonization around the world, and radical forms of non-fiction filmmaking. His award-winning films have been presented at hundreds of festivals, museums, and microcinemas worldwide. Georg teaches filmmaking at UNCW, where he encourages his students to develop their filmic voices and to make work that critically engages the themes, stories, and social justice issues that matter most to them.

Isabella Galletto

Bachelor in Film Studies, UNCW

Isabella Galletto is a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a Bachelor's in Film Studies. During her undergraduate time, Galletto showed her leadership skills through her involvement on campus, in the local Wilmington community, and through her work in the Film Studies department. She led the Seahawk Admissions Network for Diversity as the President, worked as a Resident Assistant and Seahawk Link, coordinated as the Hospitality and Outreach Assistant with Visions 9 Film Festival & Conference, and mentored local Latinx and Hispanic highschool students through Centro Hispano’s MI CASA program. Now working as an Accounting Production Assistant on LIONSGATE's This Country, Galletto hopes to continue to promote inclusivity and diversity in all that she does.

Chenita White

Senior in Film Studies, UNCW

Chenita White is a senior from Flint, Michigan majoring in Film Studies with a minor in History. As a film scholar, she has focused on Third Cinema, Spectatorship, and Representation.  As a filmmaker, her goal is to showcase the black experience with inclusion and proper representation.  She currently maintains a 3.7 GPA and plans to attain a Master Degrees, one in Film Studies and one in History.

Adolfo Hernandez-De La Cruz

Junior in Film Studies, UNCW

Adolfo Hernandez- De La Cruz is a first generation American and college student. He is currently a junior at UNCW with interests in cinematography and documentary. He is a current intern at Working Films and a studio crew member of TealTV. In his free time, he likes to paint, go on hikes, and listen to music.

Priya Shanker

Assistant Professor of Film Studies, UNCW

Priya Shanker is an Assistant Professor of Film Studies at UNCW. She has completed her graduate studies in Cinema Studies from the Tisch School of Arts at New York University. She has also taught as an Adjunct Faculty at NYU, Columbia University and Sarah Lawrence College. Professor Shanker has also worked as a guest film curator at the Museum of Moving Image in New York. She has published book chapters and scholarly articles in journals such as Framework, Hitchcock Annual, Screen and Asian Studies Review. Her scholarship and teaching focuses on women-authored global cinema and Indian cinema.

Tatyana Williams

Senior in Film Studies, UNCW

Tatyana Williams is a senior majoring in Film Studies and minoring in Journalism at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. At UNCW, Tatyana is involved in Student Government Association, National Residence Hall Honorary and serves as a freshman Resident Assistant. Last year, she produced a four-part documentary series called Living in Color with UNCW TealTV. The series followed three black student leaders at UNCW and brought forth the issues regarding race at UNCW. Her lifelong goal is to create tv shows and eventually teach film/tv production at a university.

Taylor Clarkin

Junior in Film Studies, UNCW

Taylor Clarkin is a junior at UNCW double majoring in Film Studies and French. She is one of the Hospitality & Outreach Assistants for Visions and the co-president of Creative Arts Club. Originally from Kunming, China and raised in Lancaster, PA, Taylor’s love of filmmaking began when she got a hold of the family camera at age eight to film music videos with friends. She strongly believes that everyone should see themselves represented in film and is passionate about promoting diversity in front of and behind the camera. Taylor loves being creative in any way. She is constantly brainstorming short film and photo shoot ideas, painting, drawing, and working on digital illustrations. After graduation, Taylor plans on continuing her journey into the world of narrative TV and environmental documentary filmmaking.

Samuel Farance

Senior in Film Studies, UNCW

Samuel Farance is from Rutherfordton, North Carolina, and currently is a Senior Film Studies Major at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He has been creating films for 6 years. Samuel’s experimental documentary work focuses on the Rural South, Americana, and automotive history while interweaving his personal voice into it. His films Dry Rot (2019) and Highway 421 (2019) have shown at multiple festivals around the Carolinas and has been awarded in cinematography and sound design.

Tiya Bolton

University of Chicago, PhD/Doctorate Program in Cinema and Media Studies

Tiya graduated with a degree in Film Studies at UNCW and received an M.A. degree from North Carolina State University in English with a concentration in Film Studies. She is currently a PhD student at the University of Chicago in the department of Cinema and Media Studies. Her work focuses on Black cinema, spectatorship, Black digital culture, and digital fan practice. Her most recent project, Black Panther and Digital Fandom, considers the relationship between contemporary black cinema and forms of black digital fandom.

Lily Frame

Duke University, Masters of Fine Arts in Experimental and Documentary Arts

Lily Frame received her bachelor’s degree in Film Studies at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2020 and is currently earning her Masters of Fine Arts in Experimental and Documentary Arts at Duke University. Frame creates subjective cinematic dances that aim at expressing her desire to be seen, heard, and felt, as her work revolves around the human experience, the natural world, and the stories that distill her life. Curiously, her work investigates the recurring tendency in recent history to connect creativity with mental disability and illness.

Kate Wise

University of British Columbia, Masters in Cinema and Media Studies

Kate Wise graduated in 2018 from UNCW with a Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies and is currently getting her Masters in Cinema & Media Studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. During her time at UNCW, she was actively involved with the Flicker Film Society, co-directed the Reel Teal Film Festival, and was awarded the Excellence in Film Studies award when she graduated. Wise’s research interests vary widely and include representations of generational differences across film, Asian television, and the influence of social media on fandom communities. Her current thesis focuses on the relationship between subtextual queerness in the music videos of the k-pop group, BTS, and their influence on subversive online activism.

Alexis Dickerson

University of North Carolina Wilmington, Masters of Arts in Film Studies

Alexis earned her Bachelor’s in Film Studies from UNCW in 2018 and is currently enrolled in the UNCW Film Studies graduate program. Post-graduation, she worked as a manager for a local boxing gym where she created social media ad campaigns and hosted a couple classes. Alexis is interested in exploring how film theory and film techniques are used and affected by social media content. She currently shares her home with her boyfriend (Jon) and her furbabes (Khan and Luci). In her spare time, she enjoys watching YouTube and TikTok videos, cooking, and volunteer coaching for UNCW’s Men and Women’s Track and Field Team. She used to be a thrower on the UNCW's Women's Track and Field Team!

Leif Lindhjem

American Film Institute, Masters of Fine Arts in Screenwriting

Leif graduated from the University of North Carolina in Wilmington in 2004 with a major in Film Studies and a minor in Creative Writing. He earned his MFA in screenwriting from the American Film Institute in 2007. As an Emmy-nominated producer and award-winning screenwriter, Leif has worked as a Supervising & Senior Producer for Love Is Blind and 12 Dates of Christmas. He has also won the American Film Institute’s Fadiman Award for his original screenplay, Mossadegh and his feature scripts I Am America and Everglade garnered semi final finishes in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences' Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. In addition to his film and television work, Leif is the co-founder and CCO of Lucia Entertainment, a digital content creation company focused on New Media.

Jocabed Aragón

Casting Assistant/Associate, Outer Banks 2

Jocabed Aragón graduated from UNCW in 2018 from the Film Studies and Communication Studies departments. During her time at UNCW, she was actively involved on campus. One of her involvements included being a mentor in the program MI CASA while at UNCW in Centro Hispano - at which time was recognized by the White House and President Obama in 2015. This mentoring program focuses on helping underprivileged Latinx high school students obtain access to higher education. Since graduation, Jocabed has been working in the film industry as an Extras Casting assistant/associate to Taylor Woodell (another FST Alum). Some of the productions she's worked on include Swamp Thing, Outerbanks (S1 & S2), The Food Network, The Georgetown Project, The Lost Boys pilot, Hallmark's USS Christmas, Scream 5, and High Town. She is now in Charleston, SC, working on Outer Banks Season 2.

Nathalie Fortunel

Visual Effects Manager, Netflix

Nathalie Fortunel is a Visual Effects Manager for original series’ at Netflix (specifically Live-Action Comedy & Nonfiction). After graduating from UNCW in 2014, she moved to Los Angeles, a place she has called home for the past six years. Prior to Netflix, she worked on projects such as: A Wrinkle in Time (Disney), Fury (Sony Pictures), Alice Through the Looking Glass (Disney), Pete's Dragon (Disney), and Beauty & the Beast (Disney). She is also part of a Women's organization in Los Angeles called “A Little Day Brunch”, which supports women through networking and mentorship. When she's not working, she enjoys hiking, filming/editing travel videos, and watching lots of Netflix.

Rika Dharmesh Bhakta

Genre Arts

In 2015, Rika Dharmesh Bhakta graduated from UNCW with a bachelor’s degree in Film Studies with a concentration in documentary producing. After graduation, she attended Florida State University where she earned an MFA in narrative production with a concentration in creative producing and screenwriting. Then, she interned with a mini-studio in television development and completed a year and a half of talent agency experience. Currently, she works at Genre Arts (previously known as Cuse Productions) under the Vice President of Carlton Cuse’s company (Lost, Bates Motel, Locke & Key). Since the company has a production overall deal with ABC Studios, you can find her hanging out on the Disney lot (when we aren’t in quarantine). She’s passionate about mentorship because she has had to overcome many obstacles to get to where she is, especially as a woman of color, and having mentors was key in her growth. Because of that, she also participates as a mentor to aspiring students and helps them get their footing out and guide them towards their careers in L.A.

Michael Skanes

Senior Writer/Producer, HBO

Michael is a producer, director, and award-winning editor who specializes in film and television marketing. Currently a Senior Writer/Producer at HBO, Micheal cuts trailers and produces content in-house as well as in collaboration with vendors to create high-end marketing campaigns for HBO's hit shows, some of which include Watchmen, Insecure, Los Espookys, and The Righteous Gemstones. He won a Promax award for his work on Vice Weekly on HBO.

In his spare time, Micheal continues to produce, direct, and edit short films. Most recently, his film Flat (2018) picked up several nominations from festivals around the country. Some of his other shorts include Wake (2012), A Slight Hiccup (2015), and the upcoming thriller Mamu (2021).

Jillian Carney Howell

Production Assistant, Disney Animation Studios

Jillian Carney Howell’s love of filmmaking was sparked at age seven when she received a Barbie video camera for Christmas. Originally from Scott Depot, West Virginia, Jillian learned to create her own filmmaking opportunities by winning online video contests, lobbying her high school principal to let her take a screenwriting course, saving money for the New York Film Academy summer camp, and working for her high school’s morning announcements. Jillian graduated with honors from UNCW Film Studies in 2017 where she wrote, directed, and produced her own short films. In January 2019, Jillian became a Production Assistant at Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, California, working on films such as 'Frozen II' and 'Raya and the Last Dragon.' Her latest endeavor is a non-profit video project called 'Shine On, WV' that creates awareness for artists and art careers in her beloved home state.

Travis R. Merchant-Knudsen

Adjunct Instructor, Wake Technical Community College

Image Editor, Film International

Travis R. Merchant-Knudsen is the Image Editor for Film International and an adjunct instructor at Wake Technical Community College. From 2018-2020, Travis held a Film Studies teaching assistantship at North Carolina State University. His writings have been published in Film Matters, Film International, Language, Literature, and Interdisciplinary Studies, and Southeast Asian Review of English. Additionally, he has presented at the Visions Film Festival and Conference, the Graduate Research Symposium at North Carolina State University, and the Association of English Graduate Students Conference on topics surrounding the interdisciplinary nature of media and literature. His interests in film and media studies are on phenomenology, speculative reality, sound design and music, and narrative within spectacular media environments.

Alex Lepkowski

Production Designer and Art Director, Freelance

Alex Lepkowski is a multi-hyphenate creative based in Los Angeles, California. As a Production Designer and Art Director, he has designed sets for artists including Janelle Monáe, Issa Rae, Big Sean, Jhené Aiko, VanJess, Lucky Daye, D-Smoke, Rich the Kid, UMI, and more, as well as for clients like Timberland and HBO. He has coordinated shoots for YG, G-Eazy, Tory Lanez ft. Snoop Dogg, Smino, Kamaiyah, and Brianna Cash, etc. After graduating from UNCW in 2015, Alex moved to Los Angeles where he secured an assistant position at Creative Artists Agency. At the end of his one-year contract, he decided to leave the agency and pursue a career in production. He began working as a Production Assistant on projects for Nike, Amazon, TeaMarrr ft. Issa Rae, Summer Walker, Ari Lennox, SK8 ft. YK Osiris, and many more.

Ashley Morgan

Director’s Assistant for Jon Watts “Spider-Man 3”

During her time at UNCW, Ashley Morgan participated in the Visions program as the Video Race Co-Coordinator. Shortly after graduating in 2015, she entered the film industry working as an office PA on an ABC Pilot. Since 2016, she has lived in Atlanta, where she has worked on numerous films such as Baby Driver (2017), Black Panther (2018), Jumanji:The Next Level (2019), Doctor Sleep (2019), and Lovecraft Country (2020). In addition to her work in the film industry, Ashley has done work for The Food Network and is a professional photographer. She currently works as the assistant to director, Jon Watts and has aspirations of becoming a director.

Jason Sargis

Location Scout, Netflix

As a UNCW Film Studies Alumni, Jason began his career programming for the Cucalorus Festival. It was through the festival circuit he was able to meet, learn from, and network with fellow film industry professionals and land his first gig on a set. Now a Location Manager and Scout living in Atlanta GA, Jason has worked on both independent and ‘big-budget’ projects.  Jumping from commercials to features, to both scripted and reality television, he enjoys the flexibility and creativity his job affords him. Jason has been lucky enough to be employed on productions for HBO, ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, Netflix, and Amazon. When he's not scouring the land for the perfect filming location, or producing his own content, he’s enjoying down-time with his wife Jessica and their 3 furballs.