Story by: Hannah Osborn
From left to right: CJ Hsu, Greg Snyder and Michael Aronson
Photo by: Joshua Rainey
The 2013-14 installment of the Working Filmmaker Series connected students with industry professionals who share their work, career trajectory and professional advice.
Juliana Lukasik
Photo by: Joshua Rainey
Juliana Lukasik
Director and Principal of @Large Films Inc, Juliana Lukasik shared her experience as a female director and owner of a commercial production company in Portland, Oregon, with the Cinema Studies professional development class. She lunched with a small group of aspiring filmmakers and gave valuable insight into the lifestyle of commercial producers and the stability of the field. Lukasik offered advice on getting started in the industry, particularly for women, such as how to find entry-level positions and what she looks for when hiring.
Marc Marrie
Photo by: Joshua Rainey
Marc Marrie
Executive Producer and Partner Marc Marrie from Arts & Science, a commercial production company, came to campus to discuss what it takes to make a living producing national TV commercials. Students viewed behind-the-scenes footage of the steps involved to create some of his company’s recent work—the 2014 Super Bowl spot for the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the 2014 Visa spot celebrating the inclusion of women’s ski jumping in the Winter Olympics, which garnered nearly 3 million views on YouTube.
Matt Piedmont
Photo by: Joshua Rainey
Matt Piedmont
Returning series participant, Emmy-winning writer, director, and producer Matt Piedmont shared his experience writing for Saturday Night Live with students for the final Working Filmmaker presentation of the year. He offered a personal view of his career, from working his way up in the industry as an instant-ramen-eating page for NBC before breaking into the writing room of SNL. Piedmont also discussed his more recent work as the creator and director of the TV mini-series The Spoils of Babylon. He concluded his visit with an intimate discussion about writing for comedy television with advanced screenwriting students.
CJ Hsu and Greg Snyder
Photo by: Joshua Rainey
Pixar Animation Studios
Pixar Animation Studios Film Editor Greg Snyder and First Assistant Editor CJ Hsu graciously shared experiences of editing film with over 200 students and community members at the largest Working Filmmaker presentation of the 2013-2014 academic year. Snyder and Hsu discussed footage from Monsters University® and shared their advice for pursuing a career in the animation industry. After the event, Snyder and Hsu—both of whom attended UO in the 1990s—lunched with a small group of select students who plan to become editors.
Portland Filmmakers
Peggy Knoebel
Photo by: Callie Gisler
Working professionals from Portlandia and others in the Portland area discussed a variety of careers possible in the media industry. The speakers included Peggy Knoebel, Portlandia‘s First Assistant Camera; Kevin Sullivan, Portlandia‘s Co-Producer; Steven Weisman, freelance Screenwriter/Producer and Portlandia Production Coordinator; and Tyson Wisbrock, a film and commercial Director of Photography. The speakers shared their career paths with an audience of enthusiastic students. The panel broke into smaller workshops to discuss their specialties—from the role of a producer to how to be a great PA, as well as the details of the camera department (What’s in that giant bag the AC hauls around?).
Daniel Meyers and
David Waingarten
Photo by: Joshua Rainey
Second Story Interactive Studios
The Creative Directors of the Portland-based, interactive media company Second Story came to campus to discuss their award-winning interactive displays, featured at the University’s Ford Alumni Center. Working at the intersection of storytelling and architecture, David Waingarten, a registered architect and 2007 graduate of the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts Masters Program, and Daniel Meyers, whose expensive storytelling background draws on his experiences as a feature filmmaker, musician, and writer, shared career advice and their vision for the future of digital media with students.