Alumni
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Where are They Now?
Here is what some of our graduates are doing out in the real world...Libby Segal '10 is working at NYC Media now after a successful internship there last spring. Check out Libby's blog at http://libsonthereel.blogspot.com/
Brit McFarland '09 and Ricky LaPrade '09 started a production company, 12 Gauge Pictures, and made a feature film last year (Death Force), that premiered at the Cable Car in Providence. Find out more at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3685415/bio.
Ben Brodeur '08
Recently I got a job as a production assistant at Barclays Capital in New York
and moved down to NYC. It is an investment bank, so not a full
fledged production studio in the classic sense, however, we do put
economists on most of the financial channels through out the day
(CNBC, Bloomberg, BNN, etc). I do camera work and technical direction
for our studio. For the most part, however, it is a webcasting
department though. Since Barclays is an international company with
many offices in New York as well as around the world, we shoot
meetings and presentations and package them to be displayed in either
a live or replay webcast. There are a few other odd jobs but thats it
in a nut shell. Always looking for the next bigger and better thing.
I credit whole heartedly URI, the film department, and all the great teachers I had for getting me to NYC which is where I always wanted to be.
Kylie Tanner '07
I graduated from URI in Dec 2007 with my B.A. in Film and Media
Studies. I am currently pursuing my Masters degree in Computer Science
at URI, however I continue to work on independent film projects on the
side.
Marisa Barone '07
After graduation, I worked in Newport at a helicopter company called
Birds Eye View, as an aerial videographer and photographer, and also
edited some short video pieces for them.
Starting in the fall of 2007 I began where I am working now. Cramer Digital Marketing and Event Solutions. It is a production company out of Norwood MA. I work in the post production department in the media lab, and I am also an editor. In the media lab I work with DVD authoring, file compression, Webcast encoding etc...I am actually getting promoted to full time editor which is what I wanted to do in the first place. So now I will be traveling on events more as well.
But URI was a great start, and I miss it so much. I hope the program is doing great, and plan to visit soon.
Eric Altieri '06
After I graduated I did an internship in Boston at a production
company, then did freelance set work around Boston and Providence,
including some industrial stuff, small and big independent
productions. Right now I'm enrolled in a MA program in Documentary
Film & History at Syracuse University in the Newhouse School of
Communications.
My program is great, I'm getting the opportunity to produce my own films, and use some great equipment I wouldn't have access to otherwise.
Stephanie Dervan '00
After graduating in 2000, I worked in book
publishing for a year and hated it. For that whole year I was looking
for an entry level job in TV or film. As you know, it's very hard to
land an entry level job that actually pays. Finally, I got a job
working as a PA/Office Assistant for a small independent TV company
owned by 2 former BBC producers. It was a very cool experience to work
for them and loved the fact that they were female producers and
somewhat role models for me.
Turns out, the company went out of business about 5 months later but they helped me get a PA job over at the BBC (here in NYC). From that point on, I've been freelancing in TV for the past 8 or so years. I specialize in non fiction/factual programming (everything from travel shows, docs, docu-soaps, reality etc... ).
Matt Conley '00
Since graduating I have been focusing on filmmaking, photography, and
journalism.
My first job out of college was as the Assistant Editor of southcoast247.com, an arts and entertainment website out of New Bedford, MA. It has recently unofficially ceased production of new content after four years, but the site was a community-driven website that focused on edgy writing and creativity while working to better the South Coast area of New England through charity events and volunteer efforts. In addition to being the Assistant Editor, I also was the site's videographer and assistant photographer. The site also hosted NB Reel two years in a row, which was a public film festival that attracted independent movies from around the world to be shown in Downtown New Bedford.
After moving to the Boston area in 2006 (and working on a more part-time level with southcoast247.com) I did a variety of jobs, including marketing for an entertainment research company and selling alternative advertising.
I have also landed background extra work in some Hollywood productions that came to Massachusetts, including Ben Affleck's "Gone Baby Gone," "Knight and Day" with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, and the TV pilot "Bunker Hill" with Donnie Wahlberg.
Currently I am focusing on freelance documentary filmmaking and photography. I recently completed shooting and editing the short subject documentary "Painting the Past," which followed children painting their interpretations of senior citizens' fondest childhood memories and I have been commissioned to work for UMass Dartmouth on documenting a program funded by the government where involving educating troubled inner city teenagers.
With photography I am constructing a portfolio of my work and just completed a photo shoot for the New York magazine "Everyday With Rachael Ray."
Alumni Spotlight
Evangelos Giovanis
Evangelos Giovanis, in collaboration with his brother George, has written and directed three very independent feature films since graduating in 2002. They also act in the films, edit them, and create the sound scores.
Their second film, Land of Nod, won the Digital Wave in the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in 2006 - where he was compared to a young Scorsese and John Cassavetes, (read more here).
They recently aquired the rights to the book about former RI Attorney General called, "The Mob and Me" by Arlene Violet to develop into a script for a feature length film!! To learn more about the book, watch the interview with Arlene Violet.
