Gavin “Django” Farrell is an Emmy-winning immersive media pioneer whose career bridges fine art and cutting-edge technology. A RISD-trained illustrator and muralist, Farrell transitioned into digital storytelling through animation, panoramic photography, and 360° filmmaking. As co-founder and Director of Innovation at Panogs LLC, he has produced acclaimed virtual and dome-based experiences for global landmarks and major […]
Jonathan Caouette is an acclaimed filmmaker whose genre-defying debut, Tarnation, made waves and earned accolades from the National Society of Film Critics, the Boston Society of Film Critics, the London Film Festival, and the British Film Institute, as well as nominations from the Independent Spirit Awards, Gotham Awards, and the IDA. Celebrated for his deeply
Currently the co-director of the Manzanita Film Festival, Justin has been heavily involved in the Portland film and animation community as a VFX Lead and Artist on five feature films at Laika Studios and on Henry Selick’s film Wendell and Wild for Netflix. Justin got his start in film at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch and
An Emmy nominated writer with over 30 years of experience, Ernie Altbacker has cobbled together a career writing movies, television, books, and comics, among other things. Known more for his work in animated DC superhero features (Batman: Hush, Justice League Dark, Injustice, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract), he’s also done a lot of animated television
Paul Harrod has worked over three decades as a production designer and director of both animated and live action projects, with a special emphasis on stop-motion animation. Specializing in environments for visual effects and stop-motion projects, he designed and built miniature sets for the opening titles of Pee Wee’s Playhouse (1989) and set the tone
Wendy Willis once drove over Laurel Canyon topless at 6 am after having to sleep off a sake tasting from the night before. She’s been a sex worker, dated a famous boxing coach, interviewed a rebel army general in the jungles of Burma and has only been in one fight in her life when she
Leslie Hope’s directing credits include: LOST IN SPACE, STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS, VAN HELSING, GHOST WARS, DEVIL IN OHIO and THE ORDER. She directed multiple episodes over 3 seasons of SNOWPIERCER and was also a producer on Season 4. Leslie directed the WWII mini-series A SMALL LIGHT for Disney+ and NatGeo, MURDER IN A
Kitty Norton (aka Lickety Glitz) left her job as an assistant editor for NBC in Los Angeles, CA for her hometown of Portland, OR to walk, stumble, crawl with her dementia mother to death’s door. After her mother Gloria passed away in 2021, Kitty decided it was time to tell the tales of dementia family caregivers, hired a
Dubbed “the queen of independent animation” by Bill Plympton, Joanna Priestley has made 32 award winning films that run the gamut from personal memoir and documentary to poetic adaptation and abstract phantasmagoria. Priestley has had retrospectives at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, British Film Institute, National Film Theater in London, Center for
Ezra Edmond is a writer, director, producer, and the creative mind behind the heartwarming animated short film, “Blewish.” Born from Ezra’s passion for storytelling and inspired by his own background, “Blewish” captures the journey of a young biracial Jewish boy as he navigates his unique identity and seeks a sense of belonging. Through vibrant animation
Eric Cotten is the President and Founder of the Baltimore Filmmakers Collective, a 501 (c)3 organization focused on developing the cinematic voice of the underrepresented voices in the Baltimore community. Since 2013, he has been involved with the Maryland Film Festival. He has been a Programming Associate at the Maryland Film Festival since 2018 where
Michael Cordova brings 20 years’ experience in visual effects to LAIKA, where he serves as Compositing Supervisor. Prior to joining LAIKA in 2011, he worked for 12 years at Industrial Light & Magic. He was nominated by the Visual Effects Society for his work on ParaNorman (Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation, 2012) and was a
Perrin is President & Owner of Worlds Beyond VR, a company that is based on the passion for exploration and experiences. His company was inspired by the dreamers in less fortunate situations that deserve the opportunity to actively engage in wondrous, awe-inspiring experiences that they may have not gotten the opportunity to experience, otherwise.
Eric Bear is an actor, writer and producer who created and starred in the award-winning performance capture series “Belonging” on Apple TV. Bear played a recurring role in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone prequel “1883” on Paramount+ and began as a child actor with a memorable line in Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall.” Born in New York City,
Rahne Alexander is an intermedia artist and writer from Baltimore, Maryland. She is a 2021 graduate of the Intermedia+Digital Arts MFA at UMBC, and a 2021 Baker Artist Prize Awardee. Her works in video, performance, music, and painting have been exhibited across the U.S. and around the world, including the Baltimore Museum of Art, Tephra Institute of
Eric Adkins is a Portland born and raised, accomplished cinematographer with a diverse filmography. His recent work as Director of Photography includes “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,” which earned an 2023 “Oscar” nomination for Best Animated Film… And won the 2023 ASIFA’s “Annie” Best Independent Animated Feature Award. As Directory of Photographer, Eric Adkins
