Career Development & Professional Engagement Events
[PAST EVENT] Global Film Festival Speed Networking Sessions with the Cohen Career Center
Access & Features
- Registration/RSVP
The Cohen Career Center and the Global Film Festival are proud to offer the opportunity to network with alumni and professionals in the world of film, media, entertainment, and more! Sign up for 10 minute session to chat with an alumnus or professional and build your knowledge and network. You are signing up for a specific person at a specific time. More details below.
Caitlin Clements '11
Caitlin Clements resides in New York with her trusty pup Gatsby, where she works in theatrical producing as Associate Producer and Creative Content Director at Stacey Mindich Productions. She made her Broadway producing debut on the musical “Dear Evan Hansen,” for which she earned a 2017 Tony Award. She is now also a co-producer on the West End and touring productions of “Dear Evan Hansen,” as well as the upcoming revival of Neil Simon's "Plaza Suite" starring Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker.
https://wm-csm.symplicity.com/students/?mode=form&id=bf28a9f897df6fe0640d669a0a2656b1&s=event&ss=ws
Catherine Orr Giovanetti ‘05
Catherine Orr Giovanetti is the co-founder of StoryMine - a production company that creates documentary-style videos for mission-driven organizations and partners with media outlets and independent producers on documentary projects. StoryMine videos do more than just talk about an issue. They capture real stories and human moments that connect people to a cause and show them why they should care. Catherine received a BA in American Studies from William & Mary and an MA from the University of North Carolina School of Media and Journalism. Her individual and collaborative work has been featured in The New York Times and National Geographic and recognized by SXSW Interactive, the Grantham Prize for Environmental Journalism, World Press Photo, and the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, among others.
https://wm-csm.symplicity.com/students/?mode=form&id=ea53ac952bed64ede8c4366c8007037f&s=event&ss=ws
Desiree Cooper
Desiree Cooper is a 2015 Kresge Artist Fellow, former attorney and Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist. Her debut collection of flash fiction, Know the Mother, is a 2017 Michigan Notable Book that has won numerous awards, including 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Award. Cooper’s fiction, poetry and essays have appeared in The Best Small Fictions 2018, Callaloo, Michigan Quarterly Review, Hypertext Review, Best African American Fiction 2010, and a notable mention in The Best American Essays 2019. In 2018, she wrote, produced and co-directed The Choice, a short film about reproductive rights and recipient of a 2019 Outstanding Achievement Award from the Berlin Flash Film Festival, and Award of Merit from the Best Short Film Festival in Los Angeles. Cooper collaborated with the Dance Department at William & Mary to create a dance “Aloft" inspired by her feminist fiction which debuted in October, 2018.
https://wm-csm.symplicity.com/students/?mode=form&id=dc0e3d3a2b3a644fdc6b3b7b189eb4c0&s=event&ss=ws
Elissa Cohn ‘05
After graduating in 2005, Elissa Cohn spent a lot of time on the road, working on a number of filmmakers' first shorts and features. She has worked in both film and television as everything from a script supervisor to camera assistant to production coordinator. Elissa is now based in San Diego where, when not helping with the family business, she focuses on independent film projects as both a producer and writer-director. Most recently, she produced the short film SPANKO, which has screened at festivals worldwide and is currently in feature development.
https://wm-csm.symplicity.com/students/?mode=form&id=cfd5ea7145cf10c5cf919e7126e9d327&s=event&ss=ws
Elliot Wegman '12
Elliot Wegman is a writer, actor, and director living in Richmond, Virginia. He most recently wrote and directed an original play, Unbecoming, starred in a TV pilot, The Magic Shed, and is a regular improv comedy performer, teacher, and manager at the Coalition Theater in Richmond.
https://wm-csm.symplicity.com/students/?mode=form&id=ac10897a4835ffa05678653fc08febc1&s=event&ss=ws
Jamie Northrup '04
Jamie Northrup works as a Cameraman, Steadicam operator, and Stuntman in NYC. His camerawork has been seen most recently in Hollywood 306, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. His stuntwork can be seen on Saturday Night Live.
https://wm-csm.symplicity.com/students/?mode=form&id=096fcaf0ad35a4932d6dcc515652776e&s=event&ss=ws
Jay Warrior
Jay Warrior is a Gaffer and Chief Lighting Technician based in New York City. He has gaffed multiple feature films, commercials, and music videos for New York's finest cinematographers. His work can be seen on Netflix, Hulu, and on Cable TV. He began his career by commuting 7 hours to NYC from W&M to work on set. Jay prides himself on being an avid instagrammer and networker.
https://wm-csm.symplicity.com/students/?mode=form&id=2ade722a3e0746d12b5da78d5d08fde7&s=event&ss=ws
Jeffrey Tinnell ‘85
Jeffrey Tinnell is a motion picture and television producer with over thirty years of experience. Tinnell has produced work for Nike, Coca-Cola, The Rolling Stones, Miramax, MGM and Lions Gate. His production company, Alleghany Image Factory (AIF), recently completed Feast of the Seven Fishes. A 1985 graduate of William & Mary with a B.A. in History, Tinnell played football under coach Jimmye Laycock. An active participant in the William & Mary community, Tinnell and AIF worked closely with W&M Athletics to produce the latest branding campaign for W&M Athletics. The father of two daughters, Tinnell’s oldest, Remy, is currently a junior at the university.
https://wm-csm.symplicity.com/students/?mode=form&id=799ed0c9aba0c11b0756fb1bb2c5299f&s=event&ss=ws
Jess Novak
Jess Novak is an editorial director, content marketer, and SEO expert who works with clients ranging from Ghost Democracy to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She was the Senior Editor of Health Science, Lifestyle, and Beauty at Greatist, host of the IGTV series GLAMOURISH, and a Cities Editor at Thrillist. She's taught writing, argumentation, and research at a couple of colleges, and has written consistently self-deprecating and occasionally useful stories for publications like SELF, Maxim, Men's Journal, and Brooklyn Magazine. She earned her B.A. in Literary and Cultural Studies from William & Mary, and holds an MFA in Creative Writing, Poetry.
https://wm-csm.symplicity.com/students/?mode=form&id=f8164a057bf349adea0e5c768fae7d61&s=event&ss=ws
Kate Reed Petty ‘06
Kate Reed Petty's debut novel, TRUE STORY, will be published August 4, 2020 by Viking Books. Her work has appeared in Electric Literature, American Short Fiction, and The Los Angeles Review of Books, among other places, and she is the winner of a "30 Below" award from Narrative Magazine. She is also the co-author, with artist Boya Sun, of the graphic novel Chasma Knights, and her second graphic novel with First Second Books (Macmillan) is soon to be announced. Kate's work has been supported with grants and scholarships from The Mount, Bloedel Reserve, the Rubys Artist Awards, and the Sewanee Writers' Conference. At William & Mary, she was a member of I.T., as well as a frequent ghost at Tucker Hall. Kate lives in Baltimore.
https://wm-csm.symplicity.com/students/?mode=form&id=73dce317dd7dbbcf13a6837da05e0bed&s=event&ss=ws
Lauretta Prevost ‘05
Lauretta graduated from W&M in 2005, fresh from the fertile loins of the LCST Film Program, the English department, and the Meridian Coffeehouse. For the past thirteen years, Lauretta Prevost has worked as a documentary and narrative cinematographer.
https://wm-csm.symplicity.com/students/?mode=form&id=13ad10af93dce0ebf993e96690a6ab1c&s=event&ss=ws
Mark Richard
Mark Richard is the author of the national bestselling memoir House of Prayer No. 2 as well as two award-winning short story collections and a novel. His television credits include Man in the High Castle, NOS4A2, Fear the Walking Dead, Tyrant, Hell on Wheels, Criminal Minds, Huff!, Chicago Hope and Party of Five. He recently was executive producer and show runner on The Good Lord Bird, a limited series for Showtime shot in Virginia, with Ethan Hawke starring as abolitionist John Brown. He also wrote the screenplay for the film Stop-Loss.
https://wm-csm.symplicity.com/students/?mode=form&id=bbe2e108bffc66a7a66b6a8851927ae0&s=event&ss=ws
TonalTheory - Marissa Benecke '15, Kyung Rae Kim '15, Andrew Kopca '15, Jonathan Lim '00
Andrew Kopca '15: Andrew Kopca aka Chairman is an up and coming DJ & Producer based in Washington DC. Music has been an important part of his life since he took up the violin at an early age. Classically trained, he infuses a wide variety of melody and harmonies in his music, all while maintaining a booming bassline and irresistible groove. Chairman's tracks dance the line between progressive and melodic techno.
Jonathan Lim '00: Keyboard player, producer, and DJ who comprises one-half of the synthwave duo, Velocity 128. His music focuses on creating melodic tracks influenced by new wave, alternative rock, and electronic music from the 1980s and 90s with current production techniques. Previously, as a keyboard player and co-songwriter for the electronic rock band, 23RAINYDAYS, Jonathan Lim toured across the United States and received media attention in 2009 when MTV selected the band as a Top 3 Breakout Artist.
Marissa Benecke '15 & Kyung Rae Kim '15: Techno DJ/Producers from Washington D.C. Marissa and Rae have been hard at work, playing everywhere from clubs to warehouses in the District as Synthesis Residents. Their sets have always been signified by bending boundaries between hard-hitting industrial techno elements and mesmerizing synths and atmospheric melodies. They have played support for some of the biggest names in the industry of both techno and trance alike including Alan Fitzpatrick, Nicole Moudaber, Green Velvet, Victor Calderone, John Askew, and Greg Downey. The duo also hosts a regular radio show once a month on ascension.fm (Undertone Radio), and hosts monthly parties for up and coming talent of underground music as Decibel Collective. Their latest release Distorted Mind EP on ROAMANCE has been featured on Washington Post in December, 2019.
https://wm-csm.symplicity.com/students/?mode=form&id=f5e2874425958a77c0e961e1fb75589f&s=event&ss=ws
Zach Keifer '07
Following his graduation from W&M, Zach Keifer settled in Charlottesville, VA where he evolved from an independent freelancer to co-owner of a full service production company, Folk Hero Films, which averaged close to $100,000 in gross income per year. In 2020, Zach became the sole owner of a new production company, Octillion Productions, where he continues to write, direct, shoot and edit documentary projects as well as produce media content for businesses and non-profits in the area.
https://wm-csm.symplicity.com/students/?mode=form&id=856984cf30043edcd85da4027b749479&s=event&ss=ws
Alanna Wildermuth ‘12
Alanna Wildermuth currently lives in Brooklyn, NY and works as a production secretary and intern coordinator for the late night show Desus and Mero. She is passionate about creating career connections between current students, staff, and alumni and has created a monthly entertainment newsletter for the past four years (ask her if you're interested in being added to the listserv). She got her start in production by working in news at WAVY TV 10/FOX43 in Portsmouth, VA. She then resided in Richmond, VA, where she worked on projects for ABC, Amazon Signatures Studios, PBS, and Focus Features.
https://wm-csm.symplicity.com/students/?mode=form&id=28fab9e753709f3dd9a5dfa35a4d93de&s=event&ss=ws
Brian Cannon ‘04, JD ‘11 & Liz White ‘04
Brian Cannon became the Executive Director of OneVirginia2021 in January 2015. He brings over a decade of experience in non-profit leadership, community building, fundraising, and bipartisan advocacy for state policy issues. Previously, he worked as a consultant with startups and high-growth companies. While in law school, Brian studied election law and was on one of the winning teams in the 2011 state-wide redistricting competition.
Since 2015, Liz has worked with OneVirginia2021 to grow their supporter base and activate a statewide grassroots network. As part of her work, she travels to communities across the Commonwealth to speak about redistricting reform and empower voters to raise their voices on this issue. She also runs the Presence at the Polls program, training and mobilizing hundreds of volunteers every election. A lifelong political hobbyist, she is honored to work full time on improving such a fundamental part of our democracy.
https://wm-csm.symplicity.com/students/?mode=form&id=bb719f0a17dc87b29ccfad7725b4eea3&s=event&ss=ws
Contact
[[w|career]]