Directors

Mishu currently writes, directs, and produces films of various lengths in Chicago; where the past winters have been so cold the only imaginable reason he has stayed must be undefeatable self-loathing.

He has previously lived in New York (Brooklyn and Binghamton), New Orleans, and Whitewater Wisconsin—where you can go to find cheese hats, Miller High Life, and rock bottom.

Prior to filmmaking, he had spent the past decade desperately seeking validation in a profoundly unsuccessful career in theater and comedy. His theater experience—which can only be described as the opposite of lucrative—lead him to writing and performing in an original comedy special ‘Trapped in the Netflix’, devising the “diluted social satire” play ‘Good Morning Gitmo’, and directing the interactive theatrical experience ‘Out to Get You’; which the Chicago Reader chronicled as “the sort of unwieldy mess only true ambition could create.”

Mishu is grateful to have taken a step away from theater and live performance to focus on filmmaking. Since the transition, he has written and shot six short films. He is now raising funds to shoot a feature film for a brilliant screenplay he has penned.

He is forever thankful to his partner Audrey, his family, and the casts, crews, and audiences who generously share their time.

I am an independent filmmaker, screenwriter, poet, photographer, and musician. I am a native Chicagoan, currently living and working in the Ravenswood neighborhood.

I started making movies when I was 7. As a teen I dove into theater, poetry, piano, and photography. Then filmmaking re-emerged as my primary art form because I realized that it’s the creative culmination of all these fields.

I am a fiercely contemplative and introverted person, and it is ultimately reflected in my films: I’m interested in exploring solitude, romanticism, identity development, love & loss, and all of their intersections. I’m inspired by films that are unafraid to slowly gaze, to move at a human pace, and to draw the viewer into a kind of transcendent co-creation.

I’m grateful that in the last 10 years I’ve amassed a body of work that reflects my evolution as a human. It has helped me see myself. In the next ten years I hope to further blur the line between art and life, and to by extension create a space where others can, through narrative and character, witness their own humanity and growth. I hope that my work is as much of a balm to them as it is to me.

Hello! I am a current student at  DePaul University, graduating in June 2023, and looking for opportunities during my last few quarters and post-grad.

I am a very organized, creative, and detail-oriented person and I pride my self on my out-of-the-box thinking and flexibility. My concentration is in Producing, but I have some experience in Directing, Writing, Editing, and Acting as well.

Email me if you are interested in collaborating and I can show you some of the projects I’ve worked on.

-Emma

My name is Rodescu Hopkins II. I am 32 years old and finishing my last year in film school. I’ve been a  freelance photographer for years and want to expand and explore the art form of cinema.

I am a young, new Writer/Director hoping to positively impact the industry’s future. I am eager to take up any position on set and am constantly working to meet new people.

Stan Miskiewicz is an artistic powerhouse packed with the efficiency, skills, and targeted focus required to accomplish all set milestones in the projects he undertakes. A visual artist for 35+ years, he is able to translate concepts into visuals and is considered the Iron Monk of media production. He possesses extensive knowledge with a formidable range of high-end production experience and has a sense of style and acuity needed in the modern digital media production industry.

Stan started out his career as an editorial photographer in Chicago which quickly propelled him into the field of visual effects. A self-starter, he went on to start his own San Francisco based company, Black Point Studios in 2004, quickly becoming one of the industries go to boutique studios and has worked in several companies distinguishing himself as a superb Art Director, visionary artist, and Producer who gets things done with his hands-on approach, tenacity as well as uncompromising ethics and integrity. His talents have taken him from the U.S. to Europe where he worked on feature films, and help built and run production studios. In 2015, he founded CineAir, a full-service company that focuses on transforming the industry through premium quality camera work and his forward-thinking artistic vision always shows in his work.

Being both a director and artist, combined with the additional technical background, has given Stan a unique perspective in the arena of filmmaking. With a deep understanding of film and camera moves, color correction, editing, compositing, and visual effects, he is able to communicate and comprehend the requirements when working with Producers and Directors, effectively capturing the best possible visuals for the projects.

Stan is a licensed drone operator and was one of the first to receive the FAA 107 remote pilot license and the 107.29 daylight (night) waiver.

For quality work that is on the leading edge of technology, contact Stan today!

Brief Bio:

• 8 years as a professional drone operator and cinematographer.

• 20 years as a studio executive and Art Director

• Feature Film VFX artist having IMDb Film Credits

• Owner of Black Point Studios in SF a production, animation, and vfx studio

• Editorial photographer in Europe and the U.S. for AP, UPI, DPA, Berliner Morgan Post, Speigel Magazine, Detroit Free Press, Crain Chicago Business, and others. 

• Fashion, Automotive, and Product Photographer

Hey! I’m Johnny. I’ve been producing videos since 2013. It all started with a DSLR in the Smoky Mountains. Since then I’ve grown to work with big name’s like Google, Pinterest, Nike and many others. My focus is always on story, so if you’ve got one to tell, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s make something together!

My experience is largely in the commercial space, but I’m looking to expand into documentary and narrative. I’m open to any and all camera op, assistant camera, and editing opportunities.

You can contact me by email, or call me at (773) 332-2232. See you on set!

Born on Chicago’s Southside, Chris has co-written and produced sketch shows at Steppenwolf, Second City and ETA theaters. In 2019, he and his writing partner Joe Walters were finalists in the “Your Script Produced!” screenwriting contest, and were mentioned in the 2019 November issue of Variety. Chris is committed to keep growing as a writer and content creator in the industry.

Recent graduate of DePaul University’s Film and TV program. I have 4 years of experience as a Production Designer, Production Assistant, Props Master, Set Dresser, Covid Compliance Monitor and Assistant, Wardrobe Assistant, Producer and Line Producer, Boom Op, and Casting Assistant. I have acting experience from theater and background work. I’ve also been a Social Media Manager and I’m currently an Event Organizer and Host for K-Pop events in Chicago.

I strive to help tell the stories of POC, LGBTQ+ folks and support crews with the same vision.

I have extensive experience in customer service communications, professional organization and being a right-hand (wo)man! As a motivated crew member, I have worked in many different roles and I am ready to learn and adapt to even more. I’m passionate about this industry and I want to contribute my hard work and dedication to unique projects. I have a positive attitude, a drive to succeed and I see my hard work through to the end of any challenge.

I have written, directed and starred in many of my own videos, short films, sketches and even music videos. I’ve spent years performing stand up comedy and improv around Chicago and am currently in a production at The Otherworld Theatre.

writing student at the School of the art institute here in Chicago, former freelance editor. looking to make my footing in the film industry here in the city.

I am a Chicago freelance filmmaker who graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in directing.

I have worked on large and small projects in mediums like features, TV, commericals, shorts and corporate production.

Most of my gigs are Sound Mixing, PAing or Videography. I do however have skills in a lot of areas such as lighting, art department, ADing, producing, camera assisting, etc. I love to learn everything I can about production and with that I am able to pick up things quickly.

Just looking to meet people and help with any projects! Email me at smetzger357@gmail.com

30+ years in film. Ask me about my experience.

Writer, actor, director looking to AD and PA in the city. Will work for cheap and free. I need the experience and you need the flexibility in your budget!

My name is Paige Smith and I am 22 years old, 5’8″, and I am 130lbs. I am a professional photographer and videographer. I graduated in December 2020 from Purdue University Northwest earning my bachelors degree in Business Management. I currently have my own business called Paige Marie Photography. My goal is to open up my own photography studio in the near future. I worked on the Media Team for ComplexCon Chicago and have worked for G-Eazy and his DJ for a few of their shows in Chicago, including at TAO Chicago during All-Star Weekend 2020. Throughout my senior year of high school I interned at IN/Tek and IN/Kote working in the finance department.

Steve is a Chicago native, a graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, and a member of the Writers Guild of America (WGA). His screenplays have been voted onto the prestigious industry Black List three years in a row and four times in the past five years, including in 2020 with his latest script, The Saturday Night Ghost Club. His feature film screenplay, The Cabin at the End of the World, based on the Stoker Award winning horror novel and written for FilmNation (Arrival, The King’s Speech), made the 2019 Black List. In the previous year, his sci-fi adventure screenplay, Harry’s All-Night Hamburgers, sold to Warner Bros in a competitive bidding war, with Oscar Nominated Producer Andrew Lazar (American Sniper) attached to produce. It also became the only script of 2018 to land in the top 5 on both the annual Black List and the annual Hit List. His previous script, Orb, made the Black List, Hit List, and was voted #1 on the Blood List, honoring the best dark genre screenplays of the year.

As a director, Steve’s short film, Monsters, has amassed over two million views online and screened at more than 100 film festivals around the world, winning 45 awards including Best Short Film at the Comic-Con International Film Festival, along with being named a Vimeo Staff Pick.   

TV producer/director/writer

I freelance as a PA. I’ve worked for Zara, Intel, CAT, and Jim Beam Suntory. Production companies I’ve worked for include: North Six Productions, Product Productions (Space Stage Studios), Odd Machine Productions, and Prodigious USA. 

I also freelance as a videographer and editor. I’ve worked with Louis Vuitton, Beige Cashmere, Kindling Group, The Colonie, Free Spirit Media, and City Film. 

You can see a sample of my works on my website: www.lorenzoleyva.com

I really pride myself on working hard and having fun while working with a team! I really love collaboration and the film process. 

Hello all!

I recently graduated from DePaul University’s MS in Film and Television program this past summer with a concentration in cinematography. I’m open to all aspects of production. I want to make a career out of this and I’m willing to do whatever it to make it happen. I look forward to hearing from you!

Virgil Wayne is an American film director, cinematographer, editor, writer and occasional producer. Originally from Chicago, he joined the U.S. Army, serving in Daegu, South Korea and Fort Carson, Colorado, first with the U.S. Army Signal Corps, then U.S. Army Special Operations Command. He was later commissioned into the U.S. Air Force as a Space and Missiles Operations Officer specialising in the Global Positioning System constellation and Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. He transferred to the Air Force’s Public Affairs branch, serving at the headquarters of Air Force Space Command, followed by assignments in Belgium with NATO, then the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command.

He received an honorable discharge from the military in 2006 and later accepted a civilian assignment with NATO in Kabul, Afghanistan, as its Chief of Media Assessments, at the headquarters of the International Security Assistance Force. After leaving NATO for the second time he stayed in Afghanistan and founded the country’s first business-oriented magazine and a boutique public relations agency specialising in strategic communications in crisis and war-torn environments. Some of his clients included the U.S. Army, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.K. Department for International Development and various commercial and non-governmental organisations.

Several years later he served as the Chief of Corporate Communications for an Indonesian-owned international palm oil conglomerate based in Liberia, West Africa. He later served as a Senior Communications Officer for the United Nations Regional Service Centre based in Entebbe, Uganda.

Known primarily for short documentary, commercial and corporate films, since 2018 his films have covered a broad range of narrative, action, comedic and experimental subject matter.

I’m a local filmmaker, let’s talk about writing scripts.

Actor, Writer, Producer, Director, Creative Consultant based in Chicago, IL.

Ben Senior is an independent filmmaker currently working in Chicago. A student of the Infinity Arts Academy Film Department run by Kevin Lucero Less, Senior has developed a taste for films that seek to ask questions and force the audience to think. He has written and directed over 20 films with the help of IAA, as well as writing and directing several projects of his own. As of Fall 2018, Senior has started production on his first independently produced feature film, titled “The Fall”, with the help of fellow high school students. His dedication to the art form and original perspective make for a talented and provocative filmmaker.

Josh McCausland’s work approaches visual reality from its own unique angle.

As both a videographer and graphic designer, Josh is comfortable reconciling the real with the imagined, and it shows in what he creates. His work is refreshing, and exhibits a cleanliness that is never too removed from humanity.

Healing plays a large part in creation for Josh as “an outward expression for internal struggles.” Art is his way of continuing to exist “as a child in the living room sketching on the floor, with no restrictions and no worries.”

It is this feeling of freedom that Josh’s work truly captures, allowing everyone who interacts with it a much-needed moment of peace in its simple beauty and effortless elegance.

In his pursuits, Josh has completed a BFA at Cumberland University with a major in Entertainment Design and a minor in film studies. He developed his own film company, iQ Flicks during college and now maintains his small business while working full-time for Relativity creating in house video work.