EDUCATION:

• Youth Program

• Screenwriting

• Film / DV / Audio

• Photography

• Web Design

• Instructor Profiles

• Conferences

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The Apprentices: March 22 - May 10.  Opening Reception: Saturday, March 22nd at 7:00pm Click Here

Dan Beers has worked as an artist and commercial color and B&W printer for over twenty years, including three years as the manager of the Northlight Lab. He is widely known in art circles for his platinum print landscape photos. Dan is the former manager/master printer of the Curtis Centennial Project, whose mission was to create gold-tone glass prints from antique negatives produced by Edward S. Curtis. As an independent artist, Dan is currently working on blending 19th, 20th and 21st century photographic techniques. His work has recently been exhibited at the IFP MN Center for Media Arts Gallery and Minnesota Center for Photography.

Paul Bernhardt is a multimedia producer at the University of Minnesota, where he recently helped create the School of Public Health's Public Lectures podcast channel and shot several segments at the Minnesota State Fair for the School's new vodcast channel. He directed and edited a total of 60 minutes of dramatic and documentary shorts for Alcohol and College Life, an undergraduate class offered throughout both the University of Minnesota system and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. As an independent producer, Paul has edited episodes of Indique, now in distribution to PBS stations. He was story editor and editor for the short film Bollywood Billboards. A DVD of his one-day iMovie seminar is available to participants in the Minnesota Historical Society’s Greatest Generation project.

Nicholas Bochek has worked as a freelance editor, graphic animator and digital special effects designer. He has worked on a wide variety of successful independent features: Snuff, A Documentary About Killing on Camera, and Preston Burring. He has also worked on various multimedia pieces for the Walker Art Center, Mixed Blood Theater and the American History Theater, as well as working with corporate clients.

Justin Bullis is a recent graduate of Minneapolis College of Art & Design who has stepped quickly into the art of freelance photography, both on a commercial and fine art level. From working in film production, to exhibiting work in the 2007 Photocentric show at Minnesota Center for Photography, his creative use of digital media and formal skills have proven to be of great value. A complete technical understanding is the foundation to Bullis’ sociological and other conceptual ideas in photography.

Brent Michael Davids, Composer, is an enrolled citizen of the Mohican Nation. Davids’ career spans thirty years, including awards from ASCAP, NEA, Rockefeller Foundation, In-Vision, Joffrey Ballet, Chanticleer, Kronos Quartet, Meet-The-Composer, Miró Quartet, National Symphony Orchestra, Bush Foundation, McKnight Foundation, and Jerome Foundation. Davids holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Composition from Northern Illinois University and Arizona State University respectively, trained at Redford’s Sundance Institute, and apprenticed with film composer Stephen Warbeck (Shakespeare In Love) on the TV miniseries Dreamkeeper (Hallmark and ABC).

Davids has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, NPR, PBS and NAPT. Davids’ film scores include: The 1920 Classic Myth: The Last of the Mohicans, The World of American Indian Dance, The Silent Enemy and Bright Circle. In 2006, the NEA named Davids among the nation’s 29 most celebrated choral composers in its project “American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius,” in all 50 states. As one of only 29 composers listed, Davids’ name appears alongside Leonard Bernstein, Chen Yi, Harry T. Burleigh, Libby Larsen, Stephen Foster and others. Brent makes his home in Saint Paul, MN, with his partner and fellow composer Ann Millikan and their cat Moccasin.

Director, producer and editor John Dehn is co-owner of Blue Moon Productions, creating over 20 years of multimedia productions in the independent, corporate, non-profit and broadcast realms. He is also a musician and songwriter. John partners with Susan Marks on many video productions, including editing The Betty Mystique. He is currently co-producing the independent documentary film, Our Wildest Dreams: A True Crime Documentary of Dolls & Murder.

Joel Dickinson is recognized for his efforts in the advancement of multimedia design and development for educational programming. His design work with the University of Minnesota Extension Service has won several awards and national attention, including being featured in US News & World Report. Joel has a BS in Graphic Design and a M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis in multimedia design and development, both from the University of Minnesota. His work includes educational video production; curriculum design and development; and program identity, packaging, and graphic design. He is also an accomplished music producer with numerous hit productions that have gained international acclaim.

Val DuVernet spent many years developing Web sites and marketing plans for small businesses. Experienced with Web design tools and database programming, her clients have ranged from self-published writers and small retailers to national non-profit organizations. She currently works with Target.com managing their online product information. Val is also a filmmaker and member of IFP MN.

Matt Ehling is a freelance cameraman, editor, and documentary filmmaker. He has produced and directed several broadcast documentary programs which have aired on PBS, the Independent Film Channel, the Bravo Channel, and Northwest Airlines’ In-flight Television. His programs have won awards at the Carolina and Rivertown Film Festivals, and have screened at the Double Take Documentary Festival and the Mill Valley Film Festival. Matt was one of the co-founders of the Midwest Media Artists Access Center and served two terms on its board. He has also served as adjunct faculty at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Terry Faust has been a photographer for twenty-five years, working as a staff photographer and freelancer for newspapers, magazines and in-house publications in the Twin Cities and New York. He has taught photography and multi-image production at the School of Communication Arts, Articulture, Minneapolis Park and Recreation and South High School’s Adult Community Education Program. He has received grants and awards from the Minnesota State Arts Board, Intermedia Arts, MNTV, the Loft and the Neighborhood and Community Press Association. He belongs to the National Press Photographers Association and the Minnesota News Photographers Association.

Emily Goldberg's documentaries explore the human condition by intimately chronicling the lives of artists, activists, gender outlaws and others. She is a recipient of the 2007 McKnight Artist Fellowship whose Emmy award-winning work has been broadcast on PBS, TLC, and RAI, and screened in numerous film festivals around the world, from the International Documentary Festival in Amsterdam to the Museum of Modern Art.

Goldberg's documentary, Venus of Mars, was named one of the top 25 documentaries of 2005 by Video Librarian, who called it "an introspective, entertaining, all-access documentary about the everyday life of a transgender punk rocker." Variety noted Goldberg's "respectful, insightful treatment…love and mutual compromise triumph over dramatic conflict," while City Pages called it "the best Minnesota rock-n-roll documentary of the century." The film received "Best Documentary" awards from festivals in Milwaukee, Indianapolis and Rochester, New York.

Goldberg has traveled to Tanzania with primatologist Jane Goodall, to Central America with cyclist/adventurer Dan Buettner, and all over Eastern Europe with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Having endured 25 Minnesota winters, she is proud to call Minneapolis home.

Patrick Kelley received his BFA in photography at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and produced a wide variety of publications as their staff photographer. He has worked as a teaching assistant as well as the assistant gallery manager at the Minnesota Center for Photography. Patrick is currently working as a photographer for Minneapolis/St. Paul magazine and also operates a full time freelance photography business (www.tk-studios.com).

Brady Kiernan has been working in the local film industry in various capacities for the past six years, including a two-year stint as Access & Facilities Director at IFP MN. He has experience in 35mm, 16mm and Super 8, as well as analog and digital video. While working in the sales department of Cinequipt, Inc., he was at the forefront of introducing a variety of technologies to the Twin Cities market and has extensive experience in both acquisition and the post-production workflow. He has crewed various commercials, features, TV shows and short films for the past five years and has written and directed several shorts. He is currently working as a freelance film/video production manager and technician.

Independent documentary filmmaker Susan Marks made her first film, The Betty Mystique (2006) about branding icon, Betty Crocker. She also wrote a master’s thesis and a book (Finding Betty Crocker, Simon & Schuster 2005 & University of Minnesota Press 2007) on the same delicious topic. Now that she’s had her fill of baked goods, Susan has currently taken up with the dark side, producing, writing and directing the documentary film, Our Wildest Dreams: A True Crime Documentary of Dolls & Murder. Susan recently finished her first feature-length comedy screenplay and is working on her next screenplay.

Lorie Marsh produced a statewide screenplay competition and performance series for Texas writers called Movie Midwifing. Winning scripts were cast with professional actors and performed for public audiences. She also produced and/or directed numerous stage plays and short films, and line-produced documentaries, including projects by Austin filmmakers Stacy Schoolfield and Kat Candler. The trio formed Storie Productions in 2003. Marsh and Schoolfield produced Candler’s short, Pilot & Olo, and then her second feature, jumping off bridges, which premiered at South By Southwest in 2006. In Los Angeles Marsh worked at Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures, and on the indie feature comedy Entry Level by Doug Horn.

Michael Maupin received his BA in English and American Literature from Metropolitan State University in 1996 and works as a magazine editor in Minneapolis. His first screenplay, The Wandering Moon, was a semifinalist in the 1998 Barry Morrow Screenwriting Fellowship, and he has judged in numerous screenplay competitions. A die-hard story addict, he shares cohost duties with a story writers’ group at Open Book called Think Tank Thursdays.

Deborah Meyer has been an active participant in IFP MN since the 1980s, first as a student/member/volunteer, and as an instructor for the past seven years. Professionally, she works in advertising as both a photo stylist and co-designer. Her fine art photography has been exhibited locally and purchased for publication.

Christopher Mick has taught television production at the University of Tampa in Florida, as well as digital and film production, screenwriting and development at Columbia College in Chicago. He is a selection committee member, head juror and media educator for children with the Chicago International Children's Film Festival. He has written film criticism for Static Multimedia's online magazine, works as a freelance director and DP for theater, digital, film and corporate projects, and is the Director of the Film and Video Group at christiansen : creative in Hudson, WI. Christopher was an adjunct professor at the McNally Smith College of Music’s Motion Imaging Department and more recently IFP MN’s Access and Facilities Director.

Tom Miller is a Twin Cities photographer who has worked with the pinhole medium nearly exclusively since 1996. His photographs and articles have been exhibited and published internationally. He has taught pinhole workshops in various venues, curated exhibitions of tiny aperture photography, and has been the coordinating team leader for Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day since the 2003 celebration. Tom’s work can be seen at www.tommillerphoto.com.

Jeff Morgan is a native of Wales who has lived in the United States for over fifteen years. In Britain he was active in the Royal Photographic Society and taught community education classes in black and white photography. He enjoyed processing black and white, infrared and color films and prints in his own darkroom before his digital darkroom replaced the chemistry. Trained as an engineer, Jeff’s deep technical knowledge of hardware and software is the product of years working in the computer industry. He has been studying and practicing digital photography since well before he was able to purchase Adobe Photoshop version 2 for PCs. Landscapes, nature and scenics are among his favorite subjects. He teaches photography, presents seminars at regional conferences, and judges at camera clubs and international salons, in addition to running his own photography business, Elm Studio (www.elmstudio.com).

Jila Nikpay is an expatriate Iranian artist who has made her home in Minneapolis. A filmmaker, photographer and educator, she works exclusively in black and white. Nikpay has shown her work widely, including exhibitions and screenings at the Walker Art Center, and solo exhibitions at the House of Artists, Iran, and the Print Center, Philadelphia. Her work is featured in many collections, including the Tehran Contemporary Museum and the Target Corporation. She is a recipient of numerous awards in photography and film from the Jerome and McKnight Foundations and the Minnesota State Arts Board. Nikpay recently published her first book of photography and poetry entitled Heroines: Transformation in the Face of Breast Cancer. Her latest film, Rhythm of Tides, premiered at the Walker Art Center in March. Visit her Web site www.jilanikpay.com.

John Pennoyer is a freelance nature photographer whose love of the outdoors shines through the images he captures. Wildflowers, environmental scenes, birds and other wildlife are of special interest to him, especially that which is native to Minnesota. Over the last ten years he has been conducting photography workshops at the American Bear Association (americanbear.org) in Orr, Minnesota. He also teaches photography classes at various locations in the Twin Cities area. For the last five years he has been shooting totally digital using Nikon equipment. His photo credits include Minnesota Conservation Volunteer magazine, Lake Country Journal magazine, Bowhunter magazine, Outdoor Life magazine, plus many other national and regional publications. John has been a member of the Minnesota Nature Photography Club (minnesotanature.org) for twenty-seven years and was recently awarded honorary status. Since retiring from General Motors, John has been working full-time in his own photography business, Impressions of Nature (impressionsofnature.net).

Rachel Raimist is a filmmaker, educator, community organizer and mother. She is most known for her documentary, Nobody Knows My Name, about women in hip-hop, and as co-founder of B-Girl Be: A Celebration of Women in Hip Hop at Intermedia Arts. She is the videographer/co-editor of the award-winning film Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme, which aired on VH1, and has produced, directed and edited music videos, documentaries, performance pieces and narrative videos. Her work has screened at South by Southwest, Slamdance, Women in the Director’s Chair and numerous international venues. She is the co-editor of Home Girls Make Some Noise!: Hip Hop Feminism Anthology, has written and photographed for The Source, URB, Complex, Remix, and The Amsterdam News, and is a board member of the Hip Hop Film Festival. Rachel received a BA and an MFA in Film Directing from the UCLA School of Film and Television. She has taught video production at the University of California, Irvine and Los Angeles, women of color feminisms at Macalester College, and feminist theory, feminist film studies, and rap poetry at the University of Minnesota. Currently, she is pursuing her Ph.D. in Feminist Studies from the University of Minnesota, and editing a documentary about prison poets.

Bix Skahill wrote the Warner Bros. comedy Chain of Fools starring Steve Zahn, Salma Hayek, Elijah Wood, Tom Wilkinson and Jeff Goldblum. He also wrote and directed Columbia Pictures’ Life Without Dick starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Harry Connick Jr. Bix has developed a sickening number of movie and TV projects, written for the stage, been a commentator for NPR and played the Nighttime Parking Lot Attendant in the movie Fargo. He recently co-created and wrote the webisodic show The Biggs for hungrymantv.com.

Eric Weidmann attended the Los Angeles Film Studies Center before receiving a BA in Philosophy of Creative Media from Greenville College in Illinois. He has spent the last five years working in DVD production, freelance editing and graphic design. He currently is a DVD Designer and HD Encoding Specialist at Cine-O-Matic, a DVD Production Boutique in Minneapolis.

Upcoming Events:

NEW! FRESH FILMMAKERS PRODUCTION GRANT Guidelines Now Available Online!

Deadline: August 19th, 2008

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2008 McKnight Screenwriting Fellowship finalists announced!

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2008 MNTV Call for Entries: Guidelines Now Available Online! Deadline: June 19th, 2008

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