Alumni in Film and Media
Middlebury graduates go on to a wide range of careers – often, but not necessarily, tied to their major. Here are a sampling of Middlebury graduates who either majored in Film and Media Culture, or have pursued a career in the film and media industries. Graduates end up in the media industry from a range of majors, and FMMC majors can end up in a broad array of careers, pointing to the flexibility of a liberal arts degree.
The department frequently helps arrange internships for majors to work with our network of alumni. If you're an alum who wants to add or update your information on this list, contact Francisca Drexel.
Tim Bartlett '98 (FMMC/ENAM)
Freelance editor based in New York; credits include the feature documentary Tibet in Song, and television series World of Jenks, The Amazing Race, Hell's Kitchen, and The Surreal Life.
Mike Bender '97 (FMMC/ENAM)
Screenwriter (Not Another Teen Movie); co-creator of Awkward Family Photos.
Joseph Bergan '08 (FMMC)
Associate Producer at NBC News Peacock Productions in New York; performer in live and online comedy.
Ian Berger'98 (FMMC)
Producer at The Daily Show, focused on creating field segments for the show.
Nick Bestor '09 (JAPN with FMMC minor)
Masters student in film studies at Emory University
Perry Blackshear '04 (FMMC)
Received MFA in film directing from NYU Tisch School of the Arts; independent filmmaker in New York.
Kelly Brush Davisson '08 (FMMC)
Studying to become a nurse practitioner at MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston.
Jack Donaldson '06 (HIST)
Story editor at Apparatus production company in Los Angeles.
David Ellis '09 (FMMC)
Assistant to the Director of Development, Stefan Sonnenfeld Productions in Los Angeles
Jason Farkas '05 (FMMC/ECON)
Line Producer of CNBC's Fast Money.
Evan Harris '07 (AMST) with concentation on media)
Digital producer at ABC News, working primarily on This Week with George Stephanopoulis.
Maia Hollinger '06 (ENAM)
Works at Carol Mendelsohn Productions in Los Angeles.
Daniel Houghton '06 (ART)
Independent video and animation artist, currently teaching in Film & Media Culture at Middlebury.
Lisa Jasinski '03 (HARC/PSCI)
Received M.A. in Film Studies from University of Wisconsin; currently Special Projects Coordinator in Academic Affairs at Trinity University.
Ryan Koo '03 (FMMC)
Independent media producer; co-creator of award-winning web video series The West Side; creator of popular blog No Film School.
Tim Leavitt '06 (FMMC)
Emmy-nominated freelance editor in Los Angeles; projects include The Celebrity Apprentice, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Hell's Kitchen and web series Guess Again. Writes a blog on editing, View from the Cutting Room Floor.
Matt Leonard '09 (FMMC)
Assistant editor for MTV's Made in New York.
Stephanie Levine '08 (FMMC/MATH)
Municipal Bond department at Barclays Capital.
Ioana Literat '09 (FMMC)
In PhD program at Annenberg School of Communication at University of Southern California, studying prosocial global media.
Caryn LoCastro '07 (SOAN with FMMC minor)
Director of Marketing and Promotions at Sundance Channel. Caryn previously worked at MTV Networks and USA Network.
Derek Long '08 (HIST with FMMC minor)
In PhD program at University of Wisconsin - Madison's Film Studies program.
Kati Madouros '04 (PSCI)
Works in strategy and planning for HBO Original Programming in New York.
Andrew Manugian '09 (FMMC/PSYC)
Currently traveling and teaching English in Bangkok, and blogging about it.
Sarah Peters '04 (ENAM/THEA)
Publicity Department at Warner Bros. Pictures in New York.
Andrew Peterson '87 (HIST)
Interim Executive Director, Independent Filmmaker Project Minnesota (IFP Minnesota). Co-producer of Life During Wartime, Howl, Thin Ice, Darling Companion. Director of Programming, Provincetown International Film Festival.
Rob Perez '95 (FMMC/THEA)
Screenwriter in Hollywood (40 Days and 40 Nights); independent writer/director in Minneapolis (nobody).
Shawn Ryan '88 (ECON/THEA)
Acclaimed television writer/producer; creator of The Shield, The Chicago Code, and Last Resort; executive producer of The Unit, Lie To Me and Terriers.
Sheila Murphy Seles '05 (AMST/THEA with emphasis on media)
Received Masters in Comparative Media Studies at MIT, focusing on television audience research; Director of Strategic Research at Advertising Research Foundation in New York.
Felipe Pruneda Sentíes '07 (FMMC)
Doctoral student in the Film Studies program at the University of Pittsburgh, studying scripts, subtitles, and Latin America Cinema; contributor to the Amigos del Cine Latinoamericano blog.
Henry Simonds '97 (FMMC/ART)
President and Founder of Headwater Films; independent film and media producer (Rachel is).
Aaron Smith '09 (FMMC)
Assistant Media Planner at Wieden & Kennedy New York. See Aaron's Honors Thesis on transmedia storytelling and television.
Annie Stamell '06 (INTL)
Comedy Writer for television and feature films, Blogger for Huffington Post, HelloGiggles and her personal blog.
Daniel Stone '07 (FMMC)
Sailor on educational vessels which teach nautical science and oceanography.
Andrey Tolstoy '10 (FMMC)
Currently enrolled in Ph.D. program at Yale University in Film Studies and Comparative Literature.
Jack Thurston '02 (FMMC)
Award-winning reporter for New England Cable News, based in Burlington, VT.
Astri von Arbin Ahlander '07 (FMMC/ENAM)
Received MFA in Nonfiction Writing from Columbia University; translated Jens Lapidus' bestselling novel Easy Money from Swedish to English; Co-Founder and Editor in Chief of the interview website The Days of Yore.