Josh’s passion for film began in high school when he signed up for the television production course, and eventually led him to attend Full Sail University. After graduating with his degree in film production in 2006, he quickly found work on set as a boom op, camera assistant, and later as director of photography on a number of short films, commercials, and documentary projects. Along with a partner, Josh ran a small production company that brought student filmmakers onto each project, giving them the chance to gain experience on set. His goal for the DFVP program is to ensure that each student gains the knowledge they need to begin a successful career in the industry, no matter what path they choose to take.
Austin’s passion for film and video production began at a very young age, leading him to seek out television production classes throughout middle and high school. Austin regularly recruited friends and family to be his “crew” for amateur film productions, and eventually found his way to post-secondary education at UCF, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Film Production in 2011. Right out of college, Austin worked on a number of feature-length films in various roles, including editor on “The Happiest Place on Earth,” where he and his co-editors earned a Maverick Movie Award nomination for best feature editing. Austin also spent some time working in the YouTube space, shooting and editing content at Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and other Orlando-area parks for the popular travel blog, Undercover Tourist. Most recently, Austin has spent the past five years teaching Digital Video Technology at a local high school before finding his way to the F.I.R.S.T. Institute.
Michael is an award winning director, producer and editor from Wasilla, Alaska. He's come to F.I.R.S.T. excited to share his passion for film, which has led him to find success creating three feature length films, a dozen short films and countless commercials and various forms of media. Michael's films have traveled the world In countless film festivals, acquired for distribution and available to the public for viewing in various streaming outlets. In-between developing his films, he's also a freelance editor and acting instructor.
"My greatest passion is to bring stories to life that hold a strong message and leave an impact on the audience"
Eric discovered the joy of being behind the camera when he was nearing graduation and started fooling around with a DSLR to shoot headshots for his fellow actor friends. He began exploring the potential of cinema as an art form by making everything from narrative shorts to artist moving image works, from music videos to Youtube videos. Those creative excursions resulted in Eric’s work screening internationally at festivals such as Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival, Istanbul International Experimental Film Festival, and the Florida Film Festival. His work has also been written about in publications such as L’Emergere Del Possible and MUBI’s Notebook. He graduated with an MFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design to start his career as an educator. Eric feels privileged to join the F.I.R.S.T. community and to support such passionate students.
Domonic started his journey back in high school when he enrolled in a TV production class. It didn't take him long to get hooked on video production. In his words, "The satisfaction of storytelling through video is unparalleled to other forms of art, as it's such a powerful and compelling medium to visualize emotion and complex ideas."
After high school, he went to film school at Valencia College. It was here that he started meeting other creatives that had the same passion as he did. Shortly after starting his college education, he nailed his first industry job as a videographer, editing promotional videos for many different restaurant franchises in greater Orlando, such as Don Julio, Rock n' Brews, and The Porch.
He has more recently worked as a video producer for a PR company. This gig allowed him to produce videos for various industries, ranging from small tech startups to large biotechs and industrial companies. Many segments and interviews he produced are aired on Bloomberg TV.
He says, " Telling these businesses' stories through video editing has taught me more about the fundamentals of storytelling than any formal education can buy. Video editing is all about problem-solving and making the best out of what you got; I couldn't imagine myself in any other industry."
My very first production was a skit filmed on a home video recorder in the first decade of my life. My passion for filmmaking grew when I excelled in producing engaging content in my high school’s television production class. Since that first introduction to Premiere Pro, I've learned the craft of non-linear editing inside and out. Years later, I graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in Radio-Television Production. During my time at the university, I collaborated on short films and directed official UCF live events for various artists and entertainers. Simultaneously, I served as the editing department lead at the creative services agency on campus, supporting the editing team in a leadership role and providing guidance on set. This experience was deeply invigorating and inspired my transition to an instructor role. After graduation, I progressed to the meetings and events industry where I built live productions, edited content packages, and worked as a camera operator in convention centers around the country for various Fortune 500 companies across many industries. Most recently, I provided freelance editing and videography services to award-winning creative production agencies, focusing on promotional, conference, and wedding videos.
Based in Central Florida, Jason has been an event photographer and videographer for over 10 years specializing in portraiture and documentary style films and promotional pieces. With a passion for film and motion pictures, Jason attended F.I.R.S.T. Institute Film School to learn storytelling and cinematography. In May 2021, he graduated valedictorian from the film production program. He currently shoots projects ranging from short films, commercials and documentaries.
His work covers a range of styles and genres from inspirational lifestyle pieces to compelling moody and suspenseful scenes. Jason is committed to creating and producing films and content of all genres that impact and inspire others.
Tim has been capturing moments since he discovered his first tape recorder when he was just 7 years old. Born into a family of artists, he jumped at any opportunity he could to tailor his craft by intentionally surrounding himself with the right people. Since learning the basics of video and audio production at an early age and refining himself through college, Tim eventually landed his first job in the industry as a Producer/Director for Time Warner Media. From conception to delivery and everything in between, his tenure at Time Warner landed him many other projects with the likes of NCAA Woman’s College Sports, Reality Check of New York State, and more. All the while, in his spare time, producing EDM music with releases on various labels around the globe. Tim’s journey has since taken him from the frigid climate of the Northeast to the wonderfully warm and welcoming climate of Orlando Florida. During his time here in Florida, he has been certified as a legal videographer as well as assist his local church build and maintain media departments with everything from live video to creative media content creation. Fun Facts about Tim: • Loves Transformers, so much that he has tattoos • Produces House music and has major releases on various record labels • Loves the beach, body boarding, and FPS games • A big fan of cultural foods • Born and raised in Syracuse, NY
Born in Canada but growing up in Florida, Noah found his passion for filmmaking starting with stop-motion animation in high school. Settling on the digital video production track in college he set about to get a part-time job as a media assistant at a large church. While producing a video for a local private school the Superintendent offered him a teaching position to start a media program at the school. Reluctantly he accepted. However, after the first year of teaching Noah realized that this was even better and more rewarding than simply producing his own videos. Seeking to teach full-time he transferred to UCF to study film and education. While in college he produced, directed and edited several short films, promotional, interactive and conference videos. Moving to Baton Rouge, LA he built another media program at a private school in Baton Rouge LA, delving into high school sports live stream broadcasting while teaching video and photography. After 5 years he moved back to Florida to be closer to his family and pursue freelance production. Now returning to education at F.I.R.S.T, Noah is excited to share his knowledge and experience with the next generation and hopes to continue his professional development in the areas of writing for the big screen and producing feature length original films.
My name is Andrew Sierra, I am a video professional with 11 years of experience in directing, producing and editing for companies such as Sony Entertainment, EA Sports, Taco Bell, Better Business Bureau, City Furniture, Porsche, Coinbase and more! I found my love for filmmaking in college and after working on my first school project, I became obsessed with the craft and never looked back. Being a part of this industry has created so many amazing experiences for me and I am happy to share that knowledge with other creatives alike.
Jocelyn is fresh from Seattle and eager to join the Orlando media scene. She brings with her 3 years of experience as a digital media specialist for a Seattle private school and a bachelor in Film Production from Central Washington University. At the private school, Jocelyn created promotional and informational content for the Admission and Development department that showcased community engagement and welcomed new families to the school. This past fall she created a three-part video series for the UCDS Fund, a campaign the Development department runs every fall, that helped raise over $400,000 for UCDS with 100% parent and guardian participation. Once the campaign was over, Jocelyn created a thank you video for the community that was shared on social media in order to celebrate this momentous occasion. Jocelyn is also incredibly passionate about screenwriting. In 2020 her script “November 1st” was a finalist in the New York International Screenplay Awards. All in all, she hopes to share what she’s learned over her career with other filmmakers and is grateful that she was able to find a community in F.I.R.S.T. Institute.
After graduating from the University of Central Florida in 1994 with a Bachelors in Technical Theater and Design, Michael “Spoon” Wotherspoon received his first internship at Nickelodeon Studios. After showing is outstanding skills and talents in the art department, he was hired on, for the art department for the following shows, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Guts, and Allegra’s Window.
He is currently enrolled back at UCF to receive his Masters and then PhD. In the Summer of 2015, he was hired by the Orlando Magic in a new role as a Head R.E.F. This opportunity offers new challenges in the area of the fan experience and sports hospitality. Most recently, he was brought on-board as a part of the faculty for FIRST Institute. He is truly excited to be in this new path in life!
