Movie Makers acting and filmmaking students have gone on to study at some of the top arts programs in the US including NYU Tisch School of the Arts, UNC School of the Arts, USC, and Elon.. They have also had roles in feature films and television shows such as Law and Order, Army Wives and Main Street, as well as HBO miniseries, independent films, voice-overs and commercials. Our talented students have also starred in professional theater productions around the country. See below for a few of our favorite stories:
– Kelley Katzenmeyer, a former student of Movie Makers, is now twenty one and an American filmmaker and visual artist. As a high school senior, she won the 2010 Young Arts Gold Award in Cinema, a $10,000 prize, and was nominated as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, meeting President Obama. During high school, her short film “To Be Remembered” screened at film festivals across America, including the Nashville Film Festival, one of the oldest, longest-running film festivals in the United States. After graduating from the NC School of the Arts in 2010, Kelley received a full scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to study abroad in South Korea. Recently accepted into Columbia University, she has deferred admission in order to direct a documentary feature film on Korean high school students. Currently, Kelley lives in Seoul, South Korea.
– Rebecca Kirsh, who joined Movie Makers in Spring 2002, is now attending UNC Greensboro and is majoring in Media Studies, concentrating on Film and Video Production. After being a Movie Makers student, Rebecca has worked as a summer camp counselor and editor. Additionally, Rebecca has written her first major short film that she is also directing, producing, and editing. This past summer, Rebecca interned for The X Factor!
– After attending Movie Makers for five years, Sam Kirkpatrick attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with a degree in Film/Television in 2011. While at NYU, he wrote, directed, and shot a number films, including a dark musical comedy, a satirical superhero film, and most recently The Desert Son, a western set in the 1880s. Through Movie Makers Sam was hired along with Melissa Lozoff by Kate Plus Eight for their Movie Making episode. Sam Kirpatrick now lives in Los Angeles working freelance in the industry.
–John Millbank started attending MovieMakers when he was 15 years old and hasn’t been able to stay away since. Going to Movie Makers is what really awoke his passion for acting and working in film. When John made the decision to audition for the University of North Carolina School of Arts to attend for his senior year, he went to Melissa for help. Melissa worked with John every week and provided him with support and input. After UNCSA, John attended Catawba College to continue to pursue drama. During the summers in between, John returned as a counselor at the camps, giving him a chance to continue the wonderful traditions of MovieMakers. Come graduation in May 2013, John Millbank will be working on Disney Cruise Line as an entertainment host, again, thanks to Melissa’s help!
