Video mentors

Professional video mentors traveled to a number of Bristol Bay communities from Oct. 14 to 16 to teach video workshops to participants.

Carl Battreall

Carl Battreall

Carl’s photography has been published in books, magazines and calendars throughout the world, and his cinematography has been used in documentaries that have been screened in North America, Europe and Australia. Carl is the winner of the 2007 Daniel Housberg Wilderness Image Award and the 2008 Rasmuson Artist Fellowship.

Nathaniel Chambers

Nathaniel Chambers

Nathaniel has over a decade of experience, and his work has taken him from the island life of the Caribbean to guiding in North America’s remote wilderness. He is currently a freelance graphic designer, writer, photographer, and videographer based out of Seward, Alaska.

Laura Ganis

Laura Ganis

Laura was a video mentor for seven high school students from across the country on PBS’s “The Ride,” in which they traveled together across the country in an RV. The young people, armed with video cameras, shot stories about kids their own age—from an aspiring writer on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota to youth trying to escape gang life in Chicago. Working for three years on MTV’s “The Real World,” and Disney Channel’s “Bug Juice,” Laura has shot in diverse locations, from Tijuana, Mexico, to a summer camp in Maine.       

   

     

Brice Habeger

Brice Habeger

Brice’s films have shown at festivals throughout the Northwest. He produces and directs, and works on feature films shooting in Alaska. In 2011, he was awarded a Bronze from the Higher Education Marketing Report for work done for the University of Alaska Southeast.

Todd Hardesty

Todd Hardesty

Todd has produced over two dozen documentaries about Alaska’s unique places and people, and his work has been featured on the Discovery Channel. Recent projects include filming the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council gathering as well as a ski-plane adventure on the glaciers of Mount McKinley. Todd’s work has won him a national Emmy award for coverage of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. In addition to his work in Alaska, he has traveled to Sudan twice to film the work of American doctors in Sudanese villages.

D.K. Johnston

D.K. Johnston

D.K.’s love of film began at the age of 10 when he bought his first video camera. In high school he worked to hone his skills, and in 2004 he began producing shorts, local ads, and feature length projects. D.K. obtained his undergraduate in Journalism from the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), and received his MFA in Film Production from the New York Film Academy. D.K. returned to Alaska to continue his career in film and television production.

Dan Lee

Dan Lee

A lifelong Alaskan, Dan has been fluent with the camera since a young age. He grew up with a love for the outdoors and Alaska. After leaving high school Dan joined the military, and was deployed to Iraq three times. Upon discharge, Dan studied Journalism at UAA and Film at Ithaca College. For the last several years, Dan has worked as a freelancer, covering feature films, commercials, the Iditarod, and the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention.

Zak Melms

Zak Melms

Zak first picked up a camera in elementary school. Following this passion, he went on to graduate with a degree in Film and Photography from Montana State University in Bozeman. Zak has shot documentaries and films in some of Alaska’s most remote locations. He’s hung out of airplanes at minus 50 degrees, endured all-nighters in the rain in late November, managed gear shipments to and from villages, and shot more commercials than he can count. Most recently, Zak worked on a documentary about the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge, spending months getting to know the residents of villages in the area.

Chris Scarafile

Chris Scarafile

Chris’ passion for film production began at age 15, when he hijacked the family camcorder to produce modern adaptations of classic literature. With a film degree from Rochester Institute of Technology, Chris headed to New York City to pursue his career. From feature narratives and documentaries, to aerial, underwater, and time lapse photography, Chris’s experience covers all aspects of cinematography.

Beth Skabar

Beth Skabar

Beth graduated from Ohio University with a BS in Visual Communications. After teaching spoken English in rural India for six months, she moved to Alaska, and has been telling stories visually since. After working with Alaska Newspapers as a designer and photojournalist, Beth has embraced cinematography as a new way to express herself.

Tom Trainor

Tom Trainor

Tom grew up in Unalakleet, Alaska, and attended UAA and the Seattle Film Institute. During his 10 years in the film industry, he has worked out of Seattle, Los Angeles, New York City and Anchorage, and his cinematography has been featured on CNN Presents, Dateline NBC, National Geographic, nationally aired programs and several short films.