brit middleton
INTERIM CINEMATIC ARTS DEPARTMENT ASSISTANT
Brit Middleton earned her MBA from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business and her BFA from the University of Cincinnati's College Conservatory of Music in Theater.
She is currently the Interim Department Assistant for the LACHSA Cinematic Arts Department and previously taught Freshmen Ensemble Theatre in the LACHSA Theater Department. Brit is ecstatic to be helping in the Cinematic Arts Department and loves spending time in the LACHSA community.
In addition to her role at LACHSA, Brit is currently a PhD candidate in the Technology Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business.
Contact: MIDDLETON_BRITANY@LACOE.EDU
ROB DAVIDSON
EQUIPMENt OPERATIONS
Earned his BA from Morehouse College and MFA from Art Center College of Design.
He has been working in the Film and Television industry since 1998.
With experience throughout all levels of production from Hollywood Studios productions to travel & location shows he's always a delight to work with.
He has traveled all over North America for work, including Los Angeles, New York and as far North as Alaska.
He splits his time as a freelance camera operator at LA’s #1 local news station, KTLA News and supporting the operations of the Cinematic Arts Department as the Manager of Equipment operations. By monitoring, distributing and maintaining professional equipment for daily student usage, students are able to hone their skills and learn to creatively express themselves through the art of cinema.
GEM LITTLE
Cinema STUDIES
Gem Little, a Chicago native, is a writer, creative producer and activist based in Los Angeles. She currently works as a consulting producer, helping to identify unique stories and voices to cultivate. She was recently tapped as one of six producers to be part of the Wavelength Productions and Black TV & Film Collective’s New Black Wave program to produce a short film that she wrote about the school-to-prison pipeline, PENS & PENCILS. Gem is a recent MFA graduate of the American Film Institute Conservatory and during her time at AFI she held internships with MACRO and Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Filmworks.
Aside from her work as a filmmaker, Gem is best known for her work in social impact, having started Indiana’s state-wide program that helps justice-involved people start their own small businesses. In 2018, Gem received an MA in urban planning and moved to Los Angeles to assist with strategic planning at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. Gem loves stories that examine and challenge the human experience through diverse narrative points of view and is thrilled to bring her lens of world cinema to LACHSA.
contact:
STEPHEN GIBLER
pRODUCING
Stephen Gibler was born in Boston Massachusetts and has been a Producer in Los Angeles for over a decade serving in all variety of producer roles.
With a dream to be the force that brings films from inception to life, Stephen came to Los Angeles and since then has produced over 50 different projects. In the past few years alone, Stephen produced or been a part of five features (Bread and Butter, September Morning, 7seconds, Newness, and Pursued) and been part of the production team for several others.
Stephen has worked with Ridley Scott, James Franco, Drake Doremus, Nicholaus Hoult, Molly Ringwald, among others. Newness premiered at Sundance and was sold to Netflix. Stephen is also in the process of producing three other features at this time. He has also produced various commercials and promotional videos with clients such as Google, Chevron, Zrii Skin Care, USC, and Ocean Media.
contact: gibler_stephen@lacoe.edu
Darren dalton
Screenwriting/Directing
Born in the Big Horn Basin of Northern Wyoming, Darren Dalton began his journey in the entertainment industry after being discovered by Francis Ford Coppola during a nationwide talent search for the classic 80’s film The Outsiders. Portraying Soc Randy Anderson, the film launched an acting career that would include Red Dawn, Fame, Montana and a number of other roles in feature films and television.
Darren’s passion for writing and storytelling moved him behind the camera where he has doctored a number of scripts, cut his teeth as a writer and producer in the trenches of low-budget independents and done several writer for hire projects while building a solid core of original work including the HP Lovecraft horror adaptation The Lurking Fear, which Darren directed in the summer of 2019.
Other titles include American Jihad, an action drama in pre-production at Universal and BorderLand which is set to begin production in the summer of 2020. Darren has also written and produced reality television including CMT’s All Jacked Up.
His debut fiction novel EPOCH is slated for release in 2020. In his novels, film and television work, Dalton’s focus is high concept, genre-driven, and evocative franchises.
contact: dalton_darren@lacoe.edu
FARIAL KHAN
PRODUCING
Farial Khan is a Pakistani-American Los Angeles based producer. After graduating from Cal State Fullerton in 2016, her focus was heavily rooted in sound and cinematography before finding a passion for producing.
Farial Khan has successfully built her network of connections from the ground up: she spent time working with DP Ken Seng (Deadpool, Terminator: Dark Fate, Project X) and working on titles such as "Workaholics" (Comedy Central), Born this Way (A&E), Keeping Up with the Kardashians (E!), Alone Together (CBS), and working closely with Nicolas Winding Refn on Too Old to Die Young (Amazon).
Aside from TV and Film, Khan has also worked in the agency world developing original content and working on the JORDAN BRAND 2019/2020 Campaign.
Farial has developed a skill set of not only logistical producing, but also putting together visual pitches to sell content. She is now going into her fourth year teaching Advanced Producing at the Los Angeles County High School of the Arts, and currently works in development at ROBOT FILM in Santa Monica.
contact: khan_farial@lacoe.edu
Chaz HALL
PHOTOGRAPHY/CINEMATOGRAPHY
Chaz Hall is an American Cinematographer and Producer, he has worked on numerous (un) scripted, Broadcast, and Music Videos. Serving mainly as a Director of Photography and Camera Operator, Chaz has successfully contributed to the successes of various shows.
He has worked with CBS, TV ONE, WPT (World Poker Tour, Poker Night Live, The Steve Harvey Show (BTS), Dave Chappell, UDL (Universal Domino League), Ed Gordon, Influencers Brunch with Anthony Anderson and Tiffany Haddish, American Influencer Awards 2020, Music Video with Purple Squirrel Productions, and worked with artist such as Blac Youngsta, Jon B, Jacob Latimore. Valerie Simpson, and Dave Koz.
With the knowledge he has gained over the years, Chaz is working toward his next big step in becoming an award winning producer. With a background as a Professional Photographer, Director, Producer, Editor, (Lighting designer, utility, DIT), he understands the technical aspects in building a successful show.
contact: hall_chaz@lacoe.edu
GREG GRANO
Documentary FILMMAKING
Greg Grano is a director, editor, and educator based in Los Angeles. Greg’s work explores connections with unfamiliar people, places, and natural forces, often integrating travel and self-reflexive storytelling.
His feature documentary American Bear: An Adventure in the Kindness of Strangers was released in 2015 and screened at theaters and schools nationwide.
Recent film installations and web series have been featured at galleries across California and received hundreds of thousands of views online.
Greg teaches film production and media literacy at LA County High School for the Arts, Rio Hondo College, Fullerton College, and artworxLA. Greg holds a BFA in Film and Television from NYU, and an MS in Cultural Foundations of Education from Syracuse University.
contact: grano_gregory@lacoe.edu
MAY TSEHAY
AUDIO & PODCAST PRODUCTION
May Tsehay is a full-time podcast producer, creator of Podcast 101 online courses, and co-Founder of Innovate HER Now women’s podcast community.
She initially started her journey in audio as a podcast host but quickly realized her passions lay behind the mic after falling in love with the intricacies of audio production. She has produced over 800+ podcast episodes and currently manages shows that receive over 90K downloads per month.
Her list of clients and collaborators include, Rogers & Cowan PMK - PR Agency, House Beautiful - Interior Design Magazine, The Suga Podcasts, Good Moms Bad Choices, Mandii B, See The Thing Is, & Period, Sis Podcast.
May has a passion for audio production and is excited to teach the importance of audio in our day-to-day lives, and the conscious and subconscious impact that it has on the art that we create and consume.
contact:
JEFF OBROW
Screenwriting/directing
Jeffrey Obrow is a renowned writer and director of independent thrillers, who has appeared on NBC’S TODAY SHOW, as well as in countless write-ups and retrospectives of his films.
He recently finished postproduction on the feature thriller 7SECONDS, based on his original screenplay. The film centers on a midnight talk radio host who has a rough and dangerous night when a calm but unhinged caller starts playing a twisted game with him.
Jeffrey also recently completed principal photography on PURSUED, an edgy thriller about a teenage girl who makes a frightening discovering when she identifies a local murderer in the dark shadows of social media.
Jeffrey studied filmmaking at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television, where he earning his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees. Soon thereafter, he wrote, directed and produced his first feature film, followed by seven more, including THE KINDRED and THEY ARE AMONG US. His films have premiered theatrically, as well as on HBO, SHOWTIME and the SYFY Channel. He has worked with Academy Award-winning actors, such as Rod Steiger and Lou Gossett, Jr, as well as true pop culture icons, such as Molly Ringwald and Christopher Lloyd.
VARIETY’S review of Jeffrey’s feature DEAN R. KOONTZ’S THE SERVANTS OF TWILIGHT describes the film as evoking “breathless suspense” and adds, “Obrow brings Koontz’s work to a fevered pitch, never letting the tension drop.”
In addition to his body of feature films, Jeffrey worked for years as a music video producer at Propaganda Films, when the legendary company’s roster included the visionary directors David Fincher, Michael Bay and Mark Romanek, with whom Obrow collaborated.
Jeffrey thoroughly enjoys his work as a teacher. He served as an adjunct professor at USC's distinguished School of Cinematic Arts, where he taught a directing class and created the school’s popular music video course. He was also USC’s resident authority on the horror film genre. He currently teaches a filmmaking course at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) and has recently also joined the new LOS ANGELES CINEMA ACADEMY.
contact: obrow_jeffrey@lacoe.edu
Grant Babbitt
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Grant realized he had a love for filmmaking at the early age of 11. He was awarded a variety of honors throughout high school and college for cinematography and storytelling. Most notably, for his Emmy Award winning cinematography on the docuseries, "The Gridiron”.
While still attending school, his work in documentary and sports, led him to work on an ESPN "30 for 30" Documentary, called “There’s No Place Like Home”.
In 2011, Grant relocated to Los Angeles with his wife. The father of four, has since worked as a director of photography and camera operator for talents such as Steven Spielberg, Rob Reiner, Wes Ball, and many others.
With a background primarily in Documentary, Grant also works heavily in Commercial, Narrative, Web Content & Unscripted production. Additionally, Grant has began working on the production side of VFX heavy Feature films, like “Ready Player One” & soon to be released, “Morbius”. Currently much of his work can be found from HBO to Amazon Prime & Youtube.