Oregon Forests Category
Jordan Benner
Jordan is the senior public outreach manager for the Oregon Forest Resources Institute. He manages the agencies advertising program, website development, and video department. Jordan made his way to the Institute through a career in advertising and is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Journalism. When he’s not at work, he’s usually “called in sick” to go fly fishing on the Deschutes.
Beth Krisko
Beth came to FTF after years of experience as naturalist, program manager, and director of environmental and outdoor education programs. She has a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from Miami University, with an emphasis in Forest Ecology, and a science teacher credential from Antioch University. In 2010, Beth was awarded a fellowship with the National Audubon Society’s Together Green program, which recognizes leaders in conservation. Beth oversees the administration of the organization, leads strategic planning, and coordinates the forestry education programs. She is passionate about the work of the organization, specifically, bringing awareness to the human-environment connection, and teaching people about their natural resources.
Ashley Jones
Graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology. Currently the Projects Coordinator at Seneca Family of Companies, a third generation to the business my Grandfather started 63 years ago. My time is spent doing high school outreach, facilitating an in-house scholarship program and days out on the tree farm with the Foresters. My committees include Lane Families for Food and Forests and the Selection Team for OSAC scholarships.
Top Ten / Film of the Year / Category Judges
Scott Ballard
Scott Ballard is an award-winning Portland-based Director, Producer and Director of Photography. He has produced and directed three feature films with his most recent work winning 10 awards with 16 additional nominations in the 37 festivals that it has played at around the world. His previous feature film has played at 17 festivals, winning 7 awards with 5 additional nominations. He has over 15 years experience filming narrative features, shorts, documentaries and music videos. He holds an MFA in Film Production from Boston University and has worked in Seattle, LA, New Orleans, NYC and Boston before settling back in his native NW corner to focus on his dedication to indie cinema. Currently, he is producing and filming a RACC Grant funded micro-doc series focused on Oregon writers and is in pre-production on his first feature length documentary and on his fourth narrative feature film to be shot in Portland in 2017
Dustin Whitaker
Dustin Whitaker has enjoyed telling stories through film since he got his first camera at the age of 13. He worked all summer in the heat and saved up $700 for a camera he bought at Sears. It was different times back then. Everything was still 4:3 in the video world and shallow depth of field was only a dream. None the less he kept story as his main purpose and now enjoys telling stories about the UofO community.
Kitsann Means
Kitsann has a BFA in theatre from Southern Oregon University in Ashland Oregon, and an MFA from University of Southern California, Los Angeles. She has been teaching theatre for thirty years and has been the theatre specialist at Oak Hill School in Eugene for the past eleven years. She specializes in original works and has produced original plays involving youth in Russia, China, London and Thailand, where her company performed an original musical for the King.
Todd Looby
Todd started his professional career as a commercial construction manager for a $3 billion per year company in Chicago before starting his own film company. His most notable films are “Be Good” (2013), “Lollywood” (2013) and “Son of None” (2010). Todd helped program the 2012, 2013 and 2014 Slamdance Film Festivals. Since 2014, Todd has served as the Director of BendFilm in Bend, Oregon. The annual BendFilm Festival was named one of the “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” in 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2009. The next festival will be held October 12-15, 2017.
Josh Lunden
Josh Lunden is a writer, director, and producer working out of Portland, Oregon. His films including the award-winning shorts "Modern Dark," "198" and "Someone." Josh also serves on the Oregon Media Production Association's (OMPA) Board of Directors and works with the historic Hollywood Theatre, creating preshow content for the cinema and doing content management for their microcinema at the Portland International Airport.
Merlin Showalter
Merlin is an Oregon-based videographer that runs his own production company, Showalter Sight & Sound. Specializing in music videos and live events, he has worked with artists such as Peter Hollens, Home Free, Sky Does Minecraft, Pentatonix, and the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra. When not filming or editing, Merlin can frequently be spotted playing drums in various venues around Oregon.
Tim Orr
Tim Orr studied cinematography at the North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking alongside fellow classmate David Gordon Green. He has directed photography on all of Green's features, which include: PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, JOE, PRINCE AVALANCHE, SNOW ANGELS, ALL THE REAL GIRLS and GEORGE WASHINGTON, for which Orr was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. In addition to his work with David Gordon Green, Orr has served as Director of Photography on Mike White's YEAR OF THE DOG, Peter Sollett's award winning debut RAISING VICTOR VARGAS, and Mark Milgard's DANDELION, for which Orr was again nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. His additional film credits include: Jody Hill's OBSERVE AND REPORT, Clark Gregg's CHOKE, TRUST THE MAN, IMAGINARY HEROES, LITTLE MANHATTAN, and SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD. Upcoming releases include: CYMBELINE, SEARCH PARTY, MANGLEHORN, Z for ZACHARIAH, OUR BRAND IS CRISIS and PEE WEE'S BIG HOLIDAY.
Edward Schiessl
Owner-operator of the Broadway Metro and President of the Eugene Film Society He studied at the Northwest Film Center in Portland, with an emphasis in cinematography, and manages a large private 35mm movie film archive. He has been making movies since the age of 7, and has completed over 100 shorts, features and music video projects since then.
Keegan O'Brien
Keegan O’Brien is a local filmmaker who graduated from Portland State University’s film program in 2016. In late August, he’ll be joining Chapman University’s Dodge College in Los Angeles to pursue an MFA in Film Directing. He currently spends his days between Eugene and Portland making short films and nervously staring at a wall anticipating Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Actor & Actress Category
Inga Wilson
Originally from Minnesota, Inga Wilson received a BFA in Theatre Performance from Drake University and went on to study at the O’Neill National Theater Institute and Chautauqua Theater Conservatory. Inga is a proud member of Actors Equity Association and SAG/AFTRA having worked professionally in California, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Oregon. In addition to acting, Inga enjoys directing and has taught acting and theatre to diverse audiences for over 20 years.
Erica Towe
Erica Towe is an actor and high school English teacher in the Eugene/Springfield area. She was last seen on stage at the Oregon Contemporary Theatre in The Revolutionists where she played the French Revolutionist playwright and activist, Olympe De Gouges. Other recent productions at OCT have included Silent Sky and Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf as Honey. Hailing from the great state of South Dakota, Erica ran the Sioux Falls Film Society for two years where she showcased many independent film productions and film events. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking excursions with her husband, Chad, and their sweet Golden Retriever, Charlie Bucket. She is looking forward to being a judge for this year's Eugene Children's Film Festival.
Paige Showalter
Paige Showalter is a middle school Spanish teacher and drama program co-director at O'Hara Catholic School in Eugene, Oregon. Over the last few years she has helped direct casts of more than 50 students in productions of Sound of Music, Peter Pan, Annie, and most recently Aladdin. This summer Paige is excited to be participating in master classes through the Broadway Teachers Workshop in New York City, working with professionals currently in musicals such as Dear Evan Hansen and Anastasia. Originally from Portland, Paige has performed in productions of Oklahoma, The Music Man, Annie, Sherlock Holmes, and Sleepy Hollow as Katrina Von Tassel.