There's no one way to practice cinema. Our alumnae and alumni have used their degrees to forge a diverse array of career paths. Learn about some of our alums from the past five decades below.
Susan E. Kim
Susan E. Kim graduated with a BA in 2000, focusing on filmmaking, creative writing and theatre. She went on to earn her MFA at the California Institute of the Arts and then to work as an editor on numerous acclaimed series, including Little America, A Small Light, and Pachinko. In 2021, she was awarded the Sally Menke Fellowship from the Sundance Institute, and she has served as a Junior Mentor in the Ace Diversity Mentorship Program.
Pete Machalek
Pete Machalek earned an MA in film production and communication theory in 1991. After running a training program for screen actors, he then put his film skills to use for leadership training and co-founded SagePresence, which helps professional service firms build the confident presence of their client-facing team members. After decades of growth, SagePresence now serves clients throughout North America. In 2015, Pete also delivered a TEDx talk, How Leaders Use Story.
Taylor Edelle Stuart
Taylor Edelle Stuart graduated in 2017 with a BA in Cinema and Comparative Literature. She currently directs video installations for live events. Most recently Taylor designed video projections for the world-premiere musical The Outsiders at The La Jolla Playhouse ahead of it's run on Broadway. She also recently designed video for the National Tour of R.E.S.P.E.C.T., a concert series celebrating the life and work of Aretha Franklin, and is the assistant video designer for Water For Elephants, currently playing on Broadway.
Stephanie Jaques
Raul Moarquech Ferrera-Balanquet
Raul Moarquech Ferrera-Balanquet earned his MFA in Intermedia with a focus on Film and Video in 1992. Subsequently, he earned a PHD from Duke University, and he currently serves as Co-Executive Director of the Howard University Gallery of Art. While at UIowa, Ferrerra-Balanquet founded the Latino Midwest Video Collective, overlapping with artists such as the poet Juan Felipe Herrera and filmmaker Adriana Zuanic. Among other publications, he is the author of Aestesis Decolonial Transmoderna Latinx_MX (2019).
Josh Guffey
Josh Guffey graduated in 2007 with a double major in Cinema & Comparative Literature and Economics. He has worked in reality TV, fashion stills, advertising, and corporate video, and also served as Executive Producer at the in-house agency for Edward Jones Investments. Last year, he took on a new position as the Senior Director of Content for Nine PBS St. Louis. Among other creative projects, he wrote and directed the thriller All Gone Wrong.
Sarah Abele Caputo
Sarah Abele Caputo graduated in 2009 with a BA in Cinema, before obtaining an Associate’s Degree in Fine Arts and Graphic Design from Rose State College. A specialist in early childhood and elementary education, she has served since 2017 as Arts and Multimedia Teacher for Positive Tomorrows, a school in Oklahoma City specializing in creating pathways out of homelessness. At Positive Tomorrows, she teaches students the fundamentals of film and animation and organizes a yearly student film festival.
Kathryn Kane
Kathryn Kane earned her MA in Film Studies in 1972, followed by a PhD in Film Studies in 1976. She subsequently had a 30-year career as an award-winning Marketing and communications executive for leading consulting firms. Her clients including prominent universities, national disease organizations, and Fortune 500 corporations. She also published her dissertation as Visions of War: Hollywood Combat Films of WWII. After retiring, Kathryn took up another visual art: painting, where she has won awards and showed in various exhibitions.
Andrew Stahl
Andrew Stahl graduated in 2003 With a BA in English. After undergraduate studies, Andrew continued his education at the University of Newcastle in England, receiving a Masters degree in Literature & Film Studies. From there, he began working in the film industry as a production assistant, working his way up to varying degrees of assistant director work. His recent films include Oppenheimer, Madame Web, and Top Gun: Maverick.