Traci E. Williams
Traci is a native of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. She started her career in high school when she was selected to co-anchor the teen news program “2010 Taking you to the Future,” on the Fox network. Following graduation, Traci continued to work on “2010” as an assistant writer and producer. While as an undergraduate at Kent State University Traci worked in the casting department on the HBO films “Renegade Force” and “Proximity.” Upon graduation, Traci moved to Los Angeles and began to work on feature films with renowned Casting Director and Producer Rueben Cannon.
In 2005 she returned to KSU and earned her Masters. Presently, Traci is an instructor at Kent State within Journalism & Mass Communications as well as the Pan-African Studies Department. She is also Director of the Center of Pan-African Culture at KSU, while working on her Ph.D. Recent projects are: Associate Producer for the television drama “Such is Life” which aired on the WUAB channel 43 in Cleveland, Executive Producer for the music video “Thunder” by the world renowned music artists “Nuttin but Strings,” 11 short films which six of them she co-wrote. In 2007, Traci developed a television program geared towards college students called “College Summit.” This program airs locally and has been accepted by the Open Student College Network to be distributed to over 200 national and international universities.
Mrs. Williams has also developed curriculum at Kent State University to help train students preparing for film and television careers in front of and behind the camera. Some of Traci’s other credits include: Welcome to Collinwood, Antwone Fisher, Against the Ropes, Proximity, Woman Thou Aren’t Loosed, How to be a Latino Pop Star, Half and Half, The Parkers, The S.S.Cod (documentary), Godsmack (music video), and Legacy (stage play). Traci is also a co-founder of Black Oak Box Films, LLC.
In 2005 she returned to KSU and earned her Masters. Presently, Traci is an instructor at Kent State within Journalism & Mass Communications as well as the Pan-African Studies Department. She is also Director of the Center of Pan-African Culture at KSU, while working on her Ph.D. Recent projects are: Associate Producer for the television drama “Such is Life” which aired on the WUAB channel 43 in Cleveland, Executive Producer for the music video “Thunder” by the world renowned music artists “Nuttin but Strings,” 11 short films which six of them she co-wrote. In 2007, Traci developed a television program geared towards college students called “College Summit.” This program airs locally and has been accepted by the Open Student College Network to be distributed to over 200 national and international universities.
Mrs. Williams has also developed curriculum at Kent State University to help train students preparing for film and television careers in front of and behind the camera. Some of Traci’s other credits include: Welcome to Collinwood, Antwone Fisher, Against the Ropes, Proximity, Woman Thou Aren’t Loosed, How to be a Latino Pop Star, Half and Half, The Parkers, The S.S.Cod (documentary), Godsmack (music video), and Legacy (stage play). Traci is also a co-founder of Black Oak Box Films, LLC.
Dave Smeltzer
After receiving his BS degree in zoology from Duke University, David attended the graduate School of Film at Ohio University where he wrote and produced Lucy in Disguise an hour documentary about the discovery and analysis of the fossil skeleton Lucy. The film aired on national PBS
David then spent fifteen years producing, directing and editing video programs for Chevron Corporation, Mosby-Yearbook, Lippincott-Raven and other clients. In 1997, David turned to teaching television production at Alameda High School in Alameda, CA.
In 2005, David left California to accept a position as a tenure-track assistant professor at Kent State University. He teaches basic video, video field, video studio, advanced narrative and corporate video production. He is also the advisor to the TV2 production company, the for-profit video production unit in Student Media.
David then spent fifteen years producing, directing and editing video programs for Chevron Corporation, Mosby-Yearbook, Lippincott-Raven and other clients. In 1997, David turned to teaching television production at Alameda High School in Alameda, CA.
In 2005, David left California to accept a position as a tenure-track assistant professor at Kent State University. He teaches basic video, video field, video studio, advanced narrative and corporate video production. He is also the advisor to the TV2 production company, the for-profit video production unit in Student Media.
Matt Pallotta
For this project, Matt has taken on the role of the lead technical consultant, training and guiding the crew for the feature production. Hand-picking each person for the position, he has worked in-depth with the grips, audio engineers, cinematographer, gaffer, director, camera operators and P.A.s.
Born and raised in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Matt has had a passion for storytelling and the cinema from a very young age. His talent for story-telling emerged as he wrote short stories and a children's novel that came close to publishing when he was 8 years old. His writing won him awards through his school years while his interest in film was beginning to spark. Since 2004, when his film title, Red Duck Pictures, was created, Matt has produced a feature-length film titled Imperfections and a short film titled Lies in the Reflection. His most recent venture as executive producer has been a mockumentary Web series, The Road to Sundance:on a shoestring budget, which has been a completely unique experience for him as a writer/director/producer and has given him the chance to 'play' in every genre of the field; from infomercials to horror films, documentary-style to stop-animation.
Matt also freelances as a commercial and corporate video producer, working for clients ranging from small businesses to larger corporations such as The Cleveland Clinic and Pepsi. He currently teaches video production at Kent State University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Electronic Media Production.
Born and raised in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Matt has had a passion for storytelling and the cinema from a very young age. His talent for story-telling emerged as he wrote short stories and a children's novel that came close to publishing when he was 8 years old. His writing won him awards through his school years while his interest in film was beginning to spark. Since 2004, when his film title, Red Duck Pictures, was created, Matt has produced a feature-length film titled Imperfections and a short film titled Lies in the Reflection. His most recent venture as executive producer has been a mockumentary Web series, The Road to Sundance:on a shoestring budget, which has been a completely unique experience for him as a writer/director/producer and has given him the chance to 'play' in every genre of the field; from infomercials to horror films, documentary-style to stop-animation.
Matt also freelances as a commercial and corporate video producer, working for clients ranging from small businesses to larger corporations such as The Cleveland Clinic and Pepsi. He currently teaches video production at Kent State University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Electronic Media Production.
Cinnamon Small
May 2009 Obtained Bachelor of Arts in Pan-African Studies and is currently the Graduate Assistant in the Department of Pan-African Studies attempting a Masters of Education in Cultural Foundations my expected date of graduation is May 2011. Some of my special interests include sustainability, cooking, gardening, and educational equity, fine arts especially theatre, literature and film.
I have worked closely with Traci Williams on projects related to College Summit, a student organization that produces student media in collaboration with Family Tree productions.
Currently I am heavily involved in the production process as the line producer for “Breaking News”. I am excited to see the final product. My personal motto is “Success is a way of life”. It is important to maintain a certain level of integrity in our brand. I have high expectations for this project and value the opportunity to work on such an ambitious project.
I have worked closely with Traci Williams on projects related to College Summit, a student organization that produces student media in collaboration with Family Tree productions.
Currently I am heavily involved in the production process as the line producer for “Breaking News”. I am excited to see the final product. My personal motto is “Success is a way of life”. It is important to maintain a certain level of integrity in our brand. I have high expectations for this project and value the opportunity to work on such an ambitious project.
Lenora Pace
Script Consultant
Jared Watt
Professional Boom Mic Operator/Utility Department for feature films
Jared spent a day with the production crew, sharing his experiences in the world of film production. The tech crew had a unique afternoon while receiving audio training from an industry professional who has worked on such films as Mr. Brooks with Kevin Costner, Year One with Jack Black, and Youth in Revolt with Michael Cera.
Derrick Martin Sr.
Fight Coordinator
Robert P Dollinger
Assistant Producer
Michael I.J. Bennett
Executive Producer
Michael Bennett says that his “day job” is as an urban Sociologist. However, his interests in people, and societal influences on their relationships led him to add film producing to his agenda. In his “day job,” Dr. Bennett is a faculty member in the Sociology Department at DePaul University in Chicago. In addition to his faculty position, he was Executive Director of the Monsignor John J. Egan Urban Center at DePaul from 1997 to 2008.
Before joining DePaul, Dr. Bennett taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago under a joint appointment to the Jane Addams College of Social Work and the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs. He has taught in The University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration, where he also served as Assistant Dean of Students, at Columbia College in Chicago and at The University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
His scholarly publications include: “Community Empowerment” and “Harold Washington: Chicago Mayor 1983-1987” which appear in Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society, Richard T. Schaefer (ed.) Sage Publications, 2008. Economic Development in American Cities: The Pursuit of An Equity Agenda (co-edited with Robert P. Giloth), State University of New York Press 2007; and The New Chicago: A Social and Cultural Analysis (co-edited with John Koval, Larry Bennett, Fassil Demisse, Roberta Garner and Kiljoong Kim), Temple University Press 2006.
Prior to becoming a full-time academician, Dr. Bennett was president of The Neighborhood Institute, a non-profit affiliate of South Shore Bank in Chicago, vice-president of South Shore Bank, and vice president of its holding company, Shorebank, Inc. Currently, Dr. Bennett is treasurer of the Trinity Community Development Corporation in Chicago and vice-chair of the board of directors of Shared Interest, an international loan guaranty fund based in New York. The fund is focused on economic development in South Africa and works through its partner, the Thembani International Guarantee Fund located in Johannesburg.
Dr. Bennett has combined his sociology interests with his finance experience and is the executive producer of two independent films, Strange As Angels and Contradictions of The Heart.
He is a native of Sandusky, Ohio and has degrees from Kent State University (B.A. 1968), and The University of Chicago (M.A. 1972 and Ph.D. 1988).
Before joining DePaul, Dr. Bennett taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago under a joint appointment to the Jane Addams College of Social Work and the College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs. He has taught in The University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration, where he also served as Assistant Dean of Students, at Columbia College in Chicago and at The University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
His scholarly publications include: “Community Empowerment” and “Harold Washington: Chicago Mayor 1983-1987” which appear in Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society, Richard T. Schaefer (ed.) Sage Publications, 2008. Economic Development in American Cities: The Pursuit of An Equity Agenda (co-edited with Robert P. Giloth), State University of New York Press 2007; and The New Chicago: A Social and Cultural Analysis (co-edited with John Koval, Larry Bennett, Fassil Demisse, Roberta Garner and Kiljoong Kim), Temple University Press 2006.
Prior to becoming a full-time academician, Dr. Bennett was president of The Neighborhood Institute, a non-profit affiliate of South Shore Bank in Chicago, vice-president of South Shore Bank, and vice president of its holding company, Shorebank, Inc. Currently, Dr. Bennett is treasurer of the Trinity Community Development Corporation in Chicago and vice-chair of the board of directors of Shared Interest, an international loan guaranty fund based in New York. The fund is focused on economic development in South Africa and works through its partner, the Thembani International Guarantee Fund located in Johannesburg.
Dr. Bennett has combined his sociology interests with his finance experience and is the executive producer of two independent films, Strange As Angels and Contradictions of The Heart.
He is a native of Sandusky, Ohio and has degrees from Kent State University (B.A. 1968), and The University of Chicago (M.A. 1972 and Ph.D. 1988).
