Dana White
FOUNDER OF FOR THE AGES
Giving a voice to those quiet unheard voices, moving audiences to understand the world around them a little more and illuminating the mysteries of the human heart
-These are the things that get me out of bed every day.
As a caregiver for my mother for the last years of her life, I saw first hand how our elderly population is vulnerable to a kind of brutal isolation and discrimination.
The new world of COVID has brought to light a societal flaw in our ethos. The systemic agism and prejudice inflicted on our elders in this country is unacceptable. We must do better. Bringing a voice to the voiceless is our mission.
I am thrilled to be working with such a compassionate talented group of artists on The For The Ages Project.
-Dana is an award winning filmmaker and Assistant Professor at Kent State
Michael Indriolo
KENT STATE DMP MAJOR
PHOTOJOURNALIST | CINEMATOGRAPHER | VIDEO EDITOR
I'm a senior in Digital Media Production and Journalism here at Kent State, and I currently work as a freelance journalist around Portage County. I've always felt compelled to express myself visually, and when I first got a camera in my hands about four years ago, I realized visual art could become a vehicle through which I interface with the world and communicate with other people. Photojournalism and cinematography helped shape my perception of life throughout my time in college, and going forward, both continue to lend me purpose. The world may not be perfect, and maybe history does repeat itself, but through sharing stories that highlight the complexities of the human condition, we, or at least I, can better understand what life means.
Willow Campbell
KENT STATE DMP MAJOR
WRITER/FILMMAKER
Willow Campbell is a senior at Kent Sate University, studying filmmaking and creative writing. They were a finalist in the 2020 Undergraduate Poetry Scholarship contest hosted by The Wick Poetry Center at Kent State. Their first-ever-written short film “Bending” also premiered in July 2020, at the New York Lift-Off Film Festival. Willow is happy to be a part of the For the Ages team, and happy for the marriage of their two favorite things— poetry and film!
Ailene Joven
KENT STATE DMP MAJOR
FILMMAKER & CINEMATOGRAPHER
Hello everyone, my name is Ailene Joven and I am a Senior Digital Media Production student. From a young age I have always strived for ways to be artistic which eventually found its way with the camera years later. Storytelling has allowed me to connect with so many talented individuals and has pushed me to discover my full potential as a visual artist. I hope to take my skills into the professional world as a cinematographer and help others bring their ideas to life.
Reilly Schrock
KENT STATE DMP MAJOR
I have been infatuated with storytelling for as long as I can remember. As both an English and Digital Media Production Major, I am completely immersed in the world of storytelling. It has allowed me to make a connection with those around me and with the world in front of me. The ability to craft a story is deeply human and has broadened my understanding of what it means to be a part of this world. As a writer, filmmaker, poet, photographer, and musician, I seek the opportunities to connect with my audience in a way that is entirely human and completely honest. I am the stories I tell. With For the Ages, I'm honored to be a part of the connection between generations. Bridging the gap between young people and their elders through the vehicle of storytelling will create a cohesion and unity that this unstable world needs desperately.
Ben Kemper
KENT STATE ALUMNI
WRITER/DIRECTOR
Ben Kemper is a writer and director based in Kent Ohio. His previous works include the short films "Pop!" and "Bending", which enjoyed a short festival run in early 2020. With the Gathering Light film series, he hopes to tap into universal truths abou
Michael Amato
KENT STATE DMP MAJOR
Michael is a Junior under grad student studying Digital Media Production at Kent State University with a concentration in digital video editing and producing. He has written and edited scripted content for Kent State’s TV2, and currently edits family messages for retirement communities that cannot connect with their loved ones during this unprecedented pandemic.
Addy Birkes
KENT STATE DMP MAJOR
Addy Birkes is a junior DMP major at Kent, with minors in Creative Writing and Italian Studies. She is currently an intern at 1895 Films as a documentary researcher and has worked at TeleProductions for the past two years, covering live sporting broadcasts for ESPN3 and Kent’s Flashvision. In addition to For The Ages, Addy is also a cinematographer for Female Filmmakers Initiative, a female run film organization at Kent State University.
Kayla Pierce
KENT STATE DMP MAJOR
My name is Kayla Pierce and I am currently a senior, majoring in DMP and minoring in marketing. I’ve loved creating stories and characters since I was a child and even made my first “film”. When I came to Kent, I was undecided and had no idea what I wanted to pursue. The second semester of my freshman year, I was in a class that was built to help students that were undecided, which brought me to declaring my major at the end of that semester. Throughout these past couple of years, I found my love for video editing. The largest influence that made me want to be a video editor was a class I took were we created and filmed a short story together but then we each edited and turned in our projects separately. It was the first time I truly realized the importance of the video editor in the aspects of storytelling and that this was the role I wanted to have in filmmaking.
Eric Lagergren
COMPOSER
Eric grew up in Colorado Springs, CO, where he developed a fascination for portraying the world around him through music. After studying music composition at CSU, he went on to earn a master's degree in music composition by studying under two time Emmy award winning composer, Hummie Mann, at the Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Program at the Seattle Film Institute. Since graduating, Eric has worked on a number of short films and video games as well as received commissions for concert works from ensembles like the Northern Colorado Concert Band. Eric also works as an additional music engraver for RPM Seattle Music Preparation and Summerwind Productions (located in Colorado), helping to create scores and parts for video games and musical theater productions.
Christopher Knoblock
ADVISOR
Chris has worked as a Director, an Actor and as a Cinematographer for over 30 years. His film directing credits include Old Friends, and the feature, In the Orchard, where he won, Best Director at the 2019 Beaufort International Film Festival.
Chris’ Director of Photography film credits includes The Treasures of Long Gone John (Official Selection, 2006 SXSW, 2006 Santa Barbara Film Festival, 2006 Melbourne Int’l Festival, 2006 Chicago Underground Festival), and numerous shorts, including The Addiction of Ethan Lonemyer.
His extensive television credits as a DP and camera operator include dozens of shows on NBC, CBS, Nat Geo, Discovery Channel, Discovery ID, Lifetime, TLC,