UToledo 2010 Film/Comm Alumnus, Andrew Makadsi at the 2019 Creative Arts Emmys

Andrew Makadsi, art director to pop star, Beyoncé, was nominated for an Emmy in the 2019 Creative Arts Emmy Awards. He graduated from the University of Toledo in 2010 with dual undergraduate degrees in Film and Communication. Andrew, along with production designers Ric Lipson and Rachel Duncan, were nominated for an Emmy in Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special for their work on “Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé.”

The show, produced through Beyoncé’s company, Parkwood Entertainment, originally aired on Netflix last April. The show also received Emmy nominations in five other categories: Outstanding Music Direction, Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded), Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special, Outstanding Costumes for Variety, Non-Fiction or Reality Programming, and Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special.

https://www.emmys.com/shows/homecoming-film-beyonc%c3%a9

The awards were held in mid-September. Although the award ultimately went to RENT, Makadsi was thrilled to have been nominated and the University is equally proud of his tremendous accomplishment. Andrew posted to Facebook, “My first Emmy nomination. A date I will never forget. Feeling so grateful and thankful for all the support and love.”

One of Andrew’s UToledo film faculty, Holly Hey, said, “We are confident that this year’s Emmy nomination is only the beginning of Andrew’s professional recognition. Andrew’s work at UToledo always showcased his personal style, his dedication to creative expression, and his unparalleled commitment to crafting his work. Words hardly express how proud we are of Andrew and how happy we are to have played even the smallest part in preparing Andrew to work at such a high level in the Arts and Entertainment industries. Well done, Andrew!”

Leading up to the Creative Arts Emmys, Andrew was also recently profiled in an article in Vogue Arabia, the Middle Eastern edition of Vogue magazine. https://en.vogue.me/awards/beyonce-art-director-andrew-makadsi/. The article, written by Caterina Minthe, covers Makadsi’s education at UToledo and his meteoric rise in the art direction world, from fashion runway art director to his work with arguably one of the most famous stars on the planet, Beyoncé.

In the summer of 2017, then University of Toledo film student, Eva Noria, landed an internship in New York with post-production company, Running Man. Impressed with her energy, work ethic and post-production skills, the company offered her a job as a post-production assistant upon graduation. Eva graduated from UT in spring of 2018 and has now been on the job for almost a year.

Running Man serves a clientele that includes shows for Netflix, HBO, Comedy Central, Showtime, TBS, CBS, IFC, and many others. As a post-production assistant, Eva is responsible for organizing, reviewing and updating continuity on works in production as well as collecting contracts for the loop group, the voice talent for off-screen parts. When her company wraps a season, they send the client screeners for the media, a cue sheet and a copy of the individual episodes.

Eva credits her success with Running Man to her time as a student with the University of Toledo Department of Theatre and Film. Originally, she had planned to major in exercise science and work as an athletic trainer because she had a scholarship available to her in that program area. However, she decided to switch to a major in Film with a minor in Communication when she realized her heart was in the arts.

Once in the program, Eva knew she made the right call even though she soon learned it wasn’t an easy degree. Her faculty challenged her more than she expected—to think more creatively and examine her work more critically. She remembers in particular, Tammy Kinsey, professor of film, pushing her to do better and give her best. “She wanted you to be engaged and to know that anything, no matter how small, counts. You have to be able to take criticism, and if you’re able to take it, then you’re going to do well.”

Professor Matt Yockey was also instrumental in her success. Eva says his classes were a challenge in volume. “He always gave us so much work, but it was really helpful. I learned so much from him.” Holly Hey, professor of film and head of the film program at UT, in addition to helping Eva perfect her editing skills, was also a great source of encouragement. “She noticed whenever I was feeling down, and she was there for me. All the professors are there for you, for anything. It was great to have that support especially since I was from out of state.”

Under their guidance, Eva flourished. A top student, she was invited to participate in the Klar Leadership Academy at UT. Students invited to the academy are drawn from all undergraduate majors at the University. “This is a pan-academic effort with the goal of increasing each Academy member’s career success, ability to lead and influence others to impact the world for good, and help each member capture a “personal vision” as to what they can do to improve the human condition!”

Eva was thrilled to participate in the Academy where she met business leaders, received career advice, took part in mock interviews and performed service work for the non-profit organization, Feed My Starving Children. She says the experience “got us out of our comfort zone. We learned our strengths and weaknesses and got to meet a lot of interesting people. It became like a mini-family.”

Another milestone experience was a study abroad trip to China. Eva and several other film students from UT accompanied music education students to study the arts culture in China and to document their experiences. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think about that trip.”

Having learned a great deal from her time as a student, Eva has some sage advice for new students. “Get out of the dorm, get involved, meet people, join organizations. I got involved in getting any kind of experience I could. When you make connections and meet new people, they can help you and give you all kinds of opportunities.” Those experiences led her to the internship with Running Man and later a permanent position with the company.

Her job with Running Man has helped her expand upon her education. “This opportunity has opened my eyes to new possibilities and exposure that as a student we don’t know of. Overall, working for Running Man has been wonderful. At first, it was a bit slow but soon things started to pick up. I was able to ask questions and be curious about everyone’s role in making a show/film and how things are created and pieced to together. Growing up, one would believe there is some sort of magic in making a show/ film but there isn’t. It’s literally a huge group of people who come together and work with one another to make sure the content is the best version of what they started with from a script. And you notice that if someone in this formation slacks off it can cause problems down the line. In school, we have group projects, but here the stakes are higher and expensive.”

“I’ve also had the opportunity to make connections with different companies and people. It’s important to have these connections especially if someone wants to have their own company or start on their first projects. When I finished with ‘The Last O.G.’ season 2, I didn’t have anything lined up. A co-worker had connected me with an executive producer who needed a PA [production assistant] and an assistant for pre-production for an MTA/Visa commercial. I got a lot more of experience, not just in post-production but in both pre-production and production.”

Eva says her next step is to become a post-production coordinator then work toward becoming a producer for a variety of projects within the industry for different companies. She adds that her experiences as a student at UT have helped grow her as a person and helped create job opportunities. “I thank them for giving me a door so I could slip in and see where it takes me.”

What do nightmares, rattlesnakes, and the pyscho-sexual have in common? Come find out! These subjects and more will be featured in the annual University of Toledo Aspiring Filmmakers Showcase. Presented by the UT Film & Video Society (a student-run organization) and by the UT Department of Theatre & Film, this year’s Showcase will screen on March 15, 2014 in the Center for Performing Arts Center Theatre at 7:30 p.m. (Scroll down to link to films)

An eight-member panel of judges made selections into the Showcase. The panel included Film faculty, outstanding former students of the film program, Dean and Associate Dean of the College of Communication and The Arts, Debra A. Davis and Holly Monsos, and distinguished professionals within the community, Brett Leonard (feature film director and producer) and Dustin Hostetler (graphic artist and illustrator). Leonard will also be in attendance at this week’s screening. The majority of submissions were from Film majors, but the competition was open to any student who made work in the Film program’s production courses.

Tickets to the Showcase cost $5 for the general public and $3 for students and senior citizens (60+). The Center for Performing Arts is located on UT’s Main Campus at Towerview West and West Rocket Drive.

“This year’s selections were the most competitive yet in my opinion! I think it shows how our program and our students continue to grow and get even better each year. We use a juried entry process so that our students have ‘real world’ experience with both acceptance and rejection of their work by audiences outside the classroom. We had some very good work this year that didn’t get into the Showcase. A few of my favorite projects didn’t get in, and I was one of the judges. It just goes to show how subjective festival entry can be, and that’s vital for our students to learn and understand. Although rejection is difficult, it is necessary for success. To be rejected shows that you’re trying to get your work shown, and as a creative person, that’s really what you have control over; how and how often you try. The rest is up to the audiences that you reach. Ultimately, the more attempts at recognition, the more likely recognition will happen. It’s a number’s game in my opinion. At the same time, a competitive entry process should be a great eye-opener for the students whose work was accepted; it should awaken them to not taking their work for granted. It’s one thing to not know the person you competed against, but when you know your work was selected over your friend’s or colleague’s work (people and work you really value and respect), that’s something much different; it’s much more profound and meaningful to have your work recognized.”

– Holly Hey, Associate Professor and Head of Film

“The showcase is a great experience for students not only to see each other’s work, but to see what other students are creating. Collaboration is the spirit of filmmaking and it is of value to students to realize that often they may be each other’s best resources. In addition it is always nice to see your work on the ‘big screen.’ Nothing compares to having a large audience view and respond to your work. Often in classes your only critique is that of your classmates and your professor, but with the showcase a much larger community can be reached.”

– Samantha Muirhead, President of the UT Film Video Society student organization

Aspiring Filmmakers Showcase Works To Be Screened

Melissa Byrd
Instinctual Drives
Fall 2013, Film I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lbpkvwH54U
5:03

Crista Constantine
The Figure And The Mind
Spring 2013, Video I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2z7xyuNwR8
3:00

Anna Coulter
Don
Fall 2013, Optical Printing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUsU132ZFIg
5:58

Tyler Curry
Don’t Bite The Hand That Feeds You
Fall 2013, Film I
https://vimeo.com/85389326
5:02

Ian Henry
System
Spring 2013, Film I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6R3XWdpa0E
5:01
Machines
Fall 2013, Video I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAe9cP48Qjo
3:00

Andrew Jex
About Anna
Fall 2013, Optical Printing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1BmyI3lQD8
3:46
Rocket Marching Band Promo
Fall 2013, Advanced Post Production
https://vimeo.com/85601439
0:45

Chris Kaiser
Rattler On The Doorstep
Fall 2013, Film I
https://vimeo.com/85197776
6:46

Lydia Kane
First Encounter
Spring 2013, Video II
http://vimeo.com/65327189
3:09
The Spirit Of The Game
Summer 2012 (Abroad), Documentary Production
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsiycoAvtjE
4:42

Charles King
Epoch
Spring 2013, Film I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvvMUXv5_OY
4:25

Stephen Mariasy
Process
Spring 2013, Video I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjWV96D2GeI
3:02
I Am Become Cat
Fall 2013, Film I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNuKJX4K0PI
5:00

Lydia Messer
Soteria
Spring 2013, Film I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3VY-uWom_c
3:31

Samantha Muirhead
Aspiring Filmmaker’s Showcase Lead In
Fall 2013, Advanced Post Production
https://vimeo.com/85046930
0:30

Carolyn Sharkey
Icarus
Spring 2013, Video I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VsBuX2XtRc&feature=youtu.be
3:20

Cory Vail
Elementals
Spring 2013, Video I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu2RYn7K3SY
2:52
Disconnect The Dots
Fall 2013, Film I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ABLIFa8hCw
5:54

Heather Wilson
Ruminate
Fall 2013, Film I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHYl1YvSMiE
5:24

Noah York
Fohat Speaks
Fall 2012, Video I
https://vimeo.com/84998402
3:08
Fallen
Spring 2013, Video II
https://vimeo.com/85291781
7:34

Leonard Zaleski
Clearwater COG Video Project
Fall 2013, Internship Credit
https://vimeo.com/85638404
9:37