elondocs welcomes new members, new office space

Now in its seventh year, elondocs has a permanent office space for the first time in the organization’s history. Thanks to the recent renovations in McEwen Communications Building, the School of Communications’ documentary film production program is located on the building’s second floor, room 201.

In addition to a new location, elondocs welcomes 10 new members for the 2016-17 academic year who will produce several short documentaries in the coming months. Students and faculty director Nicole Triche will also attend Durham’s Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in April 2017.

To keep up with this year’s students and their projects, follow elondoc’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. Here’s a closer look at this year’s elondocs members:

Jordan Levine, a sophomore studying cinema and television arts, expects that elondocs will offer her the opportunity to work collaboratively with her peers, showcasing inspiring stories within the community. She is passionate about communicating complex human-interest stories. Levine looks forward to informing viewers about current issues in the world, motivating people to become engaged in their communities.

Cody R. Miller is a sophomore from Long Island, N.Y., majoring in cinema and television arts with a minor entrepreneurship. Miller is involved with other student media, including Elon Tonight and CinElon. In the future, he hopes to be a writer and director in film or television. Films have been an essential part of his life and he is excited to be a part of the elondocs program.

​Gabe Salvador is a junior majoring in cinema and television arts with a minor in Latin American studies. He first got interested in videography while working on a final video project for his calculus class in high school. During his first year at Elon, he discovered the cinema program and switched his major from computer science. Today, he’s excited to learn from other young videographers and continue to develop his skills and passion. During the program, he hopes to capture the stories of extraordinary individuals and moments.

Meaghan McCann is a media analytics and creative writing double major with a minor in information science. She grew up in the Washington, D.C., area. Music and cinema are parts of her life she feels most passionate about which is why she got involved with other campus organizations that cater to her interests. Outside of elondocs, she’s a member of CinElon, Elon Tonight, WSOE and Limelight Records. She said she’s ecstatic for her sophomore year, especially with elondocs.

Joey Nappa is a junior studying cinema and television arts with minors in finance, religious studies and professional sales. He is excited to be a part of the elondocs team this year, and he hopes to develop some interesting pieces that incorporate his interests, especially in regards to his religious studies minor. Growing up, Nappa always had a passion for the film industry, but it was not until coming to Elon that he became interested in documentaries. He hopes to be a strong contributing member of elondocs, developing pieces that everyone can enjoy and learn from.

Born to an American father and Japanese mother, Alex Mancuso lived in Connecticut for six years, before his family moved to Georgia, where they have lived since. He is currently a sophomore double majoring in international studies and cinema and television arts. Mancuso is proud and excited to participate in elondocs. A lover of international affairs and travel, he hopes to use his elondocs experience to cover international topics and how they relate and affect America.

Michael Somerby, a senior journalism major, has a passion for multimedia storytelling, particularly when using film as the primary medium. His favorite documentary is “Project Nim” and his favorite narrative film is “Pulp Fiction.”

Jake Cannon is a senior cinema and television arts major from Ossining, N.Y. He studied film production in fall 2015 at FAMU International in Prague, Czech Republic, and worked as an office production assistant for the CBS show “Braindead” in summer 2016. He is currently the alumni liaison for his fraternity Lambda Chi Alpha. Cannon joined elondocs because he views visual storytelling as the most emotionally powerful medium and sees great value in telling stories to shed light on the human condition.

​Heather Deiner was born and raised in Snohomish, Wash., and graduated from Saint James School in Hagerstown, Md. Deiner participated in a number of sports, including soccer, dance and lacrosse, which she captained her junior and senior years. During her junior year, she became one of the heads of her school’s chapel, and she participated in the school’s newspaper and yearbook programs. By her senior year, she was an editor with both publications and developed a passion for sharing stories. Deiner hopes to achieve a dual major in communications and theatre, and she plans on studying abroad and interning at a wide variety of locations in order to create a strong foundation of cultural context for her future careers. Her goal is to find a position that allows her to help others throughout the world.

Molly Herman-Gallow is a sophomore from Atlanta, Ga. She is currently working on her BFA in cinema and television arts and enjoys being a part of InterVarsity, Young Life, Lutherans, Episcopalians, and Friends, Elon Volunteers, the Elon Academy and, of course, elondocs. She hopes to pursue editing, producing or cinematography upon graduation. Her favorite things in life, besides Elon, include her dog, cat, horse and Netflix.