Graduate Student Profiles

Master of Fine Arts Students

Rusty Baker

Rusty Baker’s eye for visual storytelling has been ever present in each of his careers. The Dallas native attended the University of North Texas, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Radio/Television/Film in 1999. As a student, Baker produced, directed and edited the feature-length documentary, Faded Glory, The Von Erich Story. The student production received local acclaim and was featured in the Dallas Video Festival, Forth Worth Film Festival, and USA Film Festival.

After September 11, 2001, Baker answered the nation’s call by returning to the Marine Corps Reserves. He was trained as a military journalist at the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Maryland, and served as a combat photographer for ten years. Baker volunteered to deploy to the Parwan and Khost provinces of Afghanistan during a highpoint of terrorist insurgency during the nation’s elections of 2004. His images and feature stories were published in dozens of national magazines and Web articles. Just three months after demobilizing and coming home, Baker was hand-selected to deploy to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to interact with news reporters during the Sept. 11 war crimes trail hearings - a proceeding which drew significant global media interest. When he returned home, this time for good, he was both promoted to the highest enlisted military rank of sergeant major and simultaneously offered the top civilian position of the Public Affairs Officer at NAS Fort Worth JRB. Of all his accomplishments, his favorite was coordinating a Vietnam War Veteran “Welcome Home” Commemoration, where his team conducted numerous documentary-styled interviews of numerous veterans to be held online in the U.S. Library of Congress’ War Stories program.

He retired from both the Marine Corps and federal service to be a stay-at-home dad and home school teacher to his special-needs children. During that time, he produced the YouTube Channel, Picking Up the Pieces of Us, posting hundreds of vlogs depicting adventures on the road on the Spectrum (ASD). Rusty Baker has returned to UNT after 26 years to pursue his MFA in Documentary Filmmaking. In his first year of the program he directed Center Point, a short documentary about volunteer firefighters involved in the 2025 Guadalupe River flood. He is currently directing The Ripple Effect, a call-to-serve documentary that focuses on the bond forged between children with significant special needs and the volunteers who travel from all over the nation to teach them adaptive surf therapy on the shores of Galveston Island. His passion remains in telling the unique stories of veterans and people with autism.

www.rustybakerfilm.com

RussellBaker@my.unthsc.edu

Link to CV

Clay Barnwell

I am a graduate student at the University of North Texas, pursuing a Masters in Fine Arts degree, having gratefully been accepted into the Documentary Production & Studies program. As a teenager, I attended the iSchool Media Arts Academy in Flower Mound, where the professors instilled in me a deep love and appreciation for documentary and narrative filmmaking. After graduating in 2014, I attended the North Central Texas College, where I participated in a film studies program, creating the short film Screamer (2015) as part of the October horror short film competition. I was accepted into the Santa Fe University of Art and Design in 2016, where I studied under Sundance Jury Prize nominee Hank Rogerson (Shakespeare Behind Bars, 2005). He taught me about film composition, screenplay structure, and proper film-set etiquette. While attending SFUAD, I directed and edited a short documentary about the fire that destroyed the western film set on campus, titled SFUAD Campus Fire (2017).

After the school shut down in late 2017, I transferred to the University of North Texas, where I met even more creative and passionate filmmakers and screenwriters. My senior year I wrote, directed, and edited the short films STAKEOUT (2021), and JARMUSCH (2021), during which I discovered a newfound love of the post-production process, such as video editing, color correction, and sound mixing. After graduated, I worked odd jobs while continuously polishing my screenplays, In 2023, my fellow iSchool Media Arts graduates and I founded Red Nile Studios, an independent film studio dedicated to producing original horror short films. In 2024, I was accepted into the MFA Documentary program at UNT, where I am looking forward to producing documentaries focused on the creative lives of artists in the DFW area. I am always looking for new and exciting opportunities to expand my filmography and connect with other filmmakers during my time here at UNT and beyond.

clay.barnwell@my.unt.edu

Link to CV

Jacqueline Davis

Jacqueline Davis is a first year MFA student in the Documentary Production & Studies program at the University of North Texas. She graduated from UNT in 2016 with a BA in Radio Television & Film as well as a certification in Avid Media Composer. She returned in 2018 to teach Media Composer as an adjunct professor. Since graduating in 2016, she has worked predominantly in post production, but also has experience in script supervision, photography, producing, hosting, and writing.

Jacqueline.Davis@unt.edu

Link to CV

Hannah Guerrero

(she/her)

Growing up in Denton, Texas, I have been close to the University of North Texas since I was born! While completing my Bachelor's degree in Media Arts here, I produced and edited my first short documentary called Will's Worms. It was then that I realized I really enjoyed the atmosphere of shooting documentary-style content. It was also easy for me to express and explore other personal interests like environmental justice and the preservation of planet earth. As I work to complete my Masters of Fine Arts degree in Documentary Production and Studies, I hope to continue to produce and research environmental issues and public opinion around those issues. I've recently been studying the public opinion of renewable energy sources and why those opinions may exist. If you have any questions or inquiries regarding my work or interests, feel free to shoot me an email! I'm always eager to expand my mind.

hannahguerrero@my.unt.edu

Link to CV

Ruthy Erez

Ruthy’s first career was in the high tech industry right after completing her Master’s degree in Computer Science at the Technion in Israel. After 20 years in this industry, Ruthy pursued her dream and became a high school teacher of AP Math. Ruthy loved her 10 years of teaching in an Israeli high school until she moved to Texas due to her husband's job. Texas presented the opportunity to fulfill another dream and passion: Documentary filmmaking. Over the years, Ruthy produced numerous video clips, including those for family celebrations, storytelling about meaningful journeys, and collaborative projects with her students. She encouraged her students to work on creative clips as well, while reviewing the material for their AP exams. Just before leaving for Texas, her students created a similar video clip as a farewell present to her. The clip went viral on social media and the story about how it came to be was published in a local newspaper. One of Ruthy’s works (“Dreaming the High Schools from Scratch”) was presented in the 2022 Biennale of the Israeli Ministry of Education in Jerusalem. In 2022-2023, Ruthy worked on a 20 minute documentary (“Arabic Lesson”), focusing on the complicated identity issues of her Arab Israeli Arabic teacher, who went to a Jewish school and married a Jewish woman. Ruthy aims to continue shedding light on the coexistence of Arabs and Jews in Israel, as well as on the subject of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

ruthyerez@my.unt.edu

Link to CV

Rahim Handy

Rahim Handy is a Dallas-based documentary filmmaker, producer, cinematographer, and founder of Clear Motion Films. A U.S. Army veteran and MFA student in Documentary Production & Studies at the University of North Texas, his work explores themes of family, justice, faith, and resilience through cinematic nonfiction storytelling. His first MFA documentary, Becoming Taylor, follows a young boxer shaped by mentorship, family support, and community-based intervention. The film held its world premiere at the 2026 Oak Cliff Film Festival and has since been selected for the Detroit Black Film Festival, Urban Film Festival, and the San Antonio Black International Film Festival. Rahim previously directed and producedThe Dream Chaser, a feature documentary on the life and legacy of rapper Lil Snupe, featuring more than 50 interviews with artists, family members, and collaborators. The project received support through Comcast NBCUniversal's Black Experience on Xfinity Emerging Black Filmmaker Grant, which awarded $100,000 toward the film's completion and distribution. His work has received Gold and Silver Telly Awards, a Gold Clio Award, ADDY Awards, and a REMI Award.

At UNT, Rahim's films examine the enduring bonds of family through stories shaped by incarceration, mentorship, and redemption. His documentary practice combines observational cinematography with character-driven storytelling to explore how families navigate systems of justice, recovery, and social change. His current feature documentary,The Petitioner's Vow, follows Candace and Willie Fleming's decades-long fight to preserve their family while pursuing parole reform. His planned thesis film,Faith in the Fire, chronicles Angelo "Gino" Gugino's journey from incarceration to recovery, fatherhood, and prison mentorship. Through Clear Motion Films, Rahim continues to produce documentary, commercial, and branded content while mentoring emerging filmmakers and creating stories that foster dialogue and social impact.

rahim@clearmotionfilms.com

RahimHandy@my.unt.edu

Link to CV

Sara Rosas

Sara Rosas is an emerging documentary filmmaker and M.F.A. candidate in Documentary Production and Studies at the University of North Texas, where she began her graduate studies in Fall 2025. Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Sara earned her B.A. in Media Arts with an emphasis in Media Production from Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, graduating summa cum laude. She approaches filmmaking as both an artistic practice and a form of human expression, with a particular passion for preserving authentic experiences and bringing meaningful character-driven stories to audiences. Her work is grounded in empathy, careful observation, and a belief that documentary films can illuminate the lives and perspectives of people whose stories might otherwise go unheard.

Sara’s filmmaking experience spans documentary production, video editing, sound design, and digital content creation. As an undergraduate, her documentary Carole’s Canvas received the Best Student Documentary award at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi’s annual SAMC Awards and was selected for screening at both the Rockport Film Festival and the Viva Texas Film Festival in 2024. In 2026, she expanded her professional experience through a video production internship with Alcon Laboratories in Fort Worth, where she worked with the Creative Services team to produce corporate video content and further developed her skills in editing, post-production, audio mixing, and visual storytelling. At UNT, she has also serves as a teaching assistant, developing her interest in education and mentorship alongside her filmmaking practice. Her technical skill set includes Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, sound design, and video production, while her creative approach emphasizes collaboration, organization, and attention to detail.

Sara’s graduate work continues to explore the intersection of faith, family, identity, love, and human connection. Her thesis documentary, La Chispa – The Spark, follows her husband, Gerardo Rosas, a fellow UNT student and Mexican immigrant, examining how education, faith, mentorship, and love shape the legacy one person passes to the next. Sara and Gerardo met while students at UNT and through their parish, an experience that has become an important part of her personal and creative journey. Through her work, Sara hopes to create purpose-driven documentaries that encourage audiences to recognize the dignity and shared humanity in one another. Looking toward the future, she aspires to build a career creating thoughtful, emotionally resonant films that unite her passion for documentary storytelling, faith, and service while contributing meaningfully to the documentary film community.

SaraCarlson@my.unt.edu

Link to CV

Rashid Shahriar

(he/him)

Rashid Shahriar is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Media Arts at the University of North Texas. With a background in sociology, Rashid has developed a deep interest in understanding societal dynamics and the role of storytelling in driving social change. His research focuses on the intersection of media and social justice, with a particular emphasis on how documentaries can raise awareness and inspire action in South Asian societies. Rashid is passionate about documentary styles that utilize observational and participatory storytelling techniques. He believes these approaches are powerful tools for authentically capturing real-world experiences and fostering deeper connections between the audience and the subjects. Rashid is also deeply committed to promoting Classical Liberal ideas. His dedication to these values is evident through his active involvement in Students For Liberty (SFL). One of his events, which focused on spreading classical liberal principles, was recognized with the Students for Liberty Global Event of the Year Award. This accolade highlights Rashid’s ability to organize impactful initiatives that resonate on a global scale. In recognition of his commitment to impactful storytelling, Rashid has received several honors and awards. These include the Climate Media Award 2021 by the University of Columbia, USA, for his outstanding work in a video competition on climate change impact. Additionally, he has been a runner-up in various competitions. Professionally, Rashid aspires to become a documentary filmmaker dedicated to advocating for social justice and promoting classical liberal values. His goal is to create films that not only inform and educate but also inspire viewers to engage in meaningful discussions and take action on pressing social issues.

RashidShahriar@my.unt.edu

Link to CV

Kelsey Wildman Stokes

(she/her)

Kelsey Wildman-Stokes is a first year MFA student in Documentary Film at the University of North Texas. Having grown up in the South, attended college in the Northeast, and living abroad, she’s found that a major barrier to productive dialogue is a lack of access to reliable information. If you can bring learning to all walks of life then you can create real change for the better, and make progress toward true equality. If we can get on the same page with basic information, then we can start having a productive debate. Kelsey’s goal is to take her background as an artist and channel this into activist work through Documentary Film. Her favorite types of documentaries are grounded in the objective to make a difference and have a real impact on peoples lives. Outside of film production, she has an interest in critical studies within academia. Kelsey would love to spend her days analyzing film and teaching. Enjoying the process of viewing with a critical eye, and asking meaningful questions while helping others reach their goals. As a professional dancer/actress/choreographer she believes her eye has been fine tuned and trained to see specific details and asthetics. She's very interested in seeing how her training as a performer will aid her in this new career path forward.

kelseywildman@my.unt.edu

Link to CV

Alex Russell

(he/him)

alexanderrussell@my.unt.edu

Recent Alumni

Shelley Davis, MFA

(she/her, they/them)

Shelley is working on several documentary productions as a director and editor. Influenced by her background in narrative cinema and sound, she uses her life experiences as a Jewish-Italian woman from Florida to tell stories about Jewish people, environmental racism, the climate crisis, underrepresented communities of color in Florida, and storytelling through different art mediums. Presently, she is directing a feature documentary film called Saba and Savta, a story about the everyday life of an elderly Jewish couple searching for their lost family history and preserving what culture they know before their memory disappears. She is also in the early stages of distribution for a film she directed in the Fall of 2022 called Gatekeeper, a portrait of the rural communities of Miami-Dade County, situated in South Florida, and Biscayne National Park presented through the intertwining of a multicultural society and that of a biodiverse habitat. In the Summer and Fall of 2022, she worked as an editor, sound designer, and distribution producer for a documentary film called Facing Fistula, a story about a young woman, Beatrice, in Kenya who has been living with a devastating childbirth injury for nearly a decade that has left her incontinent, shunned by her husband, and outcasted within her community. The film follows Beatrice as she struggles to care for her homestead and her five children until, one day, discovering that she is not alone in her suffering sends her on a journey toward hope and healing.

Throughout her storytelling practice, Shelley uses sound, video, and film. She draws from influences of the cinema veritandeacute; and direct cinema movements to tell stories rooted in activism, community, social justice, tikkun olam, and immersing audiences in sensorial experiences. Shelley's work has screened internationally, from Israel to Italy and nationally across the United States from Florida to Texas and beyond. Her storytelling and documentary practice is rooted in telling stories that need to be told and empowering underrepresented voices in art and media to share their story.

Kendal Dewitt, MA

Graduate student pursuing a M.A. in Media Industry Studies. Received his B.A. in Cinema Studies at San Francisco State University. Areas of research include race in cinema, cultural studies, and Black cinema.

Chandler Gaydos, MFA

(he/him)

While receiving my degree in Cinema at Southern Illinois University, I fell in love with documentary film as an art form after watching the films of Les Blank and Frederick Wiseman. This love led me to pursue a graduate's degree in documentary here at University of North Texas. I'm interested in creating works that utilize an observational and "messy" sketchbook approach. My research interests include rural America, folk lore, and how history intermingles with contemporary life. Having grown up in rural Missouri, I have always been interested in the quirks and complexities of people living in the lesser known spaces of America. From the small Texas town drive-in movie theater to the people in hills of the Ozarks, my heart and imagination will continually be drawn to regionally focused filmmaking.

Hallie Harper, MFA

(she/they)

My purpose in life is to connect with people on a personal and individual level, and try to encourage people to open their hearts and minds while also constantly trying to expand my own perceptions and horizons. I most commonly pursue this mission through some form of creating art-- in this case through documentary-- but in essence, my desire is to help build and facilitate compassion, empathy, and understanding to help us as humans better connect and have the capacity to act with love. My mission in life is to never stop learning and growing, and to encourage others to do the same.

Michael Lividini, MA

Michael Lividini is a pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Media Industry Studies here at the University of North Texas. Michael also received his Bachelor’s degree here at North Texas. Graduating in May 2024, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts, with a Minor in Theatre. Michael has also worked on several independent film productions as a writer, actor, editor, and producer, among other duties. As a grad student, Michael’s research interests are a blend of media culture and economics. Specifically, he seeks to understand the relationship between the United States and Canada; their respective film industries, and how they relate to one another in the modern digital landscape. Post graduate school, Michael seeks to begin a career in academia; teaching media, culture, and production at the college level.

Charlie Mangan, MA

(he/him)

Charlie Mangan is a graduate student at the University of North Texas pursuing a Masters of Arts degree in Critical-Cultural Studies. He has worked as an independent freelance film critic for the former media criticism site Much Ado About cinema, where he attended the 2020 Sundance Film festival as a member of the press. He has also interned as a programing assistant for the Ann Arbor Film Festival, the longest running avant-gard film festival in North America. His areas of research interest include gender and sexuality in Reagan-era cinema, “parapolitical” (as coined and defined by Peter Dale Scott) cinema, and film festival history and practice.

Alexya Martinez, MFA

(she/her)

Alexya Martinez is a graduate student at the University of North Texas pursing a Masters in Fine Arts degree with a focus on the Documentary Production and Studies program. While pursing her undergraduate degree in Media Production at the University of Houston, she worked with Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as an intern where she was given the opportunity to direct several livestock shows such as cattle auctions and horse shows. Alexya continued her ascent in the industry, gaining further experience at FOX 26 Houston where she wrote numerous published articles and co-produced several episodes for the late-night talkshow, 'The Nightcap'.

During her senior year of college, Alexya was chosen to direct a 30-minute episode for 'VideoWorkshop' that included pre-recorded and live segments. During the production process, she oversaw technical aspects of the production and managed finalized the on-air product. The episode premiered on NuDu Tv and showcased the diverse culture within the city of Houston.

Her experience in the media industry has led her to the pathway of filmmaking in hopes to produce several pieces of work. Her area of research focuses on the general public studies, in specifically to answer the question "Why do people act the way they do to this particular situation?". With a minor in psychology, she has always been interested in understanding the way individuals or group of people think and how it affects their actions, whether it is on a day-to-day basis or when it comes to a cultural shift in society.

During her first year of graduate school, she plans to explore the short-term effects of method acting on aspiring actors at UNT. This type of knowledge will push other filmmakers to gain a better understanding of an actor's experience and all parts of film production, both in front and behind the camera.

Francesca Nelle, MA

(she/her)

Francesca is a first-year graduate student pursuing an M.A. in Media Arts with a Critical-Cultural focus. She received her B.S. in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin with honors. As a Filipina raised by immigrant parents, Francesca is driven by a commitment to uplifting marginalized communities, particularly through media and cultural advocacy. Francesca’s passion for storytelling and representation has shaped her past work, from organizing outreach efforts in the Philippines to creating short films like "Adobo," which explores the immigrant experience. Her leadership roles in Asian-affiliated organizations fueled her dedication to advancing Filipino-American visibility and cultural appreciation. Looking ahead, Francesca is eager to create and analyze media that amplifies underrepresented voices, with a focus on Asian-American identity and mental health. During her graduate studies, she plans to deepen her research into intersectionality and cultural studies, aiming to produce work that not only contributes to academic discourse but also resonates with broader audiences. By combining critical analysis with creative consideration, Francesca hopes to foster more nuanced representations of marginalized groups in media and pave the way for future storytellers.

Jeremy Rovny, MFA

One time I performed in a skit at a theatre in Shuakhevi, Georgia. I only knew a handful of Georgian words, but the audience laughed and clapped. Another time I crashed a moped on a small road in Modampalle, India. It hurt. I did a backflip in front of the Eiffel Tower. I'm still trying to top that. I was a background extra in the last Hunger Games movie. Liam Hemsworth looked at me. Most people know me for working in video production.

I do video editing and motion graphics for companies (including Fossil, Pizza Hut, and Hilti). I've directed a couple commercials, and I work in a variety of departments for film and documentary. I was a producer, camera operator, and the colorist on the feature documentary Breaking the Code (2023), awarded Best Historical Film at DIFF and Best Cinematography at STIFF and shown on PBS. I was co-cinematographer on the short documentary Forgotten Ground (2021) shown on PBS, KXAS, and NBC. I worked in the production department on the feature film Caged Birds (2021) which is on Tubi. I was co-cinematographer on the feature documentary 2nd Chances (2017). I was a camera operator on the docu-reality show Mission Reality Season 3 (2015), filmed in Guatemala and Honduras, and streaming on Amazon. I was a camera operator and an editor on the feature documentary Faces of Change (2015), shot in India. I have worked as DP, editor, colorist, VFX, or actor on over 10 short films.

My short film The Odds (2016) was shown on PBS and awarded Best Editing at Fort Worth Bizarre Film Festival. I have produced, written, and directed 5 other short films: Glassfire (2016), Political Digest (2014), Exiled: The Hearing (2013), and Red Window (2009). Before these films, I made dozens of short sketch videos with friends and family. I am currently working on my short documentary Starlit Minds (post-production, 2024) and my feature documentary Lift Up Our Hearts (pre-production, 2025).

Mason Shepherd, MA

(he/him)

I am an Afro-Latino male from East Texas, and everyday for me is a performance. I aim for perfection because I feel like one little slip is all it takes to bring you down.

Lauryn Simmons, MA

(she/her)

Having grown up with a passion for reading, books were never far out of reach. Expanding my love for literature led me to pursue a degree in English for my undergraduate studies at Texas State University. Through the Honors program and a wonderful class that taught about the narrative of video games, I completed my undergraduate thesis "Storytelling Through Visual Media: Analyzing Video Game Cutscenes Through a Filmic Lens (Square Enix Focus)", combining my interests in literature, popular culture, and various media all into one. It became a piece of inspiration for the direction I wanted to drive my academic career and led me to the Media Arts program at UNT, where I channel my teenage fangirl roots to transform them into my research interests of fandom and participatory culture in popular culture. All of these interests are combined in my current research project "Still Waiting for My Hogwarts Letter: Participatory Culture and Fandom of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter".

Jay Zamorano, MFA

(she/they)

JacquelineZamorano@my.unt.edu