Meet Our Alumni

After graduating from Mason's Film and Video Studies program in 2011, Mannon started working as a part-time Sports ENG Camera Operator for NBA Wizards, NHL Capitals, WNBA Mystics and NCAA Georgetown Hoyas home games, as well as a contracted, full-time Assistant Editor at Discovery Channel with WilmaTV Inc. He spent his free time working as a Director of Photography on several Mason Thesis Films, which led to his first paid DP job on a small VA indie film, Admins.  

Kwanza Nicole Gooden is a director, writer, producer, editor, and videographer who's work has been featured on USA Today, BuzzFeed, and BET Networks. In 2018, she was awarded Best Director at the Oscar-qualifying Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival for her short film Token.

Donovan Jones is a young and motivated director, producer, and entrepreneur whose passion is fueled by telling stories that challenge perspectives and inspire change in the realms of equality & social justice. Since graduating from Mason's film program in 2018, Donovan has been able to work on some major film and tv productions such as Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), Harriet (2019), Showtime’s The Good Lord Bird (2020), and many more.

Film at Mason alum Michael Kamel has a new and impactful job working as a Video Fellow at Buzzfeed. Kamel’s productions will focus on Arab representation and unpack bias through humor. His first Buzzfeed video Arabs Try Dessert Hummus for the First Time has already garnered over 100k+ views!

Allison McDaniel is a Producer and Editor at PBS. She has two Daytime Emmy nominations as Creative Producer for Vicious NYC Pride March 2015 and as Producer for Masterpiece: Victoria. She graduated Cum Laude in 2012 with her BA in Film and Video Studies.  

Erblin Nushi advanced to the finals of the Student Academy Awards in the Narrative (Domestic Films) category for his film BINI. His film is one of eight films to make it to the finals and the only work created by an undergraduate student. This is the first Student Academy Award nomination for George Mason University.   "During my two years at Mason, I was shaped to be the filmmaker I am by giving me the space and encouragement to tell stories that are personal and stories that matter,” said Nushi.  

Paul O'Halloran graduated with a B.A. in Film and Video Studies in 2014. His senior thesis film Ard Laoch na hÉireann /Hero of Ireland (2014) played at film festivals internationally and is now available to stream on Amazon Prime. Paul currently lives in Los Angeles.   Could you tell us about your work after graduation?  

Jared Palacios wants people to pay attention to how they treat each other. Growing up in Hawaii, Palacious encountered many different people from all over the world visiting the islands. He said he was taken aback by some of the racial discrimination he saw.   “I want to shed a new light on how to view immigrants in America,” said Palacios, who graduated from Mason with a B.A. in Film and Video studies (2019). “It is not meant to sway people to think differently politically, but just to open their minds.”  

Alex Plank is an actor, filmmaker, and autism advocate. He graduated from Film at Mason in 2010 with a B.A. in Film and Video Studies. He co-founded the The Wrong Planet, an online community for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. He recently guest-starred on The Good Doctor on ABC as Javier, a man who must face his autistic sensory disorder in order to save his roommate.  

Alicia Rodriguez is a recent graduate of George Mason University, double majoring in Film and Video Studies and Integrative Studies with a concentration in Social Justice and Human Rights. During her last two semesters in the Film at Mason program, she worked on fiction and nonfiction projects, as well as in the field as a production assistant, camera operator, editor, and photographer for outside production companies and nonprofit organizations in the DMV area and in Guatemala. Her documentary “Cultivation and Community” about urban agriculture in D.C.