Ryan Naylor
Writer/Co-Director
Ryan grew up moving from America to Australia to England, but California will always be his home. Last year, he came to Northwestern to study and make films in order to pursue a career in animation. He’s been a fan of animation for as long as he can remember, growing up during Disney’s revival of 2D animation and the beginnings of Pixar. This project marks Ryan’s first attempt at a traditionally animated film, but not the last. Enjoy!
Neil Lokken
Neil is a born and raised
Houstonian with a knick-knack for kit-kat. His first real animation was an eternally jogging Cyclops. Since then, his curiosity in animation’s
aesthetics and functionally has skyrocketed. This project will be an exploration
of his vast interest in visual storytelling.
Robbie Stern
Producer
Producer
Robbie is excited to be in his first producing role for a Studio 22 film at Northwestern. Having made his rounds through the producing department last year—PA, locations manager, associate producer—he is excited and ready to take a leading role in the creation of "Bystander." Elsewhere in the NU film world, he is the treasurer of the Northwestern University Women Filmmaker Alliance, on the crew for the Northwestern News Network, and a member of the Northwestern Sketch Television group. This year, Robbie will also be producing "Danny in 16 Hours," a live action film, for Studio 22.
Ellen Barry
Animator
Ellen has wanted to be a custodian at Pixar since she could pick up a mop. While this project distracts her from dusting, she is thrilled to be working on it and is ecstatic to learn what else goes into making an animated movie besides lots of Windex.
Animator
Ellen has wanted to be a custodian at Pixar since she could pick up a mop. While this project distracts her from dusting, she is thrilled to be working on it and is ecstatic to learn what else goes into making an animated movie besides lots of Windex.Madison Berry
Animator
Laurel Cohen
Animator
Laurel, a native Hoosier, ironically cannot dribble a basketball, considers shale her favorite sedimentary rock, and only enjoys corn in her jokes. As a freshman at Northwestern, she is still adapting to the Illinois zip code. However, she foresees the adjustment as "bearable" since the Northern Cardinal still very well remains her beloved state bird. Drawing for Bystander is her first animation endeavor, and she's pumped.Carrie Heckel
Animator
Chynna Ladage
Animator
Chynna is LA born and raised but Chicago has managed to sneak its way into her heart. While the North Shore has become her new home she still hates when the snow doesn't go away fast enough. In other news, she can't wait to get animating! Side note: Her greatest desire is to out explosion Michael Bay.
Savy Leiser
Animator
Savy Leiser loves making movies and drawing comics, so animating is perfect for her. This is the first movie she is working on at Northwestern, as she is a freshman. When she isn't in class or working on movies, Savy is an alto saxophone player in the marching band and a member of the speech team. Also, she offers you a pineapple.
Chris Romero
Animator
Chris Romero grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago and fell in love with film in the seventh grade after making his first movie with a few friends. In high school, he was the founder and president of his school's cinema club for three years, and produced three 30-minute sci-fi films and two seasons of a comedy webisode series. This past summer, he launched Varero Animations, which has produced a series of short stop-motion animations using LEGOs as props. He is currently an RTVF major at Northwestern University hoping to one day be a writer for television.Matt Rueger
Animator
Matt was born and raised in New York, fostering a healthy interest in the arts and animation along the way to becoming a film major. Currently in his junior year at Northwestern University, he is thrilled to be a part of his first large-scale collaborative animation film.Andrea Schmitz
Animator
Andrea grew up just outside of Little Rock, Arkansas, developing an early interest in drawing and a love of cartoons that she carried to Northwestern University, where she studies film and writing. Though she has worked on several live-action films so far, Bystander is the first animation she has had the opportunity to be a part of, and she is super excited to finally see how the magic happens.Sofia Maspons
Background Artist
Sofia Maspons is a sophomore from Miami who is passionate about writing and crafting. She is interested in working on children's television series someday and looks forward to working hard and having fun on her first 2D animation project.Margaux Pepper
Background Artist
Margaux wants to be an animated Disney princess when she grows up. In the meantime, she is studying film at Northwestern University. Margaux is active in the film community as Studio 22 Outreach chair and is excited to be a part of such a unique set experience. She has been drawing and painting since she was a little girl and is eager to start working on her first animated film!Lily Smith
Background Artist
Lily likes cartoons. Lily tolerates Pixar. Lily likes cartoons. Lily tolerates smores. Lily likes cartoons. Lily tolerates amusement parks. Guys, seriously. Lily is no fun, but she really likes cartoons.Josh Fink
Composer
Josh Fink is a recent graduate of Northwestern University, where he studied for four years as Hans Jorgen Jensen’s only bass student. As a performer, he appeared multiple times on America’s Got Talent with the Gentlemen of NUCO, was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, performed chamber music with Rachel Barton Pine, and soloed with Northwestern University’s Philharmonia Orchestra. Josh is also a prolific composer, having written music for numerous films and bands. His music collective, Walking Bow, is composing the music for Bystander.
Josh Fink is a recent graduate of Northwestern University, where he studied for four years as Hans Jorgen Jensen’s only bass student. As a performer, he appeared multiple times on America’s Got Talent with the Gentlemen of NUCO, was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, performed chamber music with Rachel Barton Pine, and soloed with Northwestern University’s Philharmonia Orchestra. Josh is also a prolific composer, having written music for numerous films and bands. His music collective, Walking Bow, is composing the music for Bystander.
Eric Seligman
Composer
Originally from Scarsdale, New York, Eric is studying music and creative writing at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, and will graduate in December of 2011. Eric is an avid multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and educator, and works in styles of music including classical, jazz, rock, reggae, hip hop, and film music. Eric's music collective, Walking Bow, is composing the music for Bystander, and many of his compositions, film credits and current bands or ensembles are presented on walkingbow.com.
Alison Ho
Sound Designer
Alison is a Northwestern University Junior Radio/TV/Film major who loves animation but is terrible at drawing, art, and generally everything involved with animation, except for sound! She is incredibly excited to work on Bystander and various other films at Northwestern!Eric Choi
Adrianne Harmon
Digital Painter
Adrianne Harmon is a sophomore RTVF student at Northwestern. As she grew up in Ohio, most of her entertainment had to come from watching movies and television. She often wonders why she can't hear the soundtrack to life and at times imagines commercial breaks. She loves every cartoon ever so she is sure working on Bystander will be 13 types of awesome.
Kevin Kim
Digital Painter
Kevin Kim. The end.
Hannie Lee
Digital Painter
I love everything visually attractive; camping, traveling, and book collecting are ma stuff.I love everything visually attractive; camping, traveling, and book collecting are ma stuff.Tom Mason
Digital Painter
Tom Mason grew up in a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, where he attended a Lee's Summit North High School. Throughout his education, Tom's best subjects were math and science, so naturally, he decided to pursue a film degree. Tom is currently a Freshman at Northwestern University, taking no math or science classes.Morgan Monahan
Digital Painter
Morgan grew up obsessed with Disney so it comes as no surprise that she would be working on an animation. Bystander will be her first introduction to this side of animation, and she is extremely excited to be a part of the crew. When she's not watching Disney movies she enjoys baking with her friends, spending time with her sorority sisters, and working on other film sets on campus. She's also looking forward to working on craft services and helping to keep this crew going!
Nina Rogers
Digital Painter
Nina is a sophomore kind of from Tennessee, but not really because her father was in the Army so that doesn’t count. She has loved movies, especially animation, since Mufasa was trampled by the wildebeests and hopes to expand her burgeoning interest in animation while working on Bystander.
Allie Romano
Digital Painter
Amanda Scherker
Digital Painter
DS Shin
Digital Painter
Jon Fraaza
Compositor
Jon Fraaza can do only two things: write a bio and composite.Dipa Gandhi
Compositor
Dipa Gandhi, a New Jerseyan, came to Northwestern University to explore film and television. She has worked on quite a few sets as a grip, associate producer, production designer, and many more! This year she is not only working on Bystander but is also in NSTV, Supplies for Dreams, and the Multicultural Filmmakers Collective. She can't wait to learn more about compositing and making the best animated movie...ever!
Dan Johnson
Compositor
Colton Maddox
Compositor
Colton is a sophomore from Plymouth, Indiana, majoring in Radio/TV/Film. His animating experience consists of a few really bad flash videos he made in junior high and a short Photoshop animation he created for our senior video in high school. Bystander is the ninth Studio 22 film that he's worked on at Northwestern and he's glad to be helping out with what he's sure will be an awesome completed project.
Karl Maher
Compositor
Karl Maher, born in the Midwest and aged like a fine whiskey on the east coast of Virginia, acquired an appreciation for cartoons over a bowl of cereal that has only increased as the years have gone on. This is his first animation, but certainly not his last. A freshmen RTVF major, he hopes to learn the art of film, and maybe even polish off a screenplay or two.
Ned McGregor
Compositor
Ned McGregor is a freshman RTVF major from the thriving metropolis of Athens, GA. He’s been interested in film since seventh grade when he made a series of silly LEGO animations centered around breakdancing and car chases. Since then he has continued to work on projects ranging from low-budget shorts to (reasonably) high-profile features. Bystander is his first time working on a 2D animation and, despite his completely mediocre PhotoShop skills, he is greatly looking forward to the coming months.
Compositor
Ned McGregor is a freshman RTVF major from the thriving metropolis of Athens, GA. He’s been interested in film since seventh grade when he made a series of silly LEGO animations centered around breakdancing and car chases. Since then he has continued to work on projects ranging from low-budget shorts to (reasonably) high-profile features. Bystander is his first time working on a 2D animation and, despite his completely mediocre PhotoShop skills, he is greatly looking forward to the coming months.