This video was developed for a motion graphics class at UMGC. The assignment was to create a video that demonstrated kinetic typography using a speech or poem.

I wanted to use source material that felt familiar to audiences, and this poem by William Shakespeare is widely recognized. I also thought it would be interesting to pair it with a musical style that wouldn’t typically be associated with Shakespeare.

I built the entire video as a single composition in Adobe After Effects, incorporating music so that the text would appear, move, and animate in harmony with it. I designed most of the visuals but sourced some graphical elements from stock imagery websites.

Over the years, I’ve done many motion graphic projects in this style because I enjoy editing directly to music, creating animations that naturally flow with the beat.

I used a variety of colors that corresponded with the words, strategically emphasizing key terms to make them stand out. My goal was to create a visual rhythm that made the viewer feel as though they were "hearing" the words in sync with the beat of the music, while also ensuring the meaning was conveyed quickly and clearly.

Production Role
Motion Graphic Designer

This video was developed at the request of former Air Force Chief of Staff, General David Goldfein. It was played at the annual Air, Space & Cyber Conference in 2017 to communicate his vision for the future of U.S. Military Command and Control.

It demonstrates a theoretical scenario in which the warfare “domains” (air, ground, space, etc) work in unison to accomplish a mission. Control centers around the globe would be connected through a network that recommends options and calculates the probability of success for each action.

To create the environment, I set up three computer monitors in a studio and lit the scene with plenty of mood and contrast to make it feel like a control room. I used different color gels so the audience could easily distinguish when the location changed.

I designed the computer interface for each domain using Adobe After Effects. This was the most time-intensive step, because the computer screen actions needed to match what was happening in the script. I recorded the actors tapping and swiping the screens, which were simply playing the videos I created.

Some of the extra b-roll (such as vehicles and aircraft) came from video archives. I did all the camera work for the "control center" footage and edited the entire video, focusing heavily on sound design and creating most of the motion graphic elements.

Production Roles
Producer/Director
Editor
Camera Operator
Motion Graphic Designer
Scriptwriter

This video was created for a motion graphics class at UMGC. The assignment was to develop an animated scene using Adobe After Effects. I wanted to recreate a story that people might find familiar, choosing the classic fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. I began without a clear vision in mind, crafting the structure intuitively as the project developed.

When I reached the pivotal moment in the story where she confronts the Big Bad Wolf, I was inspired to move in a different direction. I turned the confrontation into a motivational message about dealing with frightening situations. I wanted to show how someone might deliberately imagine themselves as bigger and more powerful to effectively deal with their fears.

I layered trees in the fore-, mid-, and background to create a multi-dimensional look as she walked through the forest, using masks to make the text appear and disappear as she passed by. Many elements came from stock sites, though I often modified them in Photoshop and Illustrator.

Production Role
Motion Graphic Designer

This video was developed for official Air Force social media channels during the 2017 holiday season. I was given the task to "create a short animation that was both Christmas-ey and Air Force-ey," from which I decided to develop a scene that included military equipment and seasonal decorations.

Eventually, I landed on the idea of decorating an F-35 aircraft with Christmas lights. Since pulling this off in real life would’ve been logistically impossible, I created it in After Effects by designing a flickering light and then digitally compositing different color varitions of it onto a still image of the plane.

I timed the lights to blink with the tempo of the music and filled the air with a flurry of snowfall. To top it off, I added a flying sleigh and a short holiday message.

Production Role
Motion Graphic Designer

This video was created for a 48-hour film festival where teams of filmmakers had only two days to write, shoot, and edit a short film. The required elements, including a character, a prop, and a phrase, were revealed when the event kicked off. Each team was also randomly assigned two genres and had to produce their film in the style of one or both.

Our genres were "romance" and "medical." We had to feature a prop that was pink, a character named Rita Pelepano (a farmer's market vendor), and incorporate "that is not what I had in mind" into the script.

Friday night, my team of three brainstormed story ideas and stayed up most of the night writing the script. We wanted to use both genres to show that we didn’t have a pre-written story. This is one of my favorite parts of the process because I thrive in a group dynamic where we build off each other's ideas.

We started shooting the next morning at a predesignated location with actors we knew. I served as director of photography and was one of two camera operators. That night was spent doing post-production with very little rest. Two of us took turns editing or sleeping.

The video was due that evening, but by noon we realized it was well over the maximum time limit and had to cut nearly 5 minutes. After a few rushed hours, we managed to trim it down while keeping a good flow and successfully maintaining a solid story arc. The film ultimately won an award for Cinematography at the culmination event.

Production Roles
Director of Photography (Cinematographer)
Editor
Camera Operator
Scriptwriter

This video was developed for the annual DC Video Shootoff, which is a not-for-profit video workshop for military and civil service videographers that focuses on storytelling fundamentals and provides mentorship and instruction regarding various aspects of video production.

I was part of the social media team and was tasked to create a video that promoted the event and highlighted that the teams were about to begin filming.

My initial vision was to creatively depict how a team might assemble video gear to shoot their story. I thought it would be fun to emulate how a movie might show an agent gearing up for a mission.

I used dynamic lighting to highlight various pieces of equipment that resembled tactical gear, capturing close-up shots of the action. During the edit, I added sci-fi-inspired sound effects to enhance the illusion and give the sequence an engaging, cinematic feel.

I also added motion titles to replicate the style of a movie teaser trailer, using the mystery of the visuals to intrigue audiences and spark curiosity rather than spelling everything out. The video was conceptualized, shot, and edited in just a few hours because I was under the same time constraints as the teams.

Production Roles
Producer/Director
Editor
Camera Operator

This motivational video, made for Air Force social media, features words from Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech. It highlights the value of effort, resilience, and staying true to your purpose. The message is stoic and powerful: when you act with virtue and intention, you can find peace—even in failure.

The video is made entirely of still images, enhanced through digital compositing techniques to add subtle motion and layered parallax effects. While the movements are often slight and intentionally restrained, every photo includes some form of visual animation to help bring it to life.

The narration is voiced by former Chief Master of the Air Force Kaleth O. Wright, who said "these words move me. When our Airmen are 'in the arena,' they are truly the ones who count."

Production Roles
Motion Graphic Designer

This video was created as part of a social media series called Air Force Insights (a play on words - insights vs "in sights") that was intended to be both informational and entertaining, focusing on current Air Force priorities. The topic for this specific episode is the Air Force's role in the nuclear enterprise.

I developed all of the motion graphics and edited the entire video. The photos and images were primarily sourced from stock catalogs while the video consists of archival military footage. I received a basic script, which I modified to make more conversational, and I also provided the voice-over.

The flow and format of this video showcases a unique style of work that I excel at developing.

Production Roles
Motion Graphic Designer
Editor
Scriptwriter
Narrator

This video was created to promote an episode from the online video series BLUE, which periodically highlights different missions around the Air Force. I was the primary producer and editor for this particular episode.

I edited the promo to resemble a movie trailer, adding suspenseful music to footage and sound bites from the episode. I also created the main title at the end of the promo using Adobe After Effects.

Production Roles
Motion Graphic Designer
Editor
Camera Operator

This video was created as part of a documentary-style series called BLUE, which periodically highlights different missions around the Air Force.

I played a key role in conceptualizing the series. Being "blue" in the Air Force means that an Airman has a sense of pride in their service. When developing the opening sequence for the series, I decided to make the logo orange to emphasize how BLUE represents more than a color.

As a three-person team we visited Malmstrom AFB, interviewing people in various roles to show how a nuclear base relies on many moving pieces.

I did a lot of the camera work and was the sole editor for this video. After organizing the interviews into a coherent story, I wrote a script to help guide the narrative and ensure smooth transitions. I also created all of the motion graphics, adding interesting visual variety.

I edited several other episodes of BLUE, including Space: The High Ground and The Spirit of Exploration. The missions discussed in these episodes have mostly transitioned to the Space Force, but the information is still relevant.

Production Roles
Editor
Camera Operator
Motion Graphic Designer
Scriptwriter
Narrator

This video was created as part of a 48-hour film festival where teams had just two days to write, shoot, and edit a short film. The required elements—a character, prop, and line of dialogue—were revealed Friday evening and the film was due by Sunday. Each team was also randomly assigned two genres and had to write their script in the style of either.

Our genres were "comedy" and "spy/espionage." The required prop was a frisbee and we needed to include a character named Leon Kane who was a restaurant critic. The line given to us was: "C'mon, let's brainstorm."

My writing partner and I spent over half the night crafting a script. We ended up using both genres, though “comedy” was applied loosely. It wasn’t laugh-out-loud funny, but it had plenty of quirky charm.

The next day, we teamed up with a group of fellow filmmakers and actors, many of whom we’d just met. After grabbing our gear we set out to find a location. Our first stop was a state park, but after 30 minutes of shooting a couple of meddling park rangers shut us down. We moved the rest of our operation to the home of one of the team members.

After an exhaustive day of shooting, most of the crew disbanded. However, another editor and I pushed on, staying up through the night and well into the next day to piece everything together. I’ve always loved the editing process, and despite the long hours, it was rewarding to see everything come together—we were proud of what we created in such a short time.

Production Roles
Director of Photography (Cinematographer)
Editor
Camera Operator
Scriptwriter

This video was created as part of an Air Force social media series called Insights, which was designed to be an "info-tainment" platform that's both fun and informative. This particular episode showcases a broad description of what the Air Force does.

I handled all video editing and created the motion graphics from scratch. The visuals include stock photos and archival military footage. I also revised the original script to make it more accessible to a wider audience and provided the voiceover.

Production Roles
Motion Graphic Designer
Editor
Scriptwriter
Narrator

This short film was created for a video production class at Syracuse University. It follows a developmentally stunted man who carries around "baggage," symbolized by a paper bag that he wears on his head, and is haunted by a relic from his past: a childhood birthday card he once tried to give his father.

I collaborated with three classmates and was involved at every stage of production. We brainstormed several quirky ideas, including a character named Quinn Lively (an homage to Bob Ross and his iconic painting show) who Baghead subconsciously channels throughout the film. After outlining the key plot points in our treatment, we drafted a basic script, which one team member then expanded with dialogue and narration.

We filmed over several days, carefully planning each scene as a team — often juggling multiple production roles. We wrote the script in a way that didn't require a lot of acting. Having one basic character with a bag over his head made that simple. His lines were primarily voice-over and most of the other characters (mainly played by children of the team members) didn't have lines.

I spent several days completing the primary edit, reviewing hours of footage to select the strongest takes. Some scenes had been filmed with only loose concepts in mind, so it was up to me to shape them into a cohesive narrative during post-production. For the soundtrack, a classmate outside our team shared an album from his band, Perspicuous, which I layered throughout the film.

I also contributed several other key elements to the video, such as using After Effects to composite Quinn Lively into the environment as Baghead's motivation, and using GarageBand to create the tribal drum music for his dance around the fire. Reflecting on this project, which is now over a decade old, I’m still proud of the effort I put into it. While there are many aspects I would approach differently if given the chance to create it again, I still believe it holds up as a solid piece of amateur cinema.

Production Roles
Producer
Editor
Motion Graphic Designer
Scriptwriter