Aaron is a Communications major at UCSD. Growing up in the culturally rich San Gabriel Valley, where the Asian community is thriving, he saw firsthand the value of media representation and the necessity for diverse views to be heard. Seeing that lack of authenticity not only reinforces stereotypes but also ignores the Asian community's enormous contributions and abilities, Aaron is motivated by this discovery, and is determined to make a positive difference through TAKE ONE.
Advik is a second year TV, Film, and Media Studies major at CalState LA. He was born in India, but he has lived in six countries. Having lived in Dubai for over a decade, Advik came to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming a filmmaker. Through his original films, Advik wants to one day change the world. Through TAKE ONE, Advik hopes to expand his knowledge and experience in filmmaking and make valuable connections for the future.
Angel is a 4th yr at CSULA, majoring in TVF (television, Film, Media) focused primarily on production. Born in Mexico, raised in San Diego, Angel recently moved to LA a year ago on the creed of efficiency and dedication to the growth of his field. Angel is passionate about Filmmaking as he is curious about how movies and series come to be, and he wants to express his creativity within the Film industry. He hopes to gain professional experience and reinforce his network opportunities through TAKE ONE.
Angela is a third year student at San Diego State University studying TV, Film, and Media with a pursuit of a theatre minor. She has always been interested in the production side of the film industry ever since her family frequently visited Universal Studios Hollywood as a child. It was until high school where that passion grew as she learned to film and edit short films. Angela hopes to use TAKE ONE as an opportunity to get into the production emphasis program in her school.
A southwestern college graduate and transfer student at SDSU, Chris is an aspiring filmmaker with hopes of becoming known for the stories that come from his imagination. He wants to help create childhoods for the next generations and perhaps inspire people like how he was inspired as a kid who watched a lot of movies growing up.
Ellen possesses a distinctive perspective due to her synesthesia. What she finds beautiful about art, movies, and media is its power to inspire transformations in our society. Ellen hopes to work in the entertainment industry, where she can actively contribute to crafting captivating stories encompassing a wide array of themes and genres. Through TAKE ONE, she hopes to gain valuable skills and knowledge that will help her achieve her creative ambitions.
Born and raised in San Jose, California, Harsimran is a recent graduate from SDSU majoring in Business Management, as well as minoring in Television, Film, and New Media. He believes in the power of stories to make us feel less alone, and hopes that his films are able to help people with the same struggles. He hopes to utilize his skills to bring diverse and fresh perspectives wherever he goes!
Isabelle is an incoming fourth year majoring in television, film, and media with an emphasis in production. As a Filipina-American aspiring screenwriter and producer she hopes to be able to bring her culture and heritage to life on the big screen as well as tell the stories of other Asian-voices and underrepresented people to make others feel uplifted and heard. Other than being on a set, her passions and hobbies include storytelling, dancing, and singing.
A 3rd year at San Diego Mesa College with a focus on music and audio production, Josh has been involved with a few independent films under the production studio Clockhand Studios which he had helped start with his best friend. His passion started from acting after having taken theatre classes in high school. Now, he wants to create original works that help people who struggle with mental health to let them know they are not alone and provide a voice to those who feel they don't have one.
Kanny is a 3 year college student majoring in Television, Film , Media and Studies focusing on post production, animation, editing and color grading. He transferred from Santa Monica College to Cal State LA, where he learned about ACMA's program that inspires Asian Pacific Islanders to create multimedia content for the community. Kanny hopes to deepen his understanding and knowledge of the post production process through TAKE ONE.
Lana majors in film production at SDSU, and she is greatly interested in a creative writing career. She got into film as a child because she loves making stories happen for many people to see, as well as creating stories that she can share through her favorite medium. Lana is currently working on an outline for a movie/television show, and she has made a few short comedy films when she was in high school. Through TAKE ONE, Lana would hopes to make meaningful connections with people in the industry.
Oliva is a transfer student at UCI for film studies, formerly at M. SAC. Passionate about films, she had always wanted to be a director/screenwriter. Oliviahas produced a documentary on youtube called "From me, To you...", addressing mental health. In addition to films, she enjoys listening to music which also gives her inspiration on film ideas. She is excited to learn more about filmmaking and screenwriting through ACMA's TAKE ONE program.
Currently a San Diego State University student studying critical media studies, Patrick has a great passion for film and television. He is originally from South Florida and have been living in San Diego since 2015. Patrick has served four years in the U.S. Navy, where he was a helicopter mechanic in Coronado. He wants to gain more experience in the industry for future employment and hopes to learn more about video editing and screenwriting as well as meet new people in the industry through TAKE ONE.
Originally from Thailand, Ponthakorn graduated from Cal State San Bernardino with a bachelor's in Communication studies, minoring in Film Studies and Digital Filmmaking. His passion for filmmaking starts when I was in High school and enjoys video editing. Ponthakorn hopes to learn overall industry knowledge, skills and hands-on experience, as well as meet with industry professionals through TAKE ONE.
Tyler is a recent graduate from Cal State LA with a B.A in Television, Film, and Media Studies. Unlike most people in the industry who grew up watching and inspired by Oscar-winning films, Tyler's role models are the YouTubers, and created his first one back in 2017 for a school project. Since then, Tyler has continued to make more videos for his YouTube channel and used them to develop his skills as a video editor. He hopes to further develop his skills, gain more industry experience and network through TAKE ONE.
TAKE ONE SUMMER 2022 GRADUATES
Hello! My name is Apollo Fabian (he/they). I am currently a 3rd year at UCSD with a major in Studio Art and a minor in Film. Although a lot of my work is based on visual arts I am also very interested in Film. I got my first exposure to the media industry when my brother was looking for a film school to attend when I was younger but it developed into a passion when I took two years of video editing classes in High School.
Hello, I am Brianna and I am 21 years old. I am a Media Major at the University of California, San Diego. I was born and raised in San Diego, however, I am still in need of visiting the exciting locations around the city. I became interested in film when I started editing videos for my Physical Education class in high school. I love movies and I figured that out when I became interested in the production and post-production of a film. I prefer movies over books, so that is another reason why I love visual representations. I am excited about this internship, and cannot wait for what is to come.
Hi! My name is Brianna Jimenez, and I’m entering my second year at Orange Coast College. I’m undecided about my major, but I’m strongly interested in film. I hope to gain experience/knowledge about film production and meet awesome people passionate about film. Since I was young, I’ve loved the power film has in telling a story. I specifically enjoy the many emotions you can experience through the words and actions of them.
Hello! My name is Cheryl Zhang. I’m from China. I’m in UCSD and I am majoring in media. I like films because I love the feeling of being busy behind the screen. I really want to study some filming skills in this program.
Hello! My name is Christina Phetsany. My pronouns are She/Her, and my birthday is December 7th, 2000. I was born and raised in San Diego, CA. I’m a California State University San Marcos student, and I will be a senior this fall semester. I’m a Communications major and minoring in Film and Video productions. I was first introduced to this industry in high school and had an instant connection. It is incredible to be able to have the opportunity to be surrounded by so many creative individuals and become inspired.
Danqi "Danky" (She/hers) is a multimedia artist born and raised in China and now living and working in California, U.S. She recently received a B.A. in Visual Art (Media) at UCSD. Her practices are related to self-expression, expression of today's society, Chinese culture, and tradition, mainly Chinese in America.
Hi! I’m Ethan Lau and I’m going into my second year at UCSD. In addition to taking media and film history classes, I’ve also taken photography and acting ones to broaden my understanding of filmmaking. Lately, I have been working on personal short films, and have been involved with my friends’ films as their DOP. From this internship, I hope to gain hands-on experience with camera gear, along with obtaining the leadership skills required to lead a full cast and crew.
Jalal Al-Marashi Jaffer is an Arab-American filmmaker, studying Visual Arts - Media at the University of California, San Diego. He is currently the Director of Internal Affairs at Triton Television, a student-run film organization; a student worker at the UCSD Media Teaching Lab; and an intern at ACMA's Take One program. For film projects, he has served as an Assistant Director, Director of Photography, Key Grip, Script Supervisor, and Editor. He is interested in exploring the Muslim American experience through storytelling and film.
Hello everyone, my name is Jiaying He (her/ she). I am a media major student who just graduated from UCSD. I love media since I were in high school, I joined the school's radio and television station, setting me on my subsequent media path. I am a good storyteller and I like to be able to reflect more of my view of the world in my future work. Other than that, I'm addicted to photography, and I find it very fulfilling to take good pictures. I'm excited to meet everyone in the Take One program, let's do it together!
Julian (he/they) is a recent SDSU graduate for TV, Film, and Media with an emphasis in Critical Studies and an aspiring Filipino-American filmmaker and writer. He hopes to do more work to incorporate Philippine-American, specifically Bicolano, culture and storytelling into film, as well as uplift and inspire the masses at home and abroad. Aside from filmmaking, though, his other passions include dance, spoken word, and world-building among many others. He hopes to one day find a unique synthesis of all his interests and bring unique experiences through his stories.
My name is Kieran Vu. I’m a Junior at UCSD majoring in Visual Arts (Media). I have some history in acting as well as spearheading and creating my own short films. I’m hoping to gain film pre/post-production in a professional setting and can’t wait to work with every one of you. Aside from film production, I spend most of my days dancing on a collegiate hip hop team.
My name is Maggie Pour and it is with great enthusiasm that I am participating in the Take One 2022 filmmaker program at Asian Culture & Media Alliance. I am a graduate student in two California State University, Los Angeles programs: Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and Master of Arts (MA). Within the next academic year, I will be working on my thesis project, a short film, to fulfill my MFA requirement in production.
Hi! My name is Noemi Vasquez, and my pronouns are she/her. I just graduated from Cal State San Marcos with a bachelor in Sociology and a minor in communication. Although my degree is no where in connection with film, I’m always interested in getting involved in new things outside of my norms. I’m excited to see what my next journey involves.
Patrick Shartzer (he/they) is a current sophomore at Palomar College
studying Film, TV and Electronic Media; they were first introduced to the
rhetorical and entertaining power of film in a highschool video production
class. Focusing on writing and cinematography, their body of work
encourages audiences to practice awareness of their conceptions of the
world and empathy towards others.
Hi! I’m Rida Qadeer and I’m a third year undergraduate student at UC San Diego! I’m double majoring in Media and International Business and I’m very interested in screenwriting, directing, and social entrepreneurship. In my free time, I love reading, playing piano, and having new adventures. Here’s to the newest adventure-Take One!
My name is Sania Bhatia and I am a 17 year old recent high school graduate. I have loved the art of filmmaking since I was in the fifth grade, and continue to grow my understanding of it each day. I wanted to continue creating with a group of people this summer, so I am excited to be a part of the Take One team. I will be studying Film & Television in New York this fall and I am thrilled to continue studying this field. Some of my future goals are to 1) graduate with a minor in philosophy, 2) become a director of photography with an emphasis in creating independent commercials, and 3) travel to Iceland, Sweden, and Australia.
Hi! I’m Tiffany Huang, a rising junior at the University of Southern California (USC) who up until 2 weeks ago, was studying Human Biology on a pre med track (I just switched to computer science and business, and am also minoring in cinematic film/TV production). As an East Coast native who grew up in NJ/NYC my entire life, I never knew I had a passion for acting and film until I moved to LA last year for university. My Asian American identity definitely plays a huge role in my passion for telling diverse stories and representation. I’d love to learn more about
screenplay writing and directing, explore the business of the film/TV industry, and connect with everyone!
