Alumni Profiles & Testimonials

“Our professors showed us how films touch on every aspect of the human experience, why certain films have such cultural relevance, how they inform how we live.” —Jane Miller ’04, playwright and screenwriter

Film and media studies majors pursue diverse careers that draw upon the ideas and concepts they discussed and debated over their four years of undergraduate study. Their creativity and critical thinking ability, which they developed through their course work, has prepared them to address real world challenges.

Here are some of the many extraordinary alumni of Johns Hopkins University’s Program in Film and Media Studies, in their own words.

Andrea Massaro, 2015

 Director of Development, Goddard Textiles

“I remember like it was yesterday when Film and Media Studies professor John Mann told me, “You’d make a great producer.”  FMS was crucial in giving me the confidence to pursue a career in film and television.  With amazing instructors, creative challenges, and incredible support during my four years in the program, I felt prepared […]

Diana Peralta, 2011

 Director/Producer/Writer

 Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film in 2019

“When I first started at JHU as a freshman, I had no idea that the school even had a Film & Media studies department. As fate would have it, I sat in on an Introduction to Film Production class for fun and it changed the course of my life and career. The faculty were extremely passionate […]

Emily Mayer, 2004

 Executive Vice President, B17 Entertainment

“Being a film and media studies major at Hopkins was a huge differentiator for me when moving out to LA to work in television. Agencies, networks, and production companies knew of the intellectual prowess of the school and it was Professor Mark Friedman who helped me to get my first job through his own Hollywood […]

Emma Needell, 2012

 Screenwriter/Director

 Forbes' 30 Under 30, 2020

FMS was the perfect blend of traditional film school and independent study, where I learned the fundamentals of filmmaking without feeling beholden to academic bureaucracy.

Kim Parker, 2007

 Producer

 "Last Black Man in San Francisco"

“The foundation of my film career was built at Johns Hopkins. The Film and Media Studies faculty gave me an enduring education and generous guidance, which I am still benefiting from to this day. The combination of film theory and hands-on production classes is ideal, and it mirrors my current work as a creative producer […]

Zach Baylin, 2002

 Screenwriter

 Academy Award Nominee for "King Richard"

“At Hopkins, Film and Media Studies is much more than an academic program—it’s a thriving, collaborative, artistic community. When I was a student there (twenty years ago!) I met amazing teachers and advisers who taught me, not just how to think critically (and creatively) about film, writing, and story, but gave me the support, skills, […]