Maria B.

Experience

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  Barnes & Noble, Inc.

  Apr 2000 - Oct 2003

  Barista

  Brewed coffee, mixed coffee drinks, iced tea, Frappuccinos, and other seasonal favorites like hot chocolate. Baked goods, organized inventory, cleaned and maintained cafe. Helped hire and train new employees.

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  Youngstown State University

  Jan 2002 - May 2003

  Assisted Department Chair of Anthropology Department, Dr. John White, with organizing artifacts from the Hubbard House, as well as used the SPSS system to quantify location and condition of artifacts in order to assist in writing his book, "Mother Hubbard's Cupboard; The Last Stop in the Underground Railroad." Also went to Hubbard House site and took photos and printed historical negatives from the original dig site 20 years earlier. Documented events and students on campus for the campus newsletter. Took photographs and developed the film in order to give to the editor of the Jambar newspaper. Finished working when I graduated from YSU.

  • Undergraduate Research Assistant

    Apr 2001 - May 2003

  • Staff Photographer for "Jambar" Student Publication

    Jan 2002 - Jan 2003
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  Starbucks

  May 2004 - Dec 2006

  Shift Manager

  Oversaw employees during morning shifts, assigned duties to various employees based on their skills and interests, re-stocked inventory, assembled seasonal displays in cafe, recruited employees, attended seasonal marketing meetings, trained for assistant manager position, ensured 5am-2pm shift ran smoothly, pushing through about 100 customers per hour during peak business hours.

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  Northville Camera

  Mar 2005 - Dec 2005

  Photo Editor

  Retouched and edited client's photographs as well as helped to sell camera bodies to the public. In addition, helped hang new photo shows in the portrait gallery of Northville Camera.

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  University of Michigan

  Apr 2005 - Jun 2005

  Documentary Videographer

  Filmed interviews with variety of immigrants and students who studied in the music program at the University of Michigan.

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  Self-Employed

  Jan 2006 - now

  Videographer & Photographer

  Award-Winning Director of Photography offering film, video, and photography services since 2006.

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  Freelance

  Apr 2006 - May 2006

  Photographer

  Photographed professional headshots for business cards. Brought all photography equipment and lighting to client's place of residence and created several different shots for her personal and professional use.

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  Freelance

  Jul 2006 - Jul 2006

  Videographer

  Video recorded theatrical play "It's Been So Long" with actor Alex Disdier for demo reel.

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  New York Film Academy

  Aug 2006 - Sept 2006

  Writer, Director, Producer, Editor

  Created a short thesis film about an art student who has premonitions about the angel of death before a tragedy happens. Organized film crew with colleagues from the New York Film Academy to travel from Manhattan to Ohio to film a 10 minute short within 6 1/2 days.

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  Cinemark

  Oct 2006 - Aug 2008

  Assistant Manager

  Ran day to day operations at Cinemark Movies 8 in Boardman, Ohio. Opened and closed the movie theatre. Oversaw employees in concessions, usher, and ticket sales. Helped interview and train new employees. Maintained and cleaned equipment for proper functioning. Threaded and ran movie projectors in order to help projectionist run films at their scheduled times. Gave out rain checks to customers who had issues with their movie experience. Counted monies in safe. Reported weekly inventory changes. Suggested order. Organized confession drawers and monies to prepare employees for their shifts. Show less

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  "Good I Want Some Ramen" Horror Film Production

  Jun 2007 - Jun 2007

  Director of Photography

  Filmed short horror movie in various locations in and around Rindge, New Hampshire. Created storyboards and helped location scout for different scenes of film.

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  Harmony Soup Publications

  Jul 2007 - Sept 2008

  Screenwriter

  Wrote full length feature script from Carla Masterson's Award Winning children's book, "What's On the Other Side of the Rainbow." Created storyline and plot as well as dialogue for characters in book, in addition to creation of original characters and locations for the plot and storyline to fulfill requirement of a feature film from the adaptation of a short children's book. The script was adapted into a play in Las Vegas the following year.

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  Ohio Arts Council

  Aug 2008 - Sept 2010

  Documentary Photographer

  Interviewed and photographed new women immigrants in the Mahoning Valley from various countries including Russian, Lebanon, China, India, Afghanistan, Peru, Mexico, Palestine, France, Philippines, and Malaysia. Printed large format images for the largest debut at the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor. The show continued to the Butler Museum's Satellite Museum in Hubbard, Ohio, as well as the Woonsocket Museum of Work and Culture in Rhode Island and YMCA's Women Artist's Competition in Youngstown, Ohio. It is a traveling show, currently looking for new venues. The documentary information and photographs are featured on Youngstown State Universities "Steel Valley Voices" online publication and was made possible by a grant from the Ohio Arts Council. Show less

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  "Fastest Gun in the West Film" Production

  Dec 2008 - Dec 2008

  Cinematographer

  Filmed 8mm short movie for the Cannes Film Festival. Storyboarded and planned the shots on the old western dude ranch. Removed any modern day light fixtures, etc. to prep for the shoot. Worked with the dozen civil war re-enactors on placement in the frame and activities. Movie was awarded 13th place out of 200+ in the Cannes Straight 8 Short Film Festival and won 7 awards at the London Short Film Festival, one of which was best cinematography. Director Dennis Seavey-Windsinger as well as the crew were invited to London for the world premiere. Show less

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  ID Tech Camps

  Jun 2009 - Aug 2009

  Case Western Camp Director and Instructor

  Organized and put together all camp materials, computers, etc. to prepare for camp. Hired 3 teachers for programming, game design, photography editing. Delegated camp activities for different age groups and instructors to lead. Facilitated field trip to movie theatre and baseball field. Cared for overnight campers. Administered daily medications to students. Gave daily progress reports to parents and uploaded photos for parents to view students daily activities. Oversaw graduation ceremonies with each student’s class at the end of the week. Taught video game design to 6-8 year olds. Show less

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  Cleveland School Of The Arts

  Aug 2009 - Jun 2010

  Documentary Filmmaker Instructor

  Taught 5th grade students how to write, direct, produce, and edit documentaries. Hired another filmmaker to help with the student production of a short documentary about their arts programs. The students created a short film interviewing their art teachers and fellow students to promote their education at the Cleveland School of the Arts. We worked in conjunction with the Progressive Arts Alliance, who provided video equipment for the project.

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  Stark State College of Technology

  Apr 2010 - Jun 2021

  Within this position, I carefully orchestrated notable improvements in student success rates utilizing innovative technology platforms in integrating new content into curriculum standards. I developed new hybrid and online courses using video curriculum consisting of in-person instruction. I also managed the performance of adjunct instructors in coordination with the Department Chair. Through this time, I facilitated community outreach with local business organizations and school systems, fostering student interaction with public services. This led the creation of all online video courses aligned with e-learning standards. Key accomplishments include:• Successfully achieved a 75% retention rate in addition to a 55% graduate rate for students within assigned disciplines.• Coordinated communications with the Department Chair in scheduling courses, reviewing graduation applications, and analyzing curriculum during annual programs views.• Led the creation and deployment of the new Stark Contrast Film Festival.• Executed the creation of field trips for students to use for learning and development for film festivals and professional conferences.• Effectively advised video and 3D students during their academic career, targeting career goals through developmental learning.• Guided the creation of hands-on learning sessions designed for integrating high school media students into college level courses.• Drafted the curriculum for video production tutorials while teaching the course for college STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) events.• Cultivated student interest in developing the only film curriculum in the territory.• Served as the primary representative for the college at the New York School of Arts in Manhattan Artists Teaching Artists Conference.• Coordinated workflow for students to participate in developing a PBS documentary session.• Organized and directed the second largest national Shure Masterclass in the country for students Show less Wrote, directed, produced, and edited the 50th Anniversary Video for the college. Recruited students to help with production, act, and create the musical score. Also, recruited choreographer to coordinate a dance for the video, with practices each week from volunteers. Filmed all of the satellite centers and various programs on and off main campus for the purpose of highlighting the many certifications and degrees the college offers like dental hygiene, welding, solar power engineering, and many more. Show less

  • Head of Videography Department

    Jun 2008 - Jun 2021

  • Director, Writer, Producer, Editor

    Apr 2010 - Aug 2010
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  Ohio Department of Education

  Jun 2011 - Jun 2018

  Item Writer

  Wrote standardized test questions for high school media students throughout the state of Ohio. The subject matter included competency questions in Videography, Graphic Design, 3D design, Animation, and Sound creation and editing. The questions were used for a 2-year cohort for the Ohio Department of Education.

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  Ohio Department of Higher Education

  Jan 2012 - Sept 2015

  Faculty Lead Expert in Media: Ohio Board of Regents

  For this position, I guided communications with faculty from state universities in discussing curriculum transfer and changes within higher education involving video and audio coursework. I efficiently created three new courses used for transfer within the Ohio college system including Interactive Media, Media for the Web, and Multimedia. I also initiated change management in updated transfer models including a portfolio demonstration of skills with high school and college transcripts. Additionally, I completed the following: • Assessed and research all institutions within the state of Ohio in understanding course offerings, maintaining consistency within teaching methods and evaluations without deviating from standard guidelines.• Served as a member in voting on changes within the Ohio transfer system. Show less

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  Corbin Bernsen's "25 Hill" Film

  Apr 2012 - Sept 2012

  Behind the Scenes Videographer

  Documented behind the scenes activities for the film "25 Hill," interviewed the cinematographer, the assistant director, and several actors in their roles for the movie. Worked with a small film crew consisting of 4 of my students from the college.

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  ATHENA International

  May 2013 - May 2013

  Video Producer & Editor

  Created award-winning video submission for the President of Stark State College.

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  Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

  Mar 2014 - Jun 2014

  Video Producer & Editor for Pre-Med students

  Created video for students in Pre-Med educational program to illustrate relevance of knowledge in BIO101 course. Interviewed alumni as well as current students about jobs and information retained from courses used in the medical field. Passing this class with an A or B meant was a good indicator that the student was prepared for the rest of the medical coursework. Receiving anything less signified that they would most likely not be approved for the pre-med program and would not succeed in the medical field. Show less

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  "90 Degrees and Sunny" Film

  Jul 2015 - Aug 2015

  Director of Photography

  Filmed all of the scenes in various locations around the Canton, Massillon area in Ohio for the short film "90 Degrees and Sunny" about child endangerment.

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  "A Cuban's Heart" Film Production

  Aug 2016 - Oct 2016

  Director, Writer, Producer, and Editor

  Wrote, directed, produced, storyboarded, and edited short film, "A Cuban's Heart" about an immigrant looking to find a job in America in order to bring over his wife and child from Havana, Cuba. Through a series of daily obstacles, his character determined his success or failure of his objective.

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  Beacon Productions Inc

  Apr 2018 - Apr 2018

  Assistant Producer

  Assisted in the production of the mansion scenes for Director/Producer Leonard Brown's "Engineering Tragedy: Allegheny Train Wreck Disaster." Coordinated film crew from students at Stark State College and Wayne County Career Center to help film the last remaining scenes set at this location. Filmed the infamous murder scene in the bedroom. To be aired on PBS.

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  Seminole County Public Schools

  Sept 2022 - now

  Television instructor & instructional deaigner