Workshop Participants
Marcin Szczepanski is a filmmaker and photojournalist. He uses multimedia tools such as video, photography, audio and text to document socio-economic issues of inequality, human rights, cultural identity and international development.
Educated as a sociologist and photographer, Marcin has traveled and worked in Brazil, China, Russia, Australia, Mongolia, Guatemala, Morocco and Europe in addition to the US. Marcin is originally from Poland but he has called the United States home for a decade now.
Marcin is currently a staff multimedia producer for the University of Michigan’s College of Engineering. Before joining the University, Marcin worked as a staff multimedia producer for the Detroit Free Press. He won several regional Emmy Awards for his videos and was named Photographer of the Year in Michigan in 2010.
Marcin's multimedia work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, AARP Bulletin and other publications.
At the University of Michigan, Marcin shoots and edits video and photography that document and promote fascinating work of students and faculty at the Michigan Engineering, one of the top research and teaching institutions in the world. Most recently, Marcin flew to Australia to produce a full-length documentary film on the participation of student-run U-M solar car team in the grueling World Solar Challenge, five-day international solar car race across the Outback of Australia. Several months earlier, Marcin traveled across the hinterlands of Guatemala with a group of bioengineering students documenting conditions and needs of rural Guatemalan health clinics. U-M students were there to field test a remote pediatric stethoscope that would be capable of transmitting patients’ heart waves from rural clinics to the hospitals in major urban centers. On a daily basis, Marcin documents the dreams and struggles of the University of Michigan’s diverse population. He captures the intimate details of their lives and work and shows how they are connected to the larger global world.
Marcin participated in the November 2012 MediaStorm Storytelling Workshop. He had the following to say about his experience:
I have admired MediaStorm projects for many years now and I was very excited to be able to attend the Advanced Storytelling Workshop this year.
In many ways, the experience started several weeks before we arrived to Brooklyn. My team members and I spent quite a few nights searching for the best potential stories, subjects and issues. We contacted potential subjects directly, discussed with other team members what's doable and what aspects of the potential stories are the most promising. It was a fascinating experience that set this workshop apart from others.
During the workshop I had a chance to listen to Brian Storm discuss in detail the making of several amazing projects produced by MediaStorm. I also had a chance to learn from, and work with Rob Finch, one of the best shooters I know. His thoughtful approach to storytelling, attention to detail, and eye for meaningful images was truly inspiring. Finally, I had a rare opportunity to get inside of the head of a great video editor Eric Maierson and spend hours watching his editing decisions. Eric's relentless pursuit of best editing strategies in an effort to convey the emotions and twists of the story was very instructional.
The workshop gave me a unique opportunity to learn from some of the best people in the industry while spending a week in New York City. The effort and amount of time MediaStorm producers put into creating a great story is truly inspiring.
Benny is a “certified” garbologist. He collects what others throw away. Benny is also at war with his family. Here is a man sharing a house with his wife but living as a stranger. This is a household on the edge.