BEHIND GLASS - CTVA 441 DOCUMENTARY THESIS

BEHIND GLASS

The motorsport world is largely dominated by white men. For those outside of the group it is hard to get and keep their footing. Against the odds both Al Arena and Gabe Wilson have successful careers in motorsport media. This film will explore how they broke into the industry and how they became so successful. It will also discuss how they see the space and what they are doing to encourage young people to enter the motorsports world. Both of them had to work hard to get to where they are today. The challenges they had to overcome and what they did to work past them, shaped who they are as people and is essential to who they are now. 

Al Arena is one of the top motorsport photographers and she runs her own agency, Ignite Media. She started it in the early 2010s and has grown to be one of the main photography agencies for Indycar and IMSA. Her clients include: Josef Newgarden, Andretti Indycar and IndyNXT, Arrow Mclaren Indycar, Zac Brown, and Mazda. Gabe Wilson is a top videographer who works for Race Service. They are a high end motorsport creative agency with clients such as: F1 Drivers Charles Leclerc and Daniel Ricciardo, Drive to Survive, Porsche USA, Mercedes, Ferrari, and Indycar drivers Conor Daly and Josef Newgarden. 

DONATION AND SUPPORT

STAY UP-TO-DATE ON OUR INSTAGRAM PAGE: @behindglassdoc

We appreciate your donation and your support! Without you, we wouldn't be able to make this documentary. If you're unable to donate, sharing this link means a lot to us!

This is what your donation will contribute to:

• Lunch and crafty: Eating is important for us to maintain our stamina!
• Hard drives: For our editors, we always need backups of footage, no matter what!
• Film Festivals: Help us to enter our film in various film festivals to bring in a bigger audience! 

**ALL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE.**

**THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE FOUNDATION IS A CHARITABLE, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION 501(C)(3) PUBLIC BENEFIT CALIFORNIA CORPORATION.**

MEET THE CREW!!

Riley Tessler - Director

Riley Tessler is the director and creator of Behind Glass and is a sports videographer. She has spent the last two summers working at Laguna Seca Raceway as a videographer. To prepare for her future career in motorsport, she is digging deep into what the industry is like from an inside perspective. Additionally, she has worked in all kinds of sports including rugby, baseball, and hockey. You can see her other work here: youtube.com/@rileytvideo. Follow along with the project by following @BehindGlassDoc on Instagram!

Alexa Cruz - Producer 

Alexa Cruz Ulloa, producer of “Behind Glass” excited for this opportunity to lead this amazing production and persevere through any challenges that might present themselves. She has mostly worked as Producer and First AD in short films. We kindly ask for your support as we approach this final semester. We are so excited to see the final product and see how all our hard work pays off. 

Darren Chin - Associate Producer 

Darren Chin is a documentary producer and Asian American Studies researcher with an interest in human rights documentaries. He is excited to be able to work on this project! He has previously worked as a producer on Senior Thesis films as well as independent short documentaries. He is thrilled to be working on this film! 

Cirrus Fuller- Director of Photography

Cirrus Fuller is a DP, Gaffer, and photographer from Portland, Oregon. He is passionate about telling great stories and is excited to bring this project to life! 

Izabella Ponce- Production Sound 

Izabella is a hardworking filmmaker who will be handling sound for this project. With seven years of film studies, she is eager to continue learning and growing in the field. Dedicated to supporting student and indie filmmakers, she hopes audiences will join and support the team on this creative journey.

Angel Acevedo- Editor 

As a senior in documentary production, with an emphasis in editing, he is intimately familiar with various NLE softwares like Premiere Pro, avid, and Da Vinci Resolve. Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, his mission is to uplift the stories of people from marginalized backgrounds like his own.