Crew

Thomas L. Phillips (Director/Screenwriter/Producer) is a multi-award winning filmmaker who has spent the last decade in Hollywood working as a Director, Editor, Producer, Screenwriter and Acting Coach. After receiving his MFA in Film/Television Production from Chapman University, he has not stopped working in the industry that he loves.

Directly after film school Thomas and his friends put all the money they had into his first feature film Special dEaD. The horror/comedy became an instant cult classic and has been screened all over the world and released domestically and internationally on DVD.

Special dEaD is currently being adapted into a feature length animated film by Titmouse and Producer Jeff Katz (Snakes on a Plane, Shoot Em Up, X-Men: Wolverine & Freddy Versus Jason).

For his second feature film Rattle Basket, Thomas went in the complete opposite direction in genre and subject matter. While he enjoyed directing a horror/comedy his first time out, he wanted to make a movie that meant something to him, a movie that was personal, and that is how Rattle Basket came to be. Rattle Basket is a dramedy about characters, situations and subject matter that everyone can relate to.

Besides directing, Thomas has also made a name for himself as an editor. He has edited television programs for ABC, CBS, NBC, CW, FOX, The Discovery Channel and The Travel Channel. His work for the CW Network garnered a Daytime Emmy Award in 2009. Thomas has edited works produced by Brad Pitt, Adrien Brody and Andy Lauer.

Melanie Addington (Screenwriter/Producer) has worked with the Oxford Film Festival in Oxford, Mississippi for the last five years, first joining as a screening committee member, then volunteer coordinator in 2007 and the Media Coordinator in 2008. In 2009 she became an assistant director of the festival and in 2010 co-director of the festival.  She works full-time as a staff writer for the Oxford Eagle and writes about film in a weekly column for the Oxford Town. She also writes the film blog Oxford Film Freak and serves as a guest blogger on blogs for the Oxford Film Festival. Where I Begin is her first independent film as a screenwriter and producer. She is originally from Southern California but has been living in the south for 8 years.

John Wee (Director of Photography) is an independent filmmaker and cinematographer from Tupelo MS. Being an independent filmmaker forced him to be extremely versatile of all aspects of production. He has put on many many hats from being an editor to being the boom holder. However, he is happiest when behind the camera and taking charge of principle photography. Where I begin will be narrative project no 18 and fourth feature film for him. He is also a screener for the Tupelo International Film Festival.

Michael Williams (First AC) is a filmmaker from West Point, MS who is currently pursuing a career as a camera assistant/camera operator with the ultimate goal of becoming a successful cinematographer. In 2009, Michael graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a degree in film. He currently owns a video and photography business in West Point and continues to produce his own short films and pursue a career in film.

Laura Warner (Assistant to the Director) studied acting under Don Slaton, at the famous Weist Barron School of Commercials. She has worked with some of the greatest film actors and producers in Hollywood. She started her film career in Wilmington, North Carolina, working for Dino DeLaurentiis. She has had the honor of working with the ̎ great ̎ George C. Scott, Frank Capra, Dan Curtis, Art Carney, John Randolph, Robert Mitchum, Dennis Hopper, James Woods, Sidney Poittier, Sissy Spacek, and Drew Barrymore, just to name a few.

Laura is a song writer and artist in Nashville, Tennessee.  Her album will soon be released. Laura owns Dakmon Talent, a local agency in Mississippi, and Dakner Publishing in Nashville, Tennessee.

Rob Myers (Gaffer) is from Cincinnati, OH and graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Film from Campbellsville University. He served on the crew for numerous short films and Thomas Phillips’s Hollywood music video. He also wrote, directed, and acted in several short films. In the fall he will attend Northern Kentucky University to pursue a Masters of Arts in English.

Bill Kelly (2nd Unit Director/Sound) is a 1994 graduate of Emerson College in Boston, MA where he received a Masters degree in Mass Communications and a 1990 graduate of King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, PA where he received a B.S in Marketing and a minor in Business Administration. Mr. Kelly has worked in the entertainment industry for over fifteen years, since relocating to Los Angeles in 1994. He has worked as a video editor as well as done graphics on numerous television shows for television production and post production companies and produced a made-for-TV documentary and 3 short films.

Katy Cox (1st AD) is a 22 year-old Kentucky native living, working, and studying in Campbellsville, KY for the time being. She has recently had the opportunity to help act in, and edit multiple student films, film a music video directed by Thomas Philips, and has even tried her hand at directing; however, Where I Begin will be the first full length film she’s had the privilege of being a part of. She’s super excited!

Ellen Phillips (Script Supervisor/Lighting) is currently a senior at DePaul University, graduating in December with a degree in Digital Cinema. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Ellen is the product of a rich and diverse artistic heritage including music, art and film. She was inspired by the profound achievements of local filmmakers from Memphis, like Craig Brewer, and is looking forward to expanding her knowledge of filmmaking in beautiful Oxford, Mississippi. Her passion is for video editing, however the thrill and excitement of a movie set keeps her busy. She hopes to combine the two and seeks a career in onsite editing. Wrapping up her academic career at DePaul, she is producing a short film titled “Ross & Elle” with fellow graduate and undergraduate students, to be completed in the fall. She has also produced, shot and edited music videos for Chicago artists. Ellen hopes to make an impact on the digital frontier and the art form of filmmaking.

Jessica Mayes (2nd AD/On Set Photographer) is from Louisville, Ky. She has participated in many short films as an actor, camera operator, director, and editor, but this would be her first feature film.

She is a Senior in College and hopes to pursue a career in the film industry when she graduates.

Sean Edmondson (Gaffer/Grip) is from Morganfield, KY. He has always been interested in film since he was a kid watching old John Wayne war movies.  He decided to pursue a career in film after taking a basic editing class and realized he loved doing it. Sean is currently majoring in Mass Communications with emphasis on Cinema and Television at Campbellsville University, and plans to graduate this December and then hopes to pursue a career in the film industry. This will be his first film.

Mark Moehle (Boom Operator) is from Louisville, Kentucky and is now in the process of double majoring in Criminal Justice and Film at Campbellsville University. He has recently worked on the crew and acted in a few short films, his first major project was directing a music video this year. This will be his first feature film.

Alex Peake (2nd AC) is currently a 19 year-old junior at Campbellsville University majoring in Mass Communications (emphasis in cinema/television) and minoring in Computer Science.

Has has written and directed many short films, was second camera unit director for “Hollywood” (a music video directed by Thomas Phillips), and last year began his own videography business based in Lebanon, KY.  This is his first feature and hopes that it will be his start in the film industry.

Jillian Pecoraro (Propmaster/Transportation/Production Assistant) is a graduate student at the University of Mississippi studying Spanish.  She is an amateur cineaste, devoting her graduate thesis to Spanish film and being the creator of no-budget YouTube videos.  One day, she hopes to work for the BBC creating British comedy and enjoying gainful employment with health insurance. This is her first feature film.

Daniel Morrow (Boom Operator), an Oxford resident since 1996, doubles as a software developer and music blogger/promoter/video producer.  He began the Oxford Music Snob blog in 2007 and moved farther into the music world with the launch of his Music in the Hall series in 2008, which he describes as “a poor man’s Austin City Limits.” Daniel is also an organizer of the Oxford Music Festival (entering it’s third year) and the Oxford Rhythm Revival (a summer festival which debuted this year). He also recently launched FarmToMenu.com, a site aimed at making local food products more common on local restaurants’ menus, soon to include short video bios of the farms, bakeries, etc.  As a long time volunteer for the Oxford Film Festival, his interest in the world of film making has grown.  Where I Begin will be the first full length film he has had the privilege of being a part of.

Kyle Dutton (miscellaneous Crew)

Kyle is currently a sophmore at the University of Mississippi where he is working towards earning a BFA in theatre technology and design, concentrating on scenic/production design. Kyle has a passion for all of the arts and has designed shows since high school and is currently designing ‘Barefoot in the Park’ for Theatre Oxford. During high school Kyle worked in a television studio where helearned how to edit, produce, and film shows. Over the years he has obtained the skills to operate programs such as Photoshop, Microsoft Office, Avid, Final Cut, Motion, Vector Works, and Pro Tools. Kyle hopes that his passion for both theatre and television will lead to a professional career one day.