Patrick
Lussier
receives

department
coordinator,
Peter
Kellington.

Media program fetes grads, supporters

oguls and mandarins mingled

Tuesday evening on April 27 as
Capilano College’s 29-year-old Media
program honoured its best, and its best
friends, at an sumptuous Beaver Foods
dinner in the Library building’s elegant
room 341.

“We measure the success of the
College on its links with the
community,” cracked el capo del Cap,
Greg Lee. “By any measure, this event
is evidence of success.”

When the last bun was tossed, eight
graduates and 11 media luminaries were
feted as the Media program initiated
more grads into its Wall of Fame, and
longtime industry supporters into its
new celebration of support: the Friends
of the Media program.

Among the grads joining “the
wallies”” was Patrick Lussier, a 1986
grad who is now working in Hollywood.
There he has edited such major motion
pictures as Scream, D3: The Mighty
Ducks, and Mimic. Patrick directed his
first feature last fall.

Vancouver filmmaker Christine
McDowell, who was a student in the
Media program in 1989 when 14 women
were shot in Montreal, went on to create
the women’s monument project as a
result of the impact of that event.
Christine joined the Wall of Fame this
year. Jamie Turner graduated in 1994
and has become one of the busiest
animators in Vancouver with clients
such as MTV, Disney and Nickelodeon.
Television series producer and 1985

grad, Patti Poskett (Living Simply,
Money Talks, and The Car Pros),
television producer, Dennis Heaton, a
1989 grad with clients such as Converse
sneakers, MTV and Gary Larson’s The
Far Side, 1989 grad, Lisa Binkley, who
is editing television series such as The
Outer Limits, Madison and Northwood,
and 1990 graduate, Lina Zepedeo, who,
as rentals manager at Lorne Lapham
Rentals, has become an indispensable
part of the Vancouver production
community, all joined the Wall of Fame
this year.

Last, but not least, was Peter
Kellington, the current program
coordinator, who was in the program’s
first graduating class of (blush) 1973.
Longtime pal and co-conspirator in the
department, Jim Bizzocchi, made the
tribute to Peter, telling a story of their
first meeting in Peter’s first year as a
student. “I found this guy in the photo
lab,” Jim told the crowd. “I explained
what he should do and asked if there
were any questions. ‘Only one,’ says
Pete. ‘Who the hell are you?’”

Previous “wallies” include
filmmakers Barb Cramner and Gillian
Darling, and photographer Barbara
Woodley, who made Kim Campbell’s
shoulders famous.

Stan Feingold, who chairs the
Capilano College Foundation, joined the
program’s new Friends of the Media
program wall. Stan’s work as a producer
with the Eyes Multimedia Productions
and his unfailing support for the

program and the College (he even
taught music here in the 1970s) was
acknowledged with his induction into
the “Friends.” Honoured for their
support of the Media program (in the
form of advice, practicum placements
and jobs) were: Debra and Hugh
Beard, founding partners of Force
Four Productions, a Vancouver
television and industrial production
house whose credits include three
recent episodes of CBC’s Life and
Times series; Lorne Lapham, whose
Lorne Lapham Sales and Rentals is a
prominent supplier to B.C.’s film
industry; the Knowledge Network’s
director of Operations, Ron
Harrington; animator Marv
Newland (Bambi meets Godzilla, and
Gary Larson’s Tales from the Far
Side); Frank van de Ven of
Vancouver production house Carousel
Video Workshop; Alec Downey of
Airwaves, one of the busiest post-
production sound facilities in the
city; Vancouver filmmaker Cari
Green, producer of more than a
dozen award-winning television
documentaries; and film score
composer David Malecot.

Anne Gilbert, who for 20 years as
the departmental assistant guided
young students through the program
until her retirement from the College
last spring, also joined the Friends of
the Media program.

The evening also saw the 1998-99
Faculty Prize awarded to the best
graduate in the Media program. The
winner was Karsten Koch, who was
present at the event taking photos for
the department. He said he thought
something must be up when his
parents showed up for the event. The
faculty and staff acknowledged the
“professionalism and creativity of all
Karsten’s work.”

After the meal and the speeches,
the assembled throng proceeded
down to the Media program offices to
admire the new faces on both the
Wall of Fame, and the Friends wall,
which are at the entrance of the
department’s main reception area.
Members of the College community
are welcome to drop down to view
the walls anytime.

Submitted by Keith Watt

@nformer