Students, parents, and alumni gathered via Zoom to listen to panelists Maro Chermayeff ’80, Trey Ellis ’80, James B. Longley ’90, and Christine M. Yoo ’86. This panel was the latest installment in the “Blue Runs Deep” series, titled: ‘Blue Runs Deep: TV and Film Documentarians.”
Christine Yoo ‘86, an independent filmmaker, commented on how her work transcends storytelling, but seeks to inspire others who are underrepresented in the media. She emphasized the responsibilities of filmmakers to inspire change.
“We were most excited just about telling this great story…Documentary, filmmaking is a wonderful medium to try to get across new ideas and concepts…I became interested in storytelling because I’m a Native American girl from Iowa and Memphis, Tennessee. I didn’t see a lot of people who looked like myself in anything, anywhere or if I did, they were horrible stereotypes. That really propelled me a lot. It really came down to this idea of being the change that you want to see…crafting those stories and putting them out there,” said Yu.
Similar to Yoo, Maro Chermayeff ’80 shared highlighting the power women have to catalyze change. She created a television series and social media platform that encourages users to engage with issues in new ways.
“It’s about women’s recognitions and women finding their voices and women being understood as the change makers they are. Having more people understand what is going on, not only for women and girls, but in huge and challenging issues in developing countries around the world…When [Christine and I] created Half the Sky as a television series, and what that would be, simultaneously developed a very intentional social media platform that was intended to drive change and to bring eyeballs and to…bring people to the media in different kinds of ways,” said Chermayeff.
Maddie Redmond ’25, one of the STARS who volunteered to facilitate the forum, expressed that since she was interested in film, she was able to gain information about the panelists’ career paths and how they used their experience at Andover to grow.
“It’s important because you can see how Andover alumni use their Andover experience to fuel their careers and how it’s helped them achieve more. This one’s especially important to me because I also want to go into the film industry. It was nice to see their careers and how they’ve grown since Andover and also get that connection, see that representation,” said Redmond.
Panelist James B. Longley ‘90 reflected on his career, noting the size of his crew and how risk influences his work. Even more, Longley highlighted how the producers in high-risk environments are the ones who ensure Longley’s safety, as well as put their own lives on the line.
“I’ve always worked with a really small crew…It’s just me and one or two other people. We try to really keep a low profile. But it’s really those other people, the local producers in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Gaza, who keep me safe. Those are also the people who take on the most risk, it has to be said. It’s not me. I can always tap out. If I’m in Gaza making a documentary, I can always [say] “Well, I’m done filming and I’m out of money” and…I’ll just leave. Whereas the people I’m working with can’t leave. The same thing is true in Afghanistan and Iran and all these other places,” said Longley.
Nathan Wu ’27, an attendee of the webinar, commented on what drew him to attend the meeting. He emphasized that the alumni component of the meeting made it especially appealing, because it inspired his own interest in filmmaking.
“[The event] was very eye-catching. I have a small interest in film, and I just wanted to know about how it works in the industry…I found it even more appealing given that all these speakers were former alumni of the school. Given that Andover has such a well-connected alumni network, I think we could get many more speakers to host these meetings,” said Wu.
Carolina Tieppo ’24, another attendee, went to the meeting to learn more about how the film industry works and more about people’s experiences in it. She reflected more on why the series is specifically beneficial for Andover students.
“I also think these events are beneficial to the community (particularly, the students) because we are very much in an academic bubble, and so the future and what our careers could look like seems very blurry and far removed from us. For this reason, I think Blue Runs Deep is especially important for career paths that are less traditional,” wrote Tieppo in an email to The Phillipian.
Reflecting on her time at Andover, Yoo noted the valuable lessons she learned in high school and the unparalleled opportunities Andover offers to try new things.
“Probably the biggest thing in my time at Andover was that I tried all sorts of things. You don’t have to know the answer…Things change, and you have to be able to have those experiences and have the experiences change you….In fact, all of the lessons, good and bad, come back to inform you and to help you to grow up and to form stronger bonds and to find your values and to invest in things and people that are meaningful and life-altering,” said Yoo.
