Joe Lapinski, Jordy Yack, Scott Henderson, Chad Andrews, Amanda Bishop, David Vivian

Amanda Bishop

Amanda Bishop is a writer from Niagara Falls who really, really likes movies. She has spent the last three years working in the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film at Brock University as, among other things, manager of BUFS—the Brock University Film Series (formerly known as the Brock University Film Society). Amanda has a couple of degrees in English and studied professional screenwriting at Niagara College in 2000-2001, where her short script, “Hacker”, was nominated for a GRAFITI award. Amanda recently signed on to become a regular contributor to the soon-to-be-relaunched micro-review site flimgeeks.com.

Joe Lapinski

Joe Lapinski is an interdisciplinary artist focused on music in recording, performing, theatre, and education.  He has found strength in community and has focused this strength on his record company Yummy Recordings (a musician run label), and by developing projects to work with community youth in a recording fashion, as well as a theatrical one.  Joe performs actively as a solo artist, as well as a member of Dave Clark’s Woodshed Orchestra, Palooka, The Regards, and Bronx Cheerleader.  He has also worked in the last year with Malian musician Jah Youssouf, along side of the Woodchoppers Association.  He is the founder and chief of Yummy Recordings, runs Into The Future Studios, and is the current musical director for Suitcase In Point Theatre Company.

Jordy Yack

Jordy Yack loves vegetables and indie rock.
He's the editor-in-chief of Pulse Niagara and has been working with the alt-weekly since 2004. He's also a music journalist and writes for View Magazine, Echo Weekly and Pulse Niagara. Jordy studied general arts at Brock University and was a radio dj at CFBU (103.7fm) from 2001 to 2008. He's an avid cyclist, loves drawing maps and playing ultimate frisbee. In his spare time he contributes to the local music scene by promoting rock and roll shows downtown, and occasionally spinning electro, robot-rock and indie rock at dance parties.

Scott Henderson

Scott Henderson is an Assistant Professor of Film Studies and Popular Culture at Brock University. His original degree was in English and History, but then he found out that it was possible to get a degree in Film Studies. So all the time he thought he had 'wasted' watching films was now research. While completing his graduate degrees in Film Studies, he found out it was possible to study and teach Popular Music at the University level. So all those late nights spent at concerts were also no longer wasted time, but simply more research! Now Scott gets to teach and write about the fun stuff he loves. He still does read the occasional literary work, and pays some attention to History.

David Vivian

David Vivian is an Assistant Professor and the Resident Scenographer in the Department of Dramatic Arts.  He holds a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of British Columbia and is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada. Formerly with Concordia University in Montreal, his designs for theatre, film, television, and industry have been seen across Canada. David researches marginalized and virtual spaces through visual arts and theatre design, the application of digital technologies to the collection of performance ephemera, regional identity construction and transmission through scenographic practice and research.  David is a convener of the Scenography Working Group of the International Federation for Theatre Research. As a Director and the Secretary of Scenography Canada Research Society (formerly OISTAT SRC/CRS) he was a coordinator of the participation of Canadian Schools of Theatre in the Prague Quadrennial of Scenography in 2007. He teaches theatrical design, production, and stagecraft at Brock.

Chad Andrews

Chad Andrews is a Philosophy student, PhD candidate, and rabid cineaste. He works in fundraising at the Niagara Artists’ Centre and co-hosts a series of Japanese film screenings using NAC’s facilities. He loves Masaki Kobayashi, loathes the new David Lynch (whatever that means), and becomes fiercely defensive when grandiose types call his tastes “mainstream” – so what if everyone loves Blade Runner! Anyways, he has an almost religious belief in the connection between a thriving art scene and a thriving Niagara, and thinks In the Soil totally gets it.