Hudson County Diary Showcase About the Artists 2005-06

Maxim Almenas was born in New York City, on October 25, 1966. He entered New Jersey City University as a sophomore in the spring of 2005. His music production background proved to be an asset when he decided to pursue television as a career. A TV pilot he co-produced didn't get picked up, but it did get the attention of the On-Air Promo Department at NBC in New York City. He worked for NBC for two years as a production assistant and then landed a field production gig with "mun2," the bilingual network for Telemundo in Newark, NJ. Maxim is a reporter for the Gothic Times, NJCU, majoring in Media Arts & minoring in Journalism. He is a volunteer for the Fort Lee Film Commission and is planning to go on to graduate study upon completion of his B. A. in Media Arts.

Ronaldo Baluyot was born in Bulacan, Philippines. During his high school years; he received various Scholastic Arts Awards for his paintings. His photographs have been included in the Hagadone Printing Co. calendar. He is currently in post-production on an experimental documentary entitled, "Mystic Park & Birds of 9/11." He plans to graduate from New Jersey City University in May 2006.

Bryan Boswell was born in Jamaica, West Indies and emigrated to Jersey City to attend the Media Arts program at New Jersey City University, where he concentrated in video production and post-production. An accomplished video editor, his work has been screened at the Loew's Jersey Theater, Jersey City, NJ. Bryan graduated with his B. A. degree in Media Arts in May 2003.

Raul Garcia was born in Jersey City, New Jersey on September 29, 1979, and graduated from the Media Arts Department of New Jersey City University in May 2004. Raul is an accomplished writer and poet and works as a writing tutor for the Opportunity Scholarship Program at New Jersey City University. His work has been screened at the annual Media Arts Department Showcase at the Loew's Jersey Theater in Jersey City, NJ. He is currently studying for his Master of Arts degree in the Media Studies program at New School University.

Fabian Leon graduated from the Media Arts Department of New Jersey City University in May 2005, and is the first in his family to achieve a college degree. He was born in Jersey City and raised in Hudson County. A long-time member of the Urban Image collective, Fabian's work has been screened at the Loew's Jersey Theater in Jersey City, NJ; The Jersey City Museum, and the Hoboken Historical Museum in Hoboken, New Jersey. He is currently working at the Litigation Office in New York City where he films court depositions. Fabian volunteers his time and talent as an editing tutor in AVID for the Media Arts Department.

Louis Libitz was born in Jersey City, New Jersey and now resides in Syracuse, New York. He is an award-winning videomaker currently studying for his Master of Fine Arts Degree in Art Video at Syracuse University, where he received a Graduate Teaching Assistantship. His work has been screened at Anthology Film Archives and the Robert Beck Memorial Cinema in NYC; the Loew's Jersey Theater and The Jersey City Museum in Jersey City, New Jersey; and at the Hoboken Historical Museum in Hoboken, NJ. Recently, his work has been screened at the Fine Art School of the Aristotelian University in Thessaloniki, Greece; at the 7th Biennial of Video and New Media of Santiago, Contemporary Museum of Art, Santiago, Chile; and at the York Arts Gallery in York, PA. He received an Honorable Mention at the 24th Annual Black Maria Film/Video Festival. Louis designs and creates DVD's for other artists/filmmakers, and is highly sought after as a video and audio post-production engineer. Upon graduation from New Jersey City University, he was awarded the prestigious Dr. Joseph Drew Award for Excellence in Production. He taught as an adjunct professor of video production in the Media Arts Department at New Jersey City University, and teaches advanced post-production at the Department of Transmedia at Syracuse University.

Melissa Polin was born in Rahway, New Jersey in January 1982, and currently lives in Eatontown, New Jersey. She attended Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City on a scholarship in 2000 to study advertising design, but transferred to New Jersey City University in 2001 to study Media Arts, where she has concentrated in sound post-production and video. Melissa's experimental documentary short "Mother" was screened at the annual Media Arts Department Showcase at the Loew's Jersey Theater in May 2005. She is a member of the Womenswork film and video collective based in Jersey City, and plans to graduate from the Media Arts Department in 2006.

Rick Torres was born in San Salvador, El Salvador on January 7th, 1983. He moved to New York City at the age of 6 and has been living in Jersey City for 16 years. Rick currently works at New Jersey City University's Youth Corps/Americorps as head of the Media Division. He has completed two videos for Youth Corps/Americorps, including a 30-minute short, "Cornered," dealing with New Jersey's Safe Haven Protection Act. He plans to graduate from Media Arts in May 2007, and aspires to a career as a director of independent narrative film.

Delmira Valladares was born in 1979 in Hoboken, NJ and was raised in Union City, NJ. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA in May 2005 and her B. A. in Media Arts from New Jersey City University in 2002. She has exhibited her work at the VertexList Gallery in Brooklyn, NY; at the Society for Photographic Education Mid-Atlantic Region Exhibition in Fairfax, VA; at the Icebox Gallery in Philadelphia, PA; at the Loew's Jersey Theater in Jersey City, NJ; and at the Fort Lee Film Commission in Fort Lee, NJ. Delmira's work includes single and multi-channel video narratives, and site-specific interactive pieces in which she uses objects and technological devices as intimate story telling devices that introduce the viewers to an alternative reality. Delmira is inspired by a diverse group of influences, from Italian horror films, to Sesame Street stop motion animation techniques, to the Spanish- language programs that she watched as a child. She is a member of the Womenswork film and video collective based in Jersey City.