castle_headshot Jeff Castle is the program director of Video and Broadcast Production at Albany High School in the San Francisco Bay Area. During the school day, Jeff divides his time among 180 students. West Side Filmworks is his chance to focus on small groups of motivated, promising filmmakers. Jeff holds a master degree in education, a California single-subject credential, and a vocational credential in multimedia and broadcast production. He has been teaching for over ten years. Since his arrival at Albany High, the video and broadcast program has received national recognition on Apple's website and over $100,000 in equipment grants. Jeff's postproduction studio holds two 'only-high-school-in-the-country' distinctions. In just four years, enrollment in Jeff's courses has quadrupled.


mehta_headshot Jigar Mehta is the primary Editor and Director of Photography for Shoot Edit Burn Media as well as a video producer for the New York Times. He has over 10 years experience across the moving image industry. As a seasoned cameraman and editor, he has reported from Kashmir, Mauritania, France and most recently Sri Lanka. His work has aired on NBC, ABC, HBO, PBS, and at the Sundance, Berlin, and SXSW film festivals. Jigar has contributed to a number of award winning projects including camera work for My Flesh & Blood, the recipient of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the 2005 Emmy Award for Best Documentary. Jigar received his Masters in Journalism at the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley and his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Go Bears!


lozano_headshot Carrie Lozano is a local documentary film producer, director, and editor. Her most recent film, Reporter Zero, won a student Academy Award for best documentary short. When it premiered at the 2006 Berlin International Film Festival, it was nominated for the “Best Documentary” Teddy Award. In 2004, Carrie co-produced the feature-length documentary The Weather Underground, which was nominated for an Academy Award. Carrie holds bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Film Studies from U.C. Berkeley, and recently, a master degree in journalism from Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. She is a board member for San Francisco Cinematheque. Currently, Carrie is co-producing a documentary film about the utopian impulse with Sam Green and will be editing a public-television documentary about Haight/Ashbury for American Experience.


rettig_headshot Cosmo Rettig is our motion graphics and special effects instructor. Despite his young age, Cosmo is an accomplished filmmaker and motion graphics artist. After a brief stint at Savannah College of Art and Design, Cosmo was recruited by Grouper.com which later became Crackle.com. He now works for the gods at Gunshop Motion Graphics in San Francisco. You can check out his reel at KodamaWorld.com or visit Gunshop.tv. He has also worked as a production assistant and motion graphics consultant for Comcast, designed DVD artwork for the Stunt People, and served as the lead designer for One Square Mile, a student-produced news and entertainment magazine that airs on the City of Albany Channel 33. Cosmo specializes in the use of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects as they integrate with live motion video.