I want to extend my gratitude and appreciation for receiving the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival Scholarship. As a Central Coast native – born and raised in Santa Maria – it is an honor to have been selected for this award. Growing up on the Central Coast, I have countless memories of trips to the theaters in Arroyo Grande, or catching matinees in the Santa Maria Town Center. From seeing Ghostbusters five times in one summer to The Empire Strikes Back, Top Gun, Tron, Goonies, Gremlins and countless other 80′s films — my childhood was truly influenced by movie magic.
Three decades later I’m now in a position to become a part of the same movie magic. With your award, I will continue my studies at the American Film Institute (AFI) to ensure that my skill sets and talents are of the highest caliber.
Unlike many other AFI Fellows, I did not enter the Conservatory with a lengthy resume of film experience. Rather, for the last fourteen years, I have been developing my visual talents in the business world beginning with Advertising, then Graphic Design and eventually Store Design for retailers like Express and Victoria’s Secret. However, from San Francisco to New York and now L.A., I have always remained true to my passion for the visual image and the power it has to impact an audience. Film was the next logical evolution in my design career, and I couldn’t be more inspired with the variety of challenges I have already experience in my short time at AFI.
In 2011, I will be completing the Conservatory’s MFA program in Production Design where I have been studying and practicing the art of narrative story telling — specifically how to design and build the physical worlds/sets in which the films take place. I have been learning the magic that makes movies possible, and will hopefully someday leave my mark on a Central Coast child as they look up on the big screen at some fantastical world that I designed, and wonder to themselves….”how did they do that?”
With much appreciation,
Kevin Houlihan
AFI Production Design Fellow ’11
www.penciltopaperdesign.com
We are also proud to announce our newest scholarship recipient, Monterey resident, Tara Tucker. We look forward to sharing her thesis film with SLOIFF audiences in 2013!
