As I look back on this year in film production, I’m reminded how lucky I am to do this for a living. And yet, if you’re reading this and work in production, you might be thinking, “Lucky? Really?” Things haven’t been the same since the pandemic. We’ve lived through the rise of AI, shrinking budgets, fewer projects, a writers’ strike, an actors’ strike, IATSE contract negotiations, a fire in LA, and now—because 2025 wasn’t dramatic enough—Netflix is reportedly moving to purchase Warner Bros. Discovery, slowly consolidating the studio system down to four major players.
I hear the despair in conversations at the bar. I’m not trying to sugarcoat anything—our future is uncertain, and there are real reasons for that uncertainty. But I also feel fortunate, and a lot of that comes from the diversity of the work I’ve been able to do across my 14-year career. I’ve touched almost every corner of the industry: features, shorts, episodic, commercials, branded content, music videos, corporate, EPK, and documentaries. I’ve worked on massive studio films with hundreds of people on set and tiny four-person crews in far-off places. I’ve watched colleagues reinvent themselves—some taking part-time jobs, some going staff, some going back to school, and some leaving the industry altogether.
It’s a brutal business. But I’m grateful to have stuck around long enough to experience all its cycles. I’ve had my share of sleepless nights and paralyzing anxiety these last few years, and I’m oddly thankful for the adversity—it pushed me to expand my skills and reconnect with the art itself. This year I took improv, acting, screenwriting, a color theory class at the Guggenheim, read The Artist’s Way, kept up with piano, completed Local 600 wheels training, and even renovated part of my apartment. I don’t know what the future holds in this industry, but I do know this: I’m as fascinated by filmmaking as I’ve ever been.
Filming Ed Kashi take a call in Kurdistan in September 2025
Early-Year Projects & Documentary Work
I spent the start of the year working on a short satirical news documentary about the New York Health Act—a bill that’s been around for decades advocating universal healthcare for New Yorkers. Our director, Kevin Deming, and lead, Rich Hollman, traveled up to Albany to attend the Opening Day reception for state and city officials. It felt good to be part of a project with real advocacy behind it.
Making the trip to Albany for opening day reception for lawmakers legislative session January 2025
Around that same time, I hosted a photography party at a Peerspace studio—part community hang, part creativity boost for a slow January, and part soft launch for my portrait business. Friends rolled through, we caught up, and I photographed people I hadn’t seen in years. That day reminded me how much I love capturing my community. One of the attendees, my friend Samara, hired me to photograph her Clinton Hill yoga studio, Sarai. She’s an incredible teacher—go take her class.
Dancing with Irving Dyson Jr. at a Brooklyn studio in April 2025
January is notoriously slow in production, so I was grateful to work with the American Heart Association updating their CPR training videos. It felt meaningful to contribute to something that helps save lives. Our crew was tight knit, the studio days were long, and—because morale matters—I added a mini Super Nintendo to my kit to break out during lunch.
I closed out the month in Philadelphia shooting a Breastcancer.org spot with my longtime collaborator and friend, Sean Devaney. Sean and I met at a film collective party years ago when I backed into him and spilled his drink. He hired me the next week. Sometimes clumsy networking pays off.
Lighting tweaks with Sean Devaney on set. New York, March 2025.
Sundance, Skiing & Serendipity
Next up: a longtime dream—Sundance. I always imagined attending only when I had a film in the festival, but with rumors of it possibly leaving Park City, I felt compelled to go now. It did not disappoint.
I saw Kahlil Joseph’s BLKNWS: Terms and Conditions, which blew my mind—one of the most inventive films I’ve ever seen. I discovered Love, Brooklyn, directed by Rachael Holder and starring André Holland. The opening shot was filmed on the same block I lived on for a decade. Seeing my old street—and someone I used to see biking around the neighborhood—up on a screen was surreal. Rachael’s Q&A, complete with wrangling her child mid-talk, was one of the most authentically inspiring things I witnessed all year.
As a bonus, I got to ski for the first time—thanks to Josi, a PA from the American Heart job, who happened to be a ski instructor in Park City. Her family even let me crash with them. The kindness of people continues to inspire me.
Spring: Photography, New Gear & Expanding Services
Back in New York, Sean and I teamed up again for Cycle for Survival and were later awarded for that project.
Between production gigs, I shot a lot of portraits. Photography continues to ground me—it's lighter, faster, and beautifully intimate. I love tailoring creative sessions to the person in front of the camera. One shoot was Power Rangers-inspired; another involved exploring new lighting styles I want to develop into a long-term personal series. I’m moving toward more photojournalism—slow stories, thorough stories, stories that take years. One day I hope to publish a photo book—or several.
Getting low for a shot of Georgina Pazcoguin, the Rogue Ballerina, at a Midtown Manhattan studio. March 2025.
In the spring, I finally did something I’ve dreamed of for years: I bought my first ARRI Alexa. Owning that camera has been a milestone, and I’m thrilled that it has been renting steadily. With the Alexa 35 in hand, I also added video portraits to my services. My first client, Irving, set the bar sky-high—such an expressive, thoughtful mover.
Commercials, Tribeca & A Music Video
AI training videos have been a staple in recent years. I worked on IBM videos and then a commercial series for Zapier with my longtime friend and mentor, Andrew Watson. We shot again at Gary’s Loft—a rite of passage for anyone working in New York production.
BTS of a commercial project for Zapier at Gary’s Loft in Brooklyn April 2025
Tribeca in June was full of gems, and being able to hop on the subway to screenings is the best part about living here. I met a street performer, shot a music video, and cast my wife, Alexandra—who is not only a Broadway performer and aerialist but also my favorite on-screen collaborator.
Filmgoers waiting outside the Marquee at the Tribeca Film Festival. June 2025
A Kidney Story, A Short Film, and New Skills
One of the most meaningful shoots of the year was for Montefiore Hospital: a short doc about an anonymous living kidney donor who volunteered after seeing an ad on Facebook from a first responder in need. Filming in the operating room—and seeing firsthand what my father-in-law does every day—was profoundly moving.
Montefiore operating room during a kidney transplant filming the doctors and nurses hard a work July 2025
This year I also began developing several short films and started writing my first feature, which I plan to direct. My wife and I spent a weekend in the Poconos with two of her castmates, Irving and Eric, developing a short. By the end of the weekend we had a solid outline and a first draft. We submitted it for grant funding—and won. I’m thrilled to co-direct it with Eric Cheung in the new year.
Pictured here with Aaron Simms, Founder of Inwood Art Works, and Eric Cheung at the grant award ceremony in December 2025
I also took real advantage of Local 600 this year, especially the remote-head wheels training. A huge thank-you to Peter Nolan and Chris Hayes for their guidance. Adding wheels to my toolkit feels great.
Peter Nolan instructing wheels training at Local 600 offices in Midtown Manhattan 2025.
Fall: Iraq, Santa Fe & Finishing Strong
My fall began with a dream project: traveling to Iraq to film my upcoming documentary on photojournalist Ed Kashi. Ed’s four-decade career and extraordinary archive deserve a film, and I’m honored to be making it. We traveled to Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, where Ed was honored at a cultural festival at the American University. His daughter Isabel joined us at the last minute, making the experience even more special. The Kurdish people were unbelievably hospitable, and our fixer, Zheera, made the entire project possible.
Two filmmakers overlooking Sulaymaniyah at dusk, September.
After Iraq, I spent a weekend shooting Ed’s retrospective in Santa Fe. I recruited my wife as our sound mixer—no small feat when you’re 5' and the camera operator is 6’3”. We earned those hot springs. It was an unforgettable weekend celebrating Ed and his wife Julie.
Alexandra Peter running sound for my documentary in Santa Fe in October 2025
To cap off the year, I received two Emmy nominations—one for a PBS doc I shot a few years ago and another for Season 5 of Emeril Cooks in New Orleans. I wrapped my acting class and took a final work trip to Kansas City to film a dementia story for USA Today. Missouri was kind, and the BBQ was unmatched. Watching locals mourn the Chiefs after the Eagles smoked them in the Super Bowl was an unexpected bonus.
Emmy nomination for my work on a PBS Documentary
Closing Thoughts
I love writing these yearly recaps because, for most of the year, I feel like I’m not doing enough. Anxiety fills the space between jobs. But when I look back at the work and the photos, I feel proud—and reminded to enjoy the ride more while I’m in it.
That’s my intention for the new year:
Relax more. Enjoy more. Stress less. Trust the work.
My best work happens when I’m loose and having fun—not grinding myself into dust.
If you read this far, I commend you. Thanks for being part of this journey. Here’s to another year of stories.
BTS portrait with my dog Chance at the portrait party at a studio in Brooklyn January 2025