In partnership with the award-winning film studio Optimist, founded by CMC alumnus Zach Ingrasci '12 – who began his journey in film with Chris Temple '12 by making a documentary during the summer of his Junior year – we invite you to an inspiring showcase celebrating storytelling and creative careers. Optimist’s second cohort of Creative Fellows, CMC students Talin Tyvand '27 and Rohan Mathews '27, will share exclusive clips from the award-winning films they have supported and reflect on their experiences over the last year with Optimist, culminating in the announcement of next year’s fellows! The event will also feature a dynamic panel discussion with industry-leading alumni who will share their journeys, key lessons, and insider advice on launching a creative career. Whether you're a filmmaker, actor, writer, journalist, or simply curious about nurturing your creative skills, this event will have something for you!
Zach Ingrasci '12 is a film director and the co-founder of the twice Emmy-Nominated film studio Optimist, a production company committed to making documentaries that nurture optimism and create impact. Best known for directing the feature documentaries Living On One Dollar, Salam Neighbor, This Is Not Financial Advice and Five Years North, Zach’s films have been released by Netflix, Amazon Prime, National Geographic, PBS and HBO. Every Optimist film is accompanied by an impact campaign to create measurable outcomes. His projects have raised over $119 million for the films’ causes and have changed over 606,869 lives.
