Bri Castellini

Bri Castellini

Writer || Director || Podcaster || Human Bulldozer

Work history

Production Experience

Work Experience

DIRECTOR, CO-FOUNDER
HOLLYSHORTS INSTITUTE
MAY 2024-PRESENT

  • Designed curriculum for a 6-week intensive indie film producing bootcamp alongside founders of the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival
  • Primary educator and workshop leader for all 6 courses, as well as regular Institute Office Hours

WORKSHOP LEADER, PRODUCTION CONSULTANT
CBS LEADERSHIP PIPELINE CHALLENGE
APRIL 2021-PRESENT

  • Designed the curriculum for and taught a five-part filmmaking workshop, training cohort members in producing and distributing short films on budgets under $5000. 
  • Built relationships and in-kind partnerships with external partners in the Los Angeles filmmaking community and the Pipeline Challenge
  • Consulted with filmmakers and documentary crews during their production phase

MANAGER OF CREATOR SUCCESS, FILM COMMUNITY MANAGER, CROWDFUNDING SPECIALIST
SEED&SPARK
JUNE 2019-JUNE 2023

  • Designed content marketing & education curriculum of 11 workshops and taught them at over 130 events across the US
  • Spoke on over 40 panels as a crowdfunding and independent film expert
  • Built over 75 partnerships with film organizations and schools to program Seed&Spark events and speakers at
  • Authored 35 content marketing blogs on crowdfunding & audience building
  • Coached over $25M in launched crowdfunding projects with an 85% success rate

ADJUNCT PROFESSOR
STEPHENS COLLEGE
AUGUST 2019-MAY 2022

  • Thesis advisor/instructor for students working on interactive/digital series as their MFA in Screenwriting thesis (web series, audio dramas, etc)

FREELANCE INSTRUCTOR
WHOHAHA
NOVEMBER 2020-DECEMBER 2021

  • Pitched, developed, and taught the curriculum for the class “Own Your Voice: Developing Your First Short Form Pilot” to community members of the Elizabeth Banks-founded women in comedy company.

ADJUNCT PROFESSOR
LIU-BROOKLYN
JANUARY 2019-DECEMBER 2021

  • Designed curriculum for Digital Media course for the MFA in Writing and Producing for Television graduate program at LIU-Brooklyn
  • Taught 4 cohorts of students to develop, pitch, and produce a web series pilot and accompanying transmedia strategy.

Class description: “This introductory course surveys the landscape of new media entertainment. Assessing technologies, strategies, and trends in the industry, students will be exposed to the latest approaches to digital storytelling and why it’s worth a second look even if your ultimate goal is still to write for television. Students will apply their new industry knowledge to the practical development of a new media series with the final output being a bible for the series, a produced 5 minute original pilot for their portfolio, and a better grasp on taking their ideas into their own hands.”

COMMUNITY DIRECTOR, COMMUNITY LIAISON, PODCAST PRODUCER
STAREABLE
FEBRUARY 2017- AUGUST 2019

  • Co-founded Stareable Fest, now a bi-annual independent television festival
  • Organized and hosted over 25 Stareable happy hours around the country
  • Authored over 110 content marketing blogs
  • Developed 3 bespoke workshops on web series production and marketing and taught them at 15 events virtually and in person
  • Developed, produced, and hosted 23 episodes of the independent television podcast Forget The Box with a 4.9 out of 5 star rating on Apple Podcasts
  • Moderated over 15 panels for or on behalf of Stareable at indie TV events and festivals internationally

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER, DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT
MTV
JULY 2016-APRIL 2017

  • Organized development pipeline for all of the MTV digital team’s projects across all platforms
  • Pitched, cast, scripted, and researched new digital projects as well as topics for existing shows
  • Produced an interview segment with Lynda Lowry, a woman who marched in Selma as a teen, to encourage young people to vote in the 2016 election

ASSISTANT, SPECIAL PROJECTS (MTV EXECUTIVE)
MTV
JANUARY-JULY 2016

  • Updated contact information for the president of MTV at the time, Sean Atkins
  • Provided administrative support to MTV president’s executive assistant
  • Sat in for the executive assistant of the SVP of MTV Research for three weeks

ASSISTANT MANAGER
FIKA NYC
NOVEMBER 2014- AUGUST 2015

  • In addition to continuing barista duties (see below), the promotion to assistant manager also came with training new employees, taking delegations from the manager, and scheduling.

BARISTA
FIKA NYC
JUNE 2014-NOVEMBER 2014

  • Made espresso drinks to order and brewing hot and iced coffee, worked the register, cleaned the store, bussed tables, brought food and drinks out to patrons, and performed store closing  and opening duties

BARISTA
ARAMARK, PACIFIC UNIVERSITY
AUGUST 2013-MAY 2014

  • Worked behind the counter at the Aramark Boxer Bistro with various jobs, including coffee barista, burrito maker, and cashier.

WRITING TUTOR
PACIFIC UNIVERSITY TUTORING AND LEARNING CENTER
AUGUST 2012- MAY 2014

  • Worked with college students to improve their writing skills, both mechanically and stylistically.
  • Helped proofread IRB proposals for science and psych students
  • Became the unofficial tutor for Mass Media Law & Ethics

SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT
PACIFIC UNIVERSITY CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTER
APRIL 2013-MAY 2014

  • Created and executed social media campaigns to promote various on and off campus events as well as alert students about on and off campus job opportunities
  • Wrote articles for promotion purposes

SUMMER CAMP COUNSELOR (SCORE)
GRAND JUNCTION PARKS AND RECREATION
MAY 2012- AUGUST 2013

  • For two summers, worked with children ages 4-14 in a summer day camp environment, taught them specific skill sets for different sports like basketball, volleyball, football, soccer, and baseball.
  • Acted as cashier for drop-in style gym time in the evenings

PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHER
PACIFIC UNIVERSITY THEATER AND DANCE DEPARTMENT
AUGUST 2010-MAY 2011

  • Took archival and performance photography and videography for Pacific University’s theater and dance department. Photography examples here.

ACTIVITIES ASSISTANT
SUNBRIDGE HEALTHCARE, GRAND JUNCTION, CO
April 2006-June 2007

  • Coordinated activities for residents, like bingo, word games, root beer floats, and Sunday morning church service.

Internships

MTV RESEARCH DEPARTMENT, INSIGHTS INNOVATION
SEPTEMBER-DECEMBER 2015
Market and millennial demographic research to assist MTV producers in choosing themes and topics for new projects. Kept close eye on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and other social media for insights.

PACIFIC UNIVERSITY MFA IN WRITING
JANUARY 2013, JANUARY 2014
Worked with the graduate level writing program in Seaside, OR, driving shuttles, setting up workshop and panel rooms, running errands for students and faculty, and sitting in on graduate level writing seminars.

PACIFIC UNIVERSITY MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS, WRITING INTERN
JANUARY 2014-MAY 2014
Working with the Marketing and Communications department at the university by writing short articles for the website and for Pacific Magazine. I also helped with content migration to bring information and pages from the university’s old website to their new one.

BERGLUND CENTER FOR INTERNET STUDIES, COPYEDITING INTERN
JANUARY 2014-MAY 2014
I helped the university’s center for internet studies transfer articles and links from their old website to their new one, as well as copyediting new articles and possibly writing some of my own. Additionally, as a student fellow, I wrote a research article about an online community known as Nerdfighteria that the center published.