Morgan Raspanti

How did you discover Western?

In May 2020 I completed my master’s degree from The New School in New York City, that September my partner and I moved to the Gunnison Valley on a whim. My plan was to spend a winter snowboarding while the pandemic continued. I first learned about Western while living in Crested Butte that winter but it took about a year for me to really discover it. As part of my previous job, I facilitated a partnership with Mountaineer Media and when I first visited campus I thought, ‘I would love to work here’. To my surprise, within a year, I was granted the opportunity to do so. (Perhaps, it was really Western that discovered me).

What are some of the highlights of your career?

Being the Technical Director of Media at Western! Some other highlights include: Working as the Festival Manager at Crested Butte Film Festival. Traveling internationally to produce my graduate research and documentary film on artist-run film labs in the age of digital media. Shooting 16mm films with a Bolex camera, processing by hand and experimenting with techniques. Working on all aspects of production for a collaborative documentary in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

What excites you most about your field?

So much! Currently, I am most excited to be participating in it as an educator. I enjoy the creativity that is inherent to my documentary practices, no matter the medium. I feel grateful to have ended up in a field that allows me to find creative and effective ways to communicate through video, photography, audio, and writing. I am particularly excited by the fields of media anthropology and sensory ethnography, as well as experimenting with analog film and digital video.

What is your favorite thing about the Gunnison Valley?

It’s a tough call between the community and the nature.

Courses Taught

COM 346 Multimedia Communication, COM 339 Intermediate Production, and COM 364 Advanced Audio Production. I am also the advisor for Mountaineer Media, KWSB and the Taylor Hall Film Cages.

External Professional Affiliations

• Freelance Photographer + Writer, Gunnison Country Times (2022-current)
• Festival Manager, Crested Butte Film Festival (2022)
• Festival Administrative Associate, Crested Butte Film Festival (2021)
• Educator, Video Editing Club + Student Filmmaker’s Club, CB Community School (2021 +2022)
• RedDog Productions, The New School, Camera Operator + Editor (2019-2020)
• Teaching Assistant, The New School, Media Studies (2018-2020)
• Technical Assistant, The New School, International Field Program, Brazil (2018)

Documentary Projects:

• Filmmaker: Independent Documentary Film, ‘The Industry Is Dead So Cinema Is Free’
• Editor: Documentary Theater Play, ‘The Tarsands Songbook’
• Camera Operator + Editor: Collaborative Documentary Film, ‘Campo De Santana’ 

Past Freelance Video + Editing Clients:

• Two Plank Productions
• John Bukaty (Performance Artist)
• Crested Butte School of Dance
• Crested Butte Center for the Arts
• Save the Majestic
• Equity for Children
• Women’s Legacy Project