Lights! Camera! Graduation!

It takes a village to film a movie, but it takes a true leader to bring the whole film together. 

A couple years from now, Samantha Kinney could be the next big name in the film industry. A recent film and media production graduate with a minor in business, Kinney found her calling to be a director and producer through her capstone project for the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. 

Samantha Kinney wants to blaze trails for women writers in Hollywood.

Her project, “Lone,” tackled the experience of loneliness in young people, taking a nuanced look at the good and the bad. Kinney was in charge of putting a team of dozens together, acquiring camera gear and equipment, fundraising, booking stressful set locations on a budget and finding actors for her film — all while keeping on top of her studies and her duties as producer of ASU Student Life.  

“I think the biggest challenge was just making everything happen. A lot of people don’t quite understand how difficult it is to make a movie,” Kinney said. 

The 21-year-old has worked with ASU Student Life for a year and has become a great asset to the EOSS Marketing team as a whole leading logistics, writing for film and print, and shooting and editing videos. As producer, Kinney leads a newsroom of about 20 student workers and excelled through her ability to be flexible and tackle any project head-on. 

“I learned that my leadership skills are really strong and that I am a good leader and I want to have a career in a leadership role,” Kinney said. 

With her time as an undergraduate student now complete, Kinney is looking ahead at her career in film and hopes to work her way into writer’s rooms for television.

“I feel very proud, very accomplished, very weird. It is definitely bittersweet; film school was such a great experience,” she said. 

Samantha Kinney wrote, produced and edited the ASU Football Traditions video.

As Kinney prepared to say goodbye to ASU Student Life, she reflected on the major moments and memories during her undergraduate run. 

Question: What was your “aha” moment, when you realized you wanted to study the field you majored in? 

Answer: I have always wanted to work in entertainment for as long as I can remember. I have always found joy in entertaining people and making them laugh or cry or smile; it makes me feel good inside. 

As I've grown older that has taken different forms. As a kid, I was really into music, then I got into theater, and then that transitioned into film. I think film is the greatest form of art, because it is the culmination of all art forms into one great masterpiece. 

As I was growing up learning all these different art forms, it kind of led to that path of wanting to be a filmmaker and especially wanting to be someone who either writes or directs, because I think that it is such a powerful position to be in, and it is such a privilege to do those things. 

I’ve always wanted to work in entertainment and film, but definitely for being a director and being a writer, that “aha” moment was in Capstone, especially within the last semester through the feedback I was getting. Having a lot of other people recognize that and telling me to go for it was definitely an “aha” moment. 

Q: What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you or changed your perspective? 

A: Seeing Greta Gerwig win a Golden Globe for best film and be nominated for multiple Oscars was really eye-opening and exciting for me. As a female filmmaker, seeing all the steps that have been taken in the industry for female filmmakers, seeing all the incredibly honest, raw material being created by women has been one of my favorite experiences in college because all of this content didn’t exist before I was in college. It has been really cool to see the industry grow and have that representation of women. 

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: I got a scholarship to ASU. Also, I chose ASU because it is close to home.  

Q: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?

A: There’s so many. I love the faculty. The biggest influence to me was Professor Maday. The amount of people, including myself, that say “I want to be like Maday when I grow up” is insane.  

He’s so personable with students; he always wants to get to know his students. Every time I am in his office, I am there for almost an hour. He is the most kindhearted person and has had a super career. He is such a great mentor, although he treats you like a student and puts everything in an educational way, he’s also trying to treat you like a professional at the same time. 

Other faculty that I have had great experiences with are Jason Scott; he’s such a wonderful man and has been a great resource for me to navigate these uncertain times. He presented me my award at the senior showcase. Another professor is Peter Murrieta. He is the creator of “Wizards of Waverly Place” and has given so much advice. He let me gush at him for two hours about the show. I love all the faculty of the film school. 

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?

A: Reach out to your professors; make those connections. It is a really good skill to learn how to talk to people who are older than you and be able to have personable conversations as if they were your friend. I think that is really important. The professors are there to help you and there to see you succeed. Those relationships are so beneficial. Email them!

Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life?

A: I think going to the ASU Museum is really cool. It is free for students and it is a fun place to chill or hang out with friends. 

Q: What are your plans after graduation? 

A: It is a bit in the air. I am still actively looking for a job in Los Angeles so that I don’t miss out on any amazing opportunities. However, I have been trying to focus on networking here in Phoenix but also in LA. 

I’ve mainly been trying to stay positive and motivated to keep pushing toward my goals and my dreams. I will most likely be doing a lot of pro bono or freelance work over the next few months to a year in hopes of continuing to expand my portfolio and to keep my creativity active. I’m really hoping to be able to continue working in the field of media as the world shifts back to a more normal state.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: I would use that money to make filmmaking sustainable and to make sustainable sets. I would want to eliminate single-use plastic and make reusables more of the norm.