Brent Heise

My filmmaking journey began in childhood with a Minolta Super 8mm camera and a Kodak Presstape splicer. This underlying drive to make moving images that evoke emotions became a lifelong pursuit. I attended the American University in Washington D.C. During my freshman year, I made a supernatural-themed short film featuring Sara, the future class valedictorian. This project received top billing at the Media Festival. I considered this a good omen, and it was. Returning to Portland, Oregon, I subsequently won a “Best of the Northwest Judges' Choice” from the Alliance for Community Media for my indie feature “Twilight Man.” Willamette Week critic David Walker highlighted the editing techniques I used to evoke the lead character's enlightenment, which encouraged me to focus on editorial work. Beginning at the ad agency Euro RSCG 4D DRTV, I shot and edited Allstate's “Keep the Drive” campaign, featuring several actors speaking on the face of a driver's license to convey a message of safe driving. At the production studio Digital Wave, I shot and edited a nonprofit documentary for the Community Transitional School, subsidized by Oprah Winfrey. This school for children from unhoused families continues to provide vital education and health services for our most vulnerable citizens in Portland, Oregon, very satisfying work. I then teamed up with songwriter and musician Tom Guernsey to bring his one-hit-wonder story to a wider audience, even as he suffered from debilitating ALS. Our collaboration featured cameos by Nils Lofgren of the E Street Band and Mike Clark, founder of Portland’s famed Movie Madness shop. I moved on to editorial work at the boutique animation studio Bent Image Lab. Working under the guidance of award-winning director Chel White, I helped to bolster the company through animation for features, commercials, and social media. Behind-the-scenes edits for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The 4-D Experience and David Oyelowo's directorial debut, “The Water Man,” are Blu-Ray special features. Recognition for one reel appeared on Motionographer.com. Additionally, my post-production work on Mr. White's memoir segment for Academy Award Winner Joan Gratz played at the opening night of the Annecy International Animated Film Festival. As a sole proprietor, I produce videos for various good causes. The Preservation Artisans Guild, a curated list of members of the historic preservation community, and Walking Adventures International are recent examples. I now carry on this tradition in Norfolk, Virginia, where I am a Lead AV Technician at PETA and am documenting local heritage in my spare time.