Spokane Rapture

Biographies

Erica Schisler (Executive Producer)

I grew up in Spokane, WA. When I was 10 I tried to rob the Manito Shopping Center bank on my bike – I put the note in the pneumatic tube. Foiled (the tellers had a hoot) I then tried to steal the change out of the fountain at Manito park – foiled again (they vacuum the change up at night, who knew?). Lucky for me I was a terrible criminal and soon turned my creative energy into exploring art and music (many thanks to whoever gave me The Runaways album) and meeting all kinds of great creative people around town and ultimately inspiring my interest in digital media. I moved to Seattle in 1983.

I’m currently the Director of Product Development in Adobe Dynamic Media engineering, focusing on seed projects including The Adobe Media Player, Adobe Story and others. During my 16 years at Adobe I’ve worked primarily on Adobe After Effects as well as working in sales, marketing, program management and product management. Prior to joining Adobe I worked at a music video programming company in video editing and content acquisition. I also worked as an animation assistant for traditional cel animation and optical printing. Before that, I worked in investment banking.

I received my BA from The Evergreen State College with emphasis in filmmaking and animation. I have produced/directed 3 short documentary films.

Jon Swanstrom (Research Coordinator)

1981. Rocking out to Priest and Sabbath in my best friends basement.

His older, wiser, sister tosses a sex pistols 8 track tape at us. That was it. We started a band. Looking back…it was like she threw a brick at my face.

The tribe…the scene…shows, parties, drugs, fights, blood, death and mayhem… new ideas, new looks…consistently challenging the boring old ways. While we were making the Spokane punk scene…that scene was making us.

I’ve played punk rock all over the country, and put out over a dozen records with different bands (yeah, records). I’ve played very evil, strange people in two home grown horror films… and have written/ produced/ directed/ edited over 15 short films and band videos. Business has taken me around the world, but Spokane is home. It’s where I raise a family, and make art and music with friends, old and new. In addition to The Rapture project, I’m playing drums in a band, making two films and still challenging the boring old ways.

David Halsell (Northwest Unit Director)

I lived in Spokane from 1972- 1985.

As high school started, so did my vague but growing awareness that the status quo left me pretty stifled. I soon discovered “new wave” and punk rock and weirdness. I sought out the crazy, brilliant, creative people who talked about philosophy and politics and social concerns in ways I had never heard and were making edgy, unusual music and art.

Currently I am on the faculty at the Center for Digital Art and Experimental Media at the University of Washington, where I have taught digital video and stereoscopic film production. I received my MFA from Carnegie Mellon University, and a BFA in Sculpture from the University of Washington, graduating cum laude and as Mary Gates Scholar.

My artwork is based in themes of perceptual consciousness and the philosophy of mind, often using video and mechanical apparatus to explore the constructs of time and environment. My work has been exhibited internationally and nationally including the Madrid Abierto 2007, ETH Zürich, the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, the Spark Festival of Electronic Music and Art, and the Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano. My writing has been published in NY Arts magazine and the new media journal A Minima.

Cory Wees (Southwest Unit Director)

Over the years I have worked as a producer in college radio and public television and as a features writer and music columnist for a weekly newspaper. I became interested in filmmaking while living in Japan and moved to San Francisco to study and make films. I have worked on the sets of many independent productions including an acting role in “Rodeo Queens”, a trashy John Waters-style film. One of my first student shorts took top prize in an amateur film competition in 2006.