Meet The Team

Staff

John Lugton
He/Him/His
Head of Production

John Lugton

john@metroeast.org

Born and raised by the North Sea in Scotland, the NW is like a home away from home. Growing up I was captivated by the French black and white Adventures of Robinson Crusoe TV show, that seemed to play every summer holiday!! The opening music, the composition, the pacing, the look and feel were all vital in making the story so real. I love helping organizations bring their ideas to life through the video production process. And I make sure that our award-winning production staff helps you make a difference. I believe that everyone has a story to tell and that there is a story behind everything!! But in the spirit of the true storytellers when out with friends I frequently remind myself "Why ruin a good story by sticking to the facts?" Other hobbies and passions both great and small: Football, creating, gardening, solving, cooking, dancing and singing and just plain looking at things from the perspective of beauty.

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Seth Ring
He/Him/His
Director of Education & Volunteers

Seth Ring

seth@metroeast.org

I am a local Oregonian with a passion for nature and civic engagement. After much merriment in the biological sciences/getting my Biology BA at Lewis & Clark, I got my Master's in Science and Natural History Filmmaking at Montana State University. I work with volunteers and educators to give underrepresented groups a voice and keep media in the hands of regular ol' citizens. My wife and I enjoy board games, being ridiculous and long walks on the beach.

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David Elkin-Bram
They/Them
Director of IT

David Elkin-Bram

david@metroeast.org

As one of the longest-serving members of MetroEast's team, David has seen a great deal of progress, change, and story-telling in the walls of MetroEast. David serves as the Director of Information Technology and continues to guide the organization towards positive technical fruition. David began volunteering in Community Media productions in 1992 and dove into every class available. "I needed to get my hands on all the gear," David recalls fondly. After many hours of donated time, interning in playback in 1993, and accepting two paid internships in '94 to '95, he was offered an IT role at MetroEast. From there, built the radio station KZME under the tutelage of several luminaries in radio broadcasting. David also had hands in the technical direction for live productions and audio engineering. Most of David's technical background forged within and through MetroEast roles, continues to evolve. A proud coder and scripter, a MacOS and iOS aficionado, and Adobe go-to person. All things technological go through their desk, from networking to data management to AI systems. When David isn't staring at a screen or blinking boxes, they dabble in graphics, compositing, animation, and music-making some "noises." Culture jamming is also a deeply held passion, de-constructing media and examining it with a critical lens. As part of a family, David enjoys watching their kid grow up and figure out the world with their partner Andrea - and you may find them enjoying a snifter of some high-end Añejo tequila, too.

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Danny Fish
They/Them
Director of Finance

Danny Fish

danny@metroeast.org

Originally from the south, I moved to Portland some odd years ago and have been vitamin D deficient ever since! Part of the reason I live in the PNW is the music scene- I've played music, taught music, DJ'd, ran sound, and everything in between. I also specialize in nonprofit accounting for media, arts, music, and literature-focused organizations, which led me to MetroEast! (Speaking into a magical megaphone: More funding for the arts, now!!)

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Loren Coulter
He/Him/His
Training & Programming Coordinator

Loren Coulter

loren@metroeast.org

A lifelong resident of Portland, Loren's first exposure to video started early. A 5th-grade class project with black and white cameras and a reel-to-reel video recorder sparked an interest that still burns 5 decades later. Loren came to MetroEast (then Multnomah Cable Access) as a volunteer in May of 1987 and joined the staff in September of 1988. Over nearly 30 years, he has worn many hats: Equipment Room Tech, Producer, Playback Operator, and has developed and taught thousands of video production classes. When occasionally not at MetroEast, Loren enjoys music as an out-of-practice trumpet player and moderately skilled drummer, as well as running lights and sound for a local band. He also relaxes by drawing, escaping to the beach, and gorging on Mac and Cheese.

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Gene Hall
He/Him/His
Media Services Manager

Gene Hall

gene@metroeast.org

Gene Hall was born and raised in Portland Oregon and spent his formative years sloshing through the puddle-laden, rain-drenched streets of 1980's St John's in North Portland. As a child, he tapped into creativity as an outlet, because it rained no less than 180 days a year and dreaming was free. Music was an early creative outlet, but visual art went along with that hand in hand. Gene completed his first video certifications at Portland Cable Access (now known as Open Signal) before he started High School. Many attempts at making great video projects followed and ultimately failed. In the 90's he worked with touring bands as a player and later as an audio engineer. In the 2010s music was still on the plate, but he returned to filmmaking by competing in local video filmmaking contests and working as a freelance sound recordist/designer and in color correction. Gene brings his passion for creative arts to his role as Media Services Manager and is always willing to help you solve the next puzzle on your creative plate.

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Ivana Horvat
She/Her/Hers
Digital Media Producer

Ivana Horvat

ivana@metroeast.org

Ivana Horvat entered this world on a cold and snowy day in the former Yugoslavia after her mother walked through the steep, curvy streets of Sarajevo through two feet of snow to get to the hospital. When she is not producing video, she spends her time going to ethnic grocery stores, running around at the dog park, seeing second-run movies in theaters, VJing at local shows and wishing she had the patience to play board games. A fan of French new wave cinema, cabbage rolls, puppets over CG, introspection, ping pong, mumblecore, and meeting new people, she has a zest for life and a serious case of FOMO. She has a background in documentary film and premiered her first feature-length documentary called Finding Bosnia in 2015. She believes creating an emotional connection to new ideas is imperative to creating a better, more empathic society.  

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Emily Vidal
She/Her/Hers
Producer

Emily Vidal

emily@metroeast.org

Emily is a filmmaker with a passion for international travel and cultural exchange. Emily has been roaming the studios of MetroEast, usually with a camera, microphone, or clipboard in tow, for nigh on 18 years. A native Oregonian through and through, Emily's official appropriated motto is "always be prepared" (the unofficial one being "no matter where you go, there you are.") A favorite toolkit regardless of project and location: Gaff tape; scissors, paper & pen, flashlight, earplugs, and a handkerchief (to sop up the occasional drink spills and of course the blood, sweat, and tears.) Working alongside awesome colleagues and volunteers to help bring media to life for the greater good of the community has been one of the most rewarding and formative experiences of her short life. She hopes to continue to do so until the dystopian future comes to overtake our current reality. Should this come to pass she plans to be there, with an extensive revamp of the above-mentioned toolkit, to cover the apocalypse.

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Keith Thomas
He/Him/His
Producer

Keith Thomas

keith@metroeast.org

Keith is a northwest native having been born and raised in what is the greatest city in the world-Portland, a city that he absolutely loves. His only time spent away from the City of Roses was in the mid-nineties where he moved to Orlando, Florida to attend Full Sail Center for the Recording Arts and received an AAS in studio recording engineering. Although Keith has become an accomplished and talented video producer his first media love is audio and sound. Just don't get him talking about his car stereo because you won't shut him up! Keith likes to work out and feels physical fitness is one of the most important aspects of life because if you have your health you have everything. Again, don't get him talking about weightlifting. See the point above! In his spare time, he loves the outdoors and enjoys getting out and experiencing nature especially during the warm spring and summer months.

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Peter Murphy
He/Him/His
IT Manager

Peter Murphy

peter@metroeast.org

Peter is an Oregon native who realized early on that he enjoys working in a video production environment. He has had the pleasure of working with and for media teams all over the Willamette Valley and has spent time as a computer technician for K-12 and college level educational institutions.

Learning how information systems work is like an itch that needs to be scratched! Peter can be often be found troubleshooting, rebooting, or at the helm of various IT related projects big and small. Once logged off, Peter spends his time watching movies and going to the coast with his dog. He’s an avid gamer and a lifelong Mariners fan who would love to see the franchise win a World Series during this lifetime. 

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Sam Omeechevarria
He/Him/His
Facility Manager

Sam Omeechevarria

sam@metroeast.org

Bio Coming Soon

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Jasmin Vazquez-Sierra
She/They
Digital Media Educator

Jasmin Vazquez-Sierra

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Board of Directors

Julie S. Omelchuck
Board President
Jessica Vanterpool
Founder/CEO, FLI Social
Tsering Sherpa
Programs Director, The Rosewood Initiative
Lorena Connelly
Social Worker & Member Producer
Sara Ali
Board Director
Jeff Dennerline 
Non-Voting Board Director

Education Advisory Board

We have formed an Education Advisory Board specifically to help us inform our educational efforts in East County. Our board is composed of people of color, immigrants, refugees, educators, and former workshop participants. This group will also help us make deeper cultural connections with our beneficiaries by helping with our cultural outreach efforts at festivals and events.

Members

Gwendolyn Adams

Rodney Adams Jr.

Rodney Adams Sr.

Maria Felix Altamirano Gomez

Dajour McKinley

Annette Marion

Barys Zhiznevsky

Isabel Abnel

Benjamin Lostheart

Education Advisory Board