Celebrating Support

CELEBRATING SUPPORT

LIGHTS. CAMERA. FUTURE.

Parker Caston Jr. was in the fifth grade when his mother handed him a video camera. He used that camera to document his life growing up in rural Manteca, outside Stockton. “Pretty much everything from that point forward — fifth grade through high school — was done with the general goal of pursuing film or some sort of media,” Caston said. But life doesn’t always go exactly as planned.

At CSUN, Caston was initially denied admission to the competitive and highly ranked film production program within the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication. In the wake of this disappointment, he was introduced to Nate Thomas, head of the film production option. “This was the first time that I realized that Nate Thomas was Black,” Caston said. “He told me that my portfolio was great, but it didn’t stand out, ‘and we’re looking for people who stand out.’ He said it was up to me to decide how I stand out because attention is already on me as one of the few Black males in the class.”

Caston redid his portfolio application and threw himself into his classes, and his hard work paid off. He was admitted to the film production program and was later accepted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ prestigious Academy Gold internship program. The program granted Caston two mentors — acclaimed film editor Nick Moore and Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor Sterling K. Brown. While Caston was directing his senior film project, “Cuffed,” Brown spent time on set. This mentorship helped Caston elevate the film, which was one of just five projects selected to be part of CSUN’s annual film showcase.