Carleton is justifiably proud of its many alumni who have gone on to stellar careers in film and TV. Join four distinguished directors and producers—Wendy West ’94, Andrij Parekh ’94, Maggie Bowman ’96, and David Blackman ’96—for a wide-ranging conversation about their recent and current projects, the future of the industry, and more.
This event took place on February 20, 2025.
About the Speakers
Wendy West ’94 is currently a Co-Executive Producer on CBS’ FBI: Most Wanted and has worked on Dexter, The Closer, and Law & Order: SVU. She has also mentored in the Writer’s Guild Foundation’s Veterans Writing Program for four years. She lives in Los Angeles with her beagle, Betty.
Through his award-winning work, Andrij Parekh ’94 has captured the soul, emotion, and humanity of indie and iconic television and film projects. Parekh graduated from Carleton with a double major in sociology/anthropology and media studies and earned an MFA in film studies from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. His creative work includes 63 cinematography credits for films, including Half Nelson, Blue Valentine, and The Zookeeper’s Wife; six director credits for television shows, including Watchmen and Succession; three producer credits; and 16 credits in other categories. In addition to a Primetime Emmy Award in 2020, Parekh has won five other industry awards. His films have played at the Cannes, Telluride, Toronto, Sundance, and New York Film Festivals.
Maggie Bowman ’96 has split her career between direct social change work and documentary filmmaking. Her early years as a union organizer provided the orientation and lens through which her documentaries developed. Her award-winning work has addressed low-wage work, democratic elections, and criminal justice, among other topics.
David Blackman ’96 is a multiple Emmy-nominated and Oscar-shortlisted producer. He runs Polygram Entertainment, the premium film and TV division of Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company, to help develop, produce, and manage a wide array of film and television projects across documentary, unscripted and scripted television, and feature film projects. Some of his credits include Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist (NBC), the Todd Haynes film The Velvet Underground (Apple), The Beastie Boys Story (Apple), Stax: Soulsville USA (HBO), and Ron Howard’s Pavarotti (CBS Films).