Creative Film Spotlights

Chris Daus

Chris Daus is the founder of Nice as heck, a clothing brand born out of his active life and need for design-driven yet functional clothing. Finding it hard to find clothes he actually liked, he decided at the age of sixteen to make apparel himself. In this spotlight, Chris walks us through his story building his brand while pursuing Film/Cinema/Video Studies at Syracuse University. Experience the Nice as Heck brand here: https://www.niceasheck.com/

Filmed and Produced by James Rudman and Zain Elwakil for the Blackstone LaunchPad.

Outlaws Dance Troupe

Outlaws Dance Troupe is Syracuse University’s exclusively Hip-Hop dance team. Challenged with how to perform for audiences when live performance is no longer an option due to COVID-19, Outlaws has been hard at work growing their digital platforms, showing that they can do more than just perform on stage. Featured in this film is their debut Instagram Performance of “Wetty”, with more performances lined up before the end of the semester. Check out their Instagram account here to stay up to date on this incredibly talented team. https://www.instagram.com/outlaws_su/?hl=en

Filmed and Produced by Zain Elwakil for the Blackstone LaunchPad.

Cara Christian

Cara Christian is an artist and founder of Ungrateful Art. Originally from Los Angeles, Cara is a Theatre Management Major at Syracuse University, and opens up to us about her journey as an artistic entrepreneur. Her products include T-Shirts, earrings, and a variety of unique pieces that she creates at home. Support her Etsy page here.

Filmed and Produced by Zain Elwakil for the Blackstone LaunchPad.

Danial Khan

Danial Khan is an artist and filmmaker born and raised in Oman. As a senior in Syracuse’s film program, Danial opens up to us about his journey as a filmmaker, sharing with us some great details about his most recent recap video for LOGIC’s summer 2019 tour. Danial considers himself a cross disciplinary artist, with interests in art, music, drawing and illustration, and more.

Learn more about the LaunchPad here: https://launchpad.syr.edu/

Filmed and Produced by Zain Elwakil and James Rudman for the Blackstone LaunchPad.

Allie Westbrook

Allie Westbrook is singer/songwriter/producer who graduated from Syracuse University in the Spring of 2020 as a Sound Recording Technology Major, and has returned to pursue a graduate degree in Audio Arts. Allie speaks about her journey as an artist, and opens up about a song she’s been working on called “Flowers in the Attic”.

Learn more about the LaunchPad here: https://launchpad.syr.edu/

Filmed and Produced by Zain Elwakil for the Blackstone LaunchPad.