The UNCW Career Center hosted the 2025 Spring Film Symposium on April 3, an opportunity for the university community to hear from distinguished alumni, network with film industry professionals, and learn about and explore careers in film.
In collaboration with the UNCW Film Studies Department and University Advancement, the event featured a “Works in Progress” alumni panel spotlighting Alexis Dickerson '18, '20M, Taylor Montalto '16, and Ricki Nelson '20; a behind-the-scenes presentation by Dylan Bradshaw '19, winner of the 2025 $1 million Doritos Superbowl commercial contest; and a keynote address by award-winning filmmaker Dr. Richard Wiebe '04.
Throughout the event alumni speakers fondly reflected on their time at UNCW, while sharing their career journeys, industry insights, and advice with aspiring filmmakers in attendance.
After earning a Master of Arts in Film Studies at UNCW, Dickerson has been impacting the next generation of Seahawk student creatives by serving as the Engagement and Artist Services Coordinator with the UNCW Office of the Arts and Kenan Auditorium. As a former Seahawk student-athlete on the Women’s Track and Field team, she has continued to lead and mentor students by participating in the UNCW Student-Athlete Support Services Networking Event — providing upperclassmen the opportunity to engage with alumni and community members for professional development and career networking. Additionally, she has volunteered for the Cucalorus Film Foundation.
“Declare yourself as a creative, throw yourself out there, and be eager to build or join a community,” said Dickerson, encouraging students that they will find their way. “Utilize the resources and connections you already have and don’t be afraid to shoot your shot. Every opportunity is a networking opportunity, and you never know what will happen.”
Montalto currently works as the Education and Grants Coordinator for the Atlanta Film Society and Atlanta Film Festival. After earning her degree in film studies at UNCW, she has worked on a variety of film projects, including narrative features such as The Rack Pack and Grace Point; the 2019 Charlotte 48-hour film project The Job; and the post-production phase of the documentary feature Jewish American Soldiers: Stories from WWII. An active member of the Atlanta and Charlotte cultural arts community, Montalto is also involved with Blumenthal Arts, the Fox Theatre, and the Charlotte Film Society’s Independent Picture House.
“Film festivals are such an amazing resource for filmmakers,” said Montalto, advising current students to stay curious and give themselves grace as they navigate the film industry. “Expose yourself to the wide variety of film festivals – they all have such different vibes, energies, and different types of stories and films and opportunities to get involved on a personal level – and the opportunity to be a voice and provide feedback.”
Nelson, a local freelancer, has been an active and engaged member of the Wilmington film community since completing her degree in creative writing and film studies at UNCW — including work on projects such as The Summer I Turned Pretty, Our Kind of People, and The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Black Creatives Social Club, fostering a community that celebrates and uplifts Black creativity. Additionally, she has been accepted into the inaugural filmmaking cohort with Partners in Kind Productions for the The Beat Goes On Impact Campaign documentary; and has volunteered with Dreams of Wilmington and Navigational Studios to educate youth about filmmaking.
“Reject the box that people try to put you in,” said Nelson, empowering aspiring filmmakers to follow their passions. “You’re not responsible for telling any story, other than the story you want to tell.”
Bradshaw, now a Los Angeles-based film director, has seen his career impacted by leaps and bounds since completing his degree in film studies at UNCW — most notably winning the 2025 Dorito’s Super Bowl Commercial competition, earning $1 million in the process, and having his commercial played live to more than 200 million viewers during Superbowl LIX. With his work garnering tens of millions of views across the internet, his projects have featured prominent actors and sports stars including Zach King, Tom Brady, Charli D'Amelio, Emma Chamberlain, Terry Crews, and Kevin O'Leary, as well as renowned consumer brands including CeraVe, Credit Karma, Webull, and Artlist. Before striking Super Bowl fame, Bradshaw previously served as a Producer at King Studio, where he spearheaded the creative development and production of Zach King’s viral content and commercial campaigns —achieving the most viewed TikTok ever with more than 2.2 billion views.
“It’s important to be a big dreamer in life,” said Bradshaw, reflecting on the impact his family, mentors, and campus community have had on him throughout the rises and stumbles of his career journey — especially noting the influence, mentoring, and constructive criticism he received at UNCW from Terry Lineham ’08.
“Terry taught me that you can be really high achieving and set high standards for yourself, but you have to be kind to yourself and realize that you’re going to mess up — that it’s part of the process, and that it’s ok,” said Bradshaw, who was involved with TealTV during his time at UNCW, serving as the Director of Photography and Camera Operations. His work included contributing to the feature-length film, “On the Air,” the largest undergraduate student-produced film in UNCW history.
Wiebe, who currently serves as the Director of Creative Writing Programs at Hamline University and Faculty Advisor and Founder of Hamline’s student-run Inferno Art Collective, shared his educational and professional trajectory that merged his talents in writing and cinema. Providing an in-depth artistic perspective into the creative aspects of filmmaking, he shared his background and experience with making documentaries, sound art, and beyond since earning film studies degrees at UNCW, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa.
“UNCW really is the best place to study cinematic arts in the world,” he said. “The UNCW Film Studies Program will prepare you to venture into an undetermined future. A life and career in cinema where uncertainty is a real virtue.”
In addition to teaching at Hamline, Wiebe’s award-winning work has been screened at film festivals around the world; he was awarded a Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship from the Jerome Foundation in 2019; he was a Distinguished Visiting Writer in Digital Storytelling at Cornell College; and he has also worked with students at the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, Macalester College, and FilmNorth.
“Whatever you think will happen, won’t,” he said. “But you will be prepared for it because of what the faculty and programming here at UNCW have to offer you. This uncertainty and the unexpected path that lies ahead of you really is the greatest gift.”
Learn more about the UNCW Career Center and resources, events, and programs available to the Seahawk alumni community. The UNCW Alumni Association regularly partners with college programs and support services across campus to provide alumni with educational, leadership, mentoring, and engagement opportunities and events.
Stay tuned to alumni.uncw.edu/calendar for upcoming alumni events and programs and learn how to stay connected and get involved by following the UNCW Alumni Association on Facebook and Instagram.