JohnCarl McGrady is a senior majoring in Political Science and English. He has written, directed, and shot films screened in theaters, on regional television networks, and at film festivals including the Nantucket Film Festival and the Berkshire Student Film Festival. In addition to co-founding Purple Valley Productions, JohnCarl works as a cinematographer, production manager and researcher for Nantucket Community Television, where he has collaborated on award-winning films and event coverage and trained several production assistants. Past credits include the Nantucket Film Festival's 2024 Best of the Fest award winner Nevers Land and PVP's first film, All That Remains.

Jack Allen Greenfield shot his first short film in 2012 while bored on his grandmother's iPad. While waiting for “The Poopie’s” Sundance acceptance, 7 year old Jack Allen grew up in Brooklyn and went to Saint Ann’s School. At Saint Ann’s, Jack Allen took Videography, Moving Image 2, and Moving Image 3. Jack Allen is eternally grateful to his teachers Carlo Mirabella-Davis, Samina Akbari, and Morgan Ingari who led him to his love of Filmmaking. Jack Allen is a prospective Comparative Literature, Psychology, and Theater major. He enjoys reading, listening to music, and going on long bike rides. Jack Allen would like to thank every member of Purple Valley Productions for putting art out into the world, his friends for putting up with him, and his fellow board members for doing both.

Ben is a sophomore from Richmond, Virginia majoring in film at Williams through a contract major. He has worked on films that have been screened at festivals including the All American High School Film Festival in New York City, The Massachusetts International Film Festival, and Williamstown's own Berkshire student film festival, and has collaborated on projects with international teams and film schools. Ben has a special interest in cinematography and will be attending the Prague Film School for cinematography during his junior year. At Williams, Ben co-founded Purple Valley Productions, works as a TA for video art classes, and as a student worker in Studio 275, the school's music recording studio. Additionally, Ben works independently as a freelance filmmaker and has created numerous promotional videos for non-profits and performance videos for professional chamber music ensembles. bendavisfilm.com

Before moving from Austin, Texas to Williams where Asa is now a sophomore, he found a passion for creating media content and short films. Asa is certified professional video editor with 6 years of experience and experience in almost every major editing software. He is particularly interested in sound engineering and mixing as before he started filmmaking, he learned how to work with sounds through music production, which he still enjoys today. Asa also appreciate many other aspects of filmmaking. In 2023, he helped write, direct, and edit a film that earned statewide recognition as a finalist in UIL Texas’s narrative film competition through his school’s film program. In his first year at Williams, Asa got involved with filmmaking on campus and became a founding member of Purple Valley Productions. Outside of PVP, Asa runs on the varsity track team and he's a prospective computer science and econ major.

Jackie is a sophomore from Boston, Massachusetts majoring in Studio Art and Psychology. Jackie found their love for film in high school as a hardcore cinephile and as a screenwriter, but only until college did they fully pursue filmmaking. They find filmmaking to be a highly accessible form of storytelling that incorporates so many different artistic mediums that they love. They have directed, produced, written, edited, and shot not only PVP films but independent self-funded shorts on their own time. Jackie has a special interest in directing, having directed Post Move, PVP’s second film and hopes to pursue filmmaking throughout Williams, abroad, and beyond undergraduate studies. Outside of PVP, Jackie is highly passionate about theater, playwriting, painting, music, and of course, watching movies. 

Darren discovered filmmaking in middle school after moving from Beijing to California. Initially drawn to a media arts elective as a way to explore a new subject, he quickly found that film offered a powerful, barrier-free means of expression—especially as he was still learning English at the time. In high school, he joined the Media Arts Program (MAP), an interdisciplinary curriculum combining English, social studies, and media production. Through MAP, he gained hands-on experience in all aspects of filmmaking while forming a close-knit creative community.

Now at Williams College, Darren continues to explore the intersections of film, history, and politics. A dedicated member of the college’s Moot Court team and a board member of the Mock Trial team, he plans to double major in history and political science. While whether or not to pursue filmmaking as a career remains an open question, he remains deeply committed to integrating it into other disciplines and enabling others to get involved in the magic medium of film. 

Elizabeth is a sophomore at Williams College. Her artistic interests lie in filmmaking and publication, two mediums she finds similar in their ability to combine media and temporal sensitivity in constructing narratives. 

She directed 100 YEARS LATER, a film celebrating the centennial of Williams College Wrestling, earning the Frank Deford Award for Excellence in Sports Media. She is also a recipient of the Robert G. Wilmers Jr. 1990 Memorial Fellowship for Creative Arts, which supports her ongoing independent film Distance, inherited. Her work as a screenwriter has been featured in the Berkshire Student Film Festival, and her printmaking work has been published in the international magazine SineTheta. She is from San Jose, California.

Leah is a freshman from Bothell, Washington and is majoring in Environmental Studies. After experimenting with film in high school, she has been so thankful to work with professional equipment and talented students in Purple Valley productions. Although she is currently not planning on majoring in film, she is committed to taking different film classes at Williams and continuing to explore the arts scene in the Berkshires. After being Second Assistant Camera for “Post Move,” she was First Assistant Camera in Flightless Birds and hopes to continue rising the ranks as she learns more about the world of production!

Doug Wang is a rising sophomore from Boston, MA and Shenzhen, China. He is a prospective major in Art History and Comp. Lit. He started filming in middle school, completing narrative and documentary short films that have won national high-school and college level prizes. He worked as cinematographer for Flightless Birds (Purple Valley Productions, Spring ‘25)