#PittsburghMe: Meet Daymon Long, Cinema Production Major

Meet Daymon Long

Major/Program: Cinema Production
Graduation: December 2017
Hometown: Jonestown, Pa.
High School: Northern Lebanon High School
Dream Job: Traveling freelance filmmaker

”My best advice is to be proactive in finding any opportunity to do what you like doing! Check all of your emails and build relationships with your professors. Then, when you get that chance, make sure you own it."

Daymon Long

Why did you choose Point Park University?

I chose Point Park because I knew I wouldn’t just be a number in a room - I'd have the opportunity to have true relationships with the people who are educating me. This has served me well, as I've started to get job opportunities and recommendations from my professors.

Tell us about the films you're producing as part of your Production IV class.

I'm currently in the process of producing two thesis films for this class. The first is a documentary that follows my friend Alden who lives an unconventional lifestyle out of his bus. This project will be finished by December. My second film is a narrative about a late-night talk show host who gets kicked off of the show he helped start and has to reinvent himself on public access television. This film will be completed around April. We're doing a variety of fundraising events for this film including bake sales, a music festival and a large social media push.

What's your favorite Pittsburgh-based film?

My favorite Pittsburgh-based film would have to be Foxcatcher. I grew up thinking Steve Carrell was this hilarious character, but watching this movie was the first time I was taken aback a serious performance from him. He's an incredible actor in this film!

You're a Resident Educator and Pioneer Ambassador. What have you learned from holding these leadership roles?

I've realized the incredible value of mentorship. It has taken me a while to be able to step back and realize how much I've been mentored by others in various areas in my life. Reflecting on this has helped me realize that there are many young people who haven't experienced the value of mentorship, and that I do really enjoy helping and mentoring other students as they are wrapped up in this super transitional, crazy span of college life.

What additional clubs or organizations are you involved in on campus?

Right now, I am a student leader of The Body Christian Fellowship, our campus ministry. This has been such a beautiful accepting community for me during the entirety of my college career. I'm also the head of recruitment and fitness development for the Point Park University Rugby Football Club. Rugby helps me stay fit and semi-sane during the crazy ride of school.

What advice do you have for incoming students?

My best advice is to be proactive in finding any opportunity to do what you like doing! Check all of your emails and build relationships with your professors. Then, when you get that chance, make sure you own it. When you do great work for one person, the opportunities will keep rolling in and you will eventually be far busier than what you can conceive as a freshman (in a good way)!

#PittsburghMe: Meet Daymon Long, Cinema Production Major Student Profile