Media Arts

A native of the midwest, Eric graduated from The Ohio State University with a BA in Cinema Production, and an MA in Directing and Screenwriting.  For his Master’s Thesis, Eric wrote, directed, and co-produced a 16mm feature film, “Heartland of Darkness”, creating a class for undergraduates to work on the picture, while they received course credit. 

Eric has directed over a dozen other features and television productions, including the Emmy-nominated “About Love”, the Telly Award winning “Tilted Television”, and “Frankenstein Rising”, starring Randal Malone (MTV’s ‘Singled Out’) and Oscar-winning actress Margaret O’Brien.Eric has written or co-written numerous screenplays and teleplays, including “Lucky 13” starring Lauren Graham (“Parenthood”, “Gilmore Girls”) and Jenna Fischer (“The Office”),

and the Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting Finalist Screenplay, “Four Horsemen”.

Eric is a Professor and Department Chair of the Media Arts Department at Los Angeles Valley College, which includes Broadcasting, Cinema, Media Arts, Journalism and Photography.  He has also guest-lectured in the Cinema/Screenwriting Departments at UCLA, California State University, Northridge, and Emerson College.

Chad Sustin, Professor of Cinema/Media Arts, began teaching at LAVC in 2010. His career as a filmmaker, educator, and multi-platform storyteller over the last few decades has taken him in different and fulfilling directions. Beginning in production during film school, he worked on several commercials and independent features. He then quickly settled into the world of post-production.

At Complete Post, he started from the bottom and quickly moved up through the Telecine Department, ultimately landing the post of Project Manager. In this role he managed mostly feature trailer projects in addition to the handling of clients such as DreamWorks, Showtime, and Candid Camera.Chad has worked on several digital and 16mm short films and industrials as a Writer, Director, Producer, and Editor winning an 'Audience

Choice' award for his undergrad thesis.

At Technicolor, he held the post of Supervisor for the Studio Advertising Services department coordinating feature trailer finishing work for Sony Pictures, DreamWorks, Universal, and various independent production companies.

At both DreamWorks and as an independent Post Production Coordinator, Chad worked on the following feature films: Stranger than Fiction, Stay, Blades of Glory, Dreamgirls, Disturbia, Norbit, Things We Lost in the Fire, The Heartbreak Kid, and The Kite Runner.

Chad's foray into education has landed him jobs instructing a myriad of filmmaking classes here at Valley College and other various institutions. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Radio, Television, and Film with an emphasis in Film Production and a Master of Fine Arts in Digital Cinema.

Producer for Broadcast is the most recent title Chad held at Technicolor before coming to Valley College full-time.  In that role he managed the post-production needs and workflows for such clients as Fox’s The Simpsons, Netflix’s Narcos, CW’s Containment, Nickelodeon’s Bella & the Bulldogs, The Thundermans, and Instant Mom, The ASC Awards, as well as various other projects.

Most exciting was the new HDR (High Dynamic Range) and 4K/UHD technology that Chad had taken a leadership role in at Technicolor, partnering with Amazon Studios and working on their original shows such as Transparent, Bosch, Mozart in the Jungle, Red Oaks (pilot), and the pilot for The Man in the High Castle.

Chad is very passionate about instructing all aspects of filmmaking. He has found unparalleled enjoyment in passing this knowledge and passion along to the next generation of filmmakers, delighting in new ways to inspire and invoke their creativity.

A native of Rock Island, Illinois, Jonathan Burnett studied and received his film production and visual media training, obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA, and a Master of Fine Arts from Loyola Marymount University. Jonathan's thesis film "Smoke & Mirrors" starring Tommy Redmond Hicks and Charles Bracy, has been shown in nine different festivals across the United States and has won two awards for "Best Short Film" and "Best Student Film" at the Alternating Currents Film Festival in Davenport, Iowa.

As an independent filmmaker, he has written, directed, produced, and filmed several projects during his tenure. Jonathan worked on productions in France, Algeria, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, and Toronto.

Jonathan has worked on several productions with companies such as The Criterion Collection, BBC, Lulu Lemon, and The Mane Choice. While working with The Criterion Collection as a camera operator and cinematographer, he has worked with plenty of producers who had interviews with Hollywood greats, such as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, The Cohen Brothers, Jane Fonda, and many more. 

As an educator, he is also the Creator, Director, and Lead Instructor of the Urban Exposure Independent Film Program, a 10-week intensive program that teaches filmmaking basics to Midwest youth. Jonathan is a professor of Cinema/Media Arts at Los Angeles Valley College and has previously taught at Loyola Marymount University, Chapman University, the Pratt Insitute (Brooklyn, NY), and El Camino College.