A lucrative film career in LA couldn’t keep Julia Moore away from her love of teaching and mentoring students here at Rock Valley College. The first-year adjunct professor in Mass Communications is thrilled to be part of a program that truly prepares students for the real world.

Julia received her Certificate of Communications through the Mass Communications Program at RVC and an Associate of Arts degree. She transferred to Huntington University in Huntington, IN, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Film Production. “I've always loved RVC and especially the Mass Communications program. I always tell people that if I had to do college again, I would have gone through the RVC program and moved to LA instead of transferring to a four-year university. I felt that I had learned everything I needed to know to succeed in the film industry from the full program at RVC.”

The Mass Communication program at RVC clearly gave Julia the spark to start her career in the film industry. Brian Shelton and Jerry LaBuy were her professors at the time and pushed their students to take their projects seriously while having fun at the same time. Julia emulated these aspects that ultimately set her up for success. Jerry was delighted to learn that Julia was interested in returning to RVC, “Julia was an excellent former student, and I knew she had been working in the film and TV industry in LA. When I found out that she was in the area and interested in teaching here at Mass Com, it was an easy "yes.”

“It was Jerry who inspired me to teach.” Julia said of her professor and mentor, “He's the one who thought I'd be a good fit for it, and I'm thankful he saw that potential in me.”

Julia lived and worked in LA for almost five years. She worked on many commercials, short films, and feature films during her time there and believes that hands-on experience is invaluable for students who are going into the industry. “Julia's first-hand knowledge and professional industry experience has been beneficial for our students, said Jerry LaBuy. “That was clear from the first class she taught this summer." Knowing the language of a film set and familiarity with the basics could be the difference between them landing their first job or not. Her student, Joshua Moe, agrees. “My highlight of the Motion Picture class was learning new creative aspects of producing a short film. Every class with Julia was something new, and I learned every time I came to class. The hands-on experience with producing both films "Sweet" and "Avert" helped me to learn properties of cameras I had never known.”

“I also learned key aspects of framing, shot composition, and lighting from working on a set with Julia”, Joshua continued. “Learning important qualities and properties of production such as a call sheet, a shot list, and storyboarding has helped me better understand the little things that make up a great production."

This past summer, Julia taught her dream class, Motion Picture or MoPic. The course is set up to mirror the making of two whole films from conception to completion. During this class, you can find out how much work goes into making a movie, and it gives students a taste of every department on a film set. It’s an opportunity for students to figure out what they want to pursue with production, and with MoPic, they can try a little bit of everything and see where their strengths and passions are in this course.

Welcome back to RVC, Julia!

Learn more about the Mass Comm Department by visiting RockValleyCollege.edu/Courses/Subjects/MassCom/.

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