Justin's interests include film, graffiti/street art (especially of the Brasilian variety), languages, music, photography, cultures, painting, cooking, and hydrating. During Justin's undergrad years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign he studied as a studio arts major. Within this program Justin became more and more interested in filmmaking and because U of I lacked a formal filmmaking program Justin decided to study abroad. During his junior year he studied cinematography at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador. His time in South America was one of his most formative experiences and gave him the necessary technical abilities to make documentary films.

After his semester in Ecuador Justin spent a month in São Paulo, Brasil filming with his favorite graffiti artists for his short experimental documentary A Series of Exchanges. Wanting to work outside a formal gallery space Justin constructed a mobile-video-projection-unit, consisting of a bike trailer loaded with a boat battery, power transformer, projector, laptop, and guitar amp, which allowed him to ride around Urbana-Champaign projecting his film and forming spontaneous street dance parties.

Currently Justin is a Fulbright scholarship applicant for a documentary film grant to make a feature length documentary film on Brasilian graffiti culture. During the application process Justin contacted academy award nominated cinematographer César Charlone who shot City of God and The Constant Gardener. Much to Justin's excitement Charlone agreed to advise him on his film during his time in Brasil. Justin works mainly in documentary, music videos, and experimental/art films, however he is always open to new kinds of work and mediums. Justin is trilingual: Spanish and Brasilian Portuguese.

Five Goals for my experience at Fig:

1. Improve my cinematography and photography skills.

2. Learn to work as a professional artist – pricing work, setting up shoots, scheduling, staff and crew management.

3. Learn to DJ

4. To explore and get to know Chicago, network and meet new collaborators in the city.

5. To collaborate on personal projects with Fig Media.