Set-Etiquette: Everything You Need to Know
About Working as a Production Assistant
HELD ON
FEBRUARY 3, 2024
VIRTUAL WEBINAR
PANELISTS
STUART BLUE
Stuart Blue is a filmmaker currently based in Chicago working as a production assistant on television and movie sets in the city. He graduated from the Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in May of 2022 with a BFA in Film. Stuart enjoyed creating short films and videos long before a formal education via YouTube. In 2021 Stuart released Divine Imperfection, winning him the best comedy short at the Nevada Shorts Film Festival. In 2022 Stuart released The Execution of a Painting. Stuart is excited to finish post-production of his newest film, Discolight Vigil, a dark comedy centering around a friend group.
Upon his arrival to the station, News Vice President Jennifer Graves described Mark as a "skilled anchor and a versatile reporter adept at covering everything from big breaking news
stories, to politics and feature stories." Rivera grew up in Crystal Lake, Illinois.
The first major live story Rivera covered for ABC 7 Eyewitness News was the funeral and procession of slain police commander, Paul Bauer in 2018. He anchored ABC 7's on-air coverage for more than three hours as Commander Bauer was honored by the city and its residents.
Rivera comes to ABC 7 from WTSP-TV in Tampa, Florida, where he served as the station's weekend morning news anchor and political reporter. While on the anchor desk there, he provided six hours of compelling non-stop coverage of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in nearby Orlando. As the station's political reporter, he covered Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton campaign rallies, questioned Vice President Mike Pence about Russian influence and co-moderated a heated congressional debate. In addition to the political beat, Rivera has reported on a wide range of stories from the hurricanes that devastated Florida to a family whose son is a 5-organ transplant survivor.
Prior to WTSP, Rivera worked at WAND-TV in Decatur, Illinois where he anchored a two-hour daily newscast, reported breaking news and wrote, edited and reported a weekly feature piece focused on the local community. While at WAND, Rivera won a regional Associated Press Award.
Rivera is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois.
He, his wife Alissa, and their dog Xena live in the city. They enjoy running and exploring all of the diners, coffee shops, and taco spots Chicago has to offer.
ALLI SAUREZ
Born and raised in Miami, Alli received her B.S. in Psychology at Florida State University. After working for three years as a high school math teacher, she moved to Chicago to pursue her passion of working in the film industry. Alli is now a member of the Directors Guild of America and has worked on numerous projects, including FX’s The Bear, NBC’s Chicago Med, Disney Channel’s Saturdays, AppleTV’s Dark Matter, and Emperor of Ocean Park. Through her professional experiences, she has gained knowledge on the process of filmmaking as well as a strong network of peers in the film industry.
NOAH SALLEN
Noah Sallen is a production assistant based in Chicago. Originally from Bloomington, IL he studied at DePaul University where he graduated with honors. After TV and Film took him around the Midwest, he is back in the city to plant his roots. This past year, he's worked full-time on 'Chicago P.D.' and 'Holland, MI' an upcoming Amazon Studios film. On various projects, he assists in set coordination and logistics. He likes being in a position that lets him interact with all departments. In the future, he plans to apply his problem-solving skills as a creative producer. When he's not working, you can find him volunteering with conservation groups, kayaking, or improving his cooking skills.