2025 Presenters
Logan Walker
Logan Walker is a lecturer of film studies and a curator. He teaches courses on film history and analysis at UC Santa Cruz and San José State University and has programmed film festivals and series for the Santa Cruz Film Festival, Dante Alighieri Society of Santa Cruz film series, and Santa Cruz Pride.
Shelley Stamp
Shelley Stamp is an award-winning author and film historian. Her expertise has been cited in media outlets including PBS, NPR, the New York Times, the LA Times and the Guardian. She has taught film at UC Santa Cruz for over 30 years where she has twice won the campus Excellence in Teaching Award.
Jeffrey Michael Bays
Jeffrey Michael Bays is an American filmmaker and radio producer, best known for his award-winning radio play ‘Not From Space’ on SiriusXM. After his Australian feature film ‘Offing David’ and his 'Hitch20' YouTube series about Hitchcock's works of television, Jeffrey soon became known as the “Hitchcock Whisperer.” Jeffrey holds an MA in Cinema Studies from La Trobe University in Melbourne. He also wrote two books on film theory: ‘Between the Scenes’ and ‘Suspense with a Camera.’ https://borgusfilm.wixsite.com/jmbays
Jason Isralowitz
Jason Isralowitz has practiced law in Manhattan for 30 years and is currently a partner at the law firm Hogan Lovells. He has a B.S. in journalism from Boston University and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Jason is the author of Nothing to Fear: Alfred Hitchcock and the Wrong Men. The book explores Alfred Hitchcock’s 1956 film The Wrong Man, the real-life case that inspired the film, and its connection to the history of wrongful convictions in New York. The New York Journal of Books called the book “arresting and important” while Library Journal declared: “Come for the Hitchcock, stay for the history. Fascinating.” Jason is also the author of “Lonely Hearts and Murderers: The Fourth Amendment Through Hitchcock’s Lens,” an article on Rear Window published in the Legal Studies Forum. Jason and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Summit, New Jersey. More information about Jason and his book can be found at https://www.nothingtofearbook.com
Aaron Leventhal
Aaron Leventhal is a small business owner and life-time Bay Area native with a passion for film and Alfred Hitchcock. Aaron and his work colleague Jeff Kraft shared these same passions and on off days ventured out and played detective, unearthing the Great Master’s film location choices for some of his most famous works. Their photos, notes, and observations regaled dinner parties and entertained friends, until it all finally ended up as a book, Footsteps in the Fog: Alfred Hitchcock’s San Francisco (Santa Monica Press). Available at Bookstores around the country. Also visit www.footstepsinthefog.com for more information.
Bill Park
After graduating from Princeton University, William Park served with the Marine Corps in the Korean War. He then entered Columbia University and earned a Master's degree and PhD. in English and Comparative Literature.
He has taught at Hamilton College, Columbia University, and for thirty-eight years at Sarah Lawrence College. At Sarah Lawrence, Park co-founded the Film Studies Program.
He has published numerous articles on Film and Eighteenth-century English Literature. His books include "The Idea of Rococo," "Hollywood: An Epic Production," "Newman on the Bible," "What Is Film Noir?," and "The New Species of Writing."
Since retiring to Santa Cruz, he has taught courses in film and literature at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at U.C. Santa Cruz.
Jay Topping
Jay Topping is the historian of the Scotts Valley Historical Society, and an artist and sign maker based in Scotts Valley, CA. His diverse talents span a broad range of different mediums ranging from acrylic paint on stainless steel to creating sculptures out of driftwood & cement. Jay has a passion for the arts and isn’t afraid to try new ways of expressing himself. Constantly continuing his art education, Jay has recently attended classes in wood carving, concrete sculpture, water color, mural painting, pin-striping and paper mache. Jay is exhibiting his work at local Art and Wine festivals and Local Events in Santa Cruz, Capitola, and Scotts Valley California. Also he currently has permanent Vintage Sign Displays at Mint Cafe in Scotts Valley, King’s Village Ace Hardware, Willow Glen Ace Hardware, Half Moon Bay Ace Hardware, Made in Santa Cruz on the Wharf and in Surf N Shack Capitola.
Kylan deGhetaldi
Kylan deGhetaldi is a Santa Cruz native and was heavily immersed in the local music community from a young age. Starting piano lessons at 6 and violin at 7, he soon joined the Cabrillo youth string orchestra, eventually becoming concertmaster of the Santa Cruz Youth Symphony. Although classical piano was his main focus, he found himself drawn to ragtime after discovering his dad's collection of Scott Joplin rags. By age 9 he had learned and memorized Joplin's famous Maple Leaf Rag. After studying music at Oberlin, Kylan returned to Santa Cruz to work with local theaters and school music programs. By the 2010's he started performing in ragtime music festivals around the country, and for two years (2016/17) he founded and directed the first ever ragtime festival in Santa Cruz. During this time he mentored under the legendary ragtime pianist Tom Brier and established himself as a foremost authority on the performance of ragtime and early jazz piano styles. After being discovered by the well-known pop jazz band Postmodern Jukebox, he joined the group as keyboardist and embarked on multiple world tours. Today, Kylan is raising his daughter in Santa Cruz, and now dedicates himself to preserving the musical culture of America, and its first uniquely American musical genre, ragtime.