Film Professionals Bring Decades of Experience to CFCC

Cape Fear Community College’s Film and Video Production Technology program has moved to Cinespace Studios, giving students the chance to learn in a real production environment where films and television shows are made.

Joining the program is a faculty of industry professionals, including Emmy-nominated artists, veteran cinematographers, actors, production designers, location managers, special effects experts, and grip specialists whose combined careers span hundreds of years in the film and television industry.

Bill Davis

When Bill Davis was four years old, he remembers being at home sick and watching the black-and-white version of King Kong on repeat when something clicked.

“There weren’t many TV channels back then, and a lot of the local stations would show the same thing over and over. I must have watched it three times in a row. My fever broke, I got up, and I went into the kitchen. I said, ‘I don’t know what that was, but that’s what I want to do.’ That’s all I ever wanted to do.”

After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design from West Virginia University, Davis arrived in Wilmington determined to break into the industry.

“I went to the guard gate of the studio and said, ‘How do I get a job here?’ And they said, ‘What do you do?’ I said, ‘What do you need?’ They needed about 300 carpenters the day they hired me.”

Over nearly four decades, Davis built a career as an art director and production designer on projects including October Sky, Dawson’s Creek, One Tree Hill, and Stranger Things, earning a Primetime Emmy nomination along the way.

“I had a great career looking back on it,” Davis said. “I feel like I did everything I wanted to do. I’ve designed everything from business cards to spaceships, and it’s been very rewarding.”

After retiring from the industry last year, Davis was looking for a way to give back. “I thought this was a great opportunity to spread the gospel of design and hopefully give some of these students some coping strategies more than anything else,” he said.

“I’ve worked with a lot of great Oscar winners and exceptional filmmakers over the years. I’ve had great mentors, and I hope I can be that mentor for someone else.”

Sydney Penny

Sydney Penny has spent much of her life in front of the camera.

The actress, writer, producer, and director began performing before she started school, joining her parents on stage as a toddler, and landed her first commercial at age six. Her career would eventually include acclaimed roles in The Thorn Birds, Pale Rider, All My Children, and Santa Barbara, where she earned multiple Daytime Emmy nominations.

Today, she says the most rewarding part of her career is mentoring emerging storytellers.

“Recognizing talent and nurturing it is what I’m enjoying about this stage of my career,” Penny said. “To take what I’ve learned and help other people turn their creative dreams into something tangible.”

Penny’s relationship with CFCC stretches back years through the program’s advisory board, where she has helped connect students with professional productions and hands-on experiences. She sees the move to Cinespace Studios as the next step in that mission.

“We were always looking for opportunities to give students a real set experience,” she said. “Now we have a real stage. That’s incredibly exciting.”

John “Fergy” Ferguson

Growing up in a film family in Toronto, John “Fergy” Ferguson began working in the industry as a teenager. Eventually, he worked his way from the lighting department to director of photography.

“I sort of fell into it,” Fergy said. “I never really intended to get into it. My dad got me the job as a kid, and I worked in the lighting department, the camera department, and worked my way up through that.”

More than five decades later, Fergy’s career behind the camera has taken him around the world, with credits on productions including Bull Durham, Cinderella Man, The Black Phone, Manhunter, and the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

His connection to Wilmington began with an unexpected phone call from legendary producer Dino De Laurentiis in 1984.

“He said, ‘I need you to take over a show here.’ I said, ‘When?’ He said, ‘Tomorrow.'”

Originally planning only a short stay, Fergy and his wife fell in love with the area and eventually made Wilmington their home. Now retired from the Toronto film union, Fergy says passing along what he’s learned has become his priority.

“I want to be able to teach what’s in my head before it’s too late to give the kids the opportunities that I had,” he said.

Having hired numerous CFCC graduates throughout his career, Fergy was already familiar with the film program’s reputation.

“All my crew members over the last 10 years have been students from CFCC,” he said. “The kids that come out of here really want to do it, and I thrive on the energy.”

More Industry Professionals Join the Faculty

The faculty also includes several other longtime film professionals who are teaching specialized areas of production.

Krystina Figg teaches grip rigging and brings more than 25 years of experience working on major productions including Avatar, Dunkirk, The Hateful Eight, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Killers of the Flower Moon, Bob Marley: One Love, and Superman.

David Hill teaches special effects and has spent more than 40 years creating practical effects for feature films, television, commercials, and live productions. His work includes The Hunger Games, Armageddon, The Conjuring, The Notebook, and Scream 5, with expertise ranging from animatronics and mechanical effects to pyrotechnics and on-set safety.

CFCC alumnus Kasey Kiser teaches location management after building a successful career in the locations department on productions including One Tree Hill, Eastbound and Down, Sleepy Hollow, and all six seasons of Netflix’s Cobra Kai, where he served as location manager for the final season.

Jeff Loy also teaches special effects. Since beginning his career in Wilmington in 1984, he has worked on more than 100 productions in a variety of technical roles before founding Carolina Effects, a full-service special effects company. His extensive background gives students firsthand insight into the practical skills and production management techniques used throughout the industry.

Anyone interested in film can enroll in the full program or take just one or two classes and learn directly from professionals with decades of experience.

Learn more about CFCC’s Film and Video Production Technology. Learn more about CFCC’s Film and Video Short-Term Training.