The chatter in the seats died down as actor, Rafael Franco, and director, Felix Pineiro, made their way towards the front of the Zeitgeist Theater in downtown Duluth. A spotlight beamed on Franco and Pineiro while they gave a brief summary of “Adjunto”, a pilot for theirT V series.

“Adjunto” was one of over 50 films that were shown in the four-day 2021 Catalyst Content Festival that took place from Sept. 29-Oct. 3, 2021. Several UMD students, faculty and staff attended the “Adjunto” screening and dozens took part in the other events during the week —all of the events exclusively highlighted parts of the television series process. 

UMD was an official sponsor of the festival which drew over 600 people for table reads, screenings and workshop sessions. The events were held at various locations in Duluth’s Historic Arts and Theater District including the Kitchi Gammi Club, Zeitgeist Theater and Spirit of the North theater in the Fitgers complex. 

One highlight was the UMD reception held at the Kitchi Gammi Club Lounge where two reels of student work were shown. Feature speakers included Mark Harvey, head of the UMD Department of Theatre, and Joellyn Rock, associate professor of digital art and filmmaking for UMD’s Department of Art and Design. 

Several students attended the reception, including senior Tony Nowak, who had a piece in the UMD student reel of short films.

 “It was a dream come true. I had to sit and hope that nobody noticed all of the little mistakes. It was the best kind of stressful,” Nowak said. 

He describes this experience as “a foot in the door” toward a career in an exciting industry.  

Catalyst director Philip Gilpin, Jr. also spoke at the UMD reception. He announced a new partnership between Catalyst Story Institute and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences — the organization behind the Emmys.

 He also shared details on a new mentorship program that will pair content leaders in different regions with student creators who take part in the Catalyst Story Institute.

On Saturday, Oct.2 the awards were announced where Franco, the lead actor in “Adjunto,” received the best actor award. 

This event did not take place in New York or Hollywood,  it happened here in Duluth.  This was an opportunity that allowed UMD representatives to meet and talk to some of the best new talent in the field of episodic works for television. By all accounts, it was a powerful event.