Byron Mason ’20 had been shooting photos since he was 15, so he settled easily into work at The DePauw as a photographer and, later, the photo editor.
At the time, though, “I was very set on just being a writer. … Working at The DePauw helped me figure out ways to marry both my passion for the written word and for the still-image medium.”
His interests evolved, and “I started figuring out ways to combine that even further, which I think is where film came from.” When he made a documentary film for a class, “I was hooked.”
After graduating, Mason – a Rector scholar and media fellow – had an online internship at Carnegie-Knight News21 multimedia initiative at Arizona State University and then interned for the CineCares Foundation, which placed him in the lighting department on the set of “Chicago Fire,” a TV show filmed in his hometown. It was a “humbling and … enriching experience,” he said, and he debated whether to continue working or get more schooling.
The latter won out, and he is in his second semester of a three-year master’s program in film production at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. “I definitely don’t want to sound arrogant,” but 20 years from now, “I will be a successful writer and director who uses horror and thriller genres to speak to the nature of the human condition and black and brown communities.” He said he also wants “to be a person who just helps and gives back and is constantly reminded of where he came from.”
DePauw Magazine
Spring 2022
Lessons in accountability
Stories people care about
A watchdog
Eye-opening experience
Ethical decision-making
A way to give back
Confidence-builder
A solid foundation
Collaborative spirit
A sense of identity
Freedom to experiment
Meeting Jimmy Hoffa
The DePauw at 170
The book seller
The reader
The publicist
The children’s book publicist
The ad director
The sales director
The literary fiction editor
The nonfiction editor
The assistant editor
The literary agent
The illustration agent
The ghostwriter
The niche publisher
The accidental author
The self-published author
The children’s author and illustrator
The bestseller
The fiction author
The nonfiction author
From Inkling to Ink: How a book becomes a book
The memoirist-in-the-making
DePauw Magazine - From Inkling to Ink: How a book becomes a book
DePauw Stories
A GATHERING PLACE FOR STORYTELLING ABOUT DEPAUW UNIVERSITY
Browse other stories
-
Academics
-
Directors named for ethics institute, media center
-
Rising senior is lone undergrad presenter at scientific conference
-
Back on Track
More Academics
-
-
Alumni
More Alumni
-
Arts & Culture
-
The DePauw at 170
-
The power of expression through art
-
University Band featured on renowned broadcast
More Arts & Culture
-
-
Athletics
-
Women's Lacrosse - Kennedy Selected Academic All-America® First Team
-
Men's Tennis - Metzger Named Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Winner
-
Softball - Henry Selected Academic All-America® First Team for Second-Straight Year
More Athletics
-
-
On Campus
-
DePauw appoints new student affairs leader
-
Leadership doesn't wait
-
CNBC anchor Jon Fortt ’98 to give commencement address
More On Campus
-
-
News
-
Awards: Faculty members honored for teaching, student and colleague support
-
Alumni news roundup - June 8, 2022
-
Alumni news roundup - June 1, 2022
More News
-
-
People & Profiles
More People & Profiles
-
Have a story idea?
Whether we are writing about the intellectual challenge of our classrooms, a campus life that builds leadership, incredible faculty achievements or the seemingly endless stories of alumni success, we think DePauw has some fun stories to tell.
-
Communications & Marketing
101 E. Seminary St.
Greencastle, IN, 46135-0037
(765) 658-4416News and Media
-
News media: For help with a story, contact:
Mary Dieter, university editorial director/director of media relations.
marydieter@depauw.edu
765-658-4286 (o)
or 317-809-5417 (c).