Spring ’12: Andrew Benda

Andrew Benda and Justin Jones have collaborated on a number of video, music, and art projects during their time as CCM students.
Andrew Benda
Born and raised in the Keweenaw, the things that I have pursued while attending Michigan Technological University are (in order): lakes, stories, and saunas. Exploring expression in the arts, particularly film and music, I have worked on several projects including two trailers for MTU’s Northern Lights Film Festival for which I serve as project manager as well as working with Justin Jones on a series of short films marrying footage with music and more abstract sound design.

Serving as former President of MTU’s Rotaract Club, I spoke at last years Rotary 6220’s District Conference on Rotaract, Media, and the Future of Rotary. While president I led a fundraising initiative to send our representatives to Rotary’s International Conference which was held last year in New Orleans. At the conference I was intrigued by ShelterBox, a disaster relief non-profit, and I am now one of district 6220’s representatives.

I work during the summers at Camp Manito-wish YMCA where I do leadership initiatives in a wilderness setting with youths from around the midwest paddling lakes and rivers of Northern Wisconsin for four to five day routes.

Justin and I wrote directed, and produced a short film for the Hint Fiction Film Contest, where we were given a poem under 25 words and were given 1 minute of film to tell its story. The film has been selected as a finalist, and we will be traveling to Vail, CO at the end of March to see it screened.

I also play guitar in the band Two Sunrises. We play around town.