Our Team
Founder & Executive Director
Jeff McCarter created Free Spirit Media in order to share his experience as a media professional (cameraman, editor, and Emmy Award-winning producer) with underserved urban youth. More >
Program Assistant, Power House High School
Reuben is a native of Humboldt Park and joins Free Spirit Media as a Program Assistant through the Public Allies Program. More >
Program Director
With over 15 years of youth development experience, Melissa brings an array of management, evaluation, and program design expertise to FSM. More >
Technology Coordinator, NLCP
Shaun is the Technology Coordinator for Free Spirit Media’s programs at North Lawndale College Prep, making sure urban youth have opportunities to develop skills to be successful beyond high school. More >
Program Manager
Elizabeth Czekner is an interdisciplinary artist and educator. She holds a B.A. in art education and a teaching certificate from The Ohio State University and a M.F.A. from Columbia College Chicago where she focused her graduate studies in video, new media theory and practice. More >
Lead Instructor (Power House High)
Laura came to Free Spirit Media as part of the Northwestern Public Interest Program in the summer of 2008. She originally worked as a Program Associate at FSM's program at the Gary Comer Youth Center where she helped teach journalism and filmmaking. More >
HoopsHIGH Production Coordinator
Ryan Kolegas joined the Free Spirit Media team in 2009. He is a Production Associate with Free Spirit Media's HoopsHIGH and teaches high school students what it takes to produce their very own high school sports broadcast. More >
Program Assistant, North Lawndale College Prep
Max is a native of St. Louis Park, Minnesota and joins Free Spirit Media as a Program Assistant through the Lutheran Volunteer Core. More >
Development and Communications Coordinator
Alex is a native of Pittsburgh, PA and a recent graduate of Loyola University Chicago. She holds a B.A. in Communication Studies and Spanish. More >
Producer of Special Projects
Dimitri William Moore joined Free Spirit Media in fall of 2011 as the first Producer of Special Projects. He is tasked with engaging advanced youth of the program to enhance their skills producing client-based media content. More >
Program Assistant, Little Village Lawndale High School
José will be working with Free Spirit Media in Little Village Lawndale High School and Power House High School, engaging youth in discussions that will generate ideas in order to produce thought provoking videos. More >
Program Assistant, North Lawndale College Prep
Nathalie joins Free Spirit Media from the Northwestern University Public Interest Program and will be working with FSM at NLCP Christiana. More >
Technology Coordinator, GCYC
Chad started as FSM's Technology Coordinator at the Gary Comer Youth Center in December of 2008, instructing youth in the technical aspects of broadcast journalism and live-event production. More >
Program Associate
Christiana joined Free Spirit Media in the spring of 2009. She is a producer and instructor for FSM Productions, which provides opportunities for Free Spirit Media high school students to work on professional media projects for a variety of clients. More >
HoopsHIGH Coordinator
Producer and mentor, Rahkal Shelton joined the Free Spirit Media team in 2010 to coordinate the HoopsHIGH Sports Broadcasting program. More >
Program Coordinator, Little Village Lawndale
Debbie joins Free Spirit Media as a Program Assistant from the West Coast, where she studied Music and American Ethnic Studies at Willamette University. More >
Lead Instructor, North Lawndale College Prep & Collins Campus
Samantha joins Free Spirit Media as the new lead teacher at NLCP Collins. Over the past ten years, she has been working with high school age youth across the city of Chicago striving to create opportunities for them to express themselves creatively. More >
FSM News Program Coordinator
A native of Chicago's South Side, Teresa White knew she was destined to become a journalist when in high school she reported on the shooting death of a fellow classmate at the Chicago Vocational Career Academy. More >
