Our Team

Jeff McCarter started Free Spirit Media in order to share his extensive experience as a cameraman, editor, and Emmy Award-winning producer with underserved urban youth. In his career, he noticed that minorities, especially those of low-income backgrounds, lack proper representation and opportunity in the film and television industries. As FSM's Executive Director, he keeps the non-profit running behind the scenes, but he also works directly with students everyday as FSM's program director. His interactions with his students — as they create documentaries, cover sporting events, and in the process, learn how to express themselves effectively — keep him energized in his work.

Jeff graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder with a degree in Humanities and Film Production. He has worked on feature films directed by Steven Soderbergh and Ron Howard, and on documentary television with ABC News in New York, PBS, and WTTW Chicago. He lives with his family on Chicago's west side, where FSM is based.