About

20K Films specializes in producing films for $20,000 or less. Within that budget, 20K Films tackles controversial, riveting, and socially conscious topics about American culture and our identity. We actively search for profound stories outside of the norm, about people from all backgrounds and tell them using our own unique artistic vision. All of 20K Films are independently distributed via our online store, film festivals, art theaters, Universities and libraries.

Staff

  • Laura Zinger

    Founder, 20K Films
    Producer/Director

    Laura Zinger is the Founder Chicago Production Company 20K Films, and currently teaches video production and editing in the Motion Picture/Television Department at the College of DuPage. In 2008, Laura went all in and independently produced and directed the feature-length documentary Proceed and Be Bold!, which has screened internationally in Italy, Germany, Austria, England and Canada. The documentary also screened as an official selection in six American film festivals, the most notable being the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival.

    Laura worked for various film companies early in her career in Los Angeles, including MGM, Pretty Pictures and MOJO, a post-production trailer house. She’s currently producing and directing commercial work using the Canon 7D. One of her recent projects was a documentary-esque educational video she produced and directed for the American Library Association’s new program, Choose Privacy Week.

    Filmography:
    Producer/Director, Proceed and Be Bold!
    Producer/Director, Sick Cells
    Co-Producer/Director, Sore Nipples
    Co-Producer/Director, Dinner

    More info: www.20kfilms.com | www.proceedandbebold.com
    Contact: laura@20kfilms.com

  • Stacey Simcik

    Editor

    Stacey Simcik has a vast background in the visual arts and music. Imbued in dance at the age of 5 and music at the age of 10, she has played several instruments, including drums in a local Chicago rock band.

    She is a Chicago-based Editor for 20k films and is working on the Post-Production for three feature documentaries while pursuing her BA in Digital Cinema at DePaul University. Her early television and photography background originated at the College of DuPage Multimedia Arts & Services. At the same time, she continued onto freelance for political campaign coverage and social talk shows for Comcast Public Access in Elmhurst and Naperville Community Television Channel 17. She is well-versed in Camera Operation and Gripping for short films, commercial business, and live band performances. Her recent editing debut is the feature documentary Proceed and Be Bold! (2008); which was featured in the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival and has been screened around the world. She has had photography mass–produced for College of DuPage, Studio D — a Best Buy concept, and various professional photography studios around the Chicago land.

    Filmography:
    Editor/Camera, Proceed and Be Bold!
    Editor, Sick Cells
    Editor, Sore Nipples

    Website: www.staceysimcik.com
    Contact: stacey@20kfilms.com

  • Larissa Nikola-Lisa

    Producer, Editor

    Larissa Nikola-Lisa comes to 20K Films with a Masters degree in Visual Media Arts from Emerson College (Boston) and a lengthy history working for national broadcasts such as PBS, The Food Network, and The History Channel. She most recently served as the production coordinator on Art:21, the Peabody award-winning documentary television series on contemporary art. Her initial entry into this field was as an editor and video production instructor for inner city kids on Chicago’s west side. She has also taught for Fresh Films, a national filmmaking bootcamp for teens, managed Media Lab sessions at Emerson College, and instructed adults in Advanced Editing Techniques and Introduction to Field Production at Harvard University. She is a lover of all things documentary and is excited to be a part of the 20K Films launch. Currently, she is in production on 3/8ths of an Inch, a documentary about urban beekeeping.

    Filmography:
    Co-Producer/Editor, Dinner

    Contact: larissa@20kfilms.com

  • Cheryl Laughlin

    Marketing & Promotions Manager

    Cheryl Laughlin graduated from the University of Denver Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications. While she digs the funky-sounding Latin and Greek honors, she loves working in the field of films and marketing more.

    Cheryl started with 20K Films for the rollout of their film Proceed and Be Bold! at the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival. She was thrilled when fans and film-lovers alike came out to show their support — even had to find some chairs to seat people in the aisles!

    Cheryl is also pursuing a career in screenwriting and has worked various indie film sets. Her script placed top 10% in the prestigious Nicholls Fellowship and top 12% in the Austin Film Festival.

    Her thoughts on 20K Films? “I’m beyond excited to be working with Laura and 20K Films. Talk about overflowing talent rolled up with Laura’s unending energy. I’ve come to expect nothing but insightful, passion-filled projects from her and her crew. Plus, I love her behind-the-scenes classes to teach other filmmakers the tricks of the trade. Laura’s pay-it-forward attitude is helping bring even more quality documentaries to life.”

    Contact: cheryl@20kfilms.com

  • Quinlan Kyp-Johnson

    Assistant Class Manager

    Quinlan Kyp-Johnson’s strong interest in documentary and digital filmmaking has led her to 20K Films. She is currently Producing and Directing a short documentary about her grandfather, Bob Kyp, who is a light bulb inventor. Bob has created 7 patents for his light bulbs in Mexico and America and his light bulbs have appeared in a 7-Up commercial, are currently in the ceiling fixtures at the Art Institute of Chicago’s main entrance, and are the exterior lights of the Auditorium Theater on Congress in Chicago.

    More info: Kyp-Go, Inc. Facebook Page
    Contact: quinlan@20kfilms.com

Crew

  • Jim Galvin

    Audio Engineer/Composer

    Jim Galvin is a freelance audio engineer/composer who graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in Audio Design & Production. Jim works on a variety of projects from editing audiobooks, recording location sound to composing film scores. As the audio director of LyonTamer Productions, Jim also works on video projects and was as a co-producer on the multi-lingual I Am series for Calvary Church Naperville. Jim is currently in production on Sick Cells and Sore Nipples with 20K Films.

    Filmography:
    Sound, Sick Cells
    Sound, Sore Nipples

    Website: www.jimgalvin.net
    Contact: jamescgalvin@gmail.com

  • Kirk Johnson

    Kirk Johnson is an independent filmmaker and cinematographer from Roselle, IL who shot his first feature film, South Loop, for Director and Columbia College/College of DuPage Film Instructor John Rangel in 2008. He studied film production at College of Dupage and has worked on local television and video productions as well as various independent and student films, including a music video he directed for Brooklyn-based “lit-rock” band One Ring Zero, which screened at Anthology Film Archives in New York. He is currently working on Sick Cells, Sore Nipples and Dinner for 20K Films.

    Filmography:
    DP, Sick Cells
    DP, Sore Nipples