DePauw Stories

Alumni filmmakers united by creative success

In 2019, a pair of DePauw alumni bumped into each other at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas. Although it was the first time their paths crossed, they each had arrived through remarkably similar journeys.

For Pete Ohs ’05, that journey began back in Ohio when his dad borrowed their neighbor’s VHS camcorder to film his sister’s birthday party. “I was only six years old,” recalls Ohs, “but when I got the chance to hold it, it was magical. That moment definitely planted an early seed.”

By the time Ohs reached high school, he had turned that seed into a full-blown passion. Whenever he had a free weekend, he would grab a camera and some friends, and they would pass the time making videos together. They had no audience (this was long before YouTube), yet Ohs simply enjoyed the process of being creative and experimenting with the possibilities of visual storytelling.

Alex Thompson ’12 was fascinated by filmmaking at an early age, as well. “Growing up, I was that kid who was constantly dreaming,” he says. “I’d be sitting in the car and just randomly say, ‘Hey, wouldn’t this be a cool movie?’ or, ‘Hey, wouldn’t this be a fun idea?’”

When it came time for the Kentucky native to think about college, Thompson knew he wanted to go somewhere that would nurture his creativity. “I was dead set on going to film school, but I didn’t get into any of my top ten choices,” he explains. That setback prompted Thompson to direct his artistic interests to DePauw, where he found a perfect fit as an English writing major and a part of the Media Fellows program. “It felt like a sandbox,” he says, “like I could make it whatever I wanted it to be.”

Despite being separated by several years, both Ohs and Thompson found plenty of creative outlets during their time at DePauw. Ohs was a frequent fixture at the Pulliam Center, working on D3TV shows, experimenting with digital editing and meeting friends who shared his interests. As a junior he even landed a semester-long internship in Los Angeles and made a short documentary about the experience. Thompson found his niche in theatre. He participated in as many plays as possible (“I was in more shows than we were technically allowed to be in”) and was a key player in the sketch comedy group Public Parts Ltd.

“DePauw was a better experience than I ever could have hoped for,” says Thompson. “The stuff our professors were having us read and do was far beyond a graduate level. I’m actually glad I didn’t go to a film school. I don’t think it would have been the same fit.”

As they ventured forward in their own professional paths – Thompson via an MFA at DePaul University and Ohs via a four-year stint for a video production company in Cincinnati – they continued to chase their childhood dreams. By the time they crossed paths at SXSW in 2019, both of them had launched filmmaking careers and earned reputations as up-and-coming voices in the industry. Their DePauw connection sparked an instant camaraderie.

“Pete just came up to me and was like, ‘Hey, you went to DePauw!’” recalls Thompson, who was attending the festival with “Saint Frances,” a film he directed that would go on to win the Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Voice. It was the beginning of a timely friendship.

“Seeing him have his film there was really cool to me,” says Ohs. Ohs had been brought to Austin that year by the premiere of “Olympic Dreams,” a feature film he had worked on as editor, starring Alexi Pappas and Nick Kroll. “Because we have this DePauw connection, it’s almost like we’re family. We inherently trust each other.”

Since their meeting at SXSW, Thompson and Ohs have continued to make films that resonate with their audiences – and with each other. “Pete is one of the most unique voices in independent filmmaking,” quips Thompson. Ohs turns the spotlight right back around. “It’s beautiful to see Alex and his success. He’s a really good person. In our world there are lots of people who make decisions for reasons I don’t necessarily agree with. Alex isn’t one of them.”

Just this past January, the pair was brought fortuitously together by their films yet again, this time in Park City, Utah. Thompson’s film “Ghostlight” (co-directed with Kelly O’Sullivan) was selected for the Sundance Film Festival, while Ohs’ film “Love and Work” premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival just across town. Although the experience in Park City validated the quality of their work, neither artist is letting the recognition become a distraction.

“I’m grateful they saw something in the film,” says Ohs,” but the reality is that you have to be careful with expectations. It’s just one step that still requires you to make more steps. You haven’t reached the end.”

Thompson finds the recognition empowering. “Sundance was very gratifying,” he explains. “Just getting into the festival felt like an affirmation that I’m not crazy, that we’re doing something right. That kind of thing gives you confidence. This is an industry that rewards perseverance, and it’s hard to have that when you don’t have confidence in yourself.”

As Thompson and Ohs continue to make films, they do so within a rapidly growing network of DePauw artists who are carving out space of their own. Two of them – Linh Tran ’17 (whose debut film “Waiting for the Light to Change” won the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize at Slamdance in 2023) and Minkyo Park ’21 (a graduate film student at DePaul) – had their own connection to Park City this year as contributors to Thompson’s “Ghostlight.”

“I met some really cool people on Alex’s set,” recalls Park. “From an educational standpoint, I learned a lot about how sets run. You really have to be thrown into the fire to appreciate that, to see the organizational and logistical details in person that can’t be learned in a book.”

With the DePauw filmmaking community continuing to expand through the contributions of young visionaries like Park, Tran and others, Ohs is embracing further opportunities for this type of mentorship and collaboration. “I’m always encouraging people to email me, to send me a message,” he says. “People like me and Alex might be busy, but we’re also happy to help.”

From Austin to Park City and beyond, Thompson and Ohs are making the case that the future of filmmaking is being shaped by a small liberal arts school in the Midwest. “I don’t know what exactly it is,” says Thompson, “but something is definitely going on in Greencastle.”

To learn about more DePauw alumni in the film and media arts, check out these creative voices who are making a splash throughout the industry.