By Fatima Salinas 

Patrick Wimp has been an associate professor in the Department of Cinematic Arts in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, since the fall of 2024. Wimp is an award-winning screenwriter, director, and producer from Chicago.   

Wimp obtained his MFA in cinema from DePaul University in 2009, specializing in digital media. He is the founder of the film production company Digital Hydra, which he has run for over 15 years, and has taught at Northwestern and the University of Chicago. His work has appeared at major film festivals including Cannes, Austin, and HBO’s Urbanworld. He is also a member of the Writer’s Guild of America. 

As a filmmaker, Wimp wrote and directed Brothers from the Suburbs, which Warner Bros TV obtained in 2021, and most recently directed the 2025 documentary Mister Abbott. He was named one of Austin Film Festival’s 25 Screenwriters to Watch and ranked #7 on NewCity’s Chicago Film 50 list. In addition to directing, he has worked as a cinematographer for artists like Jennifer Hudson, Billie Eilish, and Chance the Rapper. 

"I started teaching as an adjunct with directing classes, but it quickly expanded into everything: production, cinematography, directing, and a lot of screenwriting,” Wimp said. “Teaching brought a sense of stability, which allowed me to keep growing and working as an artist and creator." 

His current class, "Topics in Film and Video Directing," is a course focusing on directing actors in narrative storytelling. This course is offered in collaboration with the Department of Theatre Arts and gives students an opportunity to be immersed in directing – leveraging skills many have learned throughout their studies in the Department of Cinematic Arts. 

The directing class is the first of its kind at the university, with a focus on working directly with actors and storytelling. When Wimp joined the department, he worked with the department head and the head of film and video production to start mapping out the collaboration. 

In the fall, he taught a class called “Fiction Filmmaking” and quickly realized casting was a bit tricky for students. He reached out to Paul Kalina, who leads the acting program to see if there was a way to build a partnership. The idea was to find actors who were interested in getting some on-camera experience and connect them with directing students. 

“The actors have said they're having a good time. The directing students are getting to work with people in theatre arts and developing those relationships. That's collaborative skill, which is important,” Wimp said.  

Nate Ingalls, a third-year student majoring in cinema and minoring in German, is enrolled in the course and serves as a student ambassador for the cinematic arts department.  

The course stood out to Ingalls because the projects use adapted or pre-written scripts.  Students were able to produce multiple smaller projects that delved into more niche aspects of directing. 

“This directing course was my opportunity to really explore what the technical parts of filmmaking are and to understand what a director really does, instead of just being a fusion of all roles,” Ingall said. “With this class’s projects, I had to think intimately about what the film would be like before making choices, instead of working partially on every part of the film as it forms leaving a well-rounded but rather flat work.” 

Caitlyn Guth, a third year double major in cinema and art, decided to take this course because she wants to be a film editor post-graduation.  

Guth felt that getting hands-on experience in directing would give her a better understanding of the process of that aspect of filmmaking, as well as give her the knowledge to have a better future relationship with directors she might be working with.  

The course, according to Guth, covers some of the most essential elements required for any job in the film industry. 

“My favorite thing about the course is the opportunity for each person to direct their own short film,” Guth said. “Understanding how to direct a scene and a production crew will make working in other roles on a shoot way easier. This is a great opportunity to connect with students in the major. As well as student actors who need the experience just as much as we do.”