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About Us

Here is a glimpse at those of us that have come together to form The Community Film Project. We are passionate professionals with a common dream – let’s make a movie.

 

Lucas James McGraw (COO/Producer/Director):  Raised in Kaysville,  Lucas’ career in film has taken him all over the world.   Coming a long way from forcing his friends to act in his short films and making  lego animations while being grounded,  Lucas has had love for every aspect of film making since the age of 10.  He was one of those weird kids who asked santa for a VCR for Christmas, listened to movie soundtracks all of the time, and that would go door-to-door and raise money selling pizzas to buy film equipment.   Lucas also chose to spend 150+ hours on a 7th grade orientation video for Kaysville Junior High for his Eagle Project.  When he was in high school he ran a film festival with his friend Dan Smith and later produced and edited his first two hour feature film using all local talent, bands and actors in Davis County before he turned 19.   In his life he has produced an array of short films, music videos, worked in TV, made films for the military, corporate videos, made humanitarian videos, and various types of Youtube videos.  Lucas currently works as a Film/Video Producer for the LDS Church and an on the side free-lancer and resides in Layton with his wife and three kids.

Justin Lether (CEO/Producer): During High School he started producing media for school announcements and assemblies. He attended college on a leadership scholarship, while there he produced entertainment, sports, and educational media. He earned a Bachelors of Arts in Communication/Electronic Media and went on to earn a Master of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction where he developed a model for organizations to evaluate whether the media they create meets the desired outcomes of the organization.

Professionally, Justin has owned a number of management companies. He taught high school and college students moral and religious education classes for ten years and then in 2010 was asked help produce media to support moral and religious education classes. Justin currently manages a project to film events and teachings from the Book of Mormon.

Brandon Stoddard (CBO/Business Consultant): Brandon is a faculty member and Director of the Hall Global Entrepreneurship Center in the John B. Goddard School of Business and Economics at Weber State University. He also manages finances and operations for Community Oriented Services for Helping, Inc. (COSH), a 60-employee small business and maintains a seat on the Board of Trustees for the Utah Certified Development Company (UtahCDC). Prior to joining the Goddard School, Stoddard was employed with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Weber State University. He has held various roles in both the private and public sectors assisting entrepreneurs and helping organizations grow including the Department of Radiology at University of Utah Healthcare, Utah Science Technology and Research Initiative (USTAR), VentureCapital.org, and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.  Stoddard holds a Master’s Degree in Positive Organizational Development and Change from Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communications and a minor in Business from the University of Utah.

Rachel Child (Business Manager/Producer): With her Masters Degree in Business, Rachel loves learning about entrepreneurs, their business, and networking with them for success. She was delighted to help the film project set up the business structure of the Community Film Project, so much so that she stayed on and became a producer for the first film “Before Your Time.” After a brief hiatus from the board (due to the birth of her first child), Rachel has joined the team again to facilitate the premiere of “Before your Time.”

Rachel is the Class of 2018 Chair Person for Leadership Northern Utah through the Ogden-Weber Chamber of Commerce, serves on the Chamber Executive Board, and is a Human Resources Consultant with Miller Consulting- an Employment Matchmaking firm.

Rachel is a Seasoned Community Theater Performer and delights volunteering her time and talents when her schedule allows. She has participated with arts councils in both Syracuse and Kaysville Cities. With a most recent role as Miss Hannigan in Annie for Syracuse City.

Karlie Matthews (Marketing Director/Singer/Songwriter/Actress): Karlie is a Kaysville born singer-songwriter who has recently left the mic behind to start a career in marketing. She is passionate about music and film and is excited to use her talents and abilities for the Community Film Project.