Alumni Profile

Anthony "Tony" Cece completed his M.A. Communication with a major in Cinema-Television in 2008. He was a middle school youth director when he first heard about Regent through his wife, Heidi. His job with the youth had him involved in multiple media outlets, and he was self-taught, yet desired to learn the techniques that would take him to the next level professionally.

"I'm not one to just take the first option thrown at me," Cece recalls. "I looked at several different schools offering master's programs in communication, but there were several doors that God opened that made me realize Regent was where I was supposed to be. Just a few months later, my wife was offered an admissions job at Regent and we knew that God was providing a way for me to get the education I desired in order to change lives for Him."

Cece accepted a full-time production and photography job with Operation Blessing International during his last semester at Regent. "Traveling and telling stories of people in other countries and cultures can be very challenging because I have to think on my feet and know how to quickly capture a story with limited equipment and help," he says. "Because my goal is to change lives through the media I create, it is important for me to make strong visual images on a technical level, but also to tell a great story that compels someone to action. I am continually using the theories, applications, equipment and storytelling techniques that I learned in the Regent classroom and on the many film sets I was on as a student. Regent and their professors have proved to be really invaluable in the achievements and progress I continue to make, both professionally and in the lives of people around the world."

While a student a Regent, Cece directed and edited the music video for the single, Washed by the Water, from Christian Dove Award-nominated recording artist Need to Breathe. Atlantic Records commissioned the project and Cece won several directing awards for the video.

Play the Washed by the Water video to your right.

Alumni Profile

J. Darin Wales completed his M.A. Communication with a major in Cinema-Television in 1997. He learned about Regent while serving with Mercy Ships, a global charity that operates hospital ships in developing nations.

"I was attracted to the idea of learning how to make films through a Christian influence," Wales says. "At Regent, I ended up gaining a lot of experience. In addition to directing, I was given many opportunities to experience a variety of roles on film crews. These experiences provided me with the confidence to make a living as a filmmaker, on my own and for other companies."

Wales currently works at Regent as a multimedia producer for the Center for Teaching & Learning. He is also a freelance director and editor, with credits including work for Discovery Communications channels (Investigation Discovery, Discovery Health and TLC), and the National Geographic Channel. In 2010, he captured the Virginia Filmmaker Award for his short film, Plink, at the James River Film Festival.

Alumni Profile

Morgan McCoy completed her M.A. Communication with a major in Cinema-Television in 2010. She learned about Regent after she was cast in a lead role for a Regent student film.

"During my time on the set, I noticed the professionalism of the students and the quality of equipment they were using, which impressed me," McCoy recalls. "I was even more amazed when the director had everyone stop to pray before we began shooting. Regent seemed like the perfect place for me to integrate my faith with my profession, while gaining a better understanding of the craft of filmmaking."

Although McCoy concentrated her studies on producing, she directed a film project during her final year at Regent. "As I watched everything unfold on set, the two years of my classroom time—the papers, reviews, film sets and conferences with professors—flashed before my eyes. At that moment, I realized that although I had a lot more to learn, I really had became a filmmaker."

Upon graduating from Regent, McCoy pursued her acting career, landing roles in two feature-films, a trailer for a book series, a Gospel music video and a theatrical production. Most recently, she was a lead actress in the independent feature film Four Sundays in Spring, shot in Baltimore, Md. She recently was featured on Virginia This Morning, as a historic interpreter. View her performance here. In addition to acting, McCoy has been directing plays, producing her own feature film and working on a media campaign that promotes abstinence.

"There were key skills that I learned at Regent not only about the film industry, but also about people," she says. "Regent definitely served as a great training ground for the 'real world' and the various types of scenarios one might encounter there. My hope is that Regent will remain a place that helps believers sharpen skills in their career fields and, more importantly, encourages believers to be a light wherever they are."