Carrie Cates has a Radio-TV-Film degree from Indiana State University and studied abroad at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She was a technologist and film teacher at Rawson Saunders School (Austin Area School for Dyslexics) for several years, and then the Community Director at the Austin School of Film for five years. In 2021, she broke away from the 9-to-5 as a full-time, independent film producer. Since moving from the Hoosier state to Austin, TX she has produced feature-length films, quite a few award-winning shorts, commercial ad campaigns and music videos. She has collaborated on projects with clients including The Chive, Rooster Teeth, Indeed, Sam's Club, Academy Sports, and Warner Bros. She taught Digital Filmmaking courses and a Production Management workshop for adults, and hosted an official South By Southwest showcase screening of her student's work for several years. In the midst of all of this, she founded her passion project, a youth film festival for junior high and high school students in Central Texas, the Austin Youth Film Festival, where she took a very active role in coordinating its inaugural year to great success and praise. She co-founded the non-profit organization, the Alliance for Young Future Filmmakers that puts on the festival each year, and continues to put her efforts toward its mission as AYFF’s Development and Public Relations Director. She’s a self-proclaimed collaboration enthusiast, and is always looking for new ways to use technology to bridge communication gaps in production efficiency. Needless to say, she is incredibly supportive and involved in the film scene, and enthusiastic about sharing her passion for the medium.