When Madison Stenner (’20) began at TWU, she had her heart set on becoming a screenwriter. When she was considering how to achieve her goal, Madison chose to major in English, taking the creative writing stream and a concentration in film studies.
An academic advisor, Dr. Holly Nelson, encouraged her to take electives that would broaden her scope of knowledge while keeping her dream in sight. “I am so grateful for her pointing in that direction,” Madison says, and explains, “I also made sure to take as many philosophy courses to further support my worldview as a writer and storyteller.” Her choices paid off, as today, she is making waves in the film industry, and her dreams keep growing.
Studying at a university that allowed Madison to integrate her faith into her studies, her creative expression, and her dream was one of several reasons why she chose TWU. Despite having a great public-school experience, Madison felt that studying at TWU would help her learn how to connect her Christian beliefs and values with her skills and, eventually, her career. Even before graduating, she received her first job in the film industry through a TWU classmate who was one semester ahead in the program, and Madison says, “I hit the ground running with that and just never stopped!”
Looking back at the time in her program, Madison shares that some of her best TWU memories are those of being with her cohorts, engaging in open discussion or in writers’ or film workshops, where classmates openly critiqued and appraised one another’s work. Through these discussions, Madison feels she gained incredible analysis and collaboration skills and is grateful to have been exposed to a diversity of perspectives, ideas, and styles. She admits, “These moments absolutely helped me develop my own style and taste as I moved forward on my future projects.”
"Part of why I chose film as my industry of choice was for missions work. I have always been passionate about missions, but it felt like any Christian movies were so overtly preachy that they seemed more made for Christians than for engaging with non-believers."
Now, a few years into her career, Madison uses her TWU degree in various ways in the film industry. Most of her time is spent working on set decoration for film and TV, “which means that I am in charge of sourcing, purchasing, dressing, and decorating almost everything you see on screen besides the actor,” she explains. Embracing the opportunity to be creative, Madison describes it as “an incredible journey of exploring storytelling through space, art, and design.”
However, Madison’s experience in the film industry runs much deeper. She has directed and produced two award-winning short films (“How Tall is Jeffrey?” and “I Can’t Go On”) and plans to launch her own production company in 2024 with an animated web series. Thrilled to be fully established in the film industry, Madison intends on taking her skill and dreams even further as a director and writer. “That would be an even bigger dream than the one I am living now,” she says, and excitedly adds, “. . . even the fact that I have my own IMDB page blows my mind.”
"Film is notoriously abusive behind the scenes. I have embraced this as my brand: to hold true to my values without being abusive to these people with radically different views on faith and morality—and to also be joyful."
When asked whether she has been able to successfully integrate her faith into her work, Madison responds, “Always.” She goes on to say, “Part of why I chose film as my industry of choice was for missions work. I have always been passionate about missions, but it felt like any Christian movies were so overtly preachy that they seemed more made for Christians than for engaging with non-believers.” Recognizing that most people spend a great amount of time engrossed in film and television watching, Madison saw this as her way to “potentially reach millions of people and share Jesus and Christian values.” She hopes to engage Christians and non-Christians alike and share stories of faith, hope, love, family, joy, pain, good, and evil that entertain and provoke thought and “nudge people toward Jesus.”
Madison is also passionate about extending her mission to the crew. “Film is notoriously abusive behind the scenes,” she explains, describing that it is not uncommon for film crew to be treated “like old-timey factory workers before there were unions.” For this reason, she is devoted to sharing the light of the Lord with everyone on set, and confidently confirms, “I have embraced this as my brand: to hold true to my values without being abusive to these people with radically different views on faith and morality—and to also be joyful.” The simplest way of doing this, she says, is “just smiling on set.”
Madison’s work has already won her awards in several film festivals and across various categories. The ones she’s most proud of are from the Independent Short Awards in Hollywood. “How Tall is Jeffrey” won Best First Time Director (Female), Best Children’s Short, and Best Child/Young Actor (for Azriel Dalman who played Jakey). Her work also won Best Film at the Western Canadian International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Indie Short at the Toronto Indie Shorts. Reflecting on achieving this level of recognition so early in her career, Madison describes, “Getting accepted into a multitude of festivals was such an honor,” adding, “Most of this process was just to prove to myself that I could do it and that I am a good director even if inexperienced. Best First Time Director was a massive win for me and encouraged me into my next few projects, where I know I can improve and trust my gut a bit more as I direct once again.”
"How Tall is Jeffrey?" is about a young dad coming to terms with his son having an imaginary friend. Although on the surface, it may appear to be a childlike story, Madison says, “the audience it aims to reach is the adult with a young child or anyone who might become a parent.” She goes on to explain, “The film also highlights the importance of play for both children and adults, the imagination, and family conflict. It also deals with seriousness of childhood—adults may see it as all pretend and games, but to the kid it is all so real.”
To learn more about Madison’s upcoming work and as she continues her festival run, follow her at @st.mads or @howtallisjeffrey on IG.
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About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is a global Christian liberal arts university. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting research institution offering liberal arts and sciences as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four locations in Canada: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Instagram @trinitywestern, Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.