Palys ’00 Valpo Education Helps Career ‘FLOURISH’

Kevin Palys ’00 believes his education at Valparaiso University was exactly what he needed to succeed in his career.

Independent film maker Kevin Palys ’00 di­rects Jennifer Morrison in a scene from his movie “FLOURISH.”

“Valpo’s emphasis on writing and speaking, skills I either acquired or refined chiefly at the honors college [Christ College], best prepared me for making movies in general and specifically ‘FLOURISH’,” he says.

An independent film maker, Palys wrote, produced and directed “FLOURISH,” which is available worldwide on DVD and stars Jennifer Morrison from Fox TV’s “House M.D.” (Visit www.flourishmovie.com.)

As a student at Valpo, Palys co-wrote and co-directed “Hunters in the Snow,” a digital feature that garnered first prize in the feature film/video competition at the National Collegiate Honors Conference in Washington, D.C. He credits several of his professors with aiding his success.

Palys monitors a scene with director of photography Max Gutierrez.

“Dr. Peter Mercer-Taylor was a great supporter of my first screenplay and film. He was hilarious, creatively permissive, just plain brilliant, and a genuine friend. Dr. Mark Schwehn ’67 and Margaret Franson ’89 M.A.L.S. transcended the mentor status completely; they shepherded me through some tricky academic times. Dr. Arvid Sponberg was an enthusiastic mentor and another champion of my work. He also introduced me to the Oscar-winning actor, Karl Malden ’01 L.H.D.”

Palys earned his master’s degree in the social sciences from the University of Chicago, and enrolled in the MFA film production program at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles. After his first year at USC, he directed, photographed and produced “Glass Desert,” a digital independent feature. He currently works at Paramount Studios on “Entertainment Tonight” as an assistant editor in the archival department.