TEAM BIOS

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John C. Aliano

John C. Aliano is an award-winning producer, director and cinematographer who has taught film production classes at Loyola Marymount University, Academy of Art University, City College of San Francisco, Art Institute of San Francisco, Cogswell Polytechnical College, Pixar Animation Studios, College of Santa Fe and the College of Southern Nevada. Educational distinctions include three-time NISOD Excellence in Teaching Award recipient, two-time Distinguished Faculty of the Year Award and instructor/facilitator for students who have been nominated nominated for 141 Student Production Emmy Awards and won 68 NATAS PSW Student Production Emmy Awards in the last 12 years.

Professor Aliano worked at Adolph Gasser Inc. in the late 1990's as manager of the Motion Picture Department, as well as cinematography and filmmaking instructor. He was inspired by what he learned about the life of company founder and store owner Adolph Gasser. In 2003 Mr. Gasser agreed to be the primary subject of this documentary and over a three year period was recorded for the film, as well as numerous employees. Adolph Gasser passed away in 2006 at the age of 94. The film spans a 20 plus year period since the start of the documentary to include additional location footage and interviews showing the arc of Mr. Gasser's life and legacy. This is Professor Aliano's second feature documentary as a producer and first feature as a director.

Arianna Martinez

Arianna Martinez is an independent producer and director based in Las Vegas, NV. She serves as associate producer & archival researcher for “Being Adolph Gasser.” She works on local independent film productions in various production and administrative roles, bringing over 13 years of experience in business operations and the legal field. To further her education in film, she graduated from the College of Southern Nevada in 2025. Her body of work includes the narrative drama short film, "Catharsis", which she directed in 2022 and garnered her four regional NATAS PSW Student Production Emmy awards. In 2024 she won three Student Production Emmy awards for her short documentary, "My Biggest Teacher". Arianna is early in her career, building her body of work as a director and producer.

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Jackie Marten

Jackie Marten is the editor for "Being Adolph Gasser". She graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2019, and has worked as a freelance video editor and videographer in Las Vegas, NV for the last 4 years. She has worked in all types of media, from film and TV to music videos and wedding days. Her passion is for telling authentic stories in a beautiful way, no matter how big or small.

Erika Belanich

Erika is the web & graphic designer behind "Being Adolph Gasser," based in Las Vegas, NV, and a graduate of College of Southern Nevada. For the past six years, she has been working at a casino-focused tech company, specializing in a wide range of graphic design tasks, including UI/UX product enhancements, client campaign creation and management, and creating branded materials for sales demos. Additionally, she does freelance work for a local print shop, and is a small business owner of a 1970 VW Bus converted into a photo booth.

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