Fabrizio Costantini 925 Albany st. Ferndale, MI 48220 3132837542 [email protected] ✔ 11 My desire to serve in the position of City Council Member in Ferndale is a combination of what made me want to move here just over a decade ago, in addition to my career as a Photojournalist. Ferndale is where I live, where I established my business, and where I started a family. I became interested in politics on October 7th, 2006 when my first front-page photo above the fold I had in the New York Times, the story was about James Marcinkowski and his run for United States House of Representatives in Michigan's 8th Congressional District. I have since worked on covering and spend time with many candidates in local elections and as well as presidential elections for the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal where I’ve traveled with the John McCain campaign, photographed and reported on campaign rallies for Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, and traveled with Barack Obama on his campaign bus. This involved being in close proximity with the candidates themselves and their staff, documenting their conversations with community members and constituents about an array of issues. I extensively covered the automotive bailout and Detroit’s bankruptcy which inspired me to pitch the video documentary series for The New York Times called “The Detroit Graduates”. In the midst of covering the municipal bankruptcy, I felt there was an absence of coverage and consideration of whom this was going to affect the most, Detroit’s young people. That year, I documented five seniors at Denby High School on Detroit’s east side which told the story through their perspective of what the future looked like in a time of Detroit’s economic uncertainty. I worked on Michael Moore’s full-length documentary film “"Fahrenheit 11/9" that took an in depth look at the Flint water crisis. In addition, I worked intently on a documentary film called “Slay the Dragon” which covered the political practice of gerrymandering and the fight to pass Michigan’s Proposition 2. After working in journalism for 25 years I have since transitioned more heavily into filmmaking and video production. My video company which I started in Ferndale in 2009 working primarily in documentary, commercial and corporate video. I manage teams of people, budgets, and logistics. While today, the majority of my work is managing teams, budgets, scheduling, proposals, making estimates - blocking time, resources and anticipating deadlines. I consider my career in journalism, widely considered the fourth branch of government, as a small contribution to serving the public. Today, I strongly desire an opportunity and feel the need for public service on a more macro level in a more formal position and I can I was born in Detroit, MI on Christmas Day in 1978. My mother grew up on the east side of Detroit, and my father immigrated from Italy. I graduated high school at De LaSalle Collegiate where I began studying photography and quickly began freelancing. My first photography job was for Orbit Magazine. I continued to freelance until I went to college at Central Michigan University and was hired as a photographer for the school newspaper. I majored in Photography and Journalism and was soon promoted to the photo editor. During this time I became the president of the schools photography club and had a second job as the lab technician for every darkroom on campus. After college I worked freelance and as an assistant whee I was privileged enough to assist pulitzer prize winner, Taro Yamasaki on multiple shoots. From there I went to New York where studied with pulitzer prize winner, David Turnley. I turned to Detroit and became a full-time assistant for detroi-based studio photographer Michelle Andonian. It was aver 4 years of this that I began working for the Detroit Free Press as a freelance photographer and then later for the New York Times. Working as a journalist in a shrinking industry, is one of the strongest and most effective forms of community service I know. When I would see my photographs on the cover of the NYT of Detroit factories and auto workers, I trusted myself to show the dignity of the community members and to treat them with respect and humility. I knew that these newspapers would reach the ends of the earth and would be on the desks of most world leaders. I was representing my community, and I was doing it better than anyone from out of state could do because I am one of them. In addition to my work as a journalist and documentarian, I have been a guest lecturer at Duke University and the College for Creative Studies. I enjoy building motorcycles and I host an annual historical motorcycle show in Hamtramck called TwoToo’s. My photography website portfolio and short video demo reel are a great example of what I have done and where I have been. www.fabriziocostantini.com and www.trilliumproduction.co 2009-Present Trillium Production Co Owner/Producer Video Product 2003-2016 New York Times Contractor Video Producer / News Photographer Central Michigan University BFA Journalism / Photography International Center of Photography N/A Photojournalism Select Workshop 09/13/2019 I consider my career in journalism, widely considered the fourth branch of government, as a small contribution to serving the public. Today, I strongly desire an opportunity and feel the need for public service on a more macro level in a more formal position and I can .