Sasha BrunettiFounder of Ceaseless Media,
Cinematographer, Photographer, Producer/Director
@obscurrare
Artist StatementSasha Brunetti is a multifaceted artist and storyteller whose work is rooted in their New York City upbringing and global experiences. They began their visual arts journey at age 7 with a Diana F film camera and soon after started making silent films in the basement of their apartment building, drawing inspiration from early cinema legends. Since then, Sasha’s work has spanned photography, filmmaking, dance, burlesque, jewelry and costume design, illustration, and music.
PhilosophySasha’s art bridges traditional analog techniques with modern expression, enriched by love for the strange and unusual. From photographing New York Fashion Week to performing Irish dance at Carnegie Hall, Sasha continues to create work that challenges convention, sparks introspection, and fosters connection.
Sasha believes that art is what makes us human, a way to express, explore, and understand our experiences. There is no such thing as "bad art," only missed opportunities. Every creative endeavor, no matter its perceived success, uncovers beauty in the imperfect, fosters connection, and reminds us of the shared humanity in all of us.
Favorite filmThe Adventures of Baron Munchausen - Terry Gilliam, Twin Peaks; Fire walk with me - David Lynch, Amadeus - Milos forman
Finnley Monte(They/Them)
Graphic designer, photographer
Artist StatementFinnley Monte is a graphic designer living and creating in the heart of New York City. They have always loved the challenge of taking a messy, abstract idea and turning it into something visually striking that says something.
Finnley’s background is rooted in fine arts having completed a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in 2023. Wanting to bridge the gap between their craft and communicating through art, they went on to acquire certification from Shillington Education, where Finnley sharpened their technical skills and learned how to think strategically about design.
PhilosophyTheir style is heavily influenced by their love of illustration, which helps to give every project a unique, hand-crafted feel. They have more recently started bringing their designs to life through apparel design, taking artwork off the screen and into the real world.
Whether they are designing a brand identity or a piece of streetwear, their goal is always the same: to blend creative flair with a clear strategy that hits home for the audience.
Finnley believes that art in every form it is created in, is always a form of communication. Taking an artists internal imagery and ideas and making it open and vulnerable for those who engage with the work. Each individual who helps to create, or who views art is another addition to the meaning and soul behind the work.
Em Pesin(They/He)
Designer, Fine artist, Performance artist
Emmapesin@gmail.com
www.emmaep.com
Artist StatementEm Pesin is a Coney Island based designer, drawer, and performance artist. Holding an interdisciplinary BFA in Graphic Design and Painting + Drawing from SUNY Purchase and two clown degrees from Coney Island USA Clown Skool. They have exhibited throughout New York City and performed live Fluxus inspired pieces within those spaces.
Pesin exploits the subconscious through self-induced mania to digest metaphysical humanism and social philosophy. Spiraling down a rabbit-hole of a festered contradicting psyche, producing congested works of emotional intensity sourced from self-observation and agonizing meditation.
He performed his funeral LIVE! at The Sable Project in Vermont, drew shadows at the Figment Festival in snug harbor, was a professional mourner for Anne Katrin Spiess “Death by Plastic“, Ritual Cabaret's resident pelvic painter, certified Coney Island lifeguard and swim coach and creator of the internet publication Clown Soup Mag-Zine.
PhilosophyNever stop learning. Create something every day, big or small. Research rabbit-holes of information. Make before giving meaning. Be obsessive. Be experimental. Have personal rituals. Start your own religion. Watch people. Indulge in culture. Curate your life. Hug your best friends. Whatever you do, do it out of passion. You have one life⏤ today, make it count.
Favorite filmAt Eternity's Gate- Julian Schnabel, Greener Grass- Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe, & The Lord of The Rings Trilogy
Valentina Garcia(She/Her)
Writer, Producer
@vals_camera
Artist StatementValentina Garcia is a student at New York University studying Linguistics and Dramatic Literature with a minor in Spanish Creative Writing. Garcia has a long history in writing and working on short films, however the humanities have always geared her towards focusing on the artists behind the work. She believes that art is not about being the best, but being as expressive and authentic as you can be.
Garcia speaks English and Spanish and hopes to use these skills abroad in order to teach filmmaking and writing to young artists in under-resourced communities, beginning with the Dominican Republic, where her roots lie.
Garcia believes she has an important responsibility as someone inside the industry to make sure everyone has the chance to express themselves. To Garcia, film is inherently collaborative and requires every person involved to contribute their own form of expression. This belief has always aligned with the work Garcia does, whether in art or the humanities.
PhilosophyGarcia’s main goal as an artist is to provide accessibility to everyone, especially those who do not have creative outlets immediately available to them. She believes art, and filmmaking in particular, can be significantly improved if more artists are able to practice and share their talent. Garcia sees her responsibility to be a bridge that connects creativity with opportunity.
Favorite filmParis, Texas Directed by Wim Wenders
Benjamin Naomi Streu(He/They)
Indie Writer/Director, Freelance Sound Mixer, Boom Op, Editor, and Colorist
@isurehopenot_
Artist StatementBenjamin Naomi Streu is Ceaseless Media’s Head of Post-Production. He decided to do film when he was at Brookdale Community College. Since then, he’s been immersed working on dozens of student sets, as a student themself at Montclair State University, and indie sets beyond.
He found his place as a freelance sound mixer on-set, and a freelance editor and colorist off-set. Ben/Naomi has the attention to detail and the obsessive artist work ethic required for each of these jobs, whether it be fine-tuning the cut and color in Davinci Resolve, or working with his sound kit to capture the best possible audio on set.
When he isn’t collaborating on other directors’ projects, Ben/Naomi writes and directs his own projects, which are often erotic, surreal, and experimental. His film Rocky’s Day Out was shot by Sasha Brunetti, and their film Bimbo was co-directed, co-written, and shot by Sasha Brunetti. There are many more collaborations with Sasha and the rest of Ceaseless to come!
PhilosophyBen believes that making art should be treated like a religious conviction. That the human creative spirit is one of the most important and fundamental parts of us as humans. That one of the purposes of art, fundamentally, is to craft a unique subjective experience for the viewer, and that’s an incredibly precious thing. Not to just share subjective experience with others, but to directly invoke new subjective experience, emotions, revelations, etc. It is the artist's duty to make art while simultaneously pushing their medium forward and not forgetting its history. Always questioning and experimenting along the way.
Favorite filmTitane - Julia Ducournau