Kari Jo Skogquist grew up in rural Minnesota and attended the public schools of Saint Francis from kindergarten through tenth grade. Nothing much happened, she went to school, drew a lot, and spent time outside. During Kari Jo’s first years of high school, she lettered twice in art, twice in broadcasting, and once in theater, including an award for best student director.

In eleventh grade, continuing on to twelfth, she was admitted into and dormed at an arts high school in Golden Valley, Minnesota.  At the Perpich Center for Arts Education she majored in media arts. There, she learned the basis of filmmaking through a variety of courses and gained experience with several mediums, such as super-8, 16mm, digital video, and traditional darkroom photography.  Memorable projects include a documentary by herself and two classmates that involved flying a small airplane, and a quirky stop-motion animation called “Face.” “Face,” has been screened at more than a dozen film festivals, including locations in Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Salt Lake City, New York, and Finland. In October, 2006, Listenup.org awarded her a traveler's scholarship to attend a film discussion panel and workshop at the Women's San Diego Film Festival.

In the summer of 2005, she got her first job as an intern with a local community television station.  There, she earned further broadcasting experience, doing such things as camera operation, floor directing, audio, directing live performances, editing in both linear and nonlinear forms, producing monthly seven minute packages, and going on several field shoots, both on foot and in mobile van studios.  Kari Jo was invited to return as an employee and continues to work there today. Currently she works as producer, director, and editor for a half hour in-studio talk show relating judicial topics called The District Court Show, as a camera operator and director for a variety of van shoots, and the occasional city council shoot for another public access channel.

 

Since graduating high school in 2006, Kari Jo has worked as a freelancer in a variety of media related jobs for corporate, commercial, indie shorts and features, both locally and over seas. Positions have included production assistance, camera operation, transcriber, editor, grip, portrait studio receptionist/sales, still photographer for video production, school portraits and weddings, teacher's assistant for youth media, conceptual design, and animator. She is ever thankful for the help of industry professionals and crews that has lead to invaluable education and experience.

Aside from her part time and freelance production work, she plans to continue her focus in stop-motion animation, visual art, photography, and experimental video, and is looking forward to collaborating with other talented artists, musicians, comedians, and filmmakers.

 

 

Kari Jo on the set of 'The Breakout' for New Fight Films.
photo by Sharon Jackson

 

Signing autographs at the San Diego Women's International Film Festival.