Presenters

George Billinger, SOC

George Billinger is SOC President and serves as Chair for this year’s Award Show Committee. He continues to be honored to lead the SOC and is especially proud of its many accomplishments of over the last several years. George continually encourages efforts to increase membership, offer expanded educational opportunities and strengthen industry relationships, just to name a few. George has been active as a camera operator since the early 1990s and specializes in Steadicam. He has had the pleasure of working with directors such as Steven Spielberg, David Lynch, Josh Whedon, Peter Weir, Scott Frank and Antoine Fuqua. His credits include Lincoln, War of the Worlds, Indian Jones and the Crystal Skull, Avengers, Oblivion, The Terminal, Ray, Terminator Genisys, Queen’s Gambit, and Prey. George resides in Los Angeles, CA.

Eric Fletcher, SOC

Born to a still photographer Eric Fletcher, SOC got his start early when his father would travel to shoot political candidates. Fletcher followed in his father’s footsteps, but this time instead of shooting stills of political candidates, Fletcher shot their commercials and amassed an enviable election rate. In the mid 90’s, Fletcher won 25 Emmy’s for his work with CBS affiliate KMOV-TV. In 2001, he moved to Los Angeles where he’s worked on TV series and films such as; Dexter, True Blood, Shameless, and many others. Fletcher also uses his experience to consult with equipment manufactures to make their equipment perform better and more efficiently on set, and follow his philosophy “Don’t let your equipment limit you.”

Jeffrey Jur, ASC

Jeffrey Jur, ASC studied film at Columbia College in Chicago. His professional cinematography career began with American Playhouse telefilms, including Any Friend of Nicholas Nickleby Is a Friend of Mine. After moving to Hollywood, Jeffrey went on to shoot films such as Dirty Dancing, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, amongst many others. His television series work includes Westworld, Dirty Sexy Money, Halt & Catch Fire, Perception, and, Colony. Jeffrey has received numerous accolades, including Emmys for his artistry on HBO’s Carnivale and Bessie and receiving the American Society of Cinematographers, Career Achievement Award in 2019. He also garnered ASC’s Outstanding Achievement Award for Last Call and Carnivale.

Dr. Lee earned his MD from Cornell University and went on to Harvard Medical School as a Heed Fellow. Since being recruited to the Children’s Dr. Lee has developed the Retina Institute into a world-class center and was promoted to director of the Vision Center. He’s made several advances in our understanding of pediatric retinal disease and has recruited a team of physicians and scientists to develop new treatments for several retinal diseases. In addition to developing a robust research program, he’s helped create an innovative education platform to teach doctors in developing countries remotely over the Internet.

Simon Jayes, SOC

Simon Jayes, SOC , has been involved in the camera department since 1984 and has been a Camera Operator for the last 30 years. Simon was part of the team that built the first TechnoCranes and he moved to Los Angeles in 1990 to introduce this technology into the US through his company: TechnoCrane Ltd. In 2005, Simon added Steadicam to his abilities. Since being in the US, Simon has had the privilege of working with many talented crews and his credits include Ahsoka, The Mandalorian, Wonder Woman 1984, I Am the Night, True Blood, Our Flag Means Death, Quantum of Solace, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, and Miles Ahead , to name a few.

Shelly Johnson, ASC

Shelly Johnson, ASC shot his first feature as Director of Photography in 1986… this project also happened to be the first “A” Camera operating job for Don Devine, SOC. Shelly has shot over 100 full length projects including Greyhound, Captain America: First Avenger, Jurassic Park III, The Wolfman, and Hidalgo. As near as he can tell, Don was by his side on at least 40 of these. Johnson is a four-time ASC Award nominee for Cinematography (Devine serving as “A” Camera Operator for each). Shelly has enjoyed long relationships with crew members that have dedicated decades to collaboration, however Don is by far the longest standing member of the crew. Recently, Johnson has shot Sin Limites, Honest Thief, Blacklight, and just completed Elevation.

Nikk “2K” Hearn-Sutton, SOC

Nikk “2K” Hearn-Sutton, SOC, Cincinnati, Ohio, is a Camera/ Steadicam operator. He has always had a love of photography, especially influenced by Gordon Parks and cinema as a child. Nikk is co-chair of the SOC Inclusion Committee and the first Black elected to its Board of Governors. He was highlighted in the Fall 2018 edition of Camera Operator magazine in the “Smooth Operator” department. He is also a part of the Mentor/ Mentee programs for both SOC and Local 600, allowing him to give back to those who love the craft as much as he does. Being one of ‘The Talented Tenth,’ his credits include Bones and All, The Big Ugly, 10 Minutes Gone, The Strangers: Prey at Night, Anastasia: Once Upon a Time, and NFL Films.

Beth McCarthy-Miller

Beth McCarthy-Miller began her career at MTV directing such shows as MTV Unplugged, the MTV Video Music Awards, The Eagles: Hell Freezes Over, along with launching and directing The Jon Stewart Show. She directed eleven seasons of SNL, two Superbowl Halftime shows, America: A Tribute to Heroes, and pilots for RENO:911, Great News, and Bob Hearts Abishola Beth has been director for multiple Emmy nominated episodes from 30 Rock and Modern Family, to Parks and Rec, Brooklyn 99, and The Good Place. Her credits also include The Kominsky Method and Veep, for which she won one of her four DGA Awards. Beth directed The Sound of Music LIVE, Adele: Live in NY, and the Clio winning live commercial for The Greatest Showman.