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Caitlin Stow was raised and is currently living in Corvallis, Oregon. A producer at heart, Caitlin enjoys juggling many tasks at once: she goes to school part time, working toward her bachelors degree in Cinema Studies; she spends her evenings working at the Darkside Cinema, Corvallis’ local independent movie theater; and in all the crevices between work and school she writes, directs, and produces films.
Film came into Caitlin’s life when she most needed it: during a lengthy and serious bout of depression. During her first semester of college, Caitlin found herself emotionally unable to go to class, interact with other students, or, by the end of the term, even get out of bed. She was too ashamed to admit the seriousness to her friends and family, so she was mostly alone. The one constant that she had was Netflix. What got her through was Grey’s Anatomy, The O.C., and Gossip Girl. Eventually she realized that her comfort had become her obsession, then, as she learned to cope with her depression, her obsession became her passion. College right out of High School did not lead to a degree, but it did lead to the incomparable knowledge that film was the answer.
Although Grey’s Anatomy still holds a very special place in Caitlin’s heart, Caitlin’s tastes have matured somewhat in the intervening years. Her list of major influences today include Sofia Coppola, Jonathan Glazer, Bong Joon-ho, Sean Baker, and Gregg Araki.
Caitlin was raised working class and learned early on how to live frugally. Now, she takes this history and infuses all her work with aspects of class struggle and low-income living. She spent many of her formative years in the Unitarian Universalist (UU) church. The UU youth group in Corvallis is a safe haven for teens of unique identity, and in the early 2000s the community drew in a large percentage of the queer and trans youth in the area. This community gifted Caitlin with a need to tell LGBTQ focused stories, especially in relation to class and intersectional privilege. When writing and forming a story, Caitlin is always reminded of the time spent locked up in her dorm room, searching desperately for something warm and heartfelt to ease her pain. While she is always trying to push herself creatively, she knows that at the end of the day she wants to tell stories of hope and triumph, and what’s most important is that those stories are told clearly and earnestly.
Caitlin made her first short film in 2016, a psychological thriller about materialism. In 2017 she continued her work with a futuristic political mockumentary. In 2018/19 she put together a longer, more ambitious period piece about a trans boy’s imaginary world; this film, “Don’t Call Me Rebecca,” won multiple short screenplay awards and screened at the Golden Door International Film Festival. Caitlin sees these three films as her personal film school. Their faults are a testament to her determination to learn on her own. Later in 2019 she produced a professional level short film for a film professor at Oregon State University; Caitlin also acted as casting director and first assistant director on this project. After founding the Corvallis Anarcho Film Collective (CAFC), a local filmmaking cooperative focused on inclusive and flexible productions, Caitlin and the cooperative made "Guts" and "...and Blood!", two zombie short films. In 2022 Caitlin and CAFC completed "Lorelai" (currently in post production), a short personal. In 2023 another member of CAFC, Grace Dominguez, directed her first short film, "Post Mortem" (currently in post-production); and in 2024 Caitlin helmed her latest CAFC short, "Necking," a fully nude rom-com (currently in post-production).
Caitlin hopes to keep following her gut when it comes to creative and professional decisions. Her choice to remain in her home town and to prioritize creative independence over industry entrance has been the most difficult decision of her career. At the end of the day, however, Oregon inspires her and she wants to prioritize artistic integrity and community building over a traditional Hollywood career trajectory. Caitlin believes that film sets can be one hundred percent inclusive and produce efficient, high-quality content. Part of the fun of filmmaking is finding new and innovative ways to make each new project as accommodating as possible to crew members and collaborators from all walks of life.
Film came into Caitlin’s life when she most needed it: during a lengthy and serious bout of depression. During her first semester of college, Caitlin found herself emotionally unable to go to class, interact with other students, or, by the end of the term, even get out of bed. She was too ashamed to admit the seriousness to her friends and family, so she was mostly alone. The one constant that she had was Netflix. What got her through was Grey’s Anatomy, The O.C., and Gossip Girl. Eventually she realized that her comfort had become her obsession, then, as she learned to cope with her depression, her obsession became her passion. College right out of High School did not lead to a degree, but it did lead to the incomparable knowledge that film was the answer.
Although Grey’s Anatomy still holds a very special place in Caitlin’s heart, Caitlin’s tastes have matured somewhat in the intervening years. Her list of major influences today include Sofia Coppola, Jonathan Glazer, Bong Joon-ho, Sean Baker, and Gregg Araki.
Caitlin was raised working class and learned early on how to live frugally. Now, she takes this history and infuses all her work with aspects of class struggle and low-income living. She spent many of her formative years in the Unitarian Universalist (UU) church. The UU youth group in Corvallis is a safe haven for teens of unique identity, and in the early 2000s the community drew in a large percentage of the queer and trans youth in the area. This community gifted Caitlin with a need to tell LGBTQ focused stories, especially in relation to class and intersectional privilege. When writing and forming a story, Caitlin is always reminded of the time spent locked up in her dorm room, searching desperately for something warm and heartfelt to ease her pain. While she is always trying to push herself creatively, she knows that at the end of the day she wants to tell stories of hope and triumph, and what’s most important is that those stories are told clearly and earnestly.
Caitlin made her first short film in 2016, a psychological thriller about materialism. In 2017 she continued her work with a futuristic political mockumentary. In 2018/19 she put together a longer, more ambitious period piece about a trans boy’s imaginary world; this film, “Don’t Call Me Rebecca,” won multiple short screenplay awards and screened at the Golden Door International Film Festival. Caitlin sees these three films as her personal film school. Their faults are a testament to her determination to learn on her own. Later in 2019 she produced a professional level short film for a film professor at Oregon State University; Caitlin also acted as casting director and first assistant director on this project. After founding the Corvallis Anarcho Film Collective (CAFC), a local filmmaking cooperative focused on inclusive and flexible productions, Caitlin and the cooperative made "Guts" and "...and Blood!", two zombie short films. In 2022 Caitlin and CAFC completed "Lorelai" (currently in post production), a short personal. In 2023 another member of CAFC, Grace Dominguez, directed her first short film, "Post Mortem" (currently in post-production); and in 2024 Caitlin helmed her latest CAFC short, "Necking," a fully nude rom-com (currently in post-production).
Caitlin hopes to keep following her gut when it comes to creative and professional decisions. Her choice to remain in her home town and to prioritize creative independence over industry entrance has been the most difficult decision of her career. At the end of the day, however, Oregon inspires her and she wants to prioritize artistic integrity and community building over a traditional Hollywood career trajectory. Caitlin believes that film sets can be one hundred percent inclusive and produce efficient, high-quality content. Part of the fun of filmmaking is finding new and innovative ways to make each new project as accommodating as possible to crew members and collaborators from all walks of life.
