David Waldman

MFA, Cinematography

American Film Institute

BA, Rutgers University
 

David Waldman comes to CSULB in the midst of a busy career as a cinematographer and educator. David taught cinematography in the Department of Film at UNLV for six years, and was its College of Fine Arts Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 2016. He received tenure and promotion at UNLV in 2017, and subsequently joined FEA as Associate Professor and cinematography track head.

In addition to teaching, David enjoys a vibrant creative career. A member of Local 600, The Cinematographers Guild, David has twice been honored with its Emerging Cinematographer Award, as well as Best Cinematography at HDFest. In 2017, he shot the show Dinner with Don, a 14-episode comedy starring the late Don Rickles. David is also the Cinematographer and Visual Consultant for TED, for whom he has traveled around the world and shot more than 2,000 TEDTalks since 2008.

He has shot commercials aired during the Superbowl, the Academy Awards, and The Grammys, as well as additional footage for the MGM feature films Hot Tub Time Machine II and Max, and was the cinematographer on the critically acclaimed Starz half-hour comedy Head Case. David was one of the cinematographers on the Emmy Award-winning documentary Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project, directed by John Landis, and has shot music videos for the Jonas Brothers and the Airborne Toxic Event, among others.