Parker Otto is a filmmaker from Illinois currently based in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, NY. He is a graduate of Northern Illinois University’s class of 2022 with a B.A. Degree in Media Studies with a minor in Journalism. He also has received certificates in Digital Media Production and Film and Television Studies. Parker has written for The Northern Star, NIU’s school newspaper, as a reporter, editor and columnist.

To look at Parker’s work at The Northern Star, NIU’s award-winning newspaper, click the button:

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Some Facts About Parker:

  • His favorite cinemas include:

    • Harvest Moon Twin Drive-In in Gibson City, IL

    • The Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, IL

    • The Virginia Theatre in Champaign, IL

    • The IFC Center in Greenwich Village, NYC

    • The Village East by Angelika in The East Village, NYC

    • The Metrograph in The Lower East Side, NYC

    • The Alamo Drafthouses in The Financial District and Downtown Brooklyn, NYC.

    • Syndicated Bar Theater Kitchen in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

  • Parker’s biggest influences as a film critic are Roger Ebert (1942-2013) of The Chicago Sun-Times, Gene Siskel (1946-1999) of The Chicago Tribune, Chris Stuckmann of Chris Stuckmann Reviews and Doug Walker of Channel Awesome.

  • His favorite films of the year since becoming a critic are: A Star is Born (2018), Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019), The Gentlemen (2020), Dune (2021), The Fabelmans (2022) and Oppenheimer (2023).

  • His favorite film directors are:

    • Alfred Hitchcock

    • Stanley Kubrick

    • Akira Kurosawa

    • Spike Lee

    • Martin Scorsese

    • Quentin Tarantino

    • Steven Spielberg

    • Richard Linklater

    • Werner Herzog

    • David Lynch

    • Damien Chazelle

  • He was a Rocky Horror Picture Show shadow cast member and has played The Criminologist and Dr. Everett Scott.

  • La La Land is what made Parker want to become a filmmaker.