The Real World Brewers Edition
For the Oregon Beer Awards the New School co-produces a comedic sketch video each year with Willamette Week, the ceremony emcees, and a local filmmaker. For the 2026 Oregon Beer Awards ceremony we teamed up with acclaimed director Dawn J. Redstone and cameraman Sean Conley for a short called “The Real World Brewers Edition” written by Gigantic Brewing’s Ben Love and created as a collaboration with OBA co-emcee Natalie Baldwin and a group of Oregon beer industry “actors.”
This year’s Oregon Beer Awards cold open sketch “The Real World Brewers Edition” stars legendary Oregon brewmaster John Harris (Deschutes, Full Sail, Ecliptic Brewing), Tom Field (veteran Oregon craft beer sales pro), Brixton Apon (Binary Brewing head brewer), Jess Hardie (TPK Brewing co-owner/brewer), Sam Zermeno (Brujos Brewing), and 2026 OBA emcees Ben Love (Gigantic Brewing) and Natalie Baldwin (Wayfinder Beer.)
Some behind-the-scenes footage from filming the past 3 years of OBA cold open sketch videos above ^
Dawn J. Redstone directed this year’s Oregon Beer Awards opening sketch video, and she is a filmmaker to watch!
Redstone has two short films showing at the Portland Panorama Film Festival. On April 9th catch the premiere of “Show the World Something” and on April 17th a screening of “Hostile Work Environment” as part of Northwest Shorts Block One at the Portland Panorama Festival.
Named "one of Portland's most distinct creative voices," Dawn Jones Redstone (she/they) is a queer, Mexican American writer/director whose films are known for their emotional resonance, imaginative storytelling, and a commitment to centering women of color. As a Mexican American filmmaker and granddaughter of cotton pickers, her work pays tribute to those who came before while insisting on the visibility and humanity of Latine people in a country that too often erases them. Currently in development on the absurdist dramedy feature Appliance of Science, Dawn creates films that explore resistance, emotion as spirituality, and the transformative power of reclaiming identity.
A self-taught filmmaker, she came to directing after years as a union carpenter, her award-winning feature film Mother of Color raised $200K through creative producing and is now streaming on major platforms, continuing to resonate with audiences for its cultural relevance and depth. Her first short film Sista in the Brotherhood won numerous awards, was distributed by Collective Eye, purchased by the U.S. Department of Labor, and tweeted about by Oregon's Governor.
Dawn is the founder of Hearts+Sparks Productions, a sole proprietor, equity-driven production company that collaborates with community-minded organizations and companies to deliver stories with a distinctly cinematic voice. As a commercial director, Dawn has brought her narrative sensibility to brand storytelling, balancing her independent film work with professional directing experience.