How One Alumnus is Harnessing Lessons Learned at MassArt in Hollywood

Fresh off a best film win from the Beverly Hill Film Festival, MassArt alumnus Terrence Hayes, BFA ’96, has built a remarkable career as a cinematographer. His work has been featured in major motion pictures like Knives Out, The Holdovers, and Challengers—for which he was recently nominated for a Society of Camera Operators award. Terence has collaborated with Hollywood heavyweights like Zendaya, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans—yet he remains grounded in the belief that filmmaking is, above all, a team effort.

“Whether it’s a $100 million or $5 million film, the industry requires a lot of people working together to tell a story,” Terrence says. “It’s a very collaborative art form.”

Growing up in South Boston, Terrence didn’t know anyone with a career in the arts. But his passion for drawing and painting was evident early, and his mom signed him up for classes at the Museum of Fine Arts when he was just five. Later, while sailing and studying drafting in high school, Terrence thought he was going to be a naval architect.

That changed when he enrolled at MassArt. The required first-year Studio Foundation program opened his eyes to a wide range of creative possibilities. By his sophomore year, he had found his path in film.

“The best part about my time at MassArt was being able to make mistakes and try again,” he says. “I’m so grateful for those experiences and how they’ve shaped who I am today.”

At the time, Quentin Tarantino was making waves, and many of Terrence’s peers were exploring gritty crime stories. His own senior thesis, Portrait of a Hitman, followed a conflicted assassin wrestling with morality and duty—a narrative that reflected his growing interest in character-driven storytelling and visual nuance.

Determined to blend his cinematography skills with narrative filmmaking, Terrence continued his education at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. There, he produced a new film every week—an intense pace that tested his adaptability and built on the creative resilience he developed at MassArt.

Over the years, his “film family,” as he calls it, has included several fellow MassArt alumni, including Alan Caso and Ian Dumas, BFA ’21. Those connections have led to lasting collaborations and opportunities, and he continues to value the community that began during his college years. 

His advice for current students: “Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself and what you want out of your education and beyond.”

His next project: filming the Anthony Bourdian biopic Tony in Provincetown, MA.

From his early days drawing in Southie to working on major motion pictures, Terrence Hayes is a testament to the power of following your passion, staying curious, and building community along the way.