John William Holt is Technical Director for The River's Edge International Film Festival and Operations Director at Maiden Alley Cinema. John was born in Paducah KY and educated at Murray State University. After getting his hands on a camera in 2002 he started making short films full time. He has won several awards and completed his first feature film The Dooms Chapel Horror in 2015 along with being co-founder at the production company Red Band Films.
Lindsay is a Paducah native through and through. She graduated from Heath High School (Go Pirates!) and went on to get her Bachelors from Bellarmine University in Louisville where her love for the arts only grew. As a kid Lindsay spent almost every Saturday downtown Paducah doing footlights at Market House and enjoying treats from Kirchoffs Bakery. As she grew up Lindsay enjoyed spending time with friends at events like downtown after dark and eating chocolate at the fudge shop. Even though some of those childhood staples are no longer around one thing is still a constant and that is Maiden Alley Cinema. Lindsay is thrilled to be able to give back to downtown Paducah as it has given her so much over the years. Lindsay and her new family of four love to take walks by the river and listen to a local band play or catch a movie at MAC, you should join them!
Canyon and her husband moved to Paducah from Seattle with their three children, in the fall of 2020 to be near her twin and her family. In another life before children, she worked as a Greensperson and a Set Dresser for many years in the Art Departments of various television shows and movies. Canyon finished her bachelor's degree, with a focus on sculpture, after her first child was born. As more of her children have aged into school she begn to revive her art practice. Canyon's work fluctuates between fiber, sculpture, printmaking, and installation. Being a part of Maiden Alley has helped her weave herself into the artistic community of Paducah. She loves film and is so happy we have this wonderful theater.
Liz is a native Kentuckian, having grown up and attended college in Murray. Throughout her adolescent years, she often traveled to Maiden Alley Cinema for a taste of "the big city." Once she even went on a date there. (Was it a date? His parents were there and it was middle school. Let's call it a date.) Maiden Alley and Downtown Paducah have long felt like home to Liz, an artsy kid with a penchant for poetry and choral music.
While not watching movies in a romantic alley and eating her favorite food (popcorn), Liz enjoys singing with The Paducah Singers and spending time with her husband and two dog children.
"Your innermost urges will tell you what strategy to employ to accomplish your special purpose while doing the work you enjoy." -Carrie Fisher
Asia Burnett is an independent film lover and the Station Manager at WKMS - Murray State's NPR Station. Getting to help grow our region's culture is the best part of her job - and she loves partnering with other local non-profits to impact the community with cool arts & conversation. You can generally find her nerding out about movies, grooving to Sounds Good or The Kitchen Sink, or learning something new from NPR. She also enjoys farmers markets, trivia contests and wonderfully weird local art.
Dr. Rusty Jones is a Professor of English and the Chair of the English and Philosophy Department at Murray State University. Dr. Jones also chairs the annual Murray Shakespeare Festival. Originally from Arizona and the Central Coast of California, Dr. Jones came to Murray in 2008 with his wife Lis, a nurse at the Anna Mae Owen Hospice House, and their two children, Brynn and Patrick. Not long after moving to the region, Dr. Jones became a huge fan of Maiden Alley Cinema, and looks forward to helping support this invaluable Paducah institution for many years to come.
Britton Shurley is a Professor of English at West Kentucky Community & Technical College where he also serves as Dean of the Humanities, Fine Arts, Business, and Social Science Division. He grew up in Paducah and moved away after high school, only to return about a decade later.
He and his wife, Amelia, both love seeing films at Maiden Alley—as do their two daughters, who also swear it makes the best popcorn in town.
