Presents
BEST GALS
A Grip & Electric Workshop
Taught By
Jessica “JJ” Jastrzebski and Cydney Cox
Sunday, September 28, 2025
12:30 pm to 5:30 pm
At
MPS Studios
141 Regal Row
Dallas, Texas 75247
FREE Parking at MPS
Light Craft Service Will Be Provided.
NB: A location for a group dinner will be determined day of for anyone interested in continuing the conversation after the workshop ends. Dinner will be BYO.
Workshop Description
Best Gals is a fun, welcoming, and safe course to learn grip and electric (a.k.a. G&E) taught by Jessica Jastrzebski and Cydney Cox! If you are curious about G&E and want to learn more about it, then this is the perfect class is for you! No prior experience is required.
For the workshop, we plan to focus specifically on lighting skills. You will learn about what G&E does on set, why it is important, the set lingo, and how to use lighting equipment. This knowledge will also help to improve your cinematography skills including lightening techniques for self taping auditions.
This seminar is not a lecture class talking about the importance of three point lighting, but a true hands-on learning experience using professional lighting gear. JJ and Cydney will be showing you how to use:
C-Stands and Combos Stands
Electrical Distribution and Safety
LEDs, HMIs, and Tungsten Lights
Gels and Diffusion
Grip Hardware and Light Rigging
Generators and Portable Batteries
And much more!!!
G&E is part of every film set. With film and tv production exploding in the north Texas area, this is a great aspect of the film industry to work in. And there are not many women doing this type of work locally. We hope this class helps women advance in their careers by expanding their skills and knowledge to be a valuable part of any professional film production.
Thank you to MPS Studios for being our host location and generous event sponsor!
Learn About Your Best Gal Instructors:
Jessica “JJ” Jastrzebskibski
I fell in love with Grip and Electric over six years ago. Started off as a G&E swing for small independent shows, and have worked my way up the ranks to both Gaffer and Key Grip. With the days worked on the show 1883 I was able to complete one of my top career goals: proudly joining IATSE in the electric department. Shortly after 1883 and Love & Death I happily joined both electric and grip crafts. Over the years I’ve worked on many other union shows, including Bass Reeves, Chosen, Landman, Lioness, Twisters, and Yellowstone spin offs. While working on Dr. Phil and Morning on Merit Street l taught myself to operate light boards and know how to control lights remotely. Most recently, I became Mobile Elevating Work Platform certified and have been working as a condor operator, flying as high as 125 feet. While flying at these heights I control large lights, such as 18ks and 360s. I absolutely love what I do and continue to keep up on the latest lighting gear, learn more about condor operating, and self teaching myself light board operation.
Women’s rights, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ rights have always been important to me. I constantly fight for those rights in the film industry. Back in 2021 I created a class called ‘Best Gals: Grip and Electric”. This was a class to bring awareness to the lack of women in G&E, teach women the basics about both Grip and Electric, and continue to remind women that we can do anything we put our mind to. I successfully ran the course with the goals: to empower women, in a safe welcoming environment, and have fun. After the Best Gals class, I have gone on to mentor many women on set. When working in leadership roles I try to hire as many women as possible. I also recommend women to those in hiring positions. I think we bring lots of additional skills to set, including: dedication, organization, communication, detail orientation, team support and sensitivity to special needs, and many more skills. Lastly, I have become the IATSE 484 Women’s Committee Chair to help women in Texas and Oklahoma. Within the Women’s Committee I have created several charity events, including a drive for Period Poverty awareness in which we donated feminine hygiene products to Genesis Women’s Shelter in Dallas.
Over the years working in this industry I have learned that women are amazing film professionals and have every right to work side by side with guys. My current career goals include helping women get seen and to aid those who want to join the Texas grip and electrical departments.
“Whatever you choose to do, leave tracks. That means don’t do it just for yourself. You will want to leave the world a little better for your having lived.” -Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Cydney Cox
Cydney is a Texas-raised filmmaker originally from San Antonio. She developed a passion for creative storytelling while attending the North East School of the Arts in high school. After graduating from Southern Methodist University with a B.A. in Film & Media Arts and Psychology in 2014, she worked as the Program Coordinator for the USA Film Festival. Cydney later decided to pursue her M.F.A. at the University of Texas at Arlington while balancing freelance work in the industry, the responsibilities of teaching as a graduate teaching assistant, and serving on the Board of Directors for Women in Film Dallas for five years in a variety of roles.
She began her career as a Script Supervisor in the summer of 2017 working on shorts and independent projects in order to gain experience and knowledge. Later she delved into the world of Production Coordinating in 2020 while simultaneously working in the Health and Safety Department during the Pandemic.
Cydney has been a proud member of IATSE since March of 2023 and continues to work throughout the DFW area as a Script Supervisor, Production Coordinator, and Assistant Director when she is not creating her own works that explore the human condition and expressions of trauma, adversity, and mental illness.
