A recent transplant from Brooklyn, New York, it was the “do it yourself” culture and lifelong love of biking that drew Brenda to Portland in the first place. She describes the city as “a perfect blend of a free-wheeling and art-loving”.

But it is not just her love of biking that got the attention of Filmed by Bike. Brenda, an experimental filmmaker with an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, works in digital design and new media using a feminist’s ideology, a hacker’s mentality and a child’s curiosity. She is a current teacher at the Northwest Film Center and has curated film/video programs throughout the U.S.

If your interested in hobnobbing with this Filmed by Bike juror, simply look for her riding around town, because she has never owned a drivers license and she’s excited to be exploring the streets of her new home, Portland.

Mary is proud to introduce herself to people as Filmed by Bike’s biggest fan and now she can’t believe she gets to add to her resume the title of 2011 Jury Member.

Mary is the marketing mastermind behind Karmic Marketing. She has, as she puts it, “a passion for promoting ideas and building communities.” This passion has reached into different businesses throughout Portland, including Laughing Planet, Grand Central Bakery and Radio Room.

Mary comes to us well prepared, and not only through her experience working marketing magic; Mary is also a mom of six kids under 12 years old. If she can handle that, we know full well she can handle the rigor of being a Filmed by Bike jury member!

Heidi describes herself as “a newspaper columnist, freelance writer and photographer (and sometimes bike racer) with a penchant for adventure”. So we couldn’t resist accepting her for the adventure of 2011 jury member.

Heidi considers her relentless attention to detail one of her many superpowers, a skill that wil invariably need to be deployed as she scours through endless hours of films alongside the other jurors.

Heidi writes The Everyday Cyclist, a twice-monthly Oregonian column and The Cycling Diaries, an online column for Wend Magazine. Her work has appeared in Cyclocross Magazine, Bicycling Magazine and Velonews to name just a few publications.

But don’t let the credentials fool you, Heidi still makes time to get out from behind the computer and on the open road with the “locally fabulous” Veloforma Cycling team.

“I have grease under my fingernails right now and I smell like cutting fluid”

There is no better way is there to introduce you to juror Nate Meschke.

Ever since finishing art school, Nate has channeled his creative fire, brain power and physical energy into building beautiful bikes. He says that for the past 15 years he has not made a dime that is not, in some way, tied to biking. As part of this years jury panel, Nate says he is most looking forward to the films, the food and the free drinks.

Nate’s experience as co-owner to Signal Cycles has prepared him for the task ahead to be a 2011 Filmed by Bike juror. Among his many talents, Nate lists the fact that and he once ate a whole baby loaf of Tillamook cheddar cheese in one sitting.

We forgot to ask, Nate, do you prefer your bourbon near or on the rocks?

Portland’s cyclist of all trades, Jim Anderson, is looking for movies of all trades to be in this years Filmed by Bike line-up.

As a Portland native, Jim looks forward to seeing his beautiful city as a film backdrop as images of cyclocross and Pedalpalooza flood back a year of memories in review. But Jim seeks more than local flavor, in fact he shared with us that his favorite Filmed by Bike movies tend to be short, powerful, single-subject films.

From cycling teams, racing, traveling and cycling event organization, Jim has the experience to bring a wide perspective to this year’s panel. Jim is the president of the Oregon Cycling Team and has a background in design.

Timo Forsberg knows that no book could live up to the caliber of movies Filmed By Bike receives each year.

“I am especially happy not to have to hear anyone say ‘The book was much better then the movie.’”

Timo has been to every single Filmed by Bike, so he feels well prepared for the rigors of watching several hours of bike movies and believes his poor memory of past films will give him an absolutely fresh perspective for the 2011 festival.

Besides being a Filmed By Bike enthusiast, Timo contributes in a big way to the Portland bike culture as a board member of the School and Community Reuse Action Program, working with the Multnomah County Bike Fair and as a member of the Trash Mountain Boys bike/rock combo. Timo also enjoys contributing to Breakfast on the Bridges, a monthly event to serve coffee and pastries to morning bike commuters on several Portland bridges. Show up on the last Friday of the month to run elbows with this esteemed jury member. In his spare time, Timo works a full time job for the City of Portland’s Transportation Options Program.

For Rebecca Hamilton, riding her bike is part political statement, part shopping cart and part maintenance manual. Rebecca says she is one with the sweat, style and satisfaction of the everyday biker. It is this kinship with the daily trials and tribulations of cyclists that has landed her a spot on our esteemed jury panel.

“Every person behind the handle bars has a story to tell and I can’t wait to see how some of them have chosen to tell it through their film submissions.”

Rebecca is a rockstar with the City of Portland’s Women on Bikes program and as a co-manager of the efforts to bring “parklets,” mini-on-road parks, to Portland.

Aaron Mesh is a film editor for the Willamette Week. He is looking forward to sharing his vast experience and knowledge of movies with the Filmed by Bike 2011 jury panel to create a series of festival programs that will knock your socks off.

NICK PETERSON

Filmmaker Nick Peterson says he has always been proud of the free-spirited DIY culture of his hometown, Portland, and he thinks Filmed by Bike “is a great incarnation of the enthusiasm and soul behind it.” As a jury member, he completely plans to extort the “mad fame and fortune that comes with being on the jury.” He says he could watch bike movies all day and is excited to be part of the team that gets to review submissions.

Nick is a huge bike enthusiast who has never owned a car. He says he’s happy only if he’s spinning around town, but he has really taken things to the velo extreme in his work as a filmmaker. Nick’s films focuses on the subject of communication between people in and out of love. “Specifically,” he says, “the difficulties and misunderstandings we often have in relationships.”

The last film he shot, “Field Guide to November Days” was made entirely by bike. Everyone working on the film biked to set and everything (including furniture) was pulled by bike. The film will premiere this May through the NW Film Center and then Nick will be taking a bike tour of the film from Vancouver, BC down to the Bay Area in June.

SARAH MIRK

“Bikes make me feel strong, smart and sexy and they help me explore the city.”

Sarah is a reporter for the Portland Mercury where, she says, she reports on interesting news and people in the city. “Mostly I focus on bikes, transportation, development, politics and crazy shit.” Because the opening night of Filmed by Bike always sells out, Sarah has never actually gotten into a screening of Filmed by Bike, so she is looking forward to her jury status guaranteeing her a seat this year.

Sarah keeps tabs on what’s happening in the world of bikes, and says “I’m thrilled to watch more non-sporty people who never thought of themselves as cyclists get excited about bikes. Moms and babies, ladies in skirts, office workers and school children.”