About Rusty Baker

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Dallas native, Rusty Baker earned his Bachelor’s degree in Radio/Television/Film at the University of North Texas in 1999. As a student, he directed the feature-length documentary, Faded Glory, The Von Erich Story, which featured in the Dallas Video Festival, Forth Worth Film Festival, and USA Film Festival. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, Rusty Baker returned to the Marine Corps Reserves after a four-year hiatus for college. He was trained as a military journalist at the Defense Information School (DINFOS) at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, and served as a Marine combat correspondent and later as a Navy civilian public affairs officer. Baker volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan during a highpoint of terrorist insurgency during the 2004 Afghan presidential elections. He returned to Afghanistan in 2010-2011 as a First Sergeant to 159 Marines and Sailors.  He later served as a public affairs officer at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas. He has since retired from both federal service and the Marine Corps as a Sergeant Major. Baker has long been an advocate of veterans’ return and reintegration into society. He has been trained as a trauma-conscious yoga instructor for combat veterans struggling with PTSD. In 2025, Rusty Baker returned to UNT after 26 years to pursue his MFA in Documentary Production & Studies.  He recently directed Center Point and is currently in pre-production for The Ripple Effect.