Kip Pastor - Director/Producer
Having traveled and explored extensively, Kip finds inspiration in places outside of his comfort zone. After graduating cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, he worked at a major law firm in Washington, DC, the Wildlife Conservation Society in Vientiane, Laos, as an international trade consultant in Mexico City, and in Maryland doing development and post-production work for a History Channel show. Kip received his Masters in Fine Arts degree from the American Film Institute, and then became the Program Manager at Meaningful Media in Los Angeles. As a storyteller, Kip is an award-winning director and producer. He has produced many nationally broadcast commercials, directed the feature documentary IN ORGANIC WE TRUST, produced and written several short films that have played on television and all over the world, and a number of music videos. He has written articles that have been published in the Miami Herald, Christian Science Monitor, and Huffington Post. Kip has appeared on ABC7 News, NPR, various radio shows, has spoken at dozens of festivals, screenings, and conferences. Committed to creating narrative and documentary films that inspire change and increase understanding, he believes that filmmaking is the most effective medium to disseminate big ideas.
Emma Fletcher - Producer
Emma graduated cum laude from Tufts University in 2003 with a BA in International Relations and a minor in Mass Media and Communications. After working as Producer’s Assistant on projects such as Tony Gilroy’s Duplicity and Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant, she left her job to join the Obama campaign, as Office Manager of the San Fernando Valley Headquarters. Emma later traveled to Thailand and Burma to shoot a short documentary about an orphanage for children saved from human trafficking. She is drawn to film because of its capacity to elicit positive change through the exploration and discussion of compelling ideas.
Todd Banhazl - Director of Photography
Todd Banhazl, a cinematographer currently based in Los Angeles and New York, received his Masters in Cinematography at the American Film Institute. His thesis film, Patrol, was a national finalist in the Student Academy Awards and was screened at Sundance Film Festival in 2010. Todd also shot All About Dad, which won the Audience Award at Cinequest 2008. He has also shot commercials and music videos for Paris Hilton, The Ting Tings, General Electric, AMC Network, Four Seasons Resorts, Toyota, and Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, among others.
Jeff Bierman - Director of Photography
Jeff graduated from Drexel University in 2007. At an early age, Jeff’s desire to explore people and places drew him behind the camera. He has been studying and making films for seven years and has been honored with awards in editing, directing, and cinematography. Jeff received a Masters in Cinematography from the American Film Institute, where his thesis film screened at the 66th Venice Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival. The search to understand what he sees is at the core of his approach to visual storytelling.
John-Michael Powell - Editor
John-Michael earned a B.S. in Radio-Television-Film from Texas Christian University. He spent two years as the Lead Editor for National Banana, where he cut with Jerry Zucker (Airplane!, Ghost, First Knight) on the TV series Already in Progress, as well as a series of PSAs featured on CNN called Attack at the Pump. In 2009, John-Michael cut the award-winning feature film Obselidia, which won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize and Excellence in Cinematography Prize at Sundance 2010, and was also nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards in 2011. He followed Obselidia up by cutting The Brass Teapot starring Michael Angarano and Juno Temple as well as the feature length rock & roll documentary See Kid Go.
Yoni Reiss - Editor
Yoni Reiss moved to America shortly after being born in Israel. After attending Drexel University, Yoni moved to Los Angeles to obtain his Master's degree at the American Film Institute. Yoni's films have appeared in festivals in both America and Europe. He edited the short film Life on Earth, which appeared in the 2010 San Francisco Independent Film Festival.
Eric Jasper - Composer
A Los Angeles native, Eric studied music composition at Stanford University, where he played trumpet with the symphony orchestra on tours to Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House. He then attended the graduate film scoring program at USC’s Thornton School of Music. In 2010, he was selected to participate in the prestigious ASCAP TV and Film Scoring Workshop with Richard Bellis. Eric has written music for documentaries, scripted films, online promotional media, TV advertising, and production music libraries. In 2009 and 2010, Eric scored and co-produced two documentaries about music in L.A. elementary schools and won LA Emmy awards for both. Eric’s diverse musical background gives him the ability to merge genres and create a unique voice for his compositions.
Annika Ihnat - Outreach Coordinator
Annika graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with a BA in communications and women’s studies. After assisting in the creation of the Extra Mile America Foundation, Annika coordinated two cross-country tours and the national Extra Mile Day campaign. Since then, she has worked as a freelance production coordinator for the Gay Culture Education Project and freelance writer and communications consultant for SOSMentor, a nonprofit that provides nutrition education for kids. Passionate about food justice, cooking, and community engagement, Annika has worked and volunteered for local organizations such as Sustainable Economic Enterprises of Los Angeles (SEE-LA) and Cooking Matters L.A.
Leighton Woodhouse - Outreach Consultant
Leighton is a graphic designer and communications specialist with a background in issue advocacy. He is the co-founder of Dog Park Media, a video production and print design company. He is also the Communications Director for the National Union of Healthcare Workers. Leighton’s work in the documentary film world began at Brave New Films, where he was Communications Director and then Political Director. Leighton has a Master’s degree in Sociology from UC Berkeley.