My experience with juvenile justice began in 1986 at a detention center in Reno—as an offender—an experience that galvanized my interest in how we deal with at-risk youth. I am a storyteller at heart, and I try to use that gift to inform, persuade, and enlighten, with a keen interest in social justice issues. I have produced, shot, and directed content for television, theatrical and web distribution, with broadcast partners that include ABC News, MSNBC, A&E, Channel 4 (UK), The BBC, and Discovery International. I also started a nonprofit that helps the formerly incarcerated pursue meaningful careers in the entertainment industry.
Current and Past Projects
STATE DEPT. ECA CULTURAL ENVOY - UKRAINE
Current project, short films about Ukrainian art, culture, and cuisine.
Roles: Director, Producer, Cinematographer
STATE DEPT. ECA CULTURAL ENVOY - CUBA
An Arts Envoy Program supporting freedom of expression and human rights of artists from Cuba and around the world.
Roles: Director, Producer, Cinematographer
UNCHARITABLE
Stephen Gyllenhaal’s documentary that explores the challenges put forth in Dan Pallotta’s book of the same name.
Roles: Segment Producer, Cinematographer
KINGS OF THE YUKON
A portrait of the Yupik way of life and how the decline of King salmon in Alaska is threatening their centuries-old way of life.
More Information: Kings of The Yukon Website
Roles: Director, Producer
THEY CALL US MONSTERS
A feature documentary directed by Ben Lear that takes a balanced look at the practice of trying juveniles as adults. Although such young men are often accused of committing very serious offenses, Ben gives you the chance to spend time with them in a way that will help audiences be better informed about the issue.
Roles: Co-Producer, Camera
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO WEB SERIES
A web series for teaching life skills to transition-age foster youth.
Roles: Creator, Director, Producer
SB1052 ADVOCACY VIDEO
A piece I produced for Human Rights Watch and the Fair Sentencing of Youth to advocate for a bill that would ensure juveniles understand their Miranda Rights before waiving them.
Roles: Producer, Photographer
HEALING DIALOGUES AND ACTION
Video for an amazing group of folks that host dialogues between survivors of violent crimes and the families of perpetrators.
Roles: Producer, Photographer
LINGO 101 WITH JOSE
Just a fun bit of trading with unearned knowledge.
THE DAVID MENDOZA STORY (WORKING TITLE)
What began as a simple 8-day documentary spiraled into a year-long saga of a Los Angeles family's youngest son trying to cross the threshold to adulthood while leaving behind the baggage of an adolescence marked by serial incarceration, gang life, and addiction.
Clips available: https://vimeo.com/114052501
Roles: Co-Director, Producer, Cinematographer
WE ALL LIVE ONCE FOREVER
A film that looks at how we live forever through the impressions we make on the people around us. The story is both an intimate portrait of the fight against a potentially terminal illness, and a celebration of life, love, and the power of human connection. Excerpt here:
Roles: Director, Producer, Cinematographer
MEET JESSE
Piece I produced and directed with the graduates of my community nonprofit program, ManifestWorks young people whose lives have been affected by juvenile justice and public foster care systems. Fun fact: six years later, after getting his PhD, Jesse would become a contestant on the 43rd season of Survivor.
Roles: Director, Producer, Cinematographer
MURDER IN ENCHANTED HILLS (A&E)
A deeper look into the stories of Paul Gingerich and Colt Lundy we uncovered in Young Kids, Hard Time. In this extended version of a doc we did for Channel 4 in the UK, we dig a bit deeper into the circumstances surrounding the crime that resulted in both boys being sentenced to 25 years in the adult prison system.
Roles: Executive Producer, Field Producer
12-YEAR-OLD LIFER: THE PAUL GINGERICH STORY (CHANNEL 4)
In 2010, Paul Gingerich took part in the murder of his friend's stepfather when he was a couple weeks past his 12th birthday. To this day, the primary reason Colt Lundy was compelled to kill his stepfather remains a mystery to everyone except Colt. This special documentary released in Britain, France, and Australia looks at the rural Indiana community and both boys' families that were forever changed on that spring afternoon.
Roles: Executive Producer, Field Producer
INSIDE THE GANGSTERS CODE (DISCOVER INTL)
The Burqueños are the newest gang on the New Mexico prison scene. In this one-hour episode, ex-mobster Lou Ferrante travels to some of the state's most notorious prisons and into the barrios of Albuquerque in search of the Burqueños' roots and power players.
Roles: Producer, Field Producer
YOUNG KIDS, HARD TIME (MSNBC)
Young Kids, Hard Time is an award-winning 2-part series from Calamari Productions that throws back the veil on the reality of young kids serving long sentences behind adult prison walls. Wabash Valley is home to the Youth Incarcerated As Adults cellblock (YIA), where 53 kids eat, sleep, study, and recreate while being alienated from their adult counterparts. But once a youth turns 18, they are transitioned into the adult population, where thousands of adult prisoners await.
Roles: Producer, Field Producer
Award: PASS Award for Outstanding Documentary
PAROLE (A&E)
Get to know the kids of maximum security prison as they work their way through the levels to end up at their Parole hearing.
Roles: Producer, Field Producer
LAKE COUNTY JUVENILE JUSTICE (MSNBC)
From the confines of America's juvenile detention facilities to the razor wire of juvenile prison to the heart-pounding juvenile courtroom hearings where everything is on the line, Lake County Juvenile Justice (Cradle to Jail on Hulu) explores where juvenile crime begins, how it evolves, and what's at stake for kids, families and professionals in the system.
Roles: Producer, Field Producer
Awards: Crystal Clarion, Gracie Allen Award - Outstanding Documentary Series
Alt Media
Advocacy Media
Two pieces that I produced for the policy campaign championed by The Fair Sentencing For Youth and Human Rights Watch to pass Senate Bill 9, giving individuals who were given life sentences as juveniles a shot a second chance.
Roles: Producer, Writer, Shooter
Distinction: SB9 is now a law!
UNTITLED INTERVIEW PROJECT
PREA Orientation Video
This is a piece I wrote, produced and directed for The Texas Juvenile Justice Department. The video is an effort to help youth coming into the system understand how to avoid sexual victimization in juvenile facilities and how to report potentially inappropriate behavior. My aim with this video was to make it frank, conversational and most of all, watchable. I used the blank background and an Erol Morris-ian interretron device to achieve the direct-to-camera address.
Roles: Creative Director, Writer, Cinematographer
The Green Dean Webisode Series
Way, way back in 2006 before Going Green became the benevolent cliché that it is today, I created a web series featuring ASLA luminary, Dean Hill, where we highlighted many ways that homeowners good employ sustainable landscaping practices without breaking the budget.
Roles: Creator, Creative Director, Producer
Awards: Nominated for both a Webbie and a Regional Emmy.