background
Born in Brooklyn, NY and raised by a single dad who worked at the New York Times, I spent a lot of my childhood in the newsroom with world-class reporters and photographers.
After college, it was of little surprise to find myself working with journalists: researching, producing documentaries and contributing reporting from my overseas haunts in Vietnam, Thailand and Korea. There, I earned a masters in international security and intelligence studies and returned to documentary film full-time.
Journalistic ethics and a commitment to well-researched stories have shaped my approach to professional and personal film projects, which have been recognized by four Emmy nominations.
foregrOund
My body of work encompasses a wide range of subjects and styles: criminal justice, political history, culture, sport. At the heart of every story are compelling characters that are authentic, intimate, and reflect the messy and often contradictory reality on the ground.
I believe in stories that speak to audiences on a personal level while also taking them into new subcultures, disciplines and perspectives. These days, I am drawn to projects that explore topics that the public is finding harder and harder to talk about with candor and civility.
Documentary film can provide a space for audiences to explore ideas, identities, and histories that can be polarizing in the abstract. Visual art can communicate on emotional grounds, and even inspire viewers to suspend disbelief long enough to move them to newfound empathy and understanding.
But sometimes, a good story is just a good story.
APPROACH
Nothing is more important to telling a good story than a collaborative team with a vision.
As a producer, writer and developer sometimes the hardest but most courageous thing is to say 'yes.' It's my job to find ways to support the realization of a passionate vision for a unique story.
Sometimes that means keeping projects scrappy with lean teams. Sometimes that means going big: a choreographed dance about Tupperware and plastics; a metal music video with a giant pumpkin monster; or tracking down coordinates in the Thai jungle to find rumored graves.
Let the story lead.
