FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FILM

CLIENT:  LEADING EDGE PRODUCTIONS

CREDIT:  EDITOR

I poured over a year of offline / online editing and graphics work into this important film. By executive producer Paula Apsell of NOVA fame and director Kirk Wolfinger comes a story intended to right over 70 years of misconception about the holocaust.

Contrary to what most people believe, in WWII Jews waged at least 60 armed rebellions in ghettos, 25 in concentration and slave labor camps, fought by the thousands within partisan units, and joined campaigns of non-violent resistance against the Nazis. Resistance: They Fought Back travels to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Israel, and the U.S. to illuminate the forgotten, and largely unknown, stories of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust.

CLIENT:  PBS

CREDITS:  DIRECTOR,  EDITOR

In the past 15 years we have seen the Towers fall again and again in a series of powerful documentaries and TV shows. Movies have expertly rendered the courage of first responders and the passenger takeover on United Flight 93. But in the smoke of 9/11, one story still remains largely overlooked: the attack on the Pentagon.

On September 11th, 184 people lost their lives at the Pentagon. Today many people are surprised to hear that the Pentagon was ever a target, let alone the loss of life that occurred there. And even fewer know about those who escaped and how many people were terrifyingly close to the impact zone.

On the 15th anniversary of the attack, survivors — many for the first time — tell their stories. There are harrowing accounts of crawling blindly through dark, smoky corridors, leaping from windows to escape, reentering the inferno to find colleagues, carrying the wounded to safety and tending to gravely burned, unrecognizable co-workers despite the dangerous conditions that surrounded them.

CLIENT:  VARIOUS

CREDIT:  EDITOR

0:00 D-DAY - Network Special

3:37 THE KIDS WE LOSE - Feature Doc

7:10 LIGHT ATTACHING TO A GIRL - Independent Feature

9:30 9/11: INSIDE THE PENTAGON - Network Special

12:06 BEYOND THE MOON - Network Special

FEATURE DOC

CLIENT:  LIVES IN THE BALANCE

CREDIT:  EDITOR

A collaboration between Lives in the Balance and Lone Wolf Media, The Kids We Lose is a feature-length documentary film about the human side of being a child or student with behavioral challenges, and the struggles faced by parents, educators, staff in facilities, mental health clinicians, and judicial and law enforcement professionals in trying to ensure that these kids receive the help they need. The Kids We Lose also exposes the often brutal, inhumane ways in which kids with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges are treated in schools, inpatient psychiatry units, residential facilities, and prisons. Their hopelessness, misery, and frustration are palpable. The human toll is hard to fathom. But these are also the most expensive kids in our society. Doing the wrong thing costs a fortune. When we don’t help our most vulnerable kids, we all lose. 

The Kids We Lose is intended to heighten awareness and galvanize people to advocate for change. If you’re interested in getting involved, become a Lives in the Balance Advocator. There’s a lot to be done, and Lives in the Balance Advocators are leading the way. For free resources on reducing (and ultimately eliminating) the use of restraint and seclusion, visit www.truecrisisprevention.org.

The Kids We Lose has already won many accolades, including: 

Best Documentary, 2019 Whistleblower Summit and Film Festival, Washington, DC

Best Feature Documentary, 2018 New Hampshire Film Festival

Best Feature Documentary, 2019 Women’s Film Festival, Philadelphia

Best Feature Documentary, 2019 Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival

The film has also screened on Maine Public Television and Vermont Public Television. 

One of the detriments of working non-stop is you don’t make the time to update your reel. Examples of recent work available upon request.

CLIENT:  HISTORY

CREDITS:  EXEC PRODUCER / EDITOR / DIR of REENACTMENTS

For the 70th Anniversary of the Allied invasion of Nazi-held Europe, History tells the story of D-Day in HD. Rare footage is rendered in High Definition, then combined with interviews from the men who lived through it. Allied and German survivors tell their first-hand stories about the war that changed the course of the world. Through these stories, the long held belief that an Allied victory was secured after a single, bloody day will be dispelled. In truth, it would take weeks of back and forth struggle before the Allies could cement their foothold in enemy territory. And the final death toll far exceeds anything seen on the beaches. D-Day remains one of the most important turning points of WWII, yet very few of us know the real story…until now.

CLIENT:  HISTORY 

CREDITS:  PRODUCER / DIRECTOR / EDITOR

September 11th… Pearl Harbor… the assassination of JFK. Days that forever changed America. But the Kennedy assassination is different: 50 years after it happened, most Americans think we don't know who did it. Now History has conducted the largest nationwide survey ever attempted on the topic to learn exactly what the country believes. Who do Americans suspect was really responsible for JFK's death? It's an entirely new way to look at the assassination–through the eyes of those to whom it matters most: the American people. Premiere experts Vincent Bugliosi, Max Holland, Gerald Posner, Robert Groden, Jefferson Morley and others will break down why each leading theory has captured the American imagination, where the evidence supports it, and where it comes up short. The entire range of conspiracy theories will be examined, from the mainstream to the fringe, and the big questions will finally be answered: who does America think really killed JFK–and why?

CLIENT:  HISTORY

CREDITS:  CO-PRODUCER / CO-DIRECTOR / EDITOR

In April 2012, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, HISTORY® seeks to answer the questions surrounding this infamous disaster once and for all. In a major, exclusive underwater expedition, HISTORY partners with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and RMS Titanic, Inc. to conduct the most extensive exploration and imaging of Titanic's wreck site ever undertaken. CGI will illustrate what happened structurally to the ship, minute by minute, after it's fatal collision with an iceberg.

CLIENT:  SMITHSONIAN NETWORK

CREDIT:  SERIES EDITOR

Modern historians uncover new truths about America's most iconic moments.

Editor on episodes:

S1 Ep01: Salem’s Secrets

S1 Ep02: Targeting Jefferson Davis

S2 Ep01: Hitler’s Election Plot

S3 Ep02: Birth of Shadow Ops

PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT:   www.globalhealthmedia.org

CREDIT:  Senior Editor 

Global Health Media Project designs and develops videos that are tailored to the needs of health workers and populations in low-resource settings. Internet and mobile technology give us the power to reach large numbers, cost-effectively and across vast distances, resulting in significant impact at minimal cost per patient.

Starting in 2014 Tony has been the senior editor for Global Health, not only editing new content and reformatting / alt-languaging existing content, but often acting as graphic designer and photographer.  In 2014 he filmed on location with the Global Health team in Toronto Canada and Itahari Nepal.  

CLIENT:  HISTORY

CREDIT:  CO PRODUCER / EDITOR

In 1961, President Kennedy set a goal for the nation: beat the Russians to the Moon and do it within the decade. In 1969, NASA met that goal--but no one defined what should happen next. As a growing number of political, social, and economic problems vie for the nation's attention and money, Congress, Presidents, and the public aren't certain if manned space flight is really worth the cost and risk. But for legendary flight director Gene Kranz and the men and women of Mission Control, there's no doubt. Despite waning public support and shrinking budgets, they still have a job to do with no room for error. This feature-length sequel to Failure Is Not an Option tells the story of America's post-Apollo space program, from the point of view of the engineers ofMission Control. Through their experiences, we get a firsthand look at life inside Mission Control, as these driven engineers continue to push the boundaries of space flight from 1972 into the new century.

CLIENT:  History

CREDITS:  Co-producer / Editor

 In 1957, the Soviet Union launched an unassuming orb into orbit around the earth. This satellite, the first ever to orbit the earth, started an unprecedented space race, and arms race, between the Soviet Union and the United States. The United States formed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to bring America to the forefront of space travel. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy pledged that the United States would put a man on the moon before the decade was out. NASA fulfilled that legacy in July 1969 when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon uttering the historic phrase “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Today, space travel is as much a part of our history as any other type of exploration. Astronauts today remain in space for weeks and months at a time with astronauts from other countries. But for the decades of the second half of the twentieth century, especially from the late 1950s to the early 1970s, NASA and its accomplishments were the focus of national pride and honor. Failure Is Not An Option tells the story of the men and women behind the space program—the men and women of mission control.  

Spot:    HEARTS ON FIRE INSTORE SIZZLE
Client:  DOWNSTREAM
Credit:  EDITOR

Spot:    AETNA:  STEPHEN SAWYER
Client:  SHARON BROWN
Credit:  EDITOR

Spot:    INTEL:  ETHNOGRAPHY
Client:  INTEL
Credits:  EDITOR

Spot:    NUMONYX LAUNCH REEL
Client:  DOWNSTREAM
Credit:  EDITOR

Spot:    STAND FOR CHILDREN:  GUSTAVO
Client:  STAND FOR CHILDREN
Credit:  Writer/Editor

Spot:    ABPM AWARDS SHOW OPENER
Client:  ABPM
Credit:  Director/Editor
 

INDY FEATURE

CLIENT:  WAYWARD ARK PRODUCTIONS

CREDIT:  Editor

Suffocated by an overbearing father and two older sisters who soak up any attention that comes their way, Clare is desperate to escape. She plans a trip to Iceland by herself where she can experience nature, and make her own decisions for the first time in her life. Light Attaching to a Girl poetically drifts between the interior and exterior life of an adolescent, as she reckons with haunting memories of her childhood even as she takes her first steps into adulthood.

Shot documentary style, using non-actors with improv and very minimal scripting, Light Attaching to a Girl pushes the boundaries of filmmaking in a poetic and reflective look at adolescence and freedom.

Spot:    ASSURANT NEW STORIES
Client:  BORDERS, PERRIN & NORRANDER
Credit:  EDITOR

Spot:   CALLAWAY RANGEFINDER
Client:  CALLWAY GOLF
Credit:  EDITOR

Spot:    MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR: WOULDA
Client:  BORDERS, PERRIN & NORRANDER
Credits:  GRAPHIC DESIGN / AFTER EFFECTS ARTIST / EDITOR

Spot:    ASTRIVE:  EXAMS
Client:  JERRY BROWN / DOWNSTREAM
Credit:  EDITOR

Spot:    GOODWILL:  FACTS AND FIGURES
Client:  GOODWILL
Credit:  Editor

Spot:    SPORE GALACTIC ADVENTURES (WEB)
Client:  EA EUROPE
Credit:  Editor

Spot:    NUTRISYSTEM:  LEGEND
Client:  NUTRYSYSTEM
Credit:  Editor
 

CLIENT:  History

CREDIT:  Co-Producer / Editor

Fire On The Mountain is a riveting documentary investigating the death of the 14 firefighters killed in 1994 on Storm King Mountain in Colorado, one of the worst disasters in U.S. wildfire history.

The show, based on a book by investigative reporter John Maclean, introduces viewers to the event with a dramatic reenactment of the tragic day and uncovers a story of "bureaucratic intrigue and mismanagement" that contributed to the firefighters' deaths.

Maclean is the son of author Norman Maclean, writer of "Young Men and Fire" about a 1949 tragedy called the Mann Gulch fire in Montana, one that claimed the lives of 12 firefighters. The elder Maclean, once a firefighter himself, wrote that book as a warning, "Mann Gulch must never happen again." But 45 years later the incident was repeated at Storm King.

The federal report on Storm King blamed the deaths on the firefighters themselves for having a "can-do" attitude which Maclean and many of the survivors found insulting and inaccurate.

"I wanted answers and I felt duty-bound to find them," Maclean says Maclean set out to answer three questions: 1) Why did the Bureau of Land Management wait three days before fighting the fire? 2) Why did the 49 firefighters on the mountain get fooled so badly by the fire, even though they recognized the similarities to Mann Gulch? 3) Why did the smokejumper in charge, Don Mackey, turn back after directing others to safety?

The documentary features stories from survivors, tearful interviews with family members, and explanations from investigators and administrative officials.

Maclean also talks to survivors of Mann Gulch to compare the two incidents. Although firefighting safety standards were issued after Mann Gulch in 1957, many of these were ignored at Storm King. Maclean discusses problems with the firefighter's strategy at Storm King, such as fighting the fire from an uphill position and not allowing for a change in conditions.

But numerous other problems are discovered as Maclean reveals the lack of communication between two BLM offices handling different aspects of the fire, and how a misguided BLM policy forced employees to hold back available resources despite firefighters' requests. We also learn about an important weather warning issued to all regional BLM offices, but never relayed to the firefighters at Storm King.

"All over western Colorado, crews are getting the message and pulling out. Don Mackey and the others on Storm King are the only ones who are not told what's coming," says local fire weather forecaster Chris Cuoco.

The documentary follows the fire's slow progress until finally, "Hell erupts." Helicopter pilot Dick Good saw everything as a wall of flame tore across the mountain and the firefighters ran for their lives. "My thought at that point was that no one is gonna survive that fire. This was the most terrible thing I had ever been through," says Good, a Vietnam veteran.

The production takes viewers though the last desperate moments as the firefighters are trapped in a U-shaped inferno. They can hear their gas cans and chain saws exploding behind them as they race up the steep mountainside. While some reach the limit of their endurance, stop and open their fire shelters, others keep going and make it over the ridge.

One survivor tells how he jumped to get away from the heat just as he crested the ridge, and was then slammed to the ground by the force of the fire. Officials said the only reason he lived is that he screamed as he went down, preventing him from inhaling the super-heated gases that killed those in the fire shelters.

Officials feared they had lost as many as 40 firefighters and it was hours before they got an accurate head count. The search for two of the bodies is a story within a story, Maclean says. Due to a lack of communication and lack of resources allotted for search and rescue efforts, it took 48 hours to locate the bodies and even learn whether they were dead or alive.

At the end of the show Maclean puts together the pieces of the puzzle to answer his questions, and to give some advice.

"One of the truths of history is that we learn from the big, cataclysmic events," Maclean says. "This is not war. Casualties are not inevitable and to be accepted. This is something different and there are times when you do step back."