Mankind’s history of drug use. A 16-year-old Tech CEO phenom finding love and chasing profits. A false profit builds a following and then outs his true identity. Ending extreme poverty worldwide. Artists on the cusp of rocking Madison Square Garden for the very first time. An entire television episode about signing one’s name. A convicted murderer’s love letter home to his babymama. Stories that transcend platform. Projects that make me get up in the morning. These clips, and everything on this site, come from work I have done as a producer, director, or both.
At 16-years-old, Ben Pasternak became the youngest CEO to ever obtain venture funding from an elite Silicon Valley VC firm (he got money from several). CEO@16 (8, 11-minute episodes broadcast on Fullscreen) follows him over an entire year, as he moves to NYC, lives alone in a high rise apartment, seeks his fame and fortune, all while trying to remain a teenager at heart. Chris Smith (American Movie, Jim & Andy) and Jack Turner (Loving, Banksy in New York) served as executive producers.
Role: Director/Producer
7 Camera teams following 7 photographers who were following the 2016 Presidential Election from 7 different angles. Hundreds of telling images. One shocking result. That November night inside the Javitz center, waiting for a candidate who never arrived, is one I’ll never forget. Directed by Emma Tammi & Henry Jacobson with Blumhouse for EPIX.
Role: Executive Producer & Cinematographer. Photo by Landon Nordeman
Mankind’s history using drugs, hosted by Dean Norris (DEA agent from AMC’s Breaking Bad), and packaged up as a 2-hour primetime special for The History Channel. With Bryan Carmel, Sam Bathrick, Corey Caplan, Matt Merek, Bart Sobolewski and the team at Summerhill Entertainment in Toronto.
The segment here is a favorite - a real DEA agent sitting down on a bail of weed in a secret government drug holding facility, having a dialogue about the drug war with a DEA agent from television.
Role: Director/Producer
9 Cameras via AEG Live. Danny Clinch and his rock doc team shooting 16 mm film. Hugh Evans, Michael Trainer and a massive team from the Global Poverty Project. The first ever Global Citizen Festival, broadcast worldwide via a streaming (The New York Times, VH1, Yahoo, VEVO, Youtube) and cable TV syndicate (Fuse, Palladia, Globo Brazil). The Black Keys, Foo Fighters, Neil Young & John Legend brought the house down.
Role: Executive Producer for Broadcast
Photo by Danny Clinch
This series of digital shorts helps incarcerated inmates send letters home to loved ones via strait-from-the-heart video messages. Produced with former US District Attorney Preet Bharara’s new media outlet, Cafe, this series sheds light on the opium crisis, the processes of atonement and forgiveness, and what families lose when a loved one is locked away.
Role: Director/Producer/Cinematographer
Vikram Gandhi became a false profit, attracted a real following, eventually revealing his true identify. Why? To show how people attach themselves to symbols in place of looking inside for meaning and guidance. Kumaré became a SXSW Audience Award Winner, and was released theatrically and via Netflix. Bryan Carmel, Brendan Colthurst, Kahlil Hudson, Nate Russell, Stephen Feder.
Role: Co-producer & Editor
This is a “how-to” science show about things you think you already know how to do. David Rees is man of many talents, and is especially well versed in pencil sharpening. True Entertainment, along with TV bosses Jo Honig, Christine Conner and showrunner Dan Miller, brought this project to life with Nat Geo and later the Esquire Network. Filming this segment on Andrews Air Force base with NASA literally cured me of a fear of flying.
Role: Field Producer, Editor
One of Resonant Pictures longest running projects (over 60 short docs on FB), Before The Show brings fans behind the scenes as artists prepare to rock the World’s Most Famous Arena and many of MSG Entertainment’s other incredible venues: Radio City Music Hall, The Beacon Theatre & The LA Forum. Mac Demarco brought half of Williamsburg out to RCMH on this night, when he played an incredible show AND sat down with me in the ladies lounge for an interview.
Role: Director/Producer
Improve Everywhere was the brainchild of Charlie Todd and a few of his friends from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. This film tells the story behind the viral video movement that he created at a time when the Internet was just starting to become what it is today. This feature documentary premiered at SXSW and earned a deal with Netflix. Directed by Matt Adams with the team at Deverge.
Role: Co-producer & Additional Editor
The Roots put on the world’s greatest jam session every year leading up to the Grammy’s. In 2018 they held it in Manhattan for the first time, bringing together one of the greatest and most eclectic collections of musicians possible: Run the Jewels, Gary Clark Jr., Chuck D, Miley Cyrus, Kirk Franklin, Action Bronson, Remy Ma, Jill Scott, Common, Talib Kweli, Chronixx, Kimbra, Dave Chappelle and many others. With Ginny Suss & Candice Fortin.
Role: Digital Content Director
In three seasons of traveling around the world filming this PBS music travel show, no place we went stuck with us as much as our time in Japan. This episode features Oscar winner Ryuichi Sakamoto and his friend Otomo Yoshihide who put together a post-tsunami benefit concert using an orchestra of school-aged musicians from the Fukushima region. This project was co-produced by Fuji Television and aired on PBS.
Role: Director & Cinematographer
American Idol winner Philip Phillips came to NYC to share a new album of music and party with Bud Light at the legendary Beacon Theatre. This became the latest installment of MSG Entertainment’s One Night Only branded content series.
Role: Director/Producer
This branded contest series (7 episodes and counting) features up-and-coming artists who are breaking into the music industry in a big way. We explore artists’ background and rise to fame, while also recapping a VIP showcase set held at one of MSG’s iconic venues. In this episode, British singer Arlissa rocks Marquee in Manhattan and talks about working with Nas.
Role: Director/Producer
When the New York Knicks decided to renovate the famous Manhattan streetball park West 4th Street (aka “The Cage”), an opportunity to tell the story of the this hallowed ground emerged. With local legends like “Black Jack” Ryan and “Speedy” Williams, along with NBA mainstays including Carmelo Anthony in attendance for the ground breaking, we set up a portable studio in a box truck on West 3rd and sat down with all the key players.
Role: Producer/Director
