WRITING, PRODUCING, and DIRECTING CREDITS FOR NON-FICTION TELEVISION and INDEPENDENT FILM
Water for Life (in post production) Writer
In this 90-minute film, three grassroots activists in Latin America fight to stop multinational corporations from polluting their water and destroying their way of life. We follow their fights as they brave death threats and murder, and in the process reveal a troubling pattern of resource exploitation, corruption and political violence throughout Latin America.
Betrayed: Surviving an American Concentration Camp (2021) Writer
This hour-long film about Japanese-American incarceration during WW2 is an expansion of the short film created for the Minidoka visitor center. Betrayed tells a universal story about unjust incarceration and the loss of civil rights, connecting the events of the past to modern day, both in the targeting of groups based on their ethnicity and the actions of the U.S. government at our southern border. It will be broadcast on PBS in 2022.
Mount St. Helens: The Fire Within (2020) Writer
This ten-minute film for the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center focuses on the human relationship with Mount St. Helens over millennia, underscoring that Lawetlat’la—the indigenous Cowlizt people’s name for the mountain—has been a major force of natural and cultural transformation for millennia.
Orcas: Our Shared Future (2019) Writer
These multiple short films for the Royal Alberta Museum’s Orca exhibit look at Orca’s complex social structure, Orcas in popular culture, the dire consequences of captivity, and Indigenous beliefs to give visitors a deep understanding of and appreciation for these intelligent marine mammals.
Holocaust Museum Houston (2019) Writer
These seven short films for the museum’s Human Rights gallery tell stories of individuals helping others and creating change in their communities. Stories address environmental justice, human trafficking, food security, domestic abuse, immigration, LGBTQ elders.
Oregon Historical Society exhibit: Experience Oregon (2018) Writer
These multiple short films were created for a new, permanent exhibit at the Oregon Historical Society. The overarching theme tells a diverse and inclusive version of Oregon’s history that encompasses the state’s long history of racism, and dispossession of indigenous peoples.
Minidoka: An American Concentration Camp (2018) Writer National Park Service
These two films on the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WW2 are being developed for the Minidoka National Historic Site and the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial. Produced by North Shore Productions.
The Red Book (in post production) Writer
This feature length independent documentary about Carl Jung’s journey of self-discovery is born out of a series of terrifying waking visions that unfold in his remarkable personal journal the “Red Book”. Producer/Director Ellie Stuckey and Peter Wiedensmith.
Goldman Environmental Prize (annual) Writer
These short films profile grassroots environmental activists awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize. Narrated by Sigourney Weaver. Produced and Directed by Mill Valley Film Group.
WildAid Celebrity Explorers (2017) Writer
Broadcast on Chinese Television
Each episode of this five-hour series follows a Chinese celebrity on an adventure to learn about endangered species. Produced by WildAid, a San Francisco based NGO whose mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade.
Where Ice and Ocean Meet (2014) Writer National Park Service
This 20-minute film about Kenai Fjords National Park tells the story of glacial change, an exceptionally rich ecosystem, and cultural continuity of indigenous people; also three, 4-minute shorts for the park on glaciers, orcas, and the temperate rainforest. Produced by North Shore Productions.
Awards: Emmy Award; 1st Place, Documentary Film, NAI Media Awards; Official Selection American Conservation Film Festival
Canadian Journeys (2014) Writer
Canadian Museum for Human Rights
These thirty short films on human rights issues include racial segregation, civil liberties, migrant workers, women's rights, and aboriginal people's rights. The films are part of multimedia displays at this new museum which opened in Winnipeg in September, 2014. Produced by North Shore Productions.
Awards & festivals: 1st Place, Short Documentary, NAI Media Awards & Silver Telly Award for Childhood Denied.
North America (2013) Series Writer/Post Producer Discovery Channel
This seven episode, landmark documentary series explores the continent and its extraordinary wildlife.
I Solved a Murder (2012) Producer/Writer/Director A&E Biography
This profile of a professional soccer player turned homeless advocate who set out to solve a murder in the Philadelphia homeless community was a pilot episode for a series about ordinary people who do extraordinary things to solve a crime.
A Prophesy Fulfilled (2012) Writer National Park Service
This film for the Whitman Mission National Historic Site tells the story of the tragic encounter in the 1840s between missionaries and the Cayuse, a Native American people of Oregon's Columbia Plateau . Produced by North Shore Productions.
Awards & Festivals: Platinum Remi Award, WorldFest International Film Festival; Bronze Telly Award; Communicator Award of Excellence.
I (Almost) Got Away With It (2012) Senior Writer Investigation Discovery
In each hour of this nine-season series, a former fugitive tells the story of his/her run from the law. Produced by Indigo Films.
Tongass National Forest (2011) Writer National Forest Service
The two films focused on different aspects of the Tongass National Forest, one of the largest temperate rainforests on Earth.
Discovering The Tongass, for the Southeast Alaska Discovery Center, looks at the wildlife, biodiversity and human culture in the forest.
Landscape of Change, for the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center, explores the historic and evolving connections between glaciers, land, wildlife, and people. Watched by 200,000 visitors a year. Produced by North Shore Productions.
Awards: Silver Telly Award, Bronze Telly Award, Communicator Award of Excellence, Communicator Award of Distinction.
Climate Watch: Unlocking the Grid (2009) Producer/Writer KQED/PBS
This half-hour special for KQED’s award winning science series QUEST looks at the “Smart Grid” of the future and how to power California with clean energy.
Awards: Excellence in Journalism Award for Explanatory Journalism, Northern California Society of Professional Journalists; Nominated for Northern CA Emmy.
Dreamland: Mark Twain's Journey to Jerusalem (2017) Writer Broadcast on PBS
This one-hour independent documentary, narrated by Martin Sheen, follows Mark Twain on his travels through Europe to Jerusalem. Based on Twain’s best selling book, The Innocents Abroad. Produced by Indigo Films.
Mustang: Journey of Transformation (2008) Writer Broadcast on PBS
Narrated by Richard Gere, this independent film tells the remarkable story of a Tibetan culture pulled back from the brink of extinction through the restoration of its most sacred sites. Producer by Mill Valley Film Group.
Festivals & Awards: Screened at international festivals including Tribeca; Best Mountain Culture Film, Taos Mountain Film Festival; Best Documentary, Sundial Film Festival; Special Jury Award, EcoVision Palermo; Audience Award, Maui Film Festival.
Crucifixion (2007) Writer History Channel
This two-hour special looks at the history of crucifixions as a form of punishment from early Assyria to Nazi concentration camps. Included is a forensic analysis of the crucifixion of Christ. Produced by Indigo Films.
Full Metal Corset: Secret Soldiers of the Civil War (2006) Writer History Channel
This one-hour special tells the story of women who disguised themselves as men and secretly enlisted in the Union and Confederate armies to fight in the Civil War. Produced by Indigo Films.
USS Constellation: Battling for Freedom (2006) Writer History Channel
The two-hour special examines the US Navy’s efforts to end the transatlantic African slave trade. The story follows two threads, the plight of 400 Africans being transported on the slave ship Cora, and the US Navy ship in pursuit that ultimately frees the enslaved men and women. The program was selected as Black History Month Curriculum for "The History Channel Classroom". Produced by Indigo Films.
Man Moment Machine (2006) Senior Writer History Channel
This 27-hour documentary series tells stories about the convergence of an individual, an historical moment and a revolutionary technology. Episodes included Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb, Abraham Lincoln and the hot air balloon, Galileo and the telescope. Produced by Edelman Productions.
Warrior Queen Boudica (2005) Writer History Channel
The first century Celtic Queen Boudica fought the Romans on British soil in 60 AD. This two-hour special explores how Boudica raised an army, led her troops in battle and came close to conquering the invading Roman army. Produced by Indigo Films.
The Battle of Tripoli (2004) Writer History Channel
This sixty-minute special tells the 1805 story of William Eaton, an American diplomat turned self-appointed general, who assembles a ragtag army in Egypt and joins the US fight against piracy in the Mediterranean. Produced by Indigo Films
Awards: Nominated for a National Emmy, winner Cine Golden Eagle.
Operation Reunion (2003) Producer/Writer/Director History Channel
This three-hour mini-series tells the moving stories of reunited combat veterans. Episodes bring together long lost comrades from the Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and the terrorist attack on the Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon.
Instant Millionaires (2001) Producer/Writer/Director Discovery Channel
Five ordinary people tell the story of their sudden wealth in this one-hour special.
Mardi Gras (2000) Producer/Writer/Director Discovery Channel
Mardi Gras follows five characters over the course of a month—New Orleans’s premier float maker, a Mardi Gras Indian, the Crewe of Orpheus, an avid parade goer and collector, and the head of the city trash collection—culminating on Mardi Gras day. Produced by Hoff Productions.
Beneath Alcatraz (2000) Producer/Writer/Director Discovery Channel
This special takes a detailed look at the famous 1962 escape, evaluating tides and bay geology to determine the likelihood of a successful escape. Produced by Hoff Productions.
Disaster Detectives (1999) Senior Producer The Learning Channel
The four-hour series profiles men and women using the latest technology to prevent and mitigate natural disasters. Produced by Hoff Productions.
BreakOut! (1998) Senior Producer/Co-Director Discovery Channel
The three-hour mini-series dramatically tells stories of and recreates famous escapes from fortresses, islands, and POW camps. Produced by Hoff Productions.
Public Enemies on The Rock (1997) Senior Producer/Director Discovery Channel
During the 1930s Alcatraz was the infamous prison holding some of America’s most notorious gangsters. This one-hour special tells the stories of Al Capone, Pretty Boy Floyd and others who ended up on “the Rock”. Produced by Hoff Productions.
The Guillotine (1997) Senior Producer/Co-Director Discovery Channel
Using dramatic recreations and expert interviews, this one-hour special traces the history of the guillotine from medieval times through WW II (and its use by the Nazis) and finally to 1977 when it was outlawed by the French government. Produced by Hoff Productions.
Deadly Duels (1996) Senior Producer/Co-Director Discovery Channel
This three-hour series explores the history of dueling from medieval times to the late 19th century. Produced by Hoff Productions.
SCRIPT and STORY CONSULTING
Conducting Life (in production) This feature length documentary follows Roderick Cox, an African-American musician and aspiring conductor, as he tirelessly pursues a top position as music director with a major orchestra despite socio-economic and institutional barriers. Produced and Directed by Diane Moore.
A Spark of Nerve tells the stories of trauma patients with paralyzed limbs and the pioneering surgeon who brings them hope and healing. Produced and Directed by Linda and Tim Schaller, the film is inspired by and features their own daughters traumatic injury and dramatic recovery. (2015)
Summer ‘82: When Zappa Came to Sicily is a story of two families, Sicilian filmmaker Salvo Cuccia's and the family of Sicilian-American rock music icon Frank Zappa, and their unexpected intersection as they each try to reconnect with fathers who died young. Produced and Directed by Salvo Cuccia. (2013-2014)
Festivals: Venice Biennale International Film Festival - 2014 World Premier; Full Frame Documentary Film Festival - North American Premier.
Finding the Gold Within follows six inner city black students from an innovative mentoring program as they navigate college and a culture stacked against them. Produced and Directed by Karina Epperlein. (2013)
Chinese Couplets is part memoir, part history, and part investigation as filmmaker Felicia Lowe searches for answers about her mother’s emigration to America during the Chinese Exclusion era, revealing the painful price often paid by immigrants. Produced and Directed by Felicia Lowe. (2009)
Painted Nails tells the story of Van Hoang, a Vietnamese immigrant and nail salon owner who unwittingly takes on the fight for safe cosmetics after she develops health problems from the toxic chemicals in the products she uses in her salon. Produced and Directed by Dianne Griffin and Erica Jordan. (2009)