directors
Jesse Moss
Co-Director / Writer / Producer
Jesse Moss’s films include Boys State (Sundance Grand Jury Prize), for Apple and A24, The Overnighters (Sundance Special Jury Prize), for Drafthouse and Netflix; and, recently, The Mission, for National Geographic. For Netflix he directed The Family, a five part series, and Payday, an episode of the series Dirty Money.
Tony Gerber
Co-Director / Writer
Tony Gerber, an Emmy and PGA award-winning filmmaker, has directed over a dozen films for NatGeo, including Kingdom of the White Wolf, a series shot in the Arctic. His feature docs include Full Battle Rattle with Jesse Moss, The Notorious Mr. Bout (Sundance, 2014.) He produced Jane and Oscar-shortlisted, Takeover.
producers
Todd Lubin
Producer
Todd Lubin has executive produced a wide range of high-profile unscripted content, including Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry for AppleTV+, BS High for HBO, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields for Hulu, and Downey’s Dream Cars for Max. He is currently President of Boat Rocker Studios, Unscripted where he leads the Company’s creative unscripted efforts, including series and documentaries, overseeing Boat Rocker’s Matador Content, Maven, and Proper Television production shingles. Lubin co-founded Matador Content in 2013, and the company has produced more than 60 series, documentaries, and specials for HBO, Apple TV+, ABC, Netflix, Max and more. Lubin started his career working for Michael Mann on The Insider and Ali.
Jack Turner
Producer
Jack Turner is an Emmy Award-winning producer. He is currently the SVP of Scripted & Documentary Content for Matador Content. Matador‘s recent projects include: Stephen Chbosky’s upcoming Nonnas, World War Shoe: Adidas v Puma (Disney+) BS High (HBO), the Emmy nominated Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (HULU), Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry (AppleTV+), Wig (HBO), What Would Diplo Do? (Hulu), and the Peabody Award-winning film The Rape of Recy Taylor (1091). Turner also Executive Produced Jeff Nichols’ Loving for Focus Features.
Mark DiCristofaro
Producer
Mark DiCristofaro is an Emmy-nominated producer and current VP of Production for Boat Rocker’s Matador Content where he oversees production on a diverse slate of unscripted, scripted, and documentary content. Recent projects include “BS High” (HBO), “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” (HULU), “Billie Eillish: The World’s a Little Blurry” (AppleTV+), “Wig” (HBO), “Dear…” (AppleTV+), “What Would Diplo Do?” (HULU), and “Great Minds with Dan Harmon”.
Nick Shumaker
Producer
Head of AC Independent, Manager, and Producer, Anonymous Content
Nick Shumaker is the head of Anonymous Content’s financing and sales division, AC Independent. On the production side, he is executive producing Oscar winner Pippa Ehrlich’s next two documentaries; Viktor Kossikovksy’s new documentary for A24; Peabody Award winning documentarians Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau’s new limited series for Showtime; Jason Kohn’s Berlinale premiere LOVE MEANS ZERO for Showtime; and Zach Wigon’s new feature, SANCTUARY (NEON), which stars Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott. He is also producing or executive producing films from Raoul Peck, Jesse Moss, Penny Lane, Elizabeth Lo, Lance Oppenheim, Alex Gibney, Wing Di ho, amongst others. Prior to Anonymous, Shumaker spent spent seven years as an agent at UTA, and before that worked as a producer at Memento Films in Paris with directors ranging from Jeremy Saulnier, Joachim Trier, Wash Westmoreland, and Jim Mickle. He also produced ANOTHER EARTH, which Fox Searchlight acquired out of Sundance in 2010 and earned him an Independent Spirit nomination for Best First Feature.
Jessica Grimshaw
Producer
Executive Vice President, Documentary and Unscripted Programming, Anonymous Content
Jessica Grimshaw is the Executive Vice President of Documentary and Unscripted Programming for Anonymous Content. In this role, she oversees unscripted and documentary series, films and podcasts for the award-winning studio. Grimshaw has developed and produced series for Netflix, HBO, Hulu, FX, Peacock, Paramount +, Disney Jr., E!, Oxygen, Food Network, TLC, BBC America, and more. She has worked with an eclectic mix of creators and filmmakers, including Questlove, Seth MacFarlane, Amy Ziering, Kirby Dick, Alex Gibney, Penny Lane, Jesse Moss, Joe Berlinger, Clay Tweel, Blumhouse, and the Jim Henson Company. Some of her credits include the upcoming Elon Musk documentary from director Alex Gibney, Untitled Mrs. America from director Penny Lane, Pangolins from director Pippa Ehrlich, A Wilderness of Error, The Business of Drugs, DNA of Murder, and The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell.
executive producers
Warren Littlefield
Executive Producer
Warren Littlefield, former NBC president and founder of The Littlefield Company, is an award-winning executive producer behind impactful series like "The Handmaid’s Tale" and "Fargo". His productions have earned 147 Emmy nominations, 23 wins, and numerous other accolades, including Peabody and Producers Guild Awards, showcasing his significant contribution to television.
Jonathan E. Steinberg
Executive Producer
Jonathan E. Steinberg is the co-creator and showrunner of "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" for Disney+ and "The Old Man" for FX, the latter being the network‘s most-watched series. He leads Quaker Moving Pictures at 20th Television/Walt Disney Co. Steinberg’s notable works include "Black Sails" on STARZ, "See" on Apple TV+, and "Human Target" on FOX, as well as the cult-favorite "Jericho" for CBS.
Dan Shotz
Executive Producer
Dan Shotz is currently the executive producer of the new adaptation of the popular book series "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" for Disney+. Shotz is also in production on the second season of the critically-acclaimed series “The Old Man” starring Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow for FX. Shotz serves as the executive producer on “The Old Man,” which is the most-watched series in the history of the network. Shotz also executive produced “See” for Apple TV+ and executive produced the STARZ series "Black Sails," which won 3 Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2019, Shotz and his producing partner Jonathan E. Steinberg signed a multi-year overall deal with 20th Television/Walt Disney Co. where their production company, Quaker Moving Pictures, is now based. Prior to that, Shotz was a partner with director Jon Turteltaub at Junction Entertainment, the company responsible for the “National Treasure” film franchise. While at Junction Entertainment, Shotz developed and produced the series "Common Law" for the USA network as well as "Harper’s Island" and fan-favorite "Jericho" for CBS Television.
Eric Schmeltzer
Executive Producer
Eric Schmeltzer has run his own Public Relations firm, since 2004, specializing in non-profit and public issues campaigns.
He began his career as Communications Assistant and Communications Director for Public Campaign, one of the fiercest advocates for campaign finance reform. There, he expanded the group‘s presence in the media, forming new relationships with reporters and organizing press conferences. In 1999, he left that position to become Press Secretary for Rep. Jerrold Nadler. In that position, he took Rep. Nadler from a little-noticed back-bench member of Congress to a frequent commentator in newspapers and television, particularly in the aftermath of the 2000 Presidential election. In 2003, he joined Howard Dean’s Presidential campaign as Press Secretary and Deputy NY Campaign Manager, where he helped develop strategies to leverage Dean’s cutting-edge campaign for media coverage.
David Fortier
Executive Producer
David Fortier (along with Ivan Schneeberg) is the Co-Executive Chairman of the Company and Co-Chairman of Boat Rocker Studios. Fortier (together with Schneeberg) co-founded the Company in 2003. Together the pair have originated and executive-produced dozens of television series, including the critically acclaimed, international commercial successes, Orphan Black, Being Erica, and The Next Step. From there, Fortier and Schneeberg went on to oversee the growth and transformation of Boat Rocker into a global entertainment company. With seven offices around the world, Boat Rocker’s creative and commercial capabilities include Scripted, Unscripted, and Kids & Family television production, feature documentaries, distribution, brand & franchise management, a world-class animation studio, and talent management through Untitled Entertainment.
With over 30 projects currently in various stages of production, Fortier (along with Schneeberg) currently oversees a slate of high-profile series and documentaries for Boat Rocker. Recent projects include Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields(Hulu), which received two Prime Time Emmy nominations, Downey’s Dream Cars (Max), starring Robert Downey Jr., and season two of Simon Kinberg’s sci-fi series, Invasion (Apple TV+).
Prior to founding the Company, Fortier was a lawyer in the Entertainment Group at Goodmans LLP. Fortier holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto.
Ivan Schneeberg
Executive Producer
Ivan Schneeberg (along with David Fortier) is the Co-Executive Chairman of the Company and Co-Chairman of Boat Rocker Studios. Schneeberg (together with Fortier) co-founded the Company in 2003. Together the pair have originated and executive-produced dozens of television series, including the critically acclaimed, international commercial successes, Orphan Black, Being Erica, and The Next Step. From there, Schneeberg and Fortier went on to oversee the growth and transformation of Boat Rocker into a global entertainment company. With seven offices around the world, Boat Rocker’s creative and commercial capabilities include Scripted, Unscripted, and Kids & Family television production, feature documentaries, distribution, brand & franchise management, a world-class animation studio, and talent management through Untitled Entertainment.
With over 30 projects currently in various stages of production, Schneeberg (along with Fortier) currently oversees a slate of high-profile series and documentaries for Boat Rocker. Recent projects include Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields(Hulu), which received two Prime Time Emmy nominations, Downey’s Dream Cars (Max), starring Robert Downey Jr., and season two of Simon Kinberg’s sci-fi series, Invasion (Apple TV+).
Prior to founding the Company, Schneeberg was a partner in the Entertainment Group at Goodmans LLP. Schneeberg holds a Bachelor of Laws from Western University.
Jay Peterson
Executive Producer
Jay Peterson is an independent producer. He is the former President of Boat Rocker Studios, Unscripted and co-founder of Matador Content, a full-service content studio with offices in New York and Los Angeles. Since founding Matador in 2014 and being acquired by Boat Rocker Studios in 2018, Jay has produced a wide range of programming, from the hit global series Lip Sync Battle (Paramount Network), Dear… on Apple TV+, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (Hulu), BS High for HBO, Billie Eilish’s The World’s A Little Blurry (Apple+), and The Kids Tonight Show (Peacock). Jay and Matador Content have been nominated for, and received, multiple Emmy, Peabody, GLADD and NAACP awards for their work on projects like, The Rape of Recy Taylor (The Orchard), Love, Cecil (Amazon), MECCA (ESPN’s 30 for 30) Larger than Life (Hulu) and Wig (HBO) among others.
Prior to starting Matador, Jay served as the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Production and Development at Original Media, an Endemol Company. During his tenure at Original, Jay developed and produced over 25 series for television, including History’s ongoing hit Swamp People, Paramount Network’s Inkmaster, AMC’s Comic Book Men and Discovery’s Dual Survival. He expanded Original’s portfolio into new categories such as sports (MMA Uncensored Live), talk (The Gayle King Show), music (MTV’s Unplugged) and live television (Rihanna Live for MTV, VH1 and BET), and strengthened the franchises and economics of existing shows such as Storm Chasers, LA Ink and The Rachel Zoe Project. Prior to Original Media Jay held development and production positions at MTV and VH1 and started his career on the news desk of ABC. Jay holds a Master’s in Business Administration from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
co-producer
Isabel Evans
Co-Producer
Isabel is a New York-based documentary film and podcast producer. She has worked across Jigsaw’s second season of Dirty Money on Netflix; VICE & HBO’s Emmy-winning news program, VICE News Tonight; Netflix’s feature Britney vs. Spears directed by Erin Lee Carr; and a series of stories for the Emmy-winning directing team Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine.
Recent work in addition to War Game includes The Whistleblowers: Inside the Trump Administration, a Best Case Studios and Ark Media podcast, and a forthcoming docuseries directed by Erin Lee Carr for HBO with Imagine Entertainment. Isabel directed and produced Renter Revolt: Housing and Human Rights in America’s Heartland, a short documentary for TIME in partnership with the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and the Pulitzer Center.
directors of photography
Thorsten Thielow
Director of Photography
Thor is a award winning cinematographer and director with honors that include a Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography, a Cinema Eye Honors Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography, as well as multiple nominations including a IDA nomination for Outstanding Cinematography. Thor is making documentary films and commercials and is based in Cambridge, MA and Brooklyn, NY.
Thor‘s’ most recent work include the feature documentaries “The Mission” directed by the Emmy winning and Academy Award nominated Amanda McBain and Jesse Moss as well as “American Symphony” directed by Oscar nominated and Emmy winning Matthew Heineman. Both features premiered at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival
Wolfgang Held
Director of Photography
As a cinematographer, Wolfgang Held draws from his early love for travel and music. After high school, he left his hometown of Bonn, Germany and spent two years hitchhiking around the world. On that trip he picked up his first camera and never looked back. After settling in New York City in 1991, Wolfgang met Albert Maysles and was hired to light and shoot several projects with him. Albert became his early mentor for cinema verité filming. Wolfgang is self-taught in narrative camerawork and learned his craft by trial and error and by devouring the ASC magazines cover to cover. He has always found himself inspired by the interplay of fiction and documentary. Wolfgang has been the cinematographer of over 100 films, which have premiered at all the major international film festivals, won many awards and been nominated for Academy Awards twice, with one win. Individually he has won seven cinematography awards, including a Primetime Emmy. His cinematography has been singled out by the New York Times as “lushly sensual” and as having “the same penetrating vision of adolescence found in the photographs of Nan Goldin and Sally Mann.” Held spent months on the road with Sacha Baron Cohen as DP on his film Brüno. He has photographed films for directors Ron Howard, Alex Gibney, Larry Charles, Matt Heineman, Liz Garbus, Sam Pollard, Joe Berlinger, Nanette Burstein, Brett Morgan and Gary Winick. Throughout his career he has made films with his wife Pola Rapaport. Wolfgang Held studied American Literature in Germany and holds an M.F.A. in Film from Temple University. In 2013 he co-founded the Kamera Kollektiv New York City, a group of like-minded camerawomen and cameramen who share a passion for cinematic, social-justice inspired documentaries.
Brett Wiley
Director of Photography
Brett Wiley is a documentary cinematographer. His studies in the visual arts found a home in documentaries where he collaborates in telling stories that can shape the way we see, and change the way we think. Brett has contributed to award winning films, including projects selected and honored at the Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca, SXSW, Critics Choice, and the Academy Awards. His work can be seen on HBO, Showtime, HULU, and Apple TV+. His cinematography has appeared on Frontline, Independent Lens, American Masters, BBC, National Geographic, Discovery, and CNN.
Some of Brett’s recent work appeared in films at Tribeca 2023 (The Big Payback) (This Is Not Financial Advice), and in two films at Sundance 2024, credited with Director of Photography on one of them (“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeves Story”).
Brett is particularly inspired by up close and personal vérité portraits of humans as they face a challenge, or search for meaning. He brings a sensitivity to cinematic elements and visual dynamics to both his handheld work, and formal interviews.
Brett Wiley has a BFA in Sculpture, and has worked as a Director of Photography since the 1990’s. He has filmed in several countries on four continents, and is based in Washington DC.
Keri Oberly
Director of Photography
Keri Oberly is a documentary cinematographer and photographer based on unceded Ventureño Chumash lands in Ventura, California. She specializes in collaborative stories about Indigenous rights, environmental, and food-related issues. She loves intimate vérité projects and has worked on Harry & Meghan and Walking Two Worlds, amongst others. She enjoys being in the outdoors and traveling.
Tim Grucza
Director of Photography
Tim Grucza is a two time Emmy winning cinematographer and filmmaker. He specializes working in conflict zones, having made several documentaries about the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan & Libya. He has also shot, produced & contributed to 35 episodes of PBS investigative documentary program, Frontline.
His most recent feature documentary work includes American Symphony (Netflix), Joan Baez I Am a Noise (Magnolia Pictures), Retrograde (National Geographic) and War Game (premiering Sundance 2024).
He is currently director of photography on Barbara Kopple’s current film in production.
This year his work will take him to Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, China, Africa, and Florida.
Born and raised in Australia, he now resides in Brooklyn NY.
Daniel Carter
Director of Photography
Daniel Carter is a New York based cinematographer working mostly in documentary films that challenge and expand the social status quo. He draws his artistic inspiration from unique multi-cultural experiences retained throughout his life and career.
Daniel was Director of Photography on the Netflix mini series Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story (2021), feature film, Here. Is. Better. (2021), Netflix series, We Are The Brooklyn Saints (2021) and National Geographic’s Documentary Feature, Jane Goodall: The Hope (2020).
He has also collaborated on Boys State (2021) 2021 Primetime Emmy Winner and 2020 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Winner. The Fight (2020) 2020 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Award Winner. Weiner (2016) 2016 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Winner. Cartel Land (2015) 2015 Sundance Film Festival Cinematography Award, 2016 Emmy Winner for Cinematography and a 2016 Oscar Nominee for Best Documentary.
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 (2014) 2015 Oscar Winner for Best Documentary Short Subject. The Lottery (2010) shortlisted for the 2011 Oscars Best Documentary. Quest for Honor (2009) shortlisted for the 2011 Oscars Best Documentary. Racing Dreams (2009) 2009 Tribeca Jury Award Winner
Recently Daniel worked on Joan Baez I Am A Noise (2023). As Director of Photography he completed Choir (2023) a six episode Documentary series for Disney on the Detroit Youth Choir.
Daniel has a Bachelor’s Degree from UNC, Chapel Hill and lives in Nyack, NY with his wife, Amanda, daughter, Adelaide and son, Cove.
editor
Jeff Gilbert
Editor
Jeff is a Los Angeles based documentary film editor with Academy Award and Emmy nominated films to his credit.
He has a passion for character driven narratives that explore humanity with emotional truth, cinematic beauty and cultural relevance. Jeff’s sensibilities are recently reflected in his Sundance premiering War Game, the award-winning Boys State (Academy Award Short List, Sundance Grand Jury Award), Extremis (Academy Award Nominee), Gay Chorus Deep South (Audience Award, Tribeca Film Festival) and The Overnighters (Sundance Special Jury Award).
Jeff has been awarded filmmaking fellowships from the Sundance Institute, New York Foundation of the Arts and Film Independent. He has served on the IDA’s granting committee and is a mentor for the Karen Schmeer Foundation. He’s a member of ACE and an honorary member of the British Film Editors guild.
composer
Paweł Mykietyn
Composer
Paweł Mykietyn - composer, author of the music for most works of Krzysztof Warlikowski.
Born on the 20th of May 1971 in Oława. Composer. In 1997, he graduated from the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, having completed Professor Włodzimierz Kotoński’s musical composition class. In 1995, he won first prize at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers in Paris, in the young composers category. A year later, his Epifora won top prize at the IV UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers of Electroacoustic Music in Amsterdam, in the young composers category. Author of two operas, symphonic, chamber, vocal and electronic compositions. Starting in 1996, he composed the musical scores for the majority (28 in total) performances directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski, including Tancerz Mecenasa Kraykowskiego at Teatr Powszechny in Radom (1997). He has also collaborated with the likes of Adam Hanuszkiewicz, Grzegorz Jarzyna and Wajdi Mouawad. He has composed soundtracks for films by the likes of Andrzej Wajda, Jerzy Skolimowski, Małgorzata Szumowska and Šarūnas Bartas.
In 2001, he was awarded the Culture Prize of the Silesian Country of Lower Saxony. He received the 2012 Prix France Musique Sacem for the music he composed for J. Skolimowski’s feature film Essential Killing. In 2022, he was awarded the Cannes Soundtrack Award and the Excellence Award from the European Film Academy for the soundtrack to the IO directed by Jerzy Skolimowski.