Jennifer Steinman
DIRECTOR, PRODUCER, EDITOR
Co-Founder of the film production company SMUSH MEDIA, Jennifer has over 15 years of experience in television and filmmaking. She began her career as a staff Editor at CBS, both in New York and San Francisco. Her work has aired nationally on PBS, The Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, Sundance Channel, and many other television networks. Her films have been accepted into many major film festivals including SXSW, Rotterdam, and Sundance. Jennifer won a Telly Award and has been nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Editing.
Most recently, Jennifer directed, produced and edited the feature-length documentary film MOTHERLAND, which had its world premiere at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival, winning the prestigious Emerging Visions Audience Award. The film went on to win several other best-of-festival awards and was released by Vanguard Cinema in December of 2009.
Diana Iles Parker
PRODUCER
Our guru of marketing and distribution, Diana has just completed the successful launch of the documentary film “EAT THE SUN,” a story about people who stare at the sun to get energy (bizarre but true). She is the founder of SPOKEN MEDIA, a boutique PR agency specializing in independent film, and has additional background in strategic marketing, interactive marketing and event production. Diana has a BA in Journalism and an MBA from the American Graduate School of International Management.
Yael Melamede
PRODUCER
Yael is a co-founder of SALTY Features, an independent production company based in NYC whose goal is to create media that is vital and enhances the world – like SALT. Her producer credits include the documentary film INOCENTE, directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine (the directors of the Oscar Nominated documentary feature WAR/DANCE); BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN, written and directed by John Krasinski and based on the book by David Foster Wallace; THE INNER LIFE OF MARTIN FROST, written and directed by Paul Auster; and MY ARCHITECT, directed by Nathaniel Kahn and nominated for an Academy Award in 2004.
SALTY’s next projects include MARTYRS’ CROSSING, a political thriller set in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the novel by journalist Amy Wilentz, directed by Paulo Morelli with Fernando Meirelles as Executive Producer; AUDREY HEPBURN’S NECK, written and directed by Alan Brown, based on his acclaimed novel; and a reality series with behavioral economist Dan Ariely. Yael was trained and worked as an architect before becoming a filmmaker.
Sevan Matossian
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Sevan has filmed and produced for TLC, Discovery & History Channel and produced, directed and edited three very successful shows for ESPN (which have re-aired more than 100 times). He has made commercials, promotional pieces and four feature-length documentaries. He has filmed in over 45 countries and in some of the most isolated and diverse corners of the globe.
Sevan’s first film, the feature-length documentary OUR HOUSE, screened at more than 30 film festivals around the world, winning awards at many of them. His most recent film, PULLING JOHN, premiered to sold out audiences at the 2009 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival, and was hailed as “One of the Top Ten Must-See Films” of the festival.
Jessica Congdon
EDITOR
Jessica has worked as a commercial and film editor for the past 14 years. She co-wrote and edited MISS REPRESENTATION, directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, which premiered in the 2011 Sundance Documentary Competition. She also co-directed and edited the documentary RACE TO NOWHERE by Vicki Abeles. Other documentary features include SPEED AND ANGELS directed by Peyton Wilson, and MOTHERLAND directed by Jennifer Steinman.
Jessica edited the feature film DOPAMINE directed by Mark Decena, an award-winning film at Sundance 2003. She edited the international feature film SEARCH in Stockholm, and the Columbia Tri-Star feature film BIG GIRLS DON’T CRY in Berlin, both directed by Maria von Heland. As a commercial editor, she is a founding editor of Umlaut Films in San Francisco. She has edited television campaigns for national and international clients.
