Phillip Noyce
Director/Producer

Born in the Australian outback town of Griffith, New South Wales, Noyce moved to Sydney with his family at the age of 12. As a teenager, he was introduced to underground films produced on shoestring budgets as well as mainstream American movies. He was 18 when he made his first film, the 15-minute "Better to Reign in Hell," utilizing a unique financing scheme selling roles in the movie to his friends.

In 1973, he was selected to attend the Australian National Film School in its inaugural year. Here, he made Castor and Pollux (1973), a 50-minute documentary, which won the award for best Australian short film of 1974.

Noyce's first professional film was the 50-minute docu-drama "God Knows Why, But It Works" in 1975. This helped pave the way for his first feature, the road movie Backroads (1977) which starred Australian Aboriginal activist Gary Foley. In 1978, he directed and co-wrote Newsfront (1978), which won Best Film, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay at the Australian Film Awards, as well as proving a huge commercial hit in Australia. In addition to opening the London Film Festival, Newsfront (1978) was the first Australian film to screen at the New York Film Festival.

In 1982, Heatwave (1982), co-written and directed by Noyce and starring Judy Davis, was chosen to screen at the Director's Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

Noyce's other film credits include the political thrillers Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994) starring Harrison Ford, Dead Calm (1989) starring Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill and Billy Zane and The Bone Collector (1999) which starred Oscar-winner Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie.

Returning to his native Australia after 12 years working within the Hollywood system, 2002 saw two Noyce films released worldwide at almost the same time.

The Quiet American (2002) starred Michael Caine in an Academy nominated best actor performance and appeared on over 20 top ten lists for 2002, including the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute.

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) was based on the true story of three Aboriginal girls abducted from their families by Australian authorities in 1931 as part of an official government policy. The film won Best Picture at the Australian Film Awards, and together with The Quiet American (2002) garnered Noyce numerous best director awards including National Board of Review in the US and UK's London Film Critics Circle.

In 2006 and 2007 Focus Features/Universal released Noyce's South African set thriller "Catch A Fire", starring Tim Robbins and Derek Luke. The film was named one of the top Independent Films of 2006 by the National Board of Review in the US. Noyce's television credits include the Australian miniseries "The Dismissal" (1983) (mini), as well as _"Cowra Breakout" (1984) (mini) which he also co-wrote, and both produced by fellow director, George Miller. Noyce also directed the pilots for Fox's "Tru Calling" (2003) and Showtime's "Brotherhood" (2006) TV series, now shooting its third season.

Currently, Noyce is directing Salt, slated for release in 2010 and starring Angelina Jolie.

Check out his IMDB profile at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0637518/

Barbara Kopple
Producer/Director

Barbara Kopple, a two-time Academy Award winning filmmaker just completed the feature length documentary, Woodstock: Now and Then, which examines the historic music festival 40 years after the fact. This film aired on VH1 and the History Channel in August. Barbara is also in production on a documentary about legendary Yankees team owner, George Steinbrenner, which is part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series, as well as a feature-length documentary for HBO exploring the meaning of guns in America. Other recent works include The DC Sniper's Wife, which takes a look at the life of Mildred Muhammad, ex-wife of the infamous DC sniper, John Allen Muhammad; High School Musical: The Music In You, which follows students in Fort Worth, Texas performing a stage adaptation of "High School Musical"; Steamfitters Local Union 638, which is part of HBO's Addiction Series and premiered on HBO in March, 2007. This program was awarded the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences Governor's Award.

Barbara produced and directed Harlan County USA and American Dream, both winners of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. In 1991, Harlan County USA was named to the National Film Registry by the Librarian of Congress and designated an American Film Classic. Harlan County USA was recently restored and preserved by the Women's Preservation Fund and the Academy Film Archive, and was featured as part of the Sundance Collection at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005. The Criterion Collection released a DVD of Harlan County USA in 2006.

Barbara produced and directed Shut Up and Sing, which tells the story of the Dixie Chicks and their personal and creative response to the political fallout they faced after making comments critical of President Bush on the eve of the Iraq War; A Conversation with Gregory Peck, a film portrait of the career and family life of the actor; The Hamptons, a four-hour mini-series for ABC; My Generation, which examines the Woodstock legacy and Generation X; and Fallen Champ: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson, for which she was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing. She directed the feature nonfiction film Wild Man Blues, about the European tour of Woody Allen and his New Orleans-style jazz band, for which she won the National Board of Review Award for Best Documentary. Barbara also produced the HBO documentary American Standoff, which chronicled an 18-month strike of the Teamsters Union against Overnite Transportation, and the A&E documentary Bearing Witness about female war correspondents working in Iraq. Barbara was a member of the Winter Soldier Collective, which created the film Winter Soldier.

Other nonfiction films include No Nukes, a "rockumentary" shot during five days of concerts at Madison Square Garden and distributed by Warner Brothers; Defending Our Daughters, an investigation into women's human rights issues in Bosnia, Pakistan and Egypt and winner of a Voices of Courage Award; With Liberty and Justice For All?, a short documentary made for the Alliance for Justice, which explores the issue of immigration law. Barbara also directed a series of specials for the Disney Channel, including Friends for Life: Living with AIDS, the first show about AIDS to air on that network. She also co-created, produced and directed I Married閳? a series for VH1 about the spouses and families of rock stars.

Barbara directed the narrative feature Havoc, starring Anne Hathaway, Bijou Phillips and Freddy Rodriguez and written by Stephen Gaghan, about a group of wealthy teenagers coming of age and searching for an identity in Los Angeles. She also directs episodic television and commercial spots. Her television work includes episodes of OZ on HBO and Homicide, for which she won a DGA Award for Outstanding Direction. Barbara has directed spots for companies such as Sprint, Applebee's, Dove, Intel, Target, The Tiger Woods Foundation, Pearl Vision and the Children's Defense Fund.

Barbara has been awarded the Human Rights Watch Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, Los Angeles Film Critics Award, National Society of Film Critics Award, the SilverDocs/Charles Guggenheim Award, New York Women in Film & Television Muse Award, the Maya Deren Independent Film and Video Award, the Woodstock Film Festival Maverick Award, Women in Film & Video of Washington, DC Women of Vision Award, the White House Project's EPIC Award, and the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize, Filmmakers Trophy & Audience Award. The Paley Center for Media has named Barbara a 2007 "She Made It Honoree." She currently serves on the board of trustees for the American Film Institute and as an advisory board member for the American University Center for Social Media and Independent Feature Project's Filmmaker Labs. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Director's Guild of America, New York Women in Film and Television, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and actively participates in organizations that address social issues and support independent filmmaking.

Darren DiSaronno
Filmmaker

Darren DiSaronno is a Renaissance man when it comes to making flicks. No, he's not into period pieces; he's simply fluent in every aspect of the movie making process. Hailed as the "action film visionary of our time", Darren got his training making motion pictures on the streets, exploding onto the scene with his directorial debut, Operation Eagle Tears, at the age of 19.

Other films include The Human Missile Crisis, Playa Del Spice, Confidant and Confidant 2: Overconfidant. His current project, Red Harbor, was shot exclusively on the Vado HD Pocket Camera. Darren enjoys good conversation without the head games, vintage Chianti and high diving.

John-Paul Beeghly
Producer, Director & Director of Photography

John-Paul has over 17 years of multi-faceted experience in the film industry. Immediately following his graduation from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a double major in Economics and Film Studies, he landed a job at MacGillivray Freeman Films in where he learned from the best. Since then, he has worked in many capacities, including director of photography, on over 80 projects ranging from IMAX films to major studio features, commercial campaigns and documentaries.

John-Paul has worked for names such as Tony Scott, Darius Wolski, Mike Hoover, Greg MacGillivray, Max Kleven, and David Fincher and on such projects as the Oscar nominated Amazon IMAX and Living Sea IMAX, and other high profile projects like Waterworld, Lethal Weapon 4, Hard Rain, Seven, The Game, and The Fan. He has worked on over 20 commercial campaigns for clients such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America, FedEx, Red Bull and Jeep.

John-Paul is probably most recognized for the film, Step Into Liquid, for which he performed the triple role of Producer, 2nd Unit Director and Cinematographer. Step Into Liquid is one of the top ten most successful sports documentaries of all time and, to date, has grossed over $30 million. Currently, John-Paul is CEO/President of Inertia Interactive Media, Inc., an interactive development and media production firm.

Matthew Ward
Filmmaker

Matthew Ward began his work in the visual arts working at the Academy Award wining visual effects house, Industrial Light & Magic, where he contributed work on such films as The Mummy, Star Wars Episode I, and Wild Wild West. Since then, Ward has worked on numerous visual effects and animation films including Titan A.E., Behind Enemy Lines, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Doug Chiang's Robota, The Polar Express, Catwoman, Superman Returns, War of the Worlds, Monster House, and Beowulf.

Ward's diversity in filmmaking has helped him play numerous roles in each film he has worked on, including concept illustrations & designs, pre-visual animation & cinematography, editing, and character animation. As an independent director and filmmaker, his work has been featured in several international film festivals and he has been an Addy nominee for two of his commercials. He has also been a voice actor in several animated short films and the feature film, Beowulf.

Currently, Ward is working again with Academy Award Winning Director Robert Zemeckis on the upcoming Disney's A Christmas Carol, starring Jim Carrey. This marks his fourth film working with Zemeckis and one of the first artists to be hired at the Zemeckis & Walt Disney Pictures company collaboration, Imagemovers Digital.

Ward continues to focus on working with talented filmmakers on films that tell unique stories and drive the medium of film to it's limits. His attention outside feature film work is driven toward directing small projects that produce creative, innovative, thought-provoking short films and music videos for diverse audiences.

Ken Arlidge
Director-cameraman

Ken Arlidge is one of the most versatile commercial directors in the world today. His work defies easy categorization: he has an expert fluency with sophisticated visual effects, and yet what you take away from his spots is his deep connection to character and humanity.

Ken's career began in Australia over a quarter century ago where, as a young man, he showed a preternatural talent for miniatures and other visual effects, and rapidly became that country's top visual effects specialist and cameraman. Before long, he applied his skills to aerial photography as well, shooting for Stanley Kubrick on "Full Metal Jacket," and on "Mad Max, Beyond Thunderdome." This led to work as a 2nd Unit Director and DP on films such as "Army of Darkness" for Sam Rami, "Wag the Dog," for Barry Levinson, "The Crow," and "Babe," where his unique ability to combine CG post effects with live action film found full flower.

Ken's technical skill, his visual effects knowledge and his sure hand with actors and story made the jump to directing all but inevitable. His relationship with Aero Film - a company with a reputation for top-quality, complex campaigns for leading car brands and the armed forces - gives Ken the perfect platform to exercise all of his filmmaking muscle. And it's shown in projects for a long list of top brands: from Porsche, Chevrolet and Nissan, to AT&T, Visa and Nike. Ken directed the launch spots for Mazda's wildly successful "Zoom, Zoom" campaign. More recently, his Kaiser Permanente film captured the spirit of the Hawaiian islands in a way not seen before in advertising. He is currently on location in New Zealand.

As a director-cameraman, Ken is always on the lookout for new modes of storytelling and for concepts that will make striking, powerful commercials. He continues to embrace the newest technologies, both in production and post-production, and enjoys the challenges and opportunities that the evolving commercial world brings. He recognizes the compromises inherent in the process and somehow turns those compromises into creative strengths. As Ken himself says, "Surround yourself with strong characters with a point of view, steer their course and enjoy the ride."

Todd Busch
Post Production

Todd Busch got started in post production at Lucasfilm in 1990, after receiving his B.A. from UC Irvine. During his three years with the company Todd trained and supported TV and feature film editors on the state of the art EditDroid nonlinear editing system.

When the Avid took feature editing by storm in the mid-90s, Todd road the wave of technology on a list of high profile projects, including Eraser, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Terminator 3 and Beowulf. He spent four years on the Editors Guild Board of Directors and has been a contributor to the guild's magazine. Todd continues to work on the cutting edge of post-production and is currently working on Tony Scott's action thriller Unstoppable.

Check out his IMDB Profile at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002708/

Yas Takata
Director of Special Venue Film Entertainment

Yas Takata, who serves as the Director of Special Venue Film Entertainment, joined Blur Studio in 1999 to head its newly formed theme park and special venue film division. With 21 years in the film industry and over a decade of directing experience, Yas is a valuable creative team member to Blur.

One of the ride film industry's most talented and experienced creatives, Yas' is currently directing a stereoscopic dark ride for a new theme park located in Abu Dhabi, UAE, slated to open in 2010, and last year worked on Universal's "The Simpson's Ride" which was voted Best Attraction by the Themed Entertainment Association. (TEA). Yas also co-directed Paramount and Nickelodeon's "SpongeBob SquarePants in 3D," which remains a blockbuster theme park attraction for Paramount Parks. Previous to that he directed the sci-fi hit venue film based on the popular tv-series, "StarGate 3000" for MGM and was the lead creative on "Stan Lee's 7^th Portal 3D Simulation Experience," yet another hit for Paramount Studios theme parks.

Yas also collaborated with Blur Studio's Director Tim Miller on two key venue films, "Meteor Attack", a custom film for Japan's Tobu Zoo Park, and "Ride the Records", a large format ride film created for Guinness World of Records Attractions.

Yas grew up in San Francisco, earned a degree in communications from the University of California, Berkeley, and began his career with Midland Productions in nearby Richmond. While helping that company expand its business in commercial and corporate media production, he launched it into the nascent business of ride film production. He produced and directed ride films for Iwerks Entertainment, Imax, Busch Gardens, Busch Entertainment's Sea World parks, and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Among his credits is Wild Arctic, an attraction featured at Sea World parks. It takes park visitors on a "jet helicopter" ride through a frozen wonderland to come face-to-face with walruses, beluga whales and polar bears.

Yas is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences.

Jon "JK" Klaczkiewicz
Producer/Director

Award-winning producer Jon "JK" Klaczkiewicz maintains a reputation for producing high-end films that go beyond the typical action sports movie formula. As supervising producer at Teton Gravity Research his efforts earned the coveted Ski Movie of the Year Award for the 2003 release of "High Life". In 2004 his independent feature-length documentary about legendary big mountain freeskier Kent Kreitler, "Reverence 闂?the Kent Kreitler Story", broke into a new realm of action sports documentaries. "Reverence" earned a nomination for Ski Movie of the Year in Aspen and Best Biography at X-Dance during the Sundance Film Festival. Following the production of six high definition ski story-based television programs for Rush HD, JK completed the first true high definition big mountain ski movie, "Waiting Game". The film earned widespread acclaim and earned another Ski Movie of the Year nomination during the X-Games. JK is a passionate skier and athlete with a Master's Degree from the University of Colorado. He just finished production on a new documentary film on the most infamous underground ski fraternity in North America, the Jackson Hole Air Force.