2009 Filmmaking Teams
Cash AToM
Two slackers steal an ATM machine only to discover it’s a lot more than just a machine... In fact, it has a mind of its own...
Director Tyson Hepburn
Executive Producer/Co-writer John Driftmier
Producer Dan Pierce
Tyson Hepburn is a camera operator, director and editor in Vancouver, B.C.
He has recently completed (Jan, 09) production on the 4th season of MONSTER MOVES, a Discovery Channel TV show which also airs on National Geographic US and Channel 5 UK. Tyson served as Camera Operator/ Assistant Producer for four episodes and was then promoted to Director for the final installment of the series.
While in film school, he also produced and cowrote ‘INTERVENTION’ (2007) and directed and cowrote ‘SURVIVING FILM SCHOOL’ (2008), short films that have won awards and screened at numerous film festivals. 'SURVIVING FILM SCHOOL' recently sign on with Ouat Media to distribute the short movie world wide.
John Driftmier is a TV director and camera operator based in Vancouver, BC.
He recently completed filming the TV series “Monster Moves” for
Discovery Canada, National Geographic Channel US and FIVE in the UK
where he served as Director/DOP.
John is a graduate of the film program at Simon Fraser University, and
his short films have screened at festivals around the world garnering
numerous awards.
The Mechanic
A mechanic regrets offering his services, free of charge, when the man who saved his life stretches that offer too far. When the mechanic finally draws the line, there are unintended consequences.
Director/Writer Michael Grand
Producer James Brown
Michael Grand
Michael grew up in Fredericton, New Brunswick where hockey was first and school was second. Just when he thought winter couldn’t get any colder he moved all the way to Thunder Bay, Ontario to finish high school. Michael then moved to Ottawa where he got a BA in Mass Communication at Carleton University and played guitar in several bar bands. In 2005-06 Michael moved to Vancouver, BC to study film at the Capilano University Film Centre and has worked in the local film industry ever since.
After working as a casting assistant and set dresser, Michael landed a full time job at Anagram Pictures in summer 2007 where he worked as Development Coordinator until moving on to Screen Siren Pictures in February 2009. Michael is currently coordinating a feature length documentary in addition to the development slate at Screen Siren Pictures.
Michael has written and directed several short films including the yoga comedy Warrior II, which is being distributed by Ouat Media and is out to festivals, and a satirical comedy Slipping Away, currently in post production.
Mike, Inc.
A worker collapses and gets his body reconstructed by The Institution.
Co-director/co-writer Jose Pablo Gonzalez
Co-director/co-writer Paal Wilhelm Nesset
Producer Nilou Shahvarani
Co-producer Adrian Cox
Jose Pablo Gonzalez (co-director)
Pablo Gonzalez is an inspired filmmaker, animator and designer hailing from Mexico. As a storyteller, he augments each piece with striking detail, provocative imagery, and a perfectly distorted reality to suit each universe he creates. His award-winning short film, For You, My People, has screened at several film festivals around the world including Annecy, Hiroshima, SXSW and the Vancouver International Film Festival.
Pablo is a graduate of Emily Carr University with a Bachelor of Media Arts in the field of Animation. He is currently heading the Motion Graphics Department at Goldtooth Creative (goldtoothcreative.com), a VFX and motion graphics studio based in Vancouver. He has animated and directed commercials, installations, and other video projects for UNICEF, Activision, Electronic Arts, Knowledge Network, Nokia, the Ottawa International Animation Festival and the Venice Bienale of Architecture.
Paal Wilhelm Nesset (co-director)
Paal Wilhelm Nesset is an innovative filmmaker and visual artist with a strong desire to experiment with new visual techniques. He grew up in a vibrant performing arts society in Norway, and after graduating in 2007 with a Bachelor in Media Arts from Emily Carr University, he has continued on to produce and direct a number of commercials, short films and music videos.
In addition to creating his own work, Paal Wilhelm has experience from the Vancouver independent filmmaking community, where he has worked as an assistant director on a number of productions. Paal Wilhelm is currently working for game developer Electronic Arts making high-speed car chases come to life in the Need for Speed franchise.
Nilou Shahvarani
Nilou is a graduate of the BCIT's Broadcast Journalism program and has worked in various facets in the television industry. Most recently, she was an Associate Producer for CBC's Living Vancouver and had the chance to work both behind the scenes, as well as on air. At Citytv Vancouver, Nilou dabbled in a variety of areas, including producing, writing, reporting and presenting the news. In her graduating year at BCIT, Nilou received several national broadcasting awards for a radio interview she conducted with former Canadian beauty queen and humanitarian, Nazanin Afshin-Jam. A McGill graduate, Nilou majored in Art History and languages - studying German, French and Spanish. Currently working on a freelance basis, Nilou is excited to explore new avenues in her career and is embracing all the adventures along the way.
Not Another Damn Musical
Leopold Gunthry, a mild-mannered news reporter who can only communicate his most heart-felt emotions through sensational musical numbers, struggles to find a place for himself in a cold and passionless world.
Director/Co-writer Chris Goldade
Producer/Co-writer Kevin Moore
Riboflavin!
It’s all part of an unbalanced breakfast when our heroes discover that too much riboflavin leads to a rift in the space-time continuum that threatens their very existence, as well as their plans for a late lunch.
Director Blair Dykes
Executive Producer Aaron Moore
Producer John Woods
Teaser
Jack and Teaser take us on a comic adventure between Man and his Best Friend.
Director & Writer Lidia Stante
Producer Laura Collini
Lidia Stante
It's just so fitting that one of Lidia Stante's first words was "movie". She has worked in virtually every film department in virtually every city in Canada. And when she became a First AD more than fifteen years ago, she led the way for many women in the industry.
Despite stunning klutziness her specialty has proven to be action films with credits including Jackie Chan's Rumble in the Bronx. Between features, movies of the week, documentaries, commercials, and romantic comedies she has helped shepherd years of successful productions to air.
Until this point, there simply hasn't been time for one of her own. Now, she's making time by making Teaser. And "teaser" is an apt word because it's just a hint of what's to come next in an already long, dynamic, and at times hilarious career.