Biographies
Eric Strauss – Director/Producer
Eric Strauss has been creating documentary films for more than a decade, shooting, writing and producing for broadcasters such as National Geographic, The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, and A&E.; For National Geographic Explorer, Eric directed, shot and produced Heroin Crisis, about the global trail of Afghan heroin, as well as Iraq’s Guns for Hire, a profile of the private security industry in Iraq. Eric is currently directing and producing for Hard Time, an Emmy-nominated prison series that premiered on the National Geographic Channel in March 2009. The Redemption of General Butt Naked is his first feature film.
Daniele Anastasion – Director/Producer
Daniele Anastasion has worked regularly on documentaries for National Geographic, including the Emmy-nominated Inside the Body Trade. She directed and produced KKK: Inside American Terror for The National Geographic Channel and has also produced and shot for Frontline/WORLD. She is currently producing for Hard Time, an Emmy-nominated prison series for National Geographic that provides a gripping yearlong view into the world of incarceration. The Redemption of General Butt Naked is her first feature film.
Gregory Henry – Executive Producer
Greg has spent more than 15 years making documentary films on subjects ranging from history to social issues across the US and the world. He began as an editor with the renowned documentarian, Charles Guggenheim, in Washington, DC, collaborating on more than seven films including the Academy Award Nominated, A Place in the Land. In 1996, he moved to New York to work with Bill Moyers, ultimately producing long form PBS documentaries and then joining the weekly show NOW with Bill Moyers. As a co-founder and Executive Producer at part2 pictures, Greg has helmed the hit series, Hard Time, and many of the highest-rated programs and series from part2pictures. His producer, writing and directing credits include dozens of reports for NOW with Bill Moyers, historical series, PBS specials and verite dramas. He oversees all production and continues to work hands-on with our films and filmmakers.
David Shadrack Smith – Executive Producer
David has been writing, producing, directing and filming documentaries around the world since 1993. As co-founder and Executive Producer of part2 pictures, he brings a mission to tell the world’s stories into the series, specials, and feature docs that part2 pictures creates. His work has earned 8 Emmy nominations and been seen on major broadcasters like National Geographic, Discovery, PBS, the up-coming OWN network, History, Showtime, and ZDF. After graduating from Wesleyan University with a degree in History, David spent 7 years living in Beijing, China documenting the incredible transformation there while exploring the craft of cinematography. Behind the lens or as a guiding force at part2 pictures, his emphasis on craft and authentic story-telling has helped contribute to stories that move people and inspire a dialogue about world culture in our times. David now lives and works in his native New York.
Jeremy Siefer – Editor
Jeremy Siefer is an Emmy Award-winning documentary editor based in New York City. His credits include National Geographic’s Afghan Warrior, for which he received an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Editing in 2010 and several Emmy-nominated episodes of National Geographic Explorer. He has also edited programs for PBS, the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, HBO, Showtime, and Palm Pictures. He wrote and directed the 2005 documentary Kiddush with Cachaça: Jewish Roots and Revival in the Backlands of Brazil, and has filmed music documentaries around the world – from Paris to Singapore.
Ryan Hill – Co-Producer/Cinematographer
As a producer and cinematographer, Ryan brings a distinctive visual style and strong sense of story to each project. His clients include HBO, PBS, National Geographic Channel and The Discovery Channel. He has worked with Aborigines in Australia, Eskimos in Alaska, drug dealers in Oakland and was embedded with the Green Berets in Afghanistan. He recently traveled to Pakistan, Morocco and Israel with Secretary Clinton for National Geographic’s Inside the State Department.
Ryan Lobo – Co-Producer/Photographer
Ryan Lobo is a freelance filmmaker, photographer and writer based in Bangalore, India. His photographic prints have been exhibited all over India and Europe and he has written and shot numerous stories for various international publications. He has worked as a producer, cameraman and sound recordist on more than 60 film projects for National Geographic, Discovery Channel and other networks, including shooting undercover for the Emmy-nominated film Child Slaves of India.
Peter Hutchens – Cinematographer
In his ten-year career as a documentary filmmaker, Peter has shot and produced numerous programs for the National Geographic Channel, the Discovery Channel, and PBS. His assignments have spanned the globe and covered topics as diverse as Thailand’s deadly cobras, Ireland’s “accidental” mummies, America’s embattled prison system, and China’s emerging punk rock scene.
Justin Melland – Composer
With over 30 feature and documentary film credits to his name, composer Justin Melland has become known for his wonderfully eclectic scores and his masterful command over a wide array of musical styles. After finishing his Master’s Degree in music composition at UCLA and UC Berkeley, one of his first composing positions was to write an original score for The Death of Kevin Carter: Casualty of the Bang Bang Club which was nominated in 2006 for an Oscar® and is distributed by HBO. He has also written the scores for the documentary films When The Storm Came (Winner, Best US short film Sundance 2004), Under Our Skin (Tribeca 2008), Life 2.0 (Sundance 2010), and The Redemption Of General Butt Naked, which is now screening at Sundance 2011.