Series Creator/Producer/Director

Debra Tolchinsky is a documentary director, producer, multimedia artist, and an associate professor of documentary at Northwestern University, whose work has been seen internationally. With an academic background from USC's School of Cinematic Arts and an MFA in painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Tolchinsky's films, including Saint Catherine's Wedding Ring, Lucky, and Dolly, have been seen at events like the Sundance Film Festival and venues like the Kennedy Center. More recently, her film Contaminated Memories was a New York Times Op-Docs release. Recognized as a Film 50: Chicago's Screen Gems honoree, she was the founding director of Northwestern's MFA in documentary media and continues to contribute to that program as well as the local and national documentary landscape.

Co-Producer/Composer

David E.Tolchinsky studied composition at Yale University and film production at USC School of Cinematic Arts. His work has been screened at the Sundance Film Festival, the Oberhausen Film Festival, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He is currently the Dean of The Media School at Indiana University Bloomington.

EDITOR

Niv Klainer’s work has been seen internationally at such festivals as the Cannes Film Festival and The Toronto International Festival. Besides editing, he’s a director of award-winning feature films.

Cinematographer

Joel McGinty, works internationally as a cinematographer for independent film and for the commercial events company L37, for clients such as Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl and Bowling Proprietors of America.

ON Location Sound Mixer

Shuling Yong is a Singapore-born, Chicago-based documentary filmmaker,sound recordist and DP with a passion for social change. She has worked on films like Radical Grace (Hot Docs, 2015), America To Me (Sundance, 2018),and And She Could Be Next.

Sound Designer

José Homer Mora Acosta, a Honduran sound engineer and sound mixer, his work has been presented in festivals such as Rotterdam Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Toulouse Latin America Film Festival, FID Marseille, Lima Latin American Film Festival, and Bildrausch Filmfest Basel. 

Motion Design

Warren Rudd is a motion designer with over 15 years in commercial, sports entertainment, political advertisement, museum installations and film, working for clients including the Chicago Bulls, Adler Planetarium, and The Onion.

Colorist

Jeff Altman is a Chicago based senior colorist with extensive experience in the finishing of national commercial campaigns and acclaimed independent film.

Associate Producer

Claire Tuft is a freelance writer/producer/production manager, based in Portland, OR. She is also pursuing an advanced degree in psychology.

Consulting Editor

Lindsay Utz, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is known for such works as Miss Americana, Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry, and the Academy-award winning American Factory. She is also the editor of Debra Tolchinsky’s NYTimes Op-Doc Contaminated Memories