Discover Top Creative Directors in Salinas, California, USA

Free-Lance, Award Winning, Documentary Filmmaker and Cinematographer (Experienced x 10 Years) 20 x years US Military Experience - Specialties - Experienced Filmmaker and Video Journalist In Austere War Torn Environments, Subject Matter Expert In Military and US Veteran Affairs, US Foreign Policy, Counterterrorism, Environmental National Disaster Crisis and Response To Include Artic, Wildland Forest Fires and Hurricane Flood Conditions, US Stateside Domestic and Fringe Organizations To Include Worker and Political Unions, Super PAC Donation and Lobbyist Groups, Anti-Government and Racial Populist Movements and Organizations, US Government Foreign Policy and National Security Correspondence, Conflict Resolution and Restorative Justice Issues, Travel Journalism, Restaurant and Food Industry, Live and Staged Sporting Events, Comedy, Satire, Video Art, and Underwater Video and Photography, Independent Commercial, Narrative, Documentary Filmmaker, and Producer

• Commercial DP
• Creative Director
• Production Company
• Sound Mixer
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Sound Designer
• Documentary DP
• Field Producer
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Video Editor - News
• Fixer
• Production Assistant
• Reporter / Journalist
• Mobile Journalist / Livestreamer
• Motion Graphics Designer
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Line Producer / On-Location
• Senior Producer / Project Manager
• Post-Production Manager
• Transcriber
• Colorist
• Non-Fiction Film Director

I'm an independent documentary film director, producer, and editor, and a Berkeley City College faculty member of the Multimedia Department, where I teach video arts. I most recently worked as a Senior Producer for eight years at San Francisco's PBS/NPR affiliate KQED, where my team and I were awarded 17 industry awards, including several Webby Awards, regional Northern California Emmys, and recognition from the Society of Professional Journalism - Northern California. I led arts and culture video coverage and special projects featuring the region’s creative communities and beyond. Documentaries I directed for KQED explored the impact of gun violence on Black and Brown communities, the toxic legacy of uranium mining on Native lands, and recovery in the aftermath of Northern California’s wildfires. I created and senior produced the YouTube series If Cities Could Dance, featuring dancers who represent their cities’ signature moves. Prior to my work with KQED, I directed and produced the national Emmy-nominated documentary “Tulia, Texas” (PBS’ Independent Lens,) documenting a landmark civil rights case exposing racial injustices in America’s War on Drugs. I also produced the national PBS Not In Our Town specials “Light in the Darkness,” and “The Fire Next Time,” (POV), and produced numerous regional episodes of the anti-violence storytelling project. My other producing and directing credits include “Rising from Ruin” (MSNBC’s Hurricane Katrina special,) “Policing the Force” (WNET’s Expose: America’s Investigative Reports,) and “Murder in St. Petersburg” (PBS FRONTLINE World.) My work has been programmed at SXSW Film Festival and at film festivals around the world; broadcast and streamed on PBS NewsHour, the New York Times, and The Guardian. When I'm not making media or supporting my students, you can find me cheering on my teenage son on the basketball court, community gardening, or chilling with my dog and cat, Coco and Diego who went viral on Instagram. (@cocolovesdiego)

• Documentary DP
• Video Editor - News
• Reporter / Journalist
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Creative Director
• Field Producer
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Senior Producer / Project Manager
• Senior Editor

Jonathan Smith is a Director of Photography and editor from Pontiac, MI. He moved to Oakland, CA, in the summer of 2017, after graduating from Eastern Michigan University with his B.S. in Electronic Media and Film Studies. Jonathan uses his passions for photography, videography, and storytelling as conduits for others to share their stories. From 2014-2017 in Michigan, Jonathan worked as an ESPN cameraman and radio host for WEMU 89.1. Since 2017 in California, Jonathan formally served as Control Room Operator for KTOP TV-10, Oakland's government television station, as Social Media and Graphic Design Director for Oakland-based nonprofit Safe Passages, and as Visual Media Director for Berkeley Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Berkeley, CA. Jonathan currently serves as the Worship Projection Operator at the historic Allen Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Oakland, CA. Additionally, he is working in collaboration with acclaimed documentary filmmaker Cheryl Fabio as Director of Photography for her upcoming film Baseline.

• Documentary DP
• Commercial DP
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Portrait Photographer
• Fashion Photographer
• Corporate Videographer

An anthropologist and filmmaker, his first feature, “Adelante,” a feature length documentary about Mexican immigration to a historically Irish Catholic church outside of Philadelphia, screened on over 20 PBS affiliates, played at over 30 festivals, and was screened at over 40 colleges. The film won awards at numerous festivals including the Catskill Mountain Film Fest, the Accolade Film Fest and the International Festival of Ethnological Films. His short doc, Searcy County,” screened domestically and internationally, including the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival and the Sebastopol Documentary Film Fest. He has written about film in journals including “Southern Spaces,” “Visual Communication,” and “The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute.” He is currently editing a feature-length documentary about Mexican and American tree planters in the southeast United States, an innovative film that be the first documentary film accepted for a PhD at the University of Pennsyvania

• Documentary DP
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Commercial DP
• Creative Director
• Video Editor - News
• Reporter / Journalist
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - Commercial

Kenny was raised in the rocky mountains of Montana which is where he received his bachelor's degree in Marketing and Media Arts from the University of Montana. Since graduating Kenny has lived in San Diego and Philadelphia. In these cities he sharpened his professional skills as a creative marketer by working for many organizations such as BEMER and the University of Pennsylvania. In the last 2 years Kenny traveled the entire length of the United States by car twice for career reasons but ultimately for the adventure. He now permanently parks his Honda Civic at his new home in Oakland. In 2024 from Berkeley City College he received a film certificate in directing and producing. He loves to travel, but Kenny looks forward to planting his roots in the communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can often find Kenny hiking in one of the many Oakland redwood groves, shooting photographs of the beauty he sees around him or finding his center at a YMCA yoga class.

• Corporate Videographer
• Documentary DP
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Production Assistant
• Digital Content Creator
• Content Strategist
• Production Company
• Senior Producer / Project Manager
• Creative Director
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Social Media Producer

Howdy! I'm an award winning director, cinematographer and editor based in California. I work with brands, agencies, NGOs and production companies. As a director: I have an extensive background in developing and pitching ambitious projects to executive leadership. My films have a unique look and feel characterized by truth and authenticity in the storytelling and dynamic and creative camera work. As a cinematographer: I always try to work in service of the story. I'm capable of giving it a unique identity in the visual approach or can find beauty in simplicity. I'm highly collaborative and am capable of taking direction or leading the way creatively. As an editor: I pride myself on crafting compelling stories. I try to uncover poignancy and vulnerability in the characters. All my edits have a creative edge and careful attention to detail, taking the effectiveness of every shot into consideration. Freelancer and co-founder & director at The Elevens.

• Video Editor - Commercial
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Creative Director
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Senior Editor
• Landscape Photographer
• Portrait Photographer
• Commercial DP
• Corporate Videographer
• Documentary DP
• Field Producer
• Colorist

I am from Milan, Italy, and I immigrated to the US in 2009. In Milan, I achieved my bachelor's in Advertising as a copywriter then won a grant to join one of the finest film companies at the time, Central Productions. After a few steps in commercials, I joined a Post facility (Rumblefish) where I worked as an AVID editor (commercials, documentaries, TV Shows, you name it) in the pioneering years of NLE, the mid-'90s. After three years immersed in Post, I began to freelance and merge my advertising studies with my tech skills. I evolved professionally as a writer, video, and convention director across Europe for Fortune 50, as well as filming documentary footage in Tibet. Relocating to the US was a major change in my life. I went through a long immigration process and health challenges. From the time I arrived in the US to the time I received a life-changing green card, I endured years of unemployment due to Visa restrictions, and battled cancer at the bone marrow while being a stay-at-home dad to my newborn daughter. Such experiences shaped my approach to work in new ways– I’ve learned the literal meaning of resilience, increased my empathy, and try to make days meaningful and joyful. In 2016, I wrote and directed my first US short film called Thank You Rebbe. In 2017, at the age of 44, I received my green card and returned to collaborating and volunteering with film projects. Soon, I was helping nonprofits meet their filmmaking needs, and in 2018, I accepted a full-time position as a video director at the Jewish United Fund of Chicago. The first project I wrote and produced was a video raising awareness about anti-Semitism in the US. In 2020, I received a Silver Telly Award and a Midwest EMMY nomination for this video. In 2021, my short film Thank You Rebbe won the Best Jewish Film Award at the Cannes World Film Festival - Remember The Future competition. My professional expertise includes developing creative strategy, managing creative and production teams, and developing content for Arts, Broadcast, Corporate, Entertainment, and Non-Profit initiatives. My passion for storytelling led me to wear multiple hats, from founding niche social networks to directing videos and conventions. I love to travel and have developed projects in China, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, Tibet, and the USA.

• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Translator
• Creative Director
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Senior Producer / Project Manager
• Portrait Photographer
• Content Strategist
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Production Company

Polar Productions is a Bay Area based production company that specializes in turnkey style projects. We collaborate with our clients on every aspect of the process, optimizing their ability to give input, while we do all the creative and technical heavy lifting – Pre-production through Post-production. With 12 years of experience in filmmaking, we bring cinematic techniques to every project to create engaging videos at the highest level. In following with our philosophy of creating the best videos possible, Polar Productions uses the highest quality equipment in the cinematic world, including our RED Epic Dragon 6k camera (the same camera The Hobbit films were shot on). We pride ourselves on going the extra mile to fully understand our clients and their business, and in doing so we create strong lasting business relationships that are grounded in trust and success.

• Commercial DP
• Creative Director
• Production Company
• Immersive/Spatial Video Capture
• Drone Operator
• Documentary DP
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - Commercial

Brent is a seasoned documentary filmmaker and pizza enthusiast, currently residing in Austin, TX. His credits include the feature film Dear Francis (Showtime television), Lovin’ Lakin (Hulu, starring Kristen Bell, Seth McFarlin, Kristen Chennoweth, and Christine Lakin), and documentary footage featured in the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics. Hardworking and prolific, over the last 16 years Brent has directed over 250 heartfelt documentary commercials for causes and clients - drugs, AIDS, deforestation, human trafficking, abuse, homelessness, international aid, and payday loans, among others. Further background: Once, brent was held at gunpoint in Vietnam for filming what he shouldn’t have.
 A few years later he had a gun pulled on him on skid row in LA while filming. Brent has since taken up running.

• Documentary DP
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Video Editor - News
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Reporter / Journalist
• Production Company
• Commercial DP
• Creative Director

I have many years of experience as a Producer, Director, Editor, and professional Location Scout with over 1000 production credits to date. Have worked on budgets from $1000 to $500,000. I have the most experience working with brands in the Entertainment, Music, Education, BioTech, Science, Cosmetic, Food, and Travel Industries. I've worked on the agency side, in television, and in the corporate world, but I've mostly worked as a freelance producer and creative, creating commercials, promos, branded content, corporate marketing, and web series, for both television and the web. I also have a handful of film, documentary, movie trailers, and infomercial credits as well. I own my own production company, Videobot: https://vimeo.com/videobottv As well as a Location Scouting Service: http://mrlocationscout.com/

• Commercial DP
• Creative Director
• Production Company
• Field Producer
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Motion Graphics Designer
• Sound Designer
• Sound Mixer
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Fixer

I'm a San Francisco Bay Area based Director, Producer & DP bringing empathy, authenticity and beauty to branded content & documentary films. My background in photojournalism, non-profit and agency work allows me to find the emotional core behind my client’s stories. As a creative director & cinematographer I’ve brought the feel goods to all aspects of production for clients including Uber Freight, Levi's, Intel, Twilio, Dignity Health, TOPIC, CNN, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and Silicon Valley Bank. Before this, I spent a decade as a Director / DP crafting documentary content in the U.S., East Africa and Central America. From concept to execution, I produced projects for clients such as the GE Foundation, Google, Microsoft, The Guardian, Al Jazzera International and The San Francisco Chronicle.

• Field Producer
• Creative Director
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Documentary DP
• Production Company
• Senior Producer / Project Manager
• Video Editor - News
• News Shooter / Video Journalist

My name is Henry. I recently graduated from The American University of Rome having received a Bachelor of Arts in Film. During my time at AUR I worked on a number of projects, primarily non-fiction narrative both for my senior thesis and the Film Festival Club. My primary role in all of these projects was director while also doing cinematography, editing and sound. In both Rome and here in California, I have pursued film photography as a hobby. In Europe my focus was architecture, and in the Western United States it was landscapes. I use Adobe Lightroom for editing. For video editing I use DaVinci Resolve Studio, though I am also proficient with Adobe Premiere Pro. Prior to college, I was a Boy Scout, having received the rank of Eagle. This instilled within me a strong work ethic, a trustworthy character, and the constant desire to learn new things and try out new ideas.

• Event Photographer
• Landscape Photographer
• Production Assistant
• Portrait Photographer
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Video Editor - Commercial
• On-Camera Talent
• Drone Operator
• Grip
• Audio Storyteller
• Sound Mixer
• Creative Director
• Executive Producer
• Senior Editor
• Motion Graphics Designer
• Commercial DP
• Colorist
• Art Director

Mogli owns and operates his own multi-media production business called, The Mogli, where he creates compelling visual content for hotel/resorts, businesses, non- profits, and media outlets, as well as local artists and musicians for passion projects. In addition, he's an avid traveller, very adaptable and have experience shooting photos and videos in many different environments, including the Amazon jungle, Peru, West Africa, Asia, Philippines and many others. Experience being on set in short and feature length films as; Cinematography, 1st & 2nd AC, DIT and On Set Photography. Mogli’s work has been featured in outlets such as Business Insider, Quartz, California magazine, placed work at the de Young Museum, SF and many more.

• Production Company
• Music Composer
• Sound Designer
• Documentary DP
• Creative Director
• Sound Mixer
• Grip
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Production Assistant
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Commercial DP
• Gaffer
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Fixer
• Colorist
• Landscape Photographer
• Audio Storyteller
• Portrait Photographer
• Event Photographer
• Fashion Photographer
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Product Photographer
• Drone Operator

Pallavi Somusetty is a documentary filmmaker and video journalist and an alum of UC Berkeley J-School's documentary program. She works as a videographer and editor filming important stories for media outlets and clients. Her recent documentary, Escaping Agra (escapingagra.com), is screening in film festivals across North America. In the last fourteen years Pallavi's career has seen her reporting for a community newspaper in Silicon Valley, videotaping product users at a New York City ad agency, producing short-form educational documentaries, and traveling internationally to film challenging stories, most recently in India and Belize. In her spare time she fills up her phone with photos of her kid.

• Documentary DP
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• TV News Producer
• Production Company
• Creative Director
• Field Producer

Kyle Maack is a video producer at Engadget and all-around maker of images. He graduated from Temple University’s Film and Media Arts program in Philadelphia, and co-founded the artist collective Girard Hall in 2011, which continues to thrive as an institution in the local arts and music scene. Upon graduation, he ventured to Los Angeles to work under veteran documentary filmmakers Keith Fulton and Lou Pepe until he was lured away by the rolling rolling hills of San Francisco. Whether Kyle is creating a simple product review or an ambitious documentary, he places truth and authenticity above all else. Through candid moments and the occasional happy accident, he strives to put a little bit of real in everything he does. He intends to continue keeping it real.

• Documentary DP
• Video Editor - Documentary
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Commercial DP
• Creative Director
• Production Company
• Video Editor - News
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Fixer
• Production Assistant

Raymund Amonoy is a professional Cinematographer and producer, he started his career as a production assistant for several independent films and was mentored by multiple filmmakers for directing, during his time with mentoring he discovered his interest in working and designing with lights and doing more camera works, which gave him opportunities to get to work in several film, commercial, and documentary in the Philippines, his long term work is with “Storyline” a documentary show produced by ANC He his currently based in San Francisco California and working as a freelance DP/field producer in various production house He recently won two Emmy awards for his collaboration with abc7 producers Full time father and part time cinematographer.

• Documentary DP
• Creative Director
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Fixer
• Commercial DP
• Mobile Journalist / Livestreamer
• Production Assistant

I am a multimedia artist and storyteller––a commercial and documentary filmmaker and photographer who specializes in outdoor adventure, lifestyle, environmental, and human interest work. I am especially drawn to working with eco-conscious brands, B corporations, and companies that are committed to equality and the environment. For the past twelve years I have been freelancing full time in the film and photo industry, starting through the camera department while pursing creative side projects. Along the way I have worked on union commercial sets, feature films, television, and documentaries. Now I primarily fill the roll of photographer, camera operator, documentary DP, and/or director but I also take my love of illustration/design, audio, and artistry wherever I go.

• Documentary DP
• Commercial DP
• Creative Director
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Audio Storyteller
• Portrait Photographer
• Landscape Photographer
• Product Photographer
• Content Strategist
• Illustrator
• Graphic Designer

My name is Touacha Her and I am a DP based in Chicago, IL. I started my focus in the camera department since 2011. Working a lot with direct to client work, I have a deep understanding on how production is run. As a DP, I work extensively with the Director and communicate through the entire process and vision to ensure that we are capturing the aesthetic and style imagined. I utilize CineDesigner in Cinema4D, to pre-visualize everything from blocking, lighting, composition to camera movement all in a 3D environment. This allows me to communicate to my clients and crew, my vision quickly and effectively reducing costs through preparation while honing in on the critical storytelling elements that matter.

• Creative Director
• Commercial DP
• Production Company
• Documentary DP
• Production Assistant

Chris Craig is a media producer, director, editor and 3D artist who has developed strategic marketing programs for successful companies for over 30 years. Clients like Analog Devices, Autodesk, Cisco, ChargePoint, SAP, and hundreds more, have relied on his skills, including design, information architecture, writing, video, animation and interactive media development. From his state-of-the-art facilities, Chris Craig creates and contributes to programs that effectively market, train, and sell by telling stories in a compelling and easy-to-understand way. In his career, he has led strategic and creative teams to develop award-wining videos, enterprise websites, and media rich corporate communication programs. Chris is available for freelance editing and 2D/3D animation design!

• Production Company
• Motion Graphics Designer
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Creative Director
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Fixer

I am a filmmaker, writer and journalist. I have produced for Bill Moyers, Michael Moore and many public and private sector clients. I have written for the Los Angeles Times Magazine LA Times Calendar, and Mother Jones, among other publications. On the film side I have produced and directed documentaries for PBS and cable TV. I am currently completing a feature documentary about the consequences of Internet surveillance, and another on fast food workers and the minimum wage. I lived part-time in Havana, Cuba in 2014-2015 when I produced (and wrote the libretto) for the first new Cuban opera in fifty years, "Cubanacan." I am producing a documentary about the opera and the art scene in Havana.

• Production Company
• Fixer
• Creative Director
• Production Assistant