The Grizzly Creek Films crew is a talented group. We’ve come together from diverse backgrounds: filmmaking, wildlife biology, graphic design, new media, non-profit organizations, and the deep woods. Our strength is the unique sum of these parts united by a shared commitment to original, innovative storytelling.
Thomas is the founder and president of Grizzly Creek Films, a company producing innovative, entertaining, and thought-provoking films about inspiring people and the natural world. Born and raised in Minnesota, where his passion for filmmaking began at an early age, Tom went on to attend Middlebury College in Vermont, where he earned a B.A. in Geography. After a few years of ski patrolling in Utah, leading community service trips and documentary workshops abroad, and working professionally in the film industry, he moved to Bozeman, MT to earn an M.F.A. in Science and Natural History Filmmaking from Montana State University. He has worked extensively in the film and television industry as an executive producer, director, cinematographer, and editor. Broadcast credits include work for The National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, The Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and PBS, among others. His films have been award nominees and winners at numerous festivals, including the prestigious Wildscreen Festival, where The Mongolian Marmot (2008) was nominated for the BBC Newcomer Award and both Expedition Grizzly (2010) and Kinect Nat Geo TV (2012) won Panda Awards for best Presenter-Led Program and New Media, respectively. The highlight of Tom’s life was watching Kirby Puckett’s game six World Series walk-off homerun land in the seat in front of his.
Casey is a fifth generation Montanan who was born and raised in East Helena, Montana. He has been involved in film and television production for over sixteen years. As a wildlife naturalist, host and actor, Casey has worked on numerous feature films, television wildlife documentaries, and non-profit educational programs. He is the host and executive producer of the Nat Geo WILD Channel series “Expedition Wild” and "America the Wild". The Wildscreen Festival in Bristol, UK recognized his on-camera talents in 2010 when he received the Panda Award for Best Presenter-Led Program. As an author, Casey wrote "The Story of Brutus: My Life With Brutus the Bear and the Grizzlies of North America" and he is a frequent contributor to many online and print publications. He is a world-renowned public speaker and recently presented and emceed the Jackson Hole TedX event. But wait… there’s more: Casey is the trainer and best friend of Brutus the Bear {hyperlink this to Brutus’ profile pic and bio} and the co-owner and director of the Montana Grizzly Encounter, a grizzly bear sanctuary in Bozeman, Montana. To learn more, check out his website: www.caseyanderson.tv
Rick’s award-winning imagery has been featured in numerous fiction and documentary films. He has worked as producer, cinematographer, and photographer for a variety of broadcast entities, non-profits, and governmental agencies including, Mercury CSC, The Nature Conservancy, Yellowstone National Park, PBS, Animal Planet and National Geographic Television. His 2007 short film Fish & Cow was a newcomer finalist at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and he was the recipient of the Montana Filmmaker Award at the 2008 International Wildlife Film Festival. In 2010, his efforts as the Director of Photography on the Montana PBS film Before There Were Parks resulted in an Emmy Award for Best Photographer of a Program. For Grizzly Creek Films and the “America the Wild” series, Rick continues to push the technical envelope of imagery through the use of DSLR timelapse, remotely triggered infrared cameras, and high-speed photography.
Eric is the Series Writer and occasional unwitting stuntman for “America the Wild.” His writing and producing credits for broadcast, theatrical, non-profit, and new media clients include National Geographic Television, PBS, Harvard University’s Center for Health and the Global Environment, Patagonia, The Cougar Fund, Yellowstone to Yukon, and TERRA: The Nature of Our World. His work has precipitated a Webby Award, a Wildscreen Panda Award, a Best Newcomer nomination at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, and a Best Conservation Film Award from the American Conservation Film Festival. Eric’s storytelling trousers were handsewn from a long love affair with language before being acid-washed at Brown University and Teflon-treated at Montana State University’s M.F.A. program in Science and Natural History Filmmaking. Until he sells all his worldly possessions to circumnavigate the world by sailboat, he can frequently be found playing in snow, rock, water, and ice in the mountains surrounding Bozeman.
If he had a choice, Sasha would live in the mountains with a 60lb pack and a fly rod. A Pennsylvania native, Sasha studied theatre at a performing arts high school in Bethlehem, PA, before venturing to Montana to study Film at Montana State University. A member of the 2012 graduating class, Sasha shot most of his projects in the wilderness. In 2011, Sasha worked as a one man crew, documenting a backcountry expedition through seventy miles of Banff National Park. In 2012, Sasha worked with Big Sky Youth Empowerment, a non-profit organization that mentors troubled youth. He was able to direct, shoot, and edit films that would help raise awareness and recourses for local youth in need. With massive amounts of energy, interest in the human condition, and a love for the outdoors, Sasha is charged to be a young filmmaker in Bozeman, MT.
SaVenna was born and raised in beautiful Lincoln County, in northwest Montana. A logger’s daughter, she grew up immersed in the great outdoors - taking every opportunity to experience her wild surroundings. She continues to love fishing and hunting from the great Old-Growth forests of the Northwest to the prairie dog towns and open range of Montana's Big Sky Country. SaVenna has worked as studio manager and stock footage supervisor for Al Giddings Images, Inc., as a cowgirl running her own herd of cattle in Sweet Grass country, and as co-manager of an elite guest ranch at the base of Montana's Crazy Mountains. No stranger to hard work, she accomplished all of this while also working full-time at a highly-respected law firm. SaVenna’s multi-talented background and her love of amazing people, food, culture, and the fast-paced film production world are now put to good use in her role as Grizzly Creek Film's Business Manager.
Devon is a first generation Montanan who was born and raised in Waubay, South Dakota. He has been involved in film and television production for over four years. As a filmmaker, producer, and director, Devon has continually learned from and valued the advice of only one person, Kelsey Anderson, the twin sister of famed wildlife naturalist Casey Anderson. Kelsey taught Devon two things that continue to shape his life -- always have a positive attitude, and never stop smiling. Today, Devon has implemented these words into a way of life. His constantly radiating smile and joyful demeanor provide a source of comfort to the Grizzly Creek team. Devon’s smile is something Kelsey herself now finds solace in, even after a tragic and reckless game of truth or dare transformed her into Brutus the Bear.
Stefanie grew-up in the Colorado wilderness, raised by a wildlife biologist to have a thirst for science and love of the outdoors. She started her film career at USC, earning a B.S. in Environmental Studies/Biology while taking all the filmmaking electives she could squeeze into her schedule. Seeking to combine passions, she then marched off into the wild blue Montana yonder to earn an M.F.A in Science and Natural History Filmmaking. Her first long-form documentary won Best Editing at the M.F.A. Student Film Festival and was broadcast on PBS. She spent five years as a producer and editor at NASA before moving to the UK with her husband to fulfill her dream of becoming a freelance editor. Her editing work for NASA won Best Promo at the International Wildlife Film Festival and her other films have all been official selections at a range of film festivals. She has edited programming from wildlife to cooking to sports for National Geographic, PBS, NASA TV, The Travel Channel, Laureus World Sports, Pearson Education, and Oxford University. Still a mountain girl at heart though, she loves returning to Bozeman to edit for her favorite team.
Shasta only discovered the proverbial worth of the picture after a long history with words. But she always draws from her roots in bread and butter narrative (MA English, University of British Columbia). With a knack for finding stories in mounds of footage, Shasta is mesmerized by the siren call of the unexpected and the overlooked. Those sirens have been variously incarnated as small town basketball players, forgotten musical pioneers, and orphaned owlets. By gratefully and respectfully appropriating stories and regularly losing sleep, Shasta has earned Emmy, CINE Golden Eagle, Telly, and film festival awards. She exploits the ever-growing repertoire of amazing animal facts supplied by her work on “America the Wild” during awkward silences at dinner parties.
Tyler Johnerson has been filming in the wild professionally for more than twelve years and he's packed a camera on his treks religiously since his teenage years - filming some of the most elusive and spectacular wildlife in North America. He has captured a broad range of rare wildlife including Mountain Lions, Dall and Stone sheep, Black Bears and Grizzlies in the Northern Rockies, as well as Desert Bighorn sheep, Mule deer, and Coues' White-Tailed deer in Mexico and beyond. He is a lifetime resident of Montana who has been fortunate enough to grow up surrounded by knowledgeable outdoor enthusiasts. Ultimately, he is drawn to wild places by the diversity he finds on each mission and by his natural sense for hunting, tracking, and exploring - giving him an edge in capturing the spirit of dynamic adventures taking place in the great outdoors. Tyler has worked on film projects and hunting TV shows for major network clients including the BBC, The Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, Versus, Animal Planet, National Geographic, and the Discovery Channel.
Danny is committed to creating smart and edgy non-fiction films that reflect the human connection to the natural world. He has worked as a producer, editor, and cinematographer for a variety of broadcast entities, government agencies, and non-profits including National Geographic Television, PBS, NASA, The National Science Foundation, Tuttle Publishing, and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He garnered an Emmy award during his tenure as Senior Producer of the Montana PBS series, TERRA and his own film, Feeding the Problem, was nominated for the Best Newcomer Award in 2011 at the prestigious Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival.
His passion for adventure, story-telling, and cinematography has taken him around the world - from the high-mountain huts of Japan’s top sword makers, to the snake-filled swamps of the Tasmanian highlands. His combined love of art, science, and storytelling thrust him into the land of media production and an MFA in Science and Natural History Filmmaking from Montana State University.
Hailing from the vast wilds of New Jersey, Katie has always possessed a keen interest in the natural world. That fascination followed her to Virginia's Shenandoah Valley where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Geology at James Madison University. Katie took advantage of the beautiful mountain setting to hone an interest in caving and cycling and in addition developed a desire to share her connection to the natural world. This zeal for seeing a story in everything led her to Bozeman, where she is currently pursuing her MFA in Science and Natural History Film at Montana State University. Since than, her films have been featured in festivals and hosted in museums. Katie believes through laughter and creativity she may inspire others to keep learning, and in turn, to fully appreciate the world around them.
At the age of six, Avela frequently hosted “friendly” drawing competitions among her best pals. Her thinly veiled goal was to be crowned as the winner by an unbiased panel of parents. In her current work, she masks a still competitive personality with a genuinely calm demeanor. Avela’s background is in Graphic Design with a BA in Design from Western Washington University. Driven by her belief in the power of visual language, she has worked in book design, branding, public relations and film, designing for international brands such as IBM, Nestle and Gerber. Avela is happy to be back in her hometown of Bozeman. In the near future she hopes to add a young Rhodesian Ridgeback to the fine pack of office dogs at Grizzly Creek Films.
Although he will always call Oklahoma home, Jeff is a currently wrapping up an MFA degree in the Science and Natural History Filmmaking program at Montana State University. A scientist by training, Jeff earned a degree in Zoology from Oklahoma State University, taking some time to study chemistry, ecology and spanish along the way. After school, he spent some time doing marine biology research in British Columbia and working abroad in New Zealand. If he is not knee-deep in Grizzly Creek's equipment room, Jeff can be found enjoying the outdoors or at the local coffee shop digging into a good book. He has produced several short films with an emphasis on human-nature interactions. His 2012 film, Restoring an Icon, recently won best student documentary at the Montana CINE International Film Festival.
Scott grew up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, where exposure to the outdoors, technology, and culture inspired a passion for visual art and storytelling. Scott looks beyond the written words, narrative and photography of a film, seeking to exploit the unspoken “terroir”, that adds a subtle level of emotion and complexity to any story. He has been working professionally in television production for more than a decade, specializing in color, light, and graphic design. Scott’s day job takes him across town, where he serves as a senior producer for Montana PBS, creating unique documentaries and series ranging from Montana’s best musical performances to current affairs. He earned an individual achievement Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in graphic design, and revels in the juxtaposition of art and technology that is contemporary filmmaking.
