ABOUT US

Taggart Siegel has been directing award-winning documentaries and dramas for 25 years that reflect cultural diversity with absorbing style. From spiritual elders struggling to preserve traditions in alien environments to marginalized youth surviving hostile streets, the subjects of his films present vital perspectives rarely seen in mainstream media. The Real Dirt on Farmer John won 31 International Film Festivals awards and is currently being released theatrically around the world. Siegel’s films bring compelling voices and visions to a global audience. Siegel is the co-founder of Collective Eye, Inc., a non-profit media organization based in San Francisco and Portland, Oregon.

Scott Ray Becker is a filmmaker whose work focuses on individuals & social causes outside of the mainstream. Becker has produced and directed numerous documentaries & environmental promotions. Becker has a Graduate Degree in Urban Studies (M.us.) and co-founded the environmental art & media group, Orlo, in 1993. He resides in Portland, Oregon and San Francisco.

AMBER SMILEY
(Office Manager & Production Assistant Collective Eye, inc. San Francisco Office)

Amber Smiley has a Bachelors Degree in Radio and Television from San Francisco Sate University.  She worked as the Producer’s Assistant on The Real Dirt on Farmer John as well as Life is Real and Tilting at the Wind.

Smiley has worn many hats over the 4 years she has been with Collective Eye.

COLE STAMM
(Marketing & Distribution, Portland Collective Eye, inc)

Cole Stamm is a filmmaker and the chief Marketer and Public Relations liaison behind Collective Eye’s Distribution facilities. Cole is a graduate of Vancouver Film School where he focused his studies on Directing, Cinematography, and Producing.  He was recently nominated for Best Student Cinematography of 2008 by the Canadian Society of Cinematographers.  Cole also carries a B.A. in English and Screenwriting from Clemson University. He has been involved in various collaborative creative projects over the years from architectural audio/video mapping installations in Florence, Italy to independent film and photography projects in Portland, Oregon.

Starr Sutherland is the Producer for Life is Real and the Director for Buster Simpson: the Art of the Place and Seas Change. He won a Handy award for his television documentary on Percy Mayfield, blues musician. Sutherland won the first-ever Clio Award for Interactive Advertising. He also won the DVD Association’s Excellence Award of his work with The Residents/Cryptic Corp in 2001 His producing/ directing credits for PBS include: The New Explorers Science and Technology series and West Coast producer for The 90’s television program. Sutherland’s independent productions include: two Bukowski shorts with Black Sparrow Press, and the hi-def short Love Hurts with writer, Natasha V.

LORETTA CALLAHAN
(Count-ess & Line Producer, Portland Collective Eye, inc.)

Loretta's career includes being a Mother, Grandmother and serving over thirty years as a Business Consultant to over 150 organizations, many in the entertainment and film industry. Loretta has used her extensive administrative and financial skills to help organizations from the Sierra Club, Oregon Wildlife Federation to working with the Coast Salish and Hopi people to help preserve their stories, sacred sites, languages and songs. Loretta has worked with filmmakers Lawrence Johnson, Square One Productions and currently works with Jim Blashfield.

Brad Reeb is a Portland filmmaker whose focus is on socially and environmentally responsible projects, with an emphasis on outstanding photography and lighting. Brad is currently working as the Director of Photography for an independent film shooting here in the Northwest. Brad is editor for Collective Eye Portland and is the Assistant Editor for our production of Queen of the Sun.

ALISON TOWLE
(Development and Outreach, Portland Collective Eye, inc.)

Alison Towle is an experienced grant manager and fundraiser.  She was Vice President of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, and also worked in affordable housing and community development as a manager and community organizer.  She has a BA in Politics from UC Santa Cruz and a Masters degree from Cornell.

MONET MOLINA
(Graphic Artist Associate)

Monet Molina has been a graphic designer since her college graduation from Montana State University on 2004. Monet currently works at The Portland Mercury, and freelances design for Collective Eye, Inc., her redesigns include; The Heart Broken in Half, Blue Collar & Buddha, Between Two Worlds, Body Memories, and The Real Dirt on Farmer John—International Release.

GREG SNIDER
(Associate)

Greg Snider’s editorial film work includes The Real Dirt On Farmer John. He edited the feature documentary, Purvis Of Overtown, winner of the Best Documentary Award at the Florida Film Festival and the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. Greg co-directed and edited the feature documentary Ridin’ & Rhymin’, winner of the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival’s Big Sky Award for best feature about the American West. The film aired on Oregon and Wyoming PBS in 2006. He is currently editing the documentary, Facing The Storm, about the history of American bison for Montana's High Plains Films. Greg is represented by the international post production company, The Whitehouse.

http://www.farawayfilm.com/

(Associate)

Dawn Smallman co-directed and produced the feature documentary Ridin’ & Rhymin', winner of the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival’s Big Sky Award for best feature about the American West. The film received a Regional Arts and Culture Council grant and aired on Oregon and Wyoming PBS in 2006. Her award winning short documentary Richart, has screened at the Smithsonian’s Hirschorn Museum, the American Folk Art Museum the Andy Warhol Museum and aired on Oregon Public Broadcasting. Dawn has produced documentary films for exhibits at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame and Calgary's Glenbow Museum. She also produced the show open for Michael Moore's TV series, The Awful Truth. Dawn is currently directing/producing a series of documentaries about a natural wetlands preserve in Nevada.

http://www.farawayfilm.com/

MIRANDA COSTA
(Artistic Associate, Portland Collective Eye, Inc.)

Miranda is our Portland artistic consultant.   She designed one of the most popular posters for The Real Dirt on Farmer John.  Miranda is the artistic director for Taggart Siegel Photography. Miranda's education includes a B.F.A. from Parsons School of Design in New York and Glasgow, Scotland. She has attended University of Oregon & School of Visual Arts in NYC.  She works at Lewis & Clark & Newspace Center for Photography here in Portland.

DEVON BRADLEY
(Distribution Associate, Portland)

Since he was a boy Devon dreamed of working in the Film and Television industry. Starting with acting, moving to student news, then back to acting, this time on-stage and finally moving back behind the camera following his passion in Producing films with purpose. 
 
Devon has had a wealth of accomplishments, such as Ambassador to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales (1995), Eagle Scouts achievements, and multiple city and state recognition and achievement awards for leadership.

 His accomplishments in film and television to-date include Pulp's Fiction, Out, Sean, A Little Piece and a 30 sec. PSA for Beaverton Together, Oregon Partnership and the Art Institute of Portland which aired in the greater Portland and metro area.

Barry Amundson is our web designer / developer and technical handyman. He currently works as a tech consultant and web developer for advocacy oriented nonprofits, artists and creative firms via Share The Media. He's a huge asset to Collective Eye artistically and technically.

SARITA SIEGAL
(Associate)

Sarita Siegel has been filmmaking for 9 years in America, New Zealand and England. Sarita Siegel created Alchemy Films with Taggart Siegel. Alchemy Films has made award-winning cross-cultural films and natural history subjects with an awareness of conservation. Alchemy Films documentaries have been broadcast on National Geographic Channels, US PBS, ARTE, and France Channel 5. Titles include The Split Horn (2001), The Disenchanted Forest (2002), Destroying Angel (1995) and The Beloved (1997).

Jim McSilver has produced and edited documentaries, shorts and feature films since 1990. Along with Taggart Siegel, he produced and edited the award-winning PBS documentary, The Split Horn: Life of A Hmong Shaman in America and online edited The Real Dirt on Farmer John. He has written, produced and cut documentaries ranging from health care and high tech to wildlife preservation and organic farming. He is currently editing Blau Jeans, a one-hour doc about American popular culture in Berlin, and on-lining a series of historical docs for Lucasfilm Ltd.

In the fiction realm, he wrote, produced and directed the 23-minute short film Head to Head. He has also production managed and assistant directed numerous short and feature length independent films.

CHRISTOPHER UPHAM
(Associate)

Christopher Upham is a writer-director and story consultant living in San Francisco who has worked in the film business since 1979. Sought after as a story consultant, his clients include: writers John O’Keefe (Shimmer, Bronte), Lynn Hershman-Leeson (Conceiving Ada, Technolust) and Lewis Green (Never Talk to Strangers) and documentary directors Ellen Perry (The Fall of Fugimori) and Taggart Siegel (The Real Dirt on Farmer John).

On Staff for the Squaw Valley Community of Writers Screenwriters program, Mr. Upham has taught screenwriting at San Francisco State University and documentary structure workshops.

His current feature film projects include: Good Morning Afghanistan with British broadcaster Waseem Mahmoud, Secret Soldier - where a woman masquerades as a soldier in Vietnam, wine country comedy For the Love of Alice, classical Cairo Psalm, with Lebanese director Hisham Bizri and Cooperstown with Sundance acclaimed director William Farley.

Mr. Upham’s feature-length documentary about the long-term effects of combat, War Within, won a prestigious Pacific Pioneer grant and is currently in postproduction. War Within centers on Upham’s experiences as a medic and traveling back to Vietnam with four Army comrades.

S. Smith Patrick is a documentary filmmaker and photographer whose work focuses on human rights and social issues. Her first film, The Children of Ibdaa: To Create Something Out of Nothing (30 min. 2002) is about a Palestinian children's dance troupe from a West Bank refugee camp. It has screened worldwide and won numerous awards. She continues to chronicle that refugee community. Other documentary projects currently in post-production include War Within and Singing the Milky Way, for which she was cinematographer. Her latest film, The Booksellers of Siem Reap, is about Cambodian street children. Smith received grants from the Agape Foundation, Vanguard Foundation, and the Middle East Children’s Alliance for her work. http://www.cinesmith.net

Teri Lang is the producer of The Real Dirt on Farmer John. She has produced and directed several short documentaries including Motorcycle Prayers, Bless Your Pets, Evicting Johnny, and Karaoke: A lifestyle. Lang was post-production coordinator for Siegel’s documentary The Split Horn: Life of A Hmong Shaman in America and was Vice President of Alchemy Films. Lang is currently producing The War Within.