CREW BIOS

DAVID SARASTI, Cinematographer

David Sarasti is an Emmy Award winning cinematographer and videographer from Colombia. He began his filmmaking career at the National University of Bogotá in 1988 and moved to the United States in 1990 to continue his studies at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mr. Sarasti’s film credits include Director of Photography for Mirror Dance/La Danza del Espejo and The New Muslim Cool. His work for television includes projects for PBS, BBC News, MTV, Lifetime, Fox, Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, HGTV, NBC Sports, NBA Entertainment, Discovery International, Nickelodeon, The Food Network and Travel Channel.

JAMES WASSERMAN, Cinematographer

James Wasserman is a freelance photojournalist and videographer based in Beijing, China. His assignments have included editorial work for Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, Inc. Magazine, Forbes and Geo. Additionally, he has worked in documentary film, both as a photographer and videographer. As one of the principal videographers for ConcreteSteel&Paint;, this is his most significant film credit to date.

JIM KLEIN, Editor

Jim Klein has been an independent filmmaker and editor since 1969. He co-directed and produced a series of award winning films with Julia Reichert, including Growing Up Female; one of the first oral history films, the Oscar-nominated Union Maids; the first film to challenge government policies on heroin addiction, Methadone: An American Way Of Dealing; and the first documentary film on American Communists, Seeing Red, which brought their second Academy Award nomination. His first solo film, Letter to the Next Generation, was released in May 1990 and premiered on the PBS series, P.O.V. His editing credits include Scout’s Honor and the award winning film Taking Root about Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangaari Matthai. His new film, Taken For a Ride, was co-produced with Martha Olson.

VALERIE KELLER, Editor

Valerie Keller, twice-Emmy-nominated editor, has been editing film and video since 1989 and co-producing the hit cable TV series BiG TeA PaRtY (BTP) since 1998. Her work has aired nationally on networks and MSO's such as Travel Channel, Discovery, Sundance, Comcast and PBS, been aired via satellite on THE DISH Network and the VOOM Satellite Network; played in festivals around the world; featured in art galleries; shown on the web; aired on Phila public and cable TV. Valerie created over 60 inventive HD shorts for the VOOM satellite network. BTP's documentary "Unconventional Coverage" won Best Documentary at the 2001 Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema.

SAK COSTANZO, Editor

Sak Costanzo has worked on several award-winning films in her twenty-year career as a documentary film and video editor. She has worked with a number of production companies creating shows for National Geographic, Discovery, American Masters, PBS, HBO, 40 Acres & a Mule and notable film directors, including Spike Lee. many others. She has recently completed work on a critically acclaimed multi-screen installation for The Smithsonian Institution Museum of Natural History in their newly renovated Sant Ocean Hall.

GARY MEISTER, Composer

Gary Meister is an award-winning composer, music producer and musician, and founder of Naturalistic Music + Sound, an NYC-based production company that creates music for film, TV, advertising and new media. He has created music for some of the strongest brands in the industry, with clients including, NBC, HBO, Showtime, VH1, MTV, Bravo, Nickelodeon, The Movie Channel, TLC, AMC, PBS, Spike, The Smithsonian Channel, Link TV, & Gabriel Films. His credits include Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, Weeds, The Tudors, Brotherhood, Everyday Food (Martha Stewart Omnimedia), Eavesdropping With Alan Cumming (Oxygen), Sportsfan (Jon Stewart’s Busboy Prod.), A League Of Ordinary Gentlemen (Magnolia Pictures), Locked Up (Discovery), and a wide range of documentary films that reflect his concerns and examine such noteworthy topics as prison, the environment, torture, AIDS, 9/11, healthcare, education & childhood development. Gary has also worked with pioneering ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax, where he assisted in the development of Lomax’s Global Jukebox.