Meet Our Team
MARK TITUS, DIRECTOR
Beginning in 1991, Mark Titus spent 25 years learning the salmon industry as a processor in Bristol Bay, then as a fishing guide in Southeast Alaska.
In 2006, Mark founded August Island Pictures in Seattle and learned the craft of storytelling by writing and directing brand films for clients like: Amazon, Microsoft, The Nature Conservancy, T-Mobile and the United Nations Development Programme. As a filmmaker, Mark Titus has directed and produced short films since 2003. In 2014 Mr. Titus helmed The Breach – an award-winning feature documentary about wild salmon. The Breach screened at 25+ international film festivals and in 2015 completed a 20-city national theatrical tour across The United States.
In 2020, Mark Titus launched impact brand, Eva's Wild concurrent to the release of his newest award-winning feature documentary, The Wild, which examines the fate of Bristol Bay and through the lens of addiction and recovery, asks if it’s possible to save the things we love.
In early 2021, Mark launched his podcast, Save What You Love, interviewing exceptional people devoting their lives in ways big and small to save the things they love. In September, 2021 Mark Titus earned a producer role on television drama, NCIS - working with actor, Mark Harmon to bring a dramatic depiction of the struggle to protect Bristol Bay, Alaska to network television. In its 19th season, NCIS is the world’s most watched TV drama, garnering 23 million viewers a week.
In October, 2021, Mark received the Daniel Housberg Wilderness Image Award for excellence in Film from the Alaska Conservation Foundation.
In early 2022, Mr. Titus began filming The Turn, which will be the third and final film in The Breach Trilogy. The Turn is scheduled to premiere in 2024.
Mark has spoken at educational institutions like Yale, Cornell and the University of Oregon; on the TEDx stage in 2018 .
Through his storytelling, Mark Titus carries the message that humanity has an inherent need for wildness and to fulfill that need we have a calling to protect wild places and wild things. You can find all of Mark’s current work at www.evaswild.com.
SUSAN LASALLE, PRODUCER
Susan met Mark Titus on the IFP Spotlight Award winner DIGGERS where they shared the “spotlight” together as producers. Highlights of her career include the Academy Award winning short documentary DEADLY DECEPTION, New York Film Festival winner IT’S YOUR CHOICE: The Facts about Smoking (Discovery Channel), the multi-award winning comedy FULL DISCLOSURE (iTunes) and the award winning holiday film SWITCHMAS (Phase 4 Films). In her off hours Susan fishes from her boat the SS Minnow in the San Juans and serves on the board of the non-profit organization Corporate Accountability International.
ANDRES GARRETON, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
A citizen of this earth, Andres started his filmmaking journey when he purchased his first camera at age 12. He left his native Chile when he was 19, to travel the world and embark in a prominent career in filmmaking. With over 35 years in the entertainment business shooting features, commercials, and television, Andres is recognized not only for his work but mostly for what he brings as a human person. His leadership, commitment to excellence, unique visual style and passion for his work has earned him recognition and awards worldwide, including an EMMY for cinematography in 2001. “I love my work and feel extremely passionate about communicating ideas, along with the endless possibilities to promote change and exchange between cultures and people in this world. As filmmakers and entertainers we certainly have an enormous responsibility to use our skills wisely.”
TODD SOLIDAY, ANIMATOR
Todd Soliday is a jack-of-all-trades with 25 years experience in production and post. He specializes in documentary storytelling and adventure films such as PLATINUM (2005). As post-production supervisor for FINDING HILLYWOOD (2013), Todd provided creative direction for a dynamic graphics package, handled all distribution deliverables, and edited a music video for the film. He is currently editing a feature documentary called OUT OF LUCK (2014) and co-directing a film about an 89-year old Holocaust survivor, BIG SONIA (2015). When Todd is not in front of his screen, he likes to mountain bike, snowboard, and chop wood for his wife. (www.toddsoliday.com)
RAY TROLL, ORIGINAL ART
From his studio in Ketchikan, Alaska Ray Troll draws & paints images that migrate into museums, books and magazines and onto T-shirts sold around the globe. Basing his offbeat images on the latest scientific discoveries, Ray brings a street-smart sensibility to the worlds of paleontology & ichthyology. Ray earned a Bachelor’s degree from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas and an MFA in studio arts from Washington State University in 1981. In 2008 he was awarded an honorary doctorate in fine arts from the University of Alaska Southeast. In 2007 he was given a gold medal for ‘distinction in the natural history arts’ by the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and in 2006 was given the Alaska Governor’s award for the arts. In 2011 he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship along with Dr. Kirk Johnson for their book project ‘Cruisin the Eternal Coastline: West Coast Fossils from Baja to Barrow’. A month after that award Ray was also given the Rasmuson Distinguished Artist
Award.
ERIC FRITH, CO-WRITER AND EDITOR
Eric Frith creates films that have screened at top festivals including Sundance, Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), South by Southwest (SXSW), Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) and many, many others around the world. These projects have received numerous awards and been acquired for distribution, both nationally and internationally, by Miramax, Dream Entertainment, Cinema Management Group, Off the Fence, Independent Lens, American Masters PBS, and Phase 4 Films. Most recently, Eric served as editor and co-writer for award-winning documentaries and narratives including THE BREACH (2014) FROM THE SKY (2014), THE HERO POSE (2014), SONG OF THE NEW EARTH (2014), FINDING HILLYWOOD (2013), EDEN (2012), A LOT LIKE YOU (2012), and HEART OF THE GAME (2005). He loves spending time with his wife and son on Vashon Island, WA. and making music with friends.
KATHLEEN MCINNIS, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Kathleen McInnis currently programs short films for Toronto International Film Festival. Most recently, Kathleen was Festival Director at the Oscar®- qualifying Palm Springs International ShortFest. She was Slamdance Festival Director, 2005, and both Director of Publicity & Lead Programmer at Seattle International Film Festival, 1993-2004. Kathleen founded See-Through Films LLC, a film publicity/festival strategies company offering business development for world cinema filmmakers, to help filmmakers navigate the film festival circuit to their best possible advantage. She has represented narrative, short and documentary films at Sundance, Berlin, Toronto, Cannes, Karlovy Vary, San Sebastian and Galway film festivals. Notable documentaries at these festivals have included ALIVE INSIDE (Sundance Audience Award Winner, ‘14), SALMA (Sundance, ’13), MEN AT LUNCH (Toronto, ’13), THE PIPE (Toronto, ’10), HIS AND HERS (Sundance, ’10), KICK IN IRAN (Sundance, ’10), IT MIGHT GET LOUD
(Berlin, ’09) and MAD HOT BALLROOM (Slamdance, ’05). Kathleen furthers her passion for, and professional dedication to, the continuing education and empowerment of emerging filmmakers as they seek their audience teaching Festival Strategies at UCLA as well as guest lecturing at USC, Brooklyn College and NYU. She is also the personal publicist of Actor Bill Pullman. Kathleen is from the PNW, grew up in Seattle and attended the University of Washington (BFA, Theater/Drama).
JOHN W. COMERFORD, Consulting Producer
John W. Comerford is a recognized writer and producer of global independent media. He is President of Paradigm Studio, a motion picture production company based in Seattle and served for nearly a decade on the board of the Seattle International Film Festival, now serving at the Northwest Film Forum. In addition, he is a faculty member of Seattle University’s Film Studies Department teaching as an adjunct professor. He graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder where he was mentored by experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage and documentarian Jerry Aronson, earning dual degrees in Psychology and Film Studies. His work including the award winning coming-of-age drama Around the Fire has been exhibited and distributed by Showtime, Starz/Encore, Public Television, Netflix, Hulu, iTunes, Amazon, American Film Institute, South By Southwest Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival and the Cannes Film Market. His latest production, the
critically acclaimed trans-media documentary offering, Icons Among Us®: Jazz in Present Tense, is available worldwide.
DAVE HOWE, RE-RECORDING MIXER
Dave came to Bad Animals from Century III at Universal Studios where he was previously a senior mixer/sound editor. The co-owner’s credits include seven National Emmy Awards for “Disney Presents Bill Nye The Science Guy.” Dave’s experience, knowledge and warped sense of the universe keep him very busy – with a diverse client base. Dave has worked on commercials, episodic television, and feature films for clients including the NBA, NBC, ABC, USA, Nickelodeon, Lorimar, Miramax, Disney, Warner Brothers, and numerous independent film companies. As an accredited member of the Cinema Audio Society and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Dave Howe has spent a lifetime fighting diligently to bring crystal clear cinematic sound to the world. “This business is about building trust and confidence by delivering flawless sound and a great experience every time.”
David Parfit, Composer
David Parfit is an independent film composer, musician, sound engineer, and multimedia artist, focused on creating emotional experiences through subtlety, dynamics, and performance. After earning a B.S. in computer science from the University of Montana and a M.M. in music technology from New York University, he moved to Victoria to work on the award-winning documentary SAVING LUNA (released theatrically in Canada in 2008-9 and later re-titled THE WHALE and released theatrically in the U.S. in 2011).
Since then, he’s scored and mixed dozens of films, TV shows, and advertisements for broadcast around the world (BBC, CBC, ABC, PBS, ESPN, France 2, Rialto 25 and many others). In 2014, he worked on five feature-length films, including scoring and mixing Maureen Bradley’s debut feature, TWO 4 ONE; mixing Suzanne Crocker’s award-winning feature documentary, ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD; and co-composing the score to Mark Titus’ feature documentary, THE BREACH, with Tobin Stokes.
In addition, David produces interactive art installations with fellow media artist Scott Amos as Monkey C Interactive. Their collaborations have been displayed in many Victoria art galleries as well as at festivals such as Bass Coast and Rifflandia.
As a sound artist, David’s works have been performed in concert halls from New Zealand to New York to Montana, and recently as part of Trimpin’s Victoria exhibit, CanonX+4:33=100.
TOBIN STOKES, COMPOSER
Tobin Stokes scores films for BBC and CBC, with distribution on PBS, ABC (Australia) and various other countries. Originally from Powell River on Canada's west coast, some of his earliest memories are fishing and boating with his family. Stokes has collaborated on various scoring projects with composer David Parfit, including SAVING LUNA and THE WHALE. He also writes for orchestra, choir, and opera, and large events such as the 2010 Olympics.
RYAN HORNER, EDITOR
Ryan Horner, owner of PegLeg Pictures, has been producing award winning content for more than a decade. Starting as an intern assistant editor in Los Angeles on the feature film Kids in America starring George Wendt, Nicole Richie, and Julie Bowen. Ryan moved on to work and learn alongside oscar winning editors for two years at a prominent post house in West Hollywood.
In 2007 Ryan wrote and directed a short film, SOJOURN, that went on to be screened at the Sundance Film Festival as part of the Film to Music program and eventually went on to present at the Palm Springs International Film Festival as well as the Blue Grass International Film Festival.
Since then Ryan has worked for The History Channel at The Incubator, co-edited FROM RIVER TO SEA with David Hopper in Los Angeles and continues to work at crafting films and videos for various companies around the world which include documentaries, commercials, short and feature films.
Most recently Ryan edited THE BREACH with director Mark Titus and won best documentary at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2014 and continues to screen around the country informing people about the importance of keeping Salmon populations healthy.
Currently Ryan is in development of two documentary films and one feature length film.