VIDEO FREE AMERICA
442 Shotwell Street San Francisco CA 94110
415-648-9040
Fax 415-648-0961
Skip Sweeney • skip@videofreeamerica.com
Maurice 'Jake' Jacobsen • 16x4@videofreeamerica.com
Steve Jenson • steve@videofreeamerica.com
Siggi Matthiasson siggi@videofreeamerica.com
Rand Wetherwax rand@videofreeamerica.com
FOUNDER SKIP SWEENEY, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER /DIRECTOR.
Throughout his
30-year career, he has shot, directed, and edited extensive artistic, corporate and commercial productions. His facility upgrade incorporating digital workstations won VFA a year-long project with Electronic Arts, Colossal Pictures and director John Sanborn. Skip was DP and editor of "Psychic Detective," an interactive movie CD-Rom the New York Times described as "best new product in the LA Multi –Media showcase among 1400 scheduled for 1995 Fall market release."
An internationally awarded video maker, his own television programs have aired nationally on PBS and been exhibited worldwide at media centers, galleries and museums, including the Whitney Biennial. He also won Obie and Drama Desk awards for innovative use of visual effects.
Skip Sweeney • skip@videofreeamerica.com
MAURICE JACOBSEN, PRODUCER/DIRECTOR.
Currently a staff producer and Media 100 Editor with Video Free America, he has over 30 years of hands-on broadcast and cable experience. Presently, "Jake" is Post-Production Supervisor on the 36-part series "Excellence in Teaching," for VFA’s client The San Francisco Unified School District . His recently completed projects for PBS include "The Deadly Fuse" and "What Will the Children Think?" for Michigan’s WGVU-TV and a video news magazine series "Earthing" for CityTV, Sant Monica, California. Additional projects he’s completed for VFA in 1997/98 include producing and directing promotional videos for StarTech Cinema, Vanstar Corporation and CelticVision, an Irish-American cable network. Before joining VFA, from 1991-1995 he was a full-time producer with City TV. During those 4 years, he was directly responsible for production, direction and editing of over 50 original news magazine, information and documentary programs which won numerous programming awards, including Los Angeles EMMY nominations in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1995 in the Health, Science & Environment category. He has taught on the faculties of American University, Washington, D.C. and the New School for Social Research in New York City.
Maurice 'Jake' Jacobsen • 16x4@videofreeamerica.com
KATHI WHEATER, DIRECTOR; SCRIPTWRITING & DEVELOPMENT.
A freelance writer and video maker since 1987, she has scripted, directed and produced projects for VFA since 1992. Her award-winning video, "MFK Fisher: Writer with a Bite" aired nationally on PBS and in Australia and Europe. She has written and directed a series of half-hour video programs produced at VFA for GlobalFriends, which offer a culturally rich, kids-eye view of what it’s like to grow up in places like France, Japan or the Amazon River Basin. In 1990, she founded SAY! Project, a multicultural media-arts-in-education program located at VFA. As SAY! Project Director through 1997, she built an organization which placed 6-15 video artists in school residencies each year, and she taught training seminars of hands-on camera techniques to students as well as teachers, media artists and educational professionals. She currently writes and directs videotapes and print materials for non-profit and for-profit corporations.
STEVE JENSEN, SENIOR EDITOR.
Although an excellent field-camera and sound man, he is a Senior Editor with 10+ years of commercial, documentary and corporate projects at VFA.
HRAFNHILDUR GUNNARSDOTTIR, CAMERA/EDITOR. An award-winning camera woman and Director of Photography, she has shot, edited and produced projects in San Francisco for VFA, for Icelandic television, and in Africa, Europe, and NYC for 10+ years.
SIGGI MATTHIASSON, CAMERA/EDITOR. A cameraman and editor for 5+ years with Icelandic television, he has worked throughout the world, most recently in China and at VFA.
Steve Jenson • steve@videofreeamerica.com
PAULA SAED-SWEENEY, ACCOUNTS MANAGER & PRODUCER.
Paula brings 5+ years of business television experience to VFA. She has worked with IBM, Apple, HP, Microsoft, Compaq, and Clorox corporations among others. Her prior credits include directing, writing and acting in radio, television, film and theater.
RAND WETHERWAX, VIDEO, AUDIO, INTERACTIVE & WEB ARTIST / PRODUCER / DIRECTOR
Rand Wetherwax rand@videofreeamerica.com
see Rand's personal site...
see Rand's credit page...