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Paul Freedman began his film career as an editorial assistant for television commercials. As an editor and director, his list of commercial credits spans a decade, and includes spots for Nike, Diet Coke, Southwest Airlines, Nissan, Lexus, Budweiser, and numerous others. Paul has also cut entertaining title sequences for feature films such as "Space Jam" and "Father's Day."
His first documentary gig came as an editor on a film about minor league baseball. In 1994, Paul teamed with fellow director Greg DeHart on the historical military documentary, "The Tears of Peleliu," a survivor's account of a brutal and controversial battle in World War II. He also directed the award-winning, tongue-in-cheek documentary, "Human Products," (inspired by a stint living in the U.K.) about a plumber and an electrician who make a brief and unlikely splash on the London art scene. Soon thereafter, Paul decided to dedicate all of his energy to the documentary world, and, in 2001, teamed with DeHart and Bill Brummel Productions to edit "Pol Pot's Secret Prison," a History Channel doc about the infamous Tuol Sleng Prison in Phnom Phen. The piece went on to win the International Documentary Association's (IDA) top honor for "Best Documentary in a Continuing Series" and was also nominated for two Emmy Awards. Paul also cut the Randy Vasquez documentary, "Testimony: The Maria Guardado Story," the riveting account of a Salvadoran woman who survived torture and became a human rights activist in the U.S. "Testimony" won Best Picture at the 2002 New York Latino Film Festival. Paul continued his collaboration with DeHart and Brummel, following up with more docs for The History and Discovery Channels, including "Inside North Korea," "Saddam's Bombmaker," "MIA-Solved," and others.
In 2003, Paul wrote, directed, and edited the narrative short, "Such's Life"—an unnerving day-in-the-life of a suicidal man who finds himself at the center of a murder investigation.
"Such's Life" won Paul a Silver Award at Houston's WorldFest in 2004. However, his career would be jolted and re-defined when he was sent to Rwanda by Bill Brummel Productions and The History Channel to chronicle that country's genocide and its aftermath. The resultant documentary, "Rwanda—Do Scars Ever Fade?" would go on to earn a Peabody Award, two more Emmy nominations, and the IDA's prestigious ABC News/VideoSource Award for best use of news and archival footage.
Somewhere in Rwanda's "killing fields," Paul found the focus of his career: the documentary as a tool for social change. It since has become Paul's impassioned goal and commitment to tell the immediate story of the "next Rwanda"—Darfur, Sudan—before it, too, becomes the tragic subject of yet another historical documentary.
Paul holds a B.F.A. from San Francisco State University. He is married and the devoted father of two.
An independent, documentary producer based in New York City, Bradley J. Kaplan remains steadfastly dedicated to producing films and television programs that unearth, explore, and bring to light human rights concerns and social justice issues around the world. He was, most recently, President and CEO of The Studio E Group, a multi-media entertainment company with interests in music, fashion, film, and television. Prior to creating The Studio E Group, Bradley served as a Senior A&R Executive/Staff Producer at Warner Brothers Records, and, before that, was Director of A&R/Staff Producer at Universal Records.
At both Warner Brothers and Universal, Bradley was responsible for signing, developing, and producing new and established artists. He also oversaw and coordinated marketing, promotion, and sales efforts on behalf of numerous studio projects. In a career that has spanned nearly twenty years in the entertainment industry, Bradley has had the distinct pleasure of working with a diverse group of supremely talented artists, including Elvis Costello, The Goo Goo Dolls, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Linkin' Park, Los Lobos, Ziggy Marley, Wynton Marsalis, R.E.M., Jerry Seinfeld, Sun Ra & His Arkestra, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (a.k.a. Robert Smigel), Suzanne Vega, and the Wailers.
Bradley is a graduate of Brown University with a B.A. in Semiotics (Modern Culture and Media Studies).
Aarti Sequeira was drawn to the project that would become "Sand and Sorrow" by a sense that a great injustice was unfolding in the shadows, and that she had to do what she could to help. As a freelance news producer, (CNN, Bloomberg, CMT documentaries) she was frustrated by the lack of commitment of U.S. news media to cover the atrocities being committed in Darfur, Sudan, and the lack of a meaningful response by the global community.
Aarti was born in India and raised in the United Arab Emirates where, following the first Gulf War when CNN replaced local television, she realized she wanted to be a journalist. Aarti graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, and went on to work for CNN as a producer, covering the business world, the aftermath of 9/11 and natural disasters. She also produced documentaries on illegal street-racing, bullriding and bounty hunting for CMT. By far, "Sand and Sorrow" is the most fulfilling project she has ever worked on, inspiring her to continue to produce work that makes a difference in other people's lives.
"Sand and Sorrow" is the latest collaboration between Jamie Dunlap and Paul Freedman. For Jamie, working on this film was a fascinating journey into the human condition, which pushed him to compose a score that might reflect the emotional impact of the violence and spotlight the plight of these beautiful people as they struggle to survive. As in "Rwanda, Do Scars Ever Fade?", (A Dunlap/Freedman collaboration for Bill Brummel Productions) the music delivers a contrast of emotions, but with more of a gritty attitude that aims too reflect the harsh environment of the Darfur region of Sudan.
Jamie's recent credits include "South Park", "Blood Diamond" (for The History Channel)
And "Rwanda, Do Scars Ever Fade?" (Emmy-nominated for Original Score)
As CEO of Union Patriot Capital, Inc, and Chairman and CEO of Patriot Pictures, LLC, Mr. Michael Mendelsohn currently sources deals and/ or advises on the management of senior and mezzanine debt portfolios for banks and financial institutions [including GE Capital, Citibank and Apollo Partners] and talent agencies [including CAA, William Morris, Endeavor and ICM] specializing in entertainment, sports and media finance. He also provides strategic advice for corporate clients and IP talent-based entertainment businesses as well as sourcing strategic investors and principal capital for media and entertainment related IP technology companies, including video game developers and special effects companies. Mr. Mendelsohn is a lead advisor in arranging slate financing and single picture financing for some of Hollywood' s key players, negotiating content library acquisitions and valuations, sale and acquisition of entertainment properties for international television conglomerates in Europe, Middle East, India, Scandinavia, Asia and Latin America.
During his career as a entertainment banker, Mr. Mendelsohn has structured and placed several billions of dollars in deals in senior and mezzanine debt for such banks as, BNP Paribas (media and entertainment) [10 Years], Union Bank of California (entertainment) [5 Years] and arranged over $1.8 billion in single picture production financing or foreign distribution and co-production deals for such entertainment companies Lakeshore Entertainment (Paramount), Beacon Communications (Universal Pictures), Icon Productions (Paramount), Fox, Warner, Sony, Paramount and MGM. Mr. Mendelsohn has arranged production financing for over 288 films. Most recently he Executive Produced the documentary, "Sand and Sorrow", directed by Peabody Award Winner, Paul Freedman about the crisis in Darfur. George Clooney narrates—to be completed May 2007. He Executive Produced and financed "Lord of War" released by Lions Gate Films, written and directed by Andrew Niccol and starring Nicolas Cage and Ethan Hawke and "Material Girls" released by MGM, starring Hilary and Haylie Duff and Anjelica Huston, directed by Martha Coolidge. He is also currently producing a action bounty hunter movie, "Unforsaken", Executive Produced by George Romero, Directed by Steve Beck and a vampire picture a la "Le Femme Nikita" movie called "Gabriella," to be directed by Chuck Russell. Mr. Mendelsohn has also arranged financing for such major blockbuster films as Beacon Pictures and Wolfgang Peterson's "Air Force One" starring Harrison Ford, Lakeshore Entertainment produced "Underworld", Wachowski Brothers' "The Matrix"; Icon Pictures produced "What Women Want" starring Mel Gibson, Quentin Tarantino's "True Romance" directed by Tony Scott and "Reservoir Dogs." Mr. Mendelsohn is a graduate of The WHARTON SCHOOL, University of Pennsylvania.
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