THE Team
CO-DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER
Meg began her career as a photo and video journalist at the Houston Chronicle and then held a leadership role at Teach For America where she built the nonprofit’s first video studio. After overseeing content development and digital strategy at an LA-based agency, Meg co-founded Universe Creative, a documentary production company. Meg’s work has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and supported by the International Documentary Association and Redford Center. She holds a MA in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
MEG GRIFFITHS
CO-DIRECTOR, CINEMATOGRAPHER, AND CO-EDITOR
Scott grew up in West Virginia and attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts before teaching 5th grade on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. After working as a video producer for various educational nonprofits, Scott co-founded Universe Creative, an LA-based doc production company, with his friend and long-time colleague, Meg Griffiths. Scott enjoys stories that challenge conventional wisdom and preconceived notions about people and places often overlooked by popular media. He is proud to have visited all fifty US states.
Scott Faris
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Brandon is Head of Unscripted at Wild State. He has worked across documentary, unscripted, and scripted television as a producer and writer, and is the recipient of a Peabody Award and an Independent Spirit Award for IMMIGRATION NATION.
Brandon Hill
EDITOR
Dan has extensive experience in film production and marketing, and he has made his mark working for clients like Amazon Music, PayPal, Degree and others. He is a multiple CLIO and Webby award-winning editor, and he recently released his first feature-length documentary FOR LOVE AND COUNTRY on Prime Video.
DanIEL Roman
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
With over 35 years in the media industry Jeffrey has dabbled in everything from television, indie film, motion pictures, print media, to radio. As a native Appalachian he's always interested in helping tell real stories that have a positive impact across the region.
JEFFREY MORRISON
COMPOSER
Nathan is an Emmy-nominated composer who has scored multiple Oscar-nominated films and been named a ‘Composer to Watch' by Classic FM and Indiewire. Barack Obama has named three films he has scored as “Best Films” of that year: Chloe Zhao’s Cannes award winning THE RIDER, Bing Liu’s Oscar-nominated MINDING THE GAP, and John Patton Ford’s EMILY THE CRIMINAL. Halpern scored three films that premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival: EMILY THE CRIMINAL, Chloe Okuno’s acclaimed psychological thriller WATCHER, and Oscar-nominated Netflix documentary THE MARTHA MITCHELL EFFECT.
Nathan Halpern
COMPOSER
Chris is an Emmy-nominated composer and music producer. His work includes the scores to the Oscar-nominated MINDING THE GAP, Nanfu Wang's HOOLIGAN SPARROW, I AM ANOTHER YOU, and ONE CHILD NATION, and the celebrated PBS series SOUNDBREAKING. Ruggiero's compositions have appeared in over 200 television series including The Voice, Pawn Stars, and American Pickers.
Chris Ruggiero
CONSULTING PRODUCER
Alia was born, bred and still growing in New York City. After studying journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, Alia wrote for numerous national and international newspapers and magazines. Later, Alia became a content strategist, telling the story of upstarts and well-known brands spanning industries from travel to fashion to food. After nearly a decade of working for luxury brands, she has returned to her background as a reporter to tell meaningful stories through film.
Alia Mansoori
PRODUCTION SOUND
Stephen has been employed in the film and television industry for 25 years. His work history includes documentaries for West Virginia Public Broadcasting, Ken Burns, and Allegheny Image Factory, as well as work on House of Cards, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, and an eight-year stint doing sound for HGTV’s House Hunters. For IMPOSSIBLE TOWN, he contributes audio and good vibes.