DIRECTOR, WRITER & EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Cassius Michael Kim is a director, producer, and writer who helped create the CNN Original Series, The Wonder List with Bill Weir. He was the senior producer on the documentary program over its first three seasons, directing and producing half of the show’s twenty documentary hours from locations as diverse as Vanuatu, Madagascar, and Egypt. Prior to joining CNN, Cassius worked at ABC News. He began his career at the independent film production company This is that.

Most recently, Kim directed, wrote and executive produced the social justice documentary short 7 Years and Counting in collaboration with the Grassroots Law Project. 7 Years and Counting was a Vimeo Staff Pick and an official selection of the 2022 Las Cruces International Film Festival, the 2022 Alexander Valley Film Festival and the 2022 Minnow Short Film Festival. Prior to that, he produced and filmed Stockton On My Mind, in collaboration with Marc Levin’s Blowback Productions and HBO Documentary Films, about Mayor Michael Tubbs Jr. and his progressive policy programs in the city of Stockton, CA. Stockton On My Mind was an official selection of the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival and the 2020 AFI DOCS Festival and was nominated in the category of Outstanding Current Affairs Documentary at the 2021 News & Documentary Emmy Awards.

PRODUCER

Alyse Shorland is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer and director, known for her investigative reporting. Her work has been featured on HBO, FX, Hulu, VICE, CBS, CNN and the New York Times.

In 2018 she helped launch The Weekly, a documentary series bringing New York Times journalism to the small screen. Her documentary, titled V. Johnson & Johnson, led to renewed testing by the FDA for asbestos in the company’s baby powder and the eventual acquiescence by the cosmetic giant to stop selling talc-based baby powder.

Shorland also helped launched HBO’s first nightly newscast, VICE News Tonight. She was honored with two Emmy Awards in 2019.

PRODUCER

Rhana Natour is a journalist and producer based in Washington, D.C. Her work has appeared on PBS NewsHour, ABC News and VICE. As a national affairs reporter and producer for the PBS NewsHour, she covered the 2016 and 2020 elections, breaking news and stories on technology, gender, and race.

Rhana was a News Fellow and associate producer at ABC News, where she earned an Emmy nomination for her work on the Nightline special Crisis in Syria. Natour was also a Fulbright Scholar to the United Arab Emirates.

PRODUCER

Over the past 20 years, Fabian has worked in Malaysia and internationally on a range of projects, from commercials, series, feature films, and music videos.

His credits include Asia’s Next Top Model, Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, Asian Food Channel’s Wonderful Indonesian Flavours and Netflix’s Dirty Money.

As a director, he has worked on commercials for brands such as MINI, Hong Leong Bank, Maxis, Huawei, Astro and KFC. He has also directed music videos for artists such as Fazura and Charis Ow.

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Joe Simon is a cinematographer based in Austin, TX. In 2021, his feature film debut, The Get Together, was released on Showtime and Amazon Prime, while the social justice documentary short 7 Years and Counting was a Vimeo Staff Pick and an official selection of the 2022 Las Cruces International Film Festival, the 2022 Alexander Valley Film Festival and the 2022 Minnow Short Film Festival.

Most recently, his short film Dis(Connected) was an official selection at the 2023 LA Shorts International Film Festival. Additionally, Simon has shot numerous award-winning short films, such as The Volunteer, The Laundromat Off Malibu, The Study and Low Tide. He was also the cinematographer on Season 3 of the CNN Original Series, The Wonder List with Bill Weir.

Simon’s commercial projects include clients such as Nike, Red Bull, Budweiser, Dodge, Under Armour and Yeti. He has shot music videos for artists such as Leon Bridges, Khruangbin, and Gary Clark Jr.

COMPOSER

Jordan Asher Cruz is a producer, singer, songwriter and animator.

His work first gained widespread recognition in 2013 for his contributions to Beyoncé’s self-titled fifth album. He is also known for his work with Run The Jewels, FKA Twigs, and Phantogram.

He has twice been nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

EDITOR

Jon Connor is a veteran editor with over 20 years of experience.

His most recent collaboration with Bill Murray, New Worlds: The Cradle of Civilization, was an official selection of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

EDITOR

Karl Dawson is an editor who has worked in long-form documentary for two decades, for clients including Netflix, PBS, Discovery, CNN Original Series, A&E, Disney+ and Nova. Notable projects include After Parkland, which was an official selection of the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and 1969 for ABC Documentaries and Hulu.

SUPERVISING PRODUCER

James Greilick is a Los Angeles-based independent filmmaker who has produced ten feature films since 2010, including Rust, 25 Hill, 3 Day Test, and In-Lawfully Yours.

He began his career with Home Theater Films, helmed by Corbin Bernsen, after matriculating with a BFA degree in film production from Columbia College Chicago.