Steve Rychetnik

Cinematographer

Steven L. Rychetnik is Boise-based Director of Photography and member of IATSE Local 600, the International Cinematographers Guild.  Rychetnik is represented by Matt Birch. With more than 30 years of experience, Rychetnik is known for his ability to capture heroic scenics, intimate scenes and vividly cast characters. 

Rychetnik’s work spans commercial shoots on primeval glaciers to tight, run-and-gun coverage embedded with U.S. Army Special Forces training operations. He moves easily between UHD and film formats, achieving superior results for feature films, music videos, network programming and news, documentary films, high-end commercials, corporate marketing films and social media. 

Feature film credits include: SANDY WEXLER (Happy Madison/Netflix); THE FROZEN GROUND (Amber Entertainment/Lionsgate); and BIG MIRACLE (Universal Pictures/Working Title Films)BEYOND (Crystal Sky Pictures), BABY GENIUSES (Crystal Sky Worldwide).

Additional credits include: LOVE LIVES ON (The Making of the Music) THE WALKING DEAD (AMC); GOD’S GOT THIS (music video Frank Myers/Jimmy Nichols) HOMICIDE: ATLANTA (ITV); GREAT BIG STORY (CNN); POTUS IN ALASKA (CBS News); RUSSIAN FIGHTER INTERCEPTS (Fox News); NFL NETWORK – FOOTBALL TOWN: BARROW (Leftfield Entertainment); VERIZON (Harpoon Pictures); STATE OF ALASKA TOURISM (Brilliant Media Strategies); REAL ARCTIC, REAL PEOPLE (Shell International Ltd.); KIDZ BOP (Razor & Tie); VOLVO CARS OF NORTH AMERICA (Haberman); SPORTMASTER/SOCHI OLYMPICS (Assassins Creative); ARBY’S (Washington Square Films); THE AVIATOR SERIES: ATTITUDE FLYING WITH DICK RUTAN (Fly Right Films); ALEUT STORY (PBS); and all major networks. 

Steve Rychetnik’s broad range of experience—including being a lifelong recording and performing musician—creativity, easy-going manner and get-the-shot work ethic has made him a highly sought-after cinematographer. 

Rychetnik and producer Jennifer Hyde created the short film for the 2019 TAPS Honor Guard Gala that was the impetus for the LOVE LIVES ON musical event, album and upcoming network television show.

Work sample, additional credits and references available upon request.

Steven L. Rychetnik - DP Credits

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Carolyn K. Robinson

Owner & Executive Producer

Carolyn K. Robinson is the owner and executive producer of Boise-based SprocketHeads. (Robinson Resume).

Robinson took a hiatus from SprocketHeads when she was recruited by Pinewood Studios Group (U.K.) to be the Vice President, Production Management, for Pinewood Atlanta Studios.

She transformed the vacant lot into a booked studio with a diverse, dynamic, and solid customer base which increased revenue by 65% within nine months. Client demand necessitated bringing on over 45,000 sq. ft. of temporary office space, constructing an additional 2-acre green screen pad, and building out two costume shop space and eight (8) edit ready suites. She dramatically improved customers’ on-the-lot experience and marketplace perceptions and converted skeptical clients into energetic advocates.

Even while Robinson was proudly representing the crown jewel, and 2nd largest purpose built studio lot in North America, Pinewood Group’s sale of their shares in the Atlanta studio was the kismet she needed to re-focus her skills from tent pole productions back to her passion for non-fiction content creation under the banner of SprocketHeads.

She is an outstanding team builder with a proven ability to produce and support complex productions and has produced in locations as diverse as Alaska’s Bering Straits and Central America’s jungles utilizing film and digital formats from 35mm to 8K electronic. Robinson was the key force in the creation of the Alaska Film Incentive Program and worked as a producer for Discovery Channel International Productions (Washington, DC and London) and Gannett’s USA TODAY on TV.

Robinson’s years of experience have honed her abilities to deliver and manage memorable productions on time and on budget. Robinson’s favorite SprocketHeads produced documentary projects include the award-winning film ALEUT STORY, for which she secured EMMY award-winner Martin Sheen, public broadcasting distribution, cash and in-kind contributions totalling more than $1 million, ALASKA’S BUSH PILOTS: ON LOCATION WITH JARED LETO (Turner Original Productions) and MTV’s MUSIC IN HIGH PLACES: GOO GOO DOLLS.

Robinson is the Executive Producer of the documentary film in development LOVE LIVES ON and holds a B.A. in French Literature and Telecommunications & Film from the University of Oregon.

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MARLA WILLIAMS

Director / Writer / Producer

With more than four decades of experience Marla Williams brings essential creative and editorial skills to your project – as well as critical budgetary expertise and accountability, logistical and crew management skills.

She has more than 25 years of experience working in rural and urban Alaska. Ms. Williams directs, writes and produces documentary films for television and web-based distribution. She also creates outreach and branding films for major corporations, governments and non-profit organizations.

She is the director of the documentary series MAGNETIC NORTH, now in production (release late 2017) for public television and web. Other film credits include the highly praised ALEUT STORY, recently recognized as a film of historical significance by the American Archive of Public Television, a project of the Library of Congress and WGBH. Her documentary work has aired on ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, ESPN/ESPN2, The Discovery Channel, The Food Network, and The Travel Channel. Her work has also been syndicated for international distribution.

Known for her sensitive and thoughtful approach to subjects, Ms. Williams excels at filming real people, including those grappling with profound life experiences. However, she is equally at home with Hollywood celebrities and political VIPS.

As a documentary producer and journalist, she has worked with A-list talent and world leaders. Ms. Williams routinely works with challenging field conditions, budget constraints and deadline pressures. She is experienced in remote location work including air-to-air/air-to-ground film shoots, watercraft and land vehicles.

She has a practical, working knowledge of a variety of digital and film formats including the RED Epic.

Williams has traveled the globe with SprocketHeads for decades as a director/writer/producer.

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Jennifer Hyde

Writer / Producer

Jennifer Hyde is an accomplished storyteller, producer, journalist, and media executive whose films have been recognized with major awards including Emmys, Peabodys, the duPont-Columbia, Edward R. Murrow, and an Oscar nomination.

A veteran of 25 years at NBC and CNN, Hyde has produced projects that span a wide variety of genres from sitcom and series pitches to made-for-television movie scripts, live and breaking news, longform packages and digital projects.  

Hyde’s documentaries helped develop and define the most award-winning documentary series in cable news; with a mission to illuminate the pressing stories of our time, CNN documentaries reach millions on-air...online...and across the globe.

The documentaries Hyde produces focus on exceptional individuals, whose stories and circumstances are illuminated in ways both strong and sensitive.  

Whether it is three little girls struggling to survive life under the Taliban, a family deeply wounded by the Boston Marathon Bombing, the rise of celebrities like Taylor Swift and Michael Jackson, or the profiles of major political figures including McCain, Romney, Trump, Clinton, and Obama, Hyde’s projects deliver unforgettable drama, emotion, and insights.

Most recently, Hyde has worked in partnership with SprocketHeads principals Steve Rychetnik and Carolyn K. Robinson to produce heartbreaking pieces about America’s heroic service men and women.  

Now, the team has followed these special stories to Nashville, Tennessee into the studios and writing rooms to capture each beat as survivors and songwriters combine to create a most extraordinary project: LOVE LIVES ON.

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JOSHUA CORBETT

Editorial & Portrait Photographer

SprocketHeads’ freelance photographer based in Anchorage, Alaska, Josh’s current work focuses on the concepts of family, culture, and community in the context of the shifting geopolitical and environmental landscapes of the Arctic. He has a masters degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and has lived in Afghanistan, the Philippines, England, Italy, and Mexico. In 2014, he participated in the prestigious Eddie Adams Workshop, and in 2016 was a Rasmuson Foundation grantee. He is currently completing a 3-year Advanced Mentored Study Program in Long-term Documentary Photography under the mentorship of James Estrin and Ed Kashi. Besides SprocketHeads, Josh works for a diverse group of clients including Outside Magazine, The New York Times, and Newsweek.

joshuacorbett.com
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D.K. Johnston

Assistant Director/Production Manager

With over 15 years of location and on-set experience DK has the knack for quickly establishing high quality networks of vendors and professional crew wherever production work takes him. From remote villages and mountaintops in Alaska to the wide-open prairies of the Dakotas, from the Piedmont forests of Georgia to the deserts of the Southwest, DK is a proven team builder and problem solver.  Equally comfortable on a 40,000 sq. ft. studio stage or a challenging remote location, DK’s mission is always the same: establish and maintain a safe, positive work environment that allows productions to run smoothly, on time and on budget. DK has managed numerous commercial productions across the country for advertising and political campaigns, reality TV programs, documentaries, corporate films and feature-length projects, and is currently on the DGA qualified list. Credits include: FALCON & THE WINTER SOLDIER (Marvel) , LOVE IS BLIND (Netflix), WILDLIKE (Feature), P-VALLEY (Starz), 3 MILLION MILES CAMPAIGN (Volvo) In addition to DK’s crew, vendor, scheduling and set management skills, DK is an award-winning screenwriter and producer with degrees from the New York Film Academy (MFA) and the University of Alaska Anchorage (BA). He is presently based in Atlanta, Georgia, but will always call Alaska home.

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LAUREN W. SCOTT

Casting

Lauren W. Scott is  adept at identifying Real People and local actors with that “certain something,” and delivers the talent. Need 300 principal and background players delivered in a week? She’s done it. Need Real People with specialized skills delivered? She’s done it. Want to cast on-location without disrupting filming? She’s done that too. An excellent communicator, Lauren is well organized, well connected, patient, persistent and can be relied upon to exceed your expectations. Clients include ŠKODA (Armada Films), DELL (Dell Blue Studios), VERIZON (Harpoon Pictures), KIDZ BOP (Razor & Tie), SPORTMASTER “Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics” (Assassins Creative), STATE OF ALASKA TOURISM (Brilliant Media Strategies), Imperial Woodpecker and The Emakina Group. Feature film clients include Alaska extras casting for HUNTER KILLER (Relativity Media) and body doubles casting for SANDY WEXLER (Happy Madison/Netflix). Lauren also works as on-screen and voice over talent.

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KAREN TALLENT

Production Coordinator & Studio Teacher

Karen Tallent is the production coordinator on the elite SprocketHeads team. Whether on the set of a local commercial in a warm studio or a feature film in a blizzard, Karen provides experienced and calm organizational wizardry to your production. Credits include: SANDY WEXLER (2nd Unit, Happy Madison/ Netflix), SKODA (Armada Films), LIFE OF DOGS (Plimsoll Productions/Discovery International), CHASING THE NORTHERN LIGHTS, THE LIBRARY THAT CHECKS OUT DEAD ANIMALS, THE ONLY B-GIRL IN ALASKA, DEDICATING THEIR LIVES TO SLED DOGS, WE’RE NOT IN WHOVILLE ANYMORE, FASHION MODEL TO SLED DOG MUSHER, SAILING SOLO AROUND THE WORLD, ANCIENT INK REBORN (CNN: Great Big Story), Alaska USA Federal Credit Union, Cook Inlet Native Head Start, Firefighters Operation Warmth-Coats for Kids Karen is also the premier Alaska certified Studio Teacher, providing on-set educational instruction for minors and insuring compliance with state labor laws. Studio Teacher credits include THE FROZEN GROUND (Amber Entertainment/Lionsgate), BIG MIRACLE (Universal Pictures/Working Title Films), 50 FIRST DATES (Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures), Karen’s last name is Tallent with good reason.

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