About the Filmmakers

JOHN HELDE, director/producer/camera, got his start with the New York documentary-makers Maysles Films (Gimme Shelter, Grey Gardens), and as an editor on numerous theatrical films including Sleepless in Seattle, Little Buddha and Smoke Signals. As a film editor, he worked with directors and producers as Alan Rudolph, Robert Altman, Steve James, Julia Sweeney and Chris Eyre. John has directed numerous dramatic short films; his most recent, Hello, starring Eric Stoltz and Susanna Thompson, is now on Hulu.com. Hello won the IFP Spotlight Award production grant and the CSA Artios® Award for Best Short Film Casting. John’s films have been awarded grants from Independent Filmmakers Project (IFP), Humanities Washington, Humanities Iowa, 4 Culture, Artist Trust, and the Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, and have played festivals around the world. Made in China, John’s debut feature documentary, received critical acclaim on the festival circuit, and John was short-listed for The Stranger’s Genius Awards. Made in China is currently airing on the Documentary Channel, Hulu.com and SnagFilms.com. John is at work on a new feature comedy/drama entitled Open Doors.

DENNIS JAMES and LAURYN SHAPTER, composers, the songwriting duo of Truckstop Souvenir, have been performing their unique brand of original American music around the Midwest since making southeast Iowa their home in 2006. Drawing inspiration from the rural American landscape and the open road, as well as from the musicians who traveled the highways and back roads before them, they create a sound that is at once familiar to old time country and modern Americana. A slice of the American landscape that often yields the best of keepsakes, Truckstop Souvenir is pure and honest music, music with a rare intimacy that cuts right to the heart of what it means to be human.

ROSS LAING, editor, is an award-winning film and television editor and art photographer. His work has been shown in New York, Ethiopia, Toronto and Hong Kong. He currently lives in Seattle, Washington.

DAVE HOWE, sound design and audio mix, is a partner/sound designer with Bad Animals/Seattle, a full-service audio post production studio. Dave’s credits include over 700 TV episodes, 30+ feature films, and 7 national Emmys for sound editing and mixing.