CREW
Kyle Arpke (director, editor):
Kyle Arpke works as a professional freelance filmmaker since graduating from UW-Milwaukee’s Film/Video bachelor’s program. Arpke has directed numerous films, music videos, and social media content for a broad client-base. His narrative feature debut, the neo-realist drama CATALYST, played in film festivals across North America garnering accolades for Arpke’s writing and direction.
As a filmmaker Kyle strives to tell hard hitting human stories using down-to-earth filmmaking techniques that challenge traditional story structure.
Jessica Knap (producer):
Jessica Knap is a Freelance Producer and Production Manager for both Narrative and Documentary platforms. Former Production Manager for Give Me Liberty, which premiered at Sundance and received the 2020 John Cassavetes Independent Spirit Award. She works on network television series based in Chicago. She is currently in post-production on a documentary short titled Never Home, following a Sexual Assault Advocate and the challenges they face in Hmong Culture.
Dan Didier (executive producer):
Dan Didier serves as Producer and Editorial Supervisor at September Club, a post-editorial house with locations in Los Angeles and Milwaukee.
Dan has overseen post production on a variety of hit documentaries over the years, including Raiders!: The Greatest Fan Film Ever Made (Netflix), Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (Netflix) and Whirlybird (Sundance Premiere 2020). He recently produced Don't Break Down, the story of the seminal rock band Jawbreaker.
If you’ve ever heard songs by influential indie band The Promise Ring or his current acclaimed band Maritime, you’ve heard Dan’s music — he was a founding member and drummer for both bands.
Peter Batchelder (composer):
Peter Batchelder is a music composer with over 20 years of experience. Although his academic background was in filmmaking, shortly after graduation, Peter started to focus more on music and sound design as his primary areas of interest. As a composer, Peter has written music for numerous commercials, TV shows, feature films, short films, and documentaries. Some projects that feature his music are Modus Operandi, The Wheel, Little Red, and The Field. Peter most enjoys collaborating with his clients, and least enjoys writing bios about himself.
Quinn Hester (cinematographer):
With a diverse portfolio ranging from documentaries, narrative features and music videos Quinn Hester is a driven collaborator who is drawn to thought provoking images and stories. His latest work, Hundreds of Beavers, was THE comedy hit of 2025. Other works behind the lens include 2018’s Back at the Staircase, which debuted at the Slamdance Film Festival. His work has been featured by Adweek, Indiewire, The Playlist, The New York Times and No Film School as well as festivals including SXSW, Hot Docs and Slamdance.
Dana Shihadah (cinematographer):
Dana Shihadah is a filmmaker and cinematographer whose work includes documentaries, narrative films, music videos, and commercials. Her personal work has landed her awards from Best Director to Jury Best Short and has screened across the globe. A frequent collaborator with director Carol Brandt, the feature film Pet Names premiered at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival.
Having been born in the American Midwest and spending her childhood in the Middle East has offered Dana an unconventional upbringing while lending a unique lens for her shooting style; graceful, attentive, courageously human.
Jessica Farrell (co-roducer):
Jessica is a freelance producer with over ten years of experience in film, commercial, and photography. She has produced narrative and documentary feature films including Markie in Milwaukee (2019 Slamdance Film Premiere), Back at the Staircase (2018 Slamdance Film Premiere), and 30 Seconds Away (2015 Milwaukee Film Premiere). For five years, she was a Senior Broadcast Producer at a Top 25 independent marketing and advertising agencies in the U.S., whereshe produced international commercial campaigns.
She is currently in-production on several feature films and short films. Her work has been featured in Indiewire, NPR, The Playlist, Adweek, Mashable, and Communication Arts.
Micahel Vollmann (editor):
Michael Vollmann is best known for co-editing (with Jeff Gilbert) the 2020 Sundance Grand Prize-winning documentary Boys State for directors Jessie Moss and Amanda McBaine, and directing UECK, a documentary following famed baseball broadcaster Bob Uecker. A staple of the midwest's documentary film scene, Vollmann’s other credits include SXSW 2017’s The Blood is at The Doorstep, HULU original Red, White and Wasted and the short film The 414s: The Original Teenage Hackers, which was picked up by CNN Films at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.
Steve Kultgen (sound mix):
Steve Kultgen is a sound editor and mixer and staple of the Milwaukee filmmaking community.
Steve’s recent work includes:
Sound editorial and mix for “The First Patient” Mayo Clinic; Dir. Chip Duncan
Mix for “The Blood Is at the Doorstep”; Dir. Erik Ljung;
Sound editorial and mix for “The Field”. Dir. Tate Bunker
Robert Due (colorist):
Barry is a producer, director, story supervisor and editor, primarily working in documentary. He has edited several acclaimed feature films, including American Movie (Sundance Grand Prize Winner, 1999), The Pool (Sundance Jury Prize Winner, 2007), and I Am Not Alone (Toronto, 2019 Audience Award for documentary at TIFF, DocNYC & AFI Fest); and was the Story Supervisor on Whirlybird (Sundance, 2020).
Barry was the director of 2006's The Life of Riley, which follows the story of actor/comedian Charles Nelson Reilly.
