STUART SWEZEY
Director/Producer/Writer
Stuart Swezey began his creative career organizing the Desolation Center events in the desert and at sea that featured music groups such as the Minutemen, Einstürzende Neubauten, Sonic Youth, and Meat Puppets among others. He is a founder of Amok Books—the influential extreme information sourcebook, cult L.A. bookstore, and publishing house. His book Amok Fifth Dispatch: Sourcebook of Extremes of Information in Print was nominated for the Best Nonfiction Book Title in the FIrecracker Alternative Book awards. Swezey produced the acclaimed feature documentary Better Living Through Circuitry about rave and DJ culture that was released in theaters nationwide and aired on Showtime, the Sundance Channel and BBC Channel 4. Swezey has been a VP, Development for Original Productions (Ice Road Truckers, Black Gold), Alternative Programming exec for Syfy Channel, documentary film producer, and reality television producer and show runner.
TYLER HUBBY
Editor/Writer
Tyler Hubby has edited over 30 documentary films. Most notable among them are The Devil and Daniel Johnston, a picaresque biography of mentally ill artist/musician Daniel Johnston; Double Take , Belgian artist Johan Grimonprez’s metaphysical essay on the cold war, the rise of television and the murder of Alfred Hitchcock by his own double; the HBO documentary A Small Act; and Participant Media's The Great Invisible, which won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW 2014. He also edited and co-produced Lost Angels about the denizens of Los Angeles’ Skid Row and the new punk rock documentary Bad Brains: A Band in DC. He served as an additional editor on the Oscar
nominated The Garden and HBO’s Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired . Hubby’s acclaimed 2016 directing debut “Tony Conrad: Completely In the Present” was an official selection of the Rotterdam Internation Film Festival.
MARISKA LEYSSIUS
Co-Producer
Mariska Leyssius began her creative career as a photographer, musician and pioneering zine publisher (Contagion) in the LA punk and industrial scene. She was involved in the original Desolation Center desert shows and was a co-founder of Amok Books. While working at Island Records, she had the honor of picking Malcolm McLaren up at the airport and chauffeuring Marianne Faithfull around Hollywood. Mariska was at ground zero of music video production and has worked with directors like Julien Temple (Neil Young, Tom Petty) and Kevin Kerslake (Nirvana). She can still be found at low-profile desert parties dancing as the sun comes up.
Jon Reiss
consulting producer
Jon Reiss is a film producer and director, and an author. Reiss got his start in filmmaking at Target Video, a San Francisco based alternative video company where he covered much of the West Coast punk explosion. HIs early credits also include documentaries of the notorious performance group Survival Research Laboratories. He has made the feature film Cleopatra’s Second Husband and the documentaries Better Living Through Circuitry and Bomb It and directed music videos for Nine Inch Nails, Slayer, Danzig and the Black Crowes.
JEREMY ROYCE
Director of Photography
Jeremy Royce graduated with an MFA from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in 2013. His work has screened at festivals across the country, has been nominated for a student academy award and Emmy and has earned him multiple awards for directing and cinematography. Jeremy’s debut feature film 20 Years of Madness premiered at the 20015 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah where it won the Jury Honorable Mention. Jeremy currently works as an LA-based freelance director/cinematographer and teaches part time at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.
SANDRA VALDE-HANSEN
Director of Photography
One of the 2014 “Generation Next” cinematographers in ICG magazine, Sandra Valde-Hansen holds an MFA from the American Film Institute. Besides lensing political and socially conscious documentaries for Al Jazeera America (Daisy and Max), PBS (Tales of Masked Men) and MTV (House of Style), Filipina-American Valde-Hansen has over fifteen independent feature credits, including F*cking People directed by Theresa Bennett and Shotgun directed by Hannah Marks and Joey Power. Valde-Hansen lensed indie darling director Gregg Araki’s last two features Kaboom, which was an official selection at Cannes and Sundance and White Bird in a Blizzard, starring Shailene Woodley and Eva Green that also premiered at Sundance. Valde-Hansen worked her way up through the camera department and was mentored by luminaries such as Stephen Lighthill ASC and Nancy Schreiber ASC.When she is not shooting, she teaches in the cinematography department at AFI.
LISA JANSSEN
Archival Producer
Lisa Janssen is an archival producer and researcher living in Los Angeles CA. Her most recent work includes Hal, a 2018 official Sundance selection documentary on director Hal Ashby, Tony Conrad: Completely in the Present, and the award winning web series We've Been Around.
MICHAEL TOJI/MONKEYLAND AUDIO
Sound Editor
Monkeyland Audio is well known for the quality of its mixes and post-sound services, but an equally compelling reason that keeps clients returning is the smooth and friendly experience during the entire process. Not only are our staff experts in their fields and have a passion for their craft and art, they operate in a smooth and relaxed environment which nurtures the creativity and collaboration that ultimately translates to superior results. Our technical staff keep the facility on the cutting edge of technology, utilizing the latest gear and software to keep the facility at the forefront of mix stages on par with the major studios. Lastly, the experienced management team ensures a superior, smooth, and personal client experience from beginning to end. Centered around a comfortable, well-stocked kitchen and lounge, Monkeyland’s editorial and mix stages create a comfortable environment for both staff and clients to bring out the best for everyone and every project.