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Advisor Team

Mandy Creighton is the co-producer of  Within Reach, an upcoming documentary film about she and her partner’s bike-packing journey to visit 100 sustainable communities and rediscover a truly green America. She has a background in all aspects of non-profit development and small business management and has experience in designing and implementing sustainable methods to help organizations succeed. She graduated with a degree in Business Administration from Hope College, in Holland, MI. She traveled to Central America in a group in 1999 on a sustainable development service project and had dreams of living sustainably in community every since. In 2007, after shifting away from seeking “the American Dream” to fully engaging in a lifestyle of voluntary simplicity, she is now experiencing true happiness living at Hummingbird Community in the mountains of Northern NM. There, she is developing a small media production company as well as slowly becoming a biodynamic farmer and yoga practitioner.
Derek Alan Rowe is a founder of Doctrine Creative. From the wonderfully humid state of Florida, Derek's story started in middle school; for some reason while all his friends were playing Duke Nukem 3D he was designing web sites for businesses that only existed in his imagination. In other words he spends most of his time developing ideas. And media was the fastest and easiest way to express them.
He has grown from a graphic designer, to a web designer, to a video editor and in 2008 directed a full-length feature film called "Out On Parole." Derek's own journey towards a more conscious and sustainable life led him to creative projects that would satisfy his need to produce inspiring and meaningful media. Currently Derek is co-producing a documentary film called "Within Reach" chronicling one couple's journey to find sustainable community.
Gordon Eriksen began making films together at Harvard University, where, as students, with co-director John O’Brien, they made The Big Dis, a festival and art house hit that was released in 1990 by First Run Features. Picked as one of the ten independent filmmaking teams to watch by Movieline magazine, Gordon and now his wife Heather Johnston have been the subject of profiles in the New York Times, Newsday, The Village Voice, New Word, and Egg Magazine.
Gordon and Heather are recipients of grants from The Ford Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, The New York State Council for the Arts, The Jerome Foundation, and The Donnet Foundation. They have written screenplays for HBO and Samuel Goldwyn Films, and children’s teleplays for Concorde Films, Vlada Animation, and Northstar Entertainment, among others.
On occasion they have taught acting for film, improvisory technique, and film production seminars. Gordon has taught film directing at Columbia University’s School of Fine Arts, the MFA program.
Luke O’Neill has been working to improve the lives of young people since his college days at Georgetown University. He began his career as a corporate attorney in Greenwich, Connecticut before devoting his full-time efforts to organizations such as the Boys Girls Club of Stamford, Outward Bound USA, and Shackleton Schools. Most recently, Luke served as both the President of The Henderson International School in Henderson, Nevada and Regional Vice President for its parent company, Meritas, LLC. Luke continues to instruct sea kayaking, sailing, and backpacking courses for Outward Bound. He earned his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1995, his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1984, and his B.A. from Georgetown University in 1981.
Jason McGuigan is a multi-discipline creative professional with a focus on motion graphics. He’s worked for many large companies doing  3d animation, video production, motion graphics, graphic, print and web design, and creative direction. Jason has received dozens of local and national awards for projects as lead designer or team leader, and has been a featured speaker at many educational institutions.

Production Team

Teresa Carey is a is a US Coast Guard licensed captain, raw foodist, dancer, writer and educator. Teresa pursued studies in both the environment and creative fields earning a BS in Environmental Science from the University of Michigan and a Master of Arts – Fine Arts from Ohio University. As an outdoor enthusiast and multi-faceted educator, Teresa taught for programs that focus on personal development and an appreciation of the environment. Her love for sailing was born out of a positive relationship with her father with whom she spent many childhood summers sailing on Lake Michigan. She has been a professional sailor since the age of 18 as an educator, delivery crew, and charter-boat captain. In 2008 Teresa made a dramatic change to chase her dreams. During the following two years she sailed solo and lived aboard a small 27 foot sailboat named Daphne with only her cat Dory for company. She writes regularly for her well received blog Sailing Simplicity and the Pursuit of Happiness. Currently Teresa is a Marine Science educator and dance team coach at a boarding school.
Ben Eriksen‘s passion for the sea and simple life was cultured along the shores of Stonybrook Harbor. There, as a young man, Ben began clamming, spending every day on the water. As a boy so intimately connected to his environment, Ben noticed small changes in the ecosystem. From that foundation, Ben pursued a degree in Human Ecology from Connecticut College where he focused his studies in marine biology. Ben is also a talented drummer and a raw food enthusiast. In 1992 Ben attended a semester program with Sea Education Association (SEA) where he spent three months aboard a 125ft schooner. This ignited a passion for sailing, which followed with many professional experiences as a sailor aboard schooners and a US Coast Guard Master’s License. As a motivated and talented self-learner, Ben used his creative energy to become a successful independent web designer. He works and lives on his boat Elizabeth, which can often be found sailing alongside Daphne, Teresa’s boat.
Chris Rodriguez realized early on after winning a student Emmy award at the age of 16 that he had found his calling with a career in video production.
For the past 8 years, Chris has worked as video producer, editor, and camera operator on a variety of different commercial video projects. He is a co-founder of Doctrine Creative, LLC a production company based out of Orlando, FL. Most recently he was a Producer & Director of Photography for the feature film “Out on Parole". His passion is to create content that inspires others to make a difference and explore a deeper appreciation for the world they live in.
Merry O’Brien is a graduate of St. Mary’s College of Maryland and received her Masters in Social Work as a Geriatric Scholar from University of Michigan. She has eight years of experience in the nonprofit field in capacity development, staff and volunteer training and management, and grant writing. She enjoys life as a liveaboard in the harbor of downtown Annapolis, as well as kayaking and canoeing with friends in the Chesapeake Bay.
Larissa Powers is a product of a life spent in the backwoods of New England, and has always had a keen interest in sustainable living. She earned her B.S. in Geology from Union College and has been teaching physics, chemistry and sustainable practices to middle school children for six years. Larissa is a gifted chef and singer, an enthusiastic swimmer and cyclist, and is the manager of a school production garden. With an affinity for remote places and new adventures she has lived in the suburban farmlands of Belgium, among the potato fields of northern Maine and on an organic farm in upstate New York. Larissa currently resides in Saint Louis with her partner James and her furry companions Monkey and Loki.
Steve Goldstein, a true renaissance man,  is a New York music scene veteran—coming up during some of the most fertile musical years Steve cut his teeth and earned his chops playing in progressive indie bands for years. Although he graduated with an Arts degree in English, his passion has always been music—and his involvement in some of the most successful and notable acts to come out of New York and beyond is proof of his zeal.

Steve has written songs for, and played guitar in a number of bands who’ve shared the stage with superstars such as Grammy Award winners Bon Jovi, American Idol alum Katharine McPhee and pop princess Natasha Bedingfield, as well as former Living Colour lead singer Corey Glover and ska quintet The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Steve’s long list of musical achievements includes placing in the Billboard Songwriting Contest, performing at South By Southwest Music Conference, taking First Place at the Long Island Music Festival, winning Best Up & Coming Band, and most recently added “producer” to his list of accomplishments. Steve produced the indie band, The Rosies’ first EP at Sound Surgeon Studios on Long Island.

In the last few years Steve has branched out and lent his talent and ambition to the YouTube generation; composing and performing music for well known YouTubers such as xgobobeanx aka Jill Hanner, Nalts aka viral video genius Kevin Nalty, and Michael Buckley from the “What The Buck Show”, which has become one of the most popular shows on YouTube with over 650,000 subscribers. Most notably Steve is responsible for penning and playing original music for some of Venetian Princess aka Jodie Rivera’s most popular videos. In 2008 Rivera was named PC Magazine’s No. 1 Female on YouTube Of All Time for her comedic parody videos including “Octomom,” “I Kissed a Girl (Elderly Remix)” and “VP’s 7 Things Men Don’t Have to Do,” which was named one of the top ten viral videos of 2008 by PC Magazine. A number of Venetian Princess’ most popular videos were composed, performed and recorded in their entirety by Steve (including drums, guitar, bass and keyboards). VP’s music video for her original song, “Somewhere Else,” which Steve played guitar on, is the default video on all Samsung Behold cell phones. Steve has also created jingles and original music for Fitness Celebrity John Basedow.

Now that he’s been on the stage and a part of some of the most innovative videos on the Internet, Steve aims to move forward and refine his talents even further. His new goals include scoring soundtracks, and writing and producing for new artists as well as composing commercial jingles.

Dory the cat is a spirited voyager. His first introduction to boat life was moving aboard the Nor’sea Daphne two months before it was launched. Dory prefers ocean living to land and quickly developed his sea legs. Aboard Daphne he spends his days chasing the bitter ends of flogging lines and watching boats and gulls pass by.

Contact Us:

General inquiries:
producer@simplequestionmovie.com

For media and press:
publicity@simplequestionmovie.com

 

 

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