We are Columbine.

Creative Team www.wearecolumbinefilm.com

Synopsis ator/producer of Image Union, the longest running program featuring the work of independent producers, locally and Laura Farber, Director nationwide. Tom has also produced and directed more than a dozen documentaries, won four Emmy awards, a Silver Circle award from NATAS and, shared in a DuPont-Columbia An aspiring documentary filmmaker, University award as founder of TVTV. Laura is best known for her passion and ability to draw inspiration from both traditional and non- traditional Joseph R. Fitzgerald, Cinematographer situations as a freelance produc- er in Chicago. Laura’s production While studying cinematography at experience spans a variety of net- Southern Illinois University, Joe got works including The Weather Chan- an early start in the business work- nel, The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, Discovery ing on music videos and commer- Health, MSNBC and TLC. Laura’s commitment to telling cials in Chicago during his summers character-driven stories launched her production company, away from school. Lioness Productions. After graduating in 2002, he began Director’s Statement working in various departments on feature films, reality TV, and com- This film stems from a defining moment in my life, April 20, mercials. In 2004 he moved to Los Angeles and began oper- 1999. I was a freshman at Columbine High School in Littleton, ating camera for reality TV, documentaries, and independent Colorado. I was in the cafeteria. In the years since, all of us features. At the start of 2006, Joe moved back to Chicago from the Columbine community have had to deal with that where he started his first project as Director of Photogra- trauma. I made this documentary with four of my classmates phy on an independent feature named “Counting Backwards,” who were willing to go back to Columbine and share their where he was utilized specifically for his extensive handheld personal experiences, fifteen years later. It’s our story told experience. He continued on to take the helm as the first by us, not by outside observers. There’s no agenda, no polit- staff cinematographer of the flag ship production/distribu- ical agenda. It’s not an investigation of a crime. It’s not trying tion center for Sprint Exclusive Entertainment, where he to present these stories as factual events. It’s our individual spent over a year designing and shooting various content for memories, our truth. It’s about what we are saying, as much the new world of mobile device television. as it is about the fact that we are saying it. In 2008, with the Sprint studio up and running, Joe resumed Tom Weinberg, his freelance focus on docu-dramas such as MSNBC’s “The Executive Producer Squeeze,” TLC’s “My Strange Addiction,” CNBC’s “Titans,” DIY’s “Made In Milwaukee” and TLC’s “Hoarding Buried Alive” Tom is President of Fund for as Director of Photography. In 2013 Joe opted to rebalance Innovative Television, Founder of his portfolio by incorporating commercials and narrative mediaburn.org, an online documen- television back into his career. Currently he is or in the pro- tary video archive. He has been an cess of shooting a new series for Big Ten Network called “Big adjunct Professor of Documentary Ten Treasure Hunter,” feature length documentaries, has at Columbia College and Loyola recently completed the independent feature film “Jessica,” University Chicago. Tom is a nationally recognized, multiaward and is a camera operator on NBC’s “Chicago PD” & “Chicago winning independent producer who has been on the leading Fire.” edge of documentary television and video for more than 40 years. He has produced more than 600 non-fiction television broadcasts, mostly seen on PBS nationally and WTTW in Chicago. He is perhaps best known for his work as the cre- Creative Team www.wearecolumbinefilm.com

Heidi producing and writing When Weather enjoys yoga, reading and traveling. Clare Zersen, Changed History: Katrina. Next, tapped graduated from Indiana University with to write/produce for the American a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology producer Greed docu-series, she jumped at the and history. chance to work for legendary broad- Heidi Zersen caster Bill Kurtis, (Kurtis Productions) Josie is a writer, exposing national and international Bode, producer, and white-collar criminals. She has also director who produced numerous promotional, in- Producer proudly calls formational, and motivational short and Chicago home. She enjoys every aspect long-form documentaries for various Josie Bode of television production and docu- American and multi-national corpora- is a Chicago mentary filmmaking. She also enjoys tions and NGO organizations. based pro- Ray Charles, great food, and copious ducer with amounts of coffee. Heidi has had the pleasure of working extensive ex- with, and learning from, a memorable perience in both documentary and real- A graduate of Northern Illinois Univer- cadre of industry wizards, and feels ity television. Over the past decade she sity, monster trucks and motocross that approaching each project with a has produced multiple television series served as an unconventional foray into sense of adventure keeps production for big networks like MSNBC, Discov- writing for television and home video an often humbling, and always evolving ery, AMC, TLC, The History Channel, when she joined SFX (presently Feld) lesson. A&E, Animal Planet and Spike. Bode Motor Sports Division, where she sub- has extensive experience developing sequently led the company’s production Her experience producing documen- storylines, managing and directing tal- arm. She segued from motor sports taries and television series, specials ent and cameras in the field, conducting to lifestyle programming with Digital and features has resulted in numerous interviews, and coordinating strategy Realm Entertainment Group, writing national and international accolades, both in the field and in post-production. and co-producing 50 episodes of Food including Communicator® Gabriel® Bode’s talent has led her to produce for Life, a studio-based cooking series. Dove® Telly®,and Emmy® nominations reality and documentary series such Next came a leap from food to faith and awards. Broadcast and cable cli- as The Squeeze for MSNBC, Hoarding: with Sowing Seeds, a 24-episode, field- ents include ABC, CBS, National Geo- Buried Alive for TLC, Chicago Trau- based series exploring multiple aspects graphic Channel, The Hallmark Chan- ma for AETN, and three seasons of of world religions. She simultaneously nel, The Health Network, WGN, PBS, Gangland for The History Channel. wrote and produced for additional Speed Channel, ESPN2, Fox Sports1, Before diving into a journalism career, series including New Morning and The Weather Channel, and CNBC. Bode spent 5 years as a social work- National Geographic Today, before (and er in North Carolina and Virginia. She holds a BA in Psychology from Kenyon after) making the transition to full-time Clare freelancer, concurrently writing and College and an MA in Journalism from co-producing her first feature-length Deady, Ball State University specializing in long- documentary, Descent into Despera- Producer form narrative journalism. tion. The film explored the frightening, potentially tragic ramifications of post- Clare Deady partum depression and psychosis. is a Chica- go-based While posting Descent, Heidi joined producer, as coordinating producer for Health with extensive Corner, a 26-episode sponsor-based experience in commercial, reality and studio series. Soon after, Juneteenth documentary television production. No Productions offered opportunities on a matter what the project, Clare’s mission pair of feature documentary projects. as a producer is telling stories through Both tackled diverse social issues, powerful filmmaking. Clare enjoys all including Constructing Equality and Tal aspect of film production including in- Como Somos (Just as we Are). Her terviewing, writing and logistics planning. motor sports background served well Her credits include programming on once again when asked to write, pro- Bravo, Vh1, TLC, MSNBC, The History duce, and edit for the AMA Arenacross Channel as well as national broadcast Series, while experience with nature television commercials. When Clare and social justice served equally well in isn’t working on various projects, she