Alfonse Ruggiero – DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER

Alfonse Ruggiero has written and produced a number of quality network and cable TV shows, starting with the first season of Miami Vice and including Wise Guy, Untouchables, Cosby Mysteries, Seven Days, and an HBO original movie Stiletto Dance. Known as a trouble shooter who can work effectively in distant locations, he has produced and written shows in locales as varied as North Africa and Spain, and he is currently working on documentary projects set in Thailand and Cambodia. He is an Edgar Allan Poe Award winner (Mystery Writers of America), two-time winner of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), an Emmy and Golden Globe nominee, and a partner in Jake’s Ladder Productions.

A Necessary Journey is his directorial debut.

Tami Bradshaw – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Tami Bradshaw is President of Jake’s Ladder Productions. On assignment for PBS in Vietnam several years ago, Tami met Binh in a restaurant and, hearing her moving story, knew she wanted to share the work of COPI through a documentary that would spread awareness and support for its mission. Four years ago, she accompanied Binh on her first trip with COPI to Vietnam. Previously, Tami produced and edited the PBS series Tommy Tang’s ‘Let’s Get Cooking,’ which was filmed in China and Thailand. She has traveled extensively in Asia and has scouted numerous location sites for a variety of productions.

Karen Schuler – PRODUCER

Karen Schuler wrote and produced the Ovation nominated play Beat For Sparrows at the Ivy Substation in Culver City. Her background includes producing promos for network TV shows and Project Director for the testing and marketing of numerous pilots for network TV, MTV, CNN and feature movies. Accomplished in the visual arts, she is a published still and portrait photographer and a partner in Jake’s Ladder Productions.

Seth Kotok – DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Seth Kotok is a Cinematographer based in Venice, California. He has shot numerous documentaries, feature films, commercials and music videos during the past few years. Seth likes to combine his love for travel and adventure with his skill as a filmmaker. In addition to A Necessary Journey, he recently spent 6 weeks in Uganda and the Congo shooting a wildlife documentary, and just returned from 2 months in Thailand shooting Tommy Tang’s Easy Thai Cooking for PBS.

Following graduation from the University of Wisconsin- Madison, Seth trained at FAMU- the Czech Film Institute in Prague. He furthered his cinematographic training with work on hundreds of commercials and has worked on such films as Election, Panic Room, Into the Wild, and The Chum Scrubber.

Adam Litwinski – DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

After graduating from NYU Film School, Adam launched Post Apocalypse (Liquid Road) in SoHo. It grew into a full service post production facility with a client roster that included Columbia, Def Jam and Virgin. In 2000, he was hired by former Motown CEO, George Jackson, to run video production for Urban Box Office Network. He expanded into shooting and directing fashion commercials, and created a series for the American Educational Institute. He is now a free lance producer, cinematographer and editor working with NFL Films and Infiniti Motors. He has just finished directing Tommy Tang’s Easy Thai Cooking for PBS.

Rochelle Watson – EDITOR

Rochelle Watson has been editing for the past 19 years. She started working as a film assistant and began editing music videos during the early MTV days. She has cut many award winning videos, including Sir Mix-A-Lot, Eric Clapton, Henry Rollins, Bryan Adams and Nirvana. Rochelle’s commercial clients include Sears, Mattel, L’Oreal and Dove. Her first feature documentary No Maps for These Territories premiered at the Vancouver Film Festival and sold out Slamdance. Faster and its sequel, The Doctor, The Tornado and The Kentucky Kid are both narrated by Ewan McGregor and are about the extreme sport of motorcycle road racing.

Jim Watson – COMPOSER

Jim Watson is a talented composer and musician as well as a highly skilled audio technician. He has done original music for E! Channel and is working on a yet-to-be completed documentary on Sammy Davis Jr. He has mixed several feature documentaries, including Faster and The Doctor, The Tornado and The Kentucky Kid.

Recent work includes recording Paris Hilton’s voiceover for her hit TV show, My Best British Friend and mixing an independent film, Paraiso for Leon Ichaso, who also directed El Cantante, starring Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony.