.png)
_pn.png)
MEET THE TEAM
HASAN OSWALD
Director & Producer
​
Entering the film world only four years ago, Hasan Oswald has quickly established a unique ability to capture the human experience through verité cinema. His unfettered access to and intimacy with his characters creates a seamless veneer between the filmmaker and subject.
His work first caught the eye of award-winning filmmakers Nick Quested & Sebastian Junger (Restrepo) and he started his professional career as a cameraman for National Geographic’s film Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and the Rise of ISIS.
He has since covered the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, drug trafficking and homelessness in Philadelphia. His current project focuses on the Yazidi Genocide in Iraq. Higher Love is his documentary feature directorial debut.
STEPHEN NEMETH
Rhino Films
Executive Producer
Stephen Nemeth formed and heads up Rhino Films, the independent film company that originated as a division of iconoclastic record label Rhino Records. He has produced and executive produced dozens of films including THE SESSIONS, C.O.G., FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS, WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE, RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH, SPACEMAN and the upcoming FREAK POWER. Nemeth's documentary credits include DOGTOWN AND Z BOYS, WARDANCE, FUEL, FLOW, CLIMATE REFUGEES, ROBERT WILLIAMS MR. BITCHIN’, THANK YOU FOR COMING, GOOD FORTUNE, LOGAN’S SYNDROME and BOTERO. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences and on the board of numerous non-profit organizations including Friends of the Earth and the International Documentary Association.
​
​
ALEX SPIESS
Director & Producer
​
Alexander is a filmmaker and journalist with a background field producing, writing, and editing non-fiction narrative. As a print journalist, he’s commissioned for USA Today, The Poughkeepsie Journal, and Motif Magazine. His work in film includes projects for National Geographic, A&E, Showtime, Lionsgate, & History Channel.
Most recently Alexander, associate produced Nick Quested and Sebastian Junger’s latest films Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and Rise of ISIS (Tribeca 2017), and Mexico: So Far From God,
He’s currently working on History Channel’s show Unidentified and executive producing and editing Shawn Regruto’s new film Page 102.
Higher Love is the first feature documentary co-production with Hasan Oswald and Derek Rubin.
DEREK RUBIN
Director & Producer
​
Derek Rubin is an independent producer based in New York City with a background as a production manager. After a short (but not short enough) career in corporate sales, he quit his job and dove headfirst into the world of film & TV production.
Derek has worked on projects for Amazon, NBC Universal, AMC, Vanishing Angle, and Sony Pictures. His commercial work includes production managing and/or co-producing for Benjamin Moore, Sam's Club, JC Penney, Barbados Tourism and New York Lottery.
His most recent credits include Production Manager and Associate Producer on The Climb (Cannes 2019 - Jury's Coup De Coeur Award Winner; TIFF 2019) for Topic Studios, as well as coordinating and editing all archival news footage on The Loudest Voice for Showtime. His upcoming documentary Higher Love (producer) follows a young family's struggle to overcome addiction and poverty while raising a baby at the height of the opioid epidemic in Camden, NJ.
​
​
TONY PEMBERTON
Co-Executive Producer
Tony Pemberton’s credits include the feature film Beyond the Ocean (Sundance 2000 Competition), The Mark of Cain a documentary about Russian prison tattoos that aired on ABC Nightline, Little Buddha’s Finger (2018) and his upcoming documentary about the ground breaking 80’s band titled: “Are we not men? / The No Devo Documentary.”
Tony Pemberton is also the founder and current Co-Head of the Filmmaking BFA at Montclair State University.
​
​
KAITLTYN PLUM
Editor
Kait is a documentary, commercial and narrative editor with over 10 years of experience in the industry. She has worked with award-winning filmmakers, Nick Quested (Restrepo), Bobbito Garcia (Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives), Emilia Mello (Waste Land), and Pulitzer winning photographer Anthony Mark Saul.
TRISTAN BAYLIS
Sound Design
Tristan Baylis is a re-recording mixer and sound editor at Gigantic Studios. He has accumulated over 50 film and television credits. His credits include, Slumber, Armed With Faith, Cradle of Champions, The Ted Bundy Tapes, Bloodline.
Tristan had 3 films at The 2019 Sundance Film Festival, including Before You know It, The Great Hack, and Tigerland.
​
​
JORDAN P.H. STEIN
Colorist
Jordan P. H. Stein is a conform and finishing artist at Goldcrest Post NY. Jordan earned a BFA in photography with honors from Parsons School of Design in 2016 and is a published PDN Photographer.
His titles include, Unsane, Sorry to Bother You, Super Dark Times, Russian Doll, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Juliet Naked, Beach Rats.
JOHN McDOWELL
Composer
Musician and film composer John McDowell achieved worldwide recognition with his soundtrack to the Academy Award-winning documentary Born Into Brothels. Winner of Best Musical Score at the Bend Film Festival.
McDowell is a highly gifted pianist, percussionist, and commissioned conductor. His other titles include, Sold, Holy (un)Holy River, Salam - The First ***** Nobel laureate, Stolen, and Orgasmic Birth: The Best Kept Secret.
​
​
AHMED BARBARY
Post-Production Supervisor
Born in Cairo, Egypt, Ahmed Barbary is Technical Director at Goldcrest Post NYC. He studied computer sciences before pivoting to his passion: Film and Motion Picture, and spent five years working as a Post Production supervisor between Dubai and the US. His credits include: "The Square", "Hell On Earth: the fall of Syria and the rise of Isis", "Free Solo", "Word is Bond".