Team Bios:
Valerie Sasso
Valerie’s creative spirit is one of a kind, with a quirky mix of logic and out-of-left-field thinking. Sure, she’s aware of her achievements as a director, but if asked, she’ll cite her favorite compliments as comparisons to a Latina Liz Lemon. She's a great collaborator and loves a challenge.
Ross Vande Waa
Ross is the steadying creative force behind a great many of Gorilla’s finest pieces. Always able to transform a good idea into a great idea, Ross is the quiet current which pushes our teams, our directors, and our ideas beyond limitation. For Ross, a good idea can always be better
Eric Machiela
Mix equal parts Hemingway machismo and Spielberg yarn-spinning. Add a pinch of Grinch and a splash of vermouth. Then chill. Like, really chill. That’s Machiela. Eric's laid-back demeanor that belies an uncompromising commitment to beautiful, well-crafted stories and elegant cinematography.
Gina Caratelli
If you could bottle and sell laughter Gina would be raking in the profits. Gorilla's perennial optimist, Gina is a talented producer who always (like seriously, always) has a knack for spinning things to the bright side. Her projects follow suit and make for great collaborative experiences.
Jason Baker
A confident, competent, collaborative filmmaker with a flair for what’s novel and kinetic, Jason creates energetic films that plunge you into action and sound (he often crafts his own sound design). As he puts it, filmmaking is more than visual craft, it's an opportunity to create an experience.
Dan Woodliff
As a director, Dan Woodliff has focused his creative energy on short films, commercials, music videos, and documentaries. He has built a reputation for poignantly capturing the subtleties of the human experience. Dan is fun, thoughtful, and has a knack for surprising you when you least expect it.
Seth Carver
Seth's film career is a series of unpredictable events which have formed his talent. We say "talent" because, although labeling him simply "director" would be more convenient, the reality is that he wears many hats and does it pretty damn well. As a filmmaker, Seth has worked in over 20 countries.
Eric Scott Johnson
A good director needs to see how what’s on the surface speaks to what’s at the core. In other words, art needs empathy. If any of our directors leads the stable in coupling those two skills, it’s EJ. With extensive global film experience (the ticker sits at 53 countries) EJ's got the chops.
Nate Vander Plas
As a director, he has a unique ability to leverage his animation background to imagine, design, and implement visual forms of storytelling which are otherwise difficult to articulate. Nate is a talented collaborator who brings a welcome sense of levity to his projects – as well as everything else.
Chad Terpstra
A seasoned cinematographer-turned-director, Chad leverages his intimate relationship with film aesthetics to spin emotive and ethereal stories. His filmmaking credits include a recent documentary about handcrafted pipes that will leave you thinking long and hard about life, fatherhood, and family.
Caton Vance
Gorilla's in-house cheerleader, Caton embodies our brand mantra to "Be More Human". In fact, he might have more feelings in his finger than the rest of us combined. As a producer, he will fight tirelessly on a client's behalf, not just for their project, but for a meaningful human experience.
David Michael Phelps
Dave usually says what everyone's thinking. And sometimes what everyone isn't thinking. And most of the time what everyone should be thinking. A creative purist to the core, DMP (as we call him) has a gift for untying knots and turning them into successful projects.
