JENNIFER M. KROOT (DIRECTOR / PRODUCER) is a San Francisco-based documentary filmmaker. Her films are often queer-themed, and she infuses her storytelling with humor and theatricality, inspired by her mentor George Kuchar. Her feature documentary, THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN premiered at the 2017 South by Southwest Film Festival and won the Documentary Spotlight Audience Award. Her previous documentary, TO BE TAKEI, premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was originally distributed through Starz Digital Media. TO BE TAKEI has just been re-licensed again, this time by PBS, and is currently being broadcast across the country and streaming on PBS Passport. Her feature documentary IT CAME FROM KUCHAR premiered at the 2009 South by Southwest Film Festival, as well as at Telluride Film Festival. KUCHAR had a robust theatrical life, then was broadcast on the PBS documentary series, Truly CA.

Kroot is a producer on Christine Yoo’s documentary film, 26.2 TO LIFE (DOC NYC 2022), which was acquired by ESPN. Kroot has received grants from Frameline, the Andy Warhol Foundation, Creative Work Fund, the Pacific Pioneer Fund, California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, and the Fleishhacker Foundation. She is a Bay Area native and studied film at The San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI). She taught filmmaking at SFAI from 2012-2015. Kroot is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

BRIAN BENSON (PRODUCER) began his career as an assistant director and line producer working on music videos (Metallica, Sixpence None the Richer) and independent films (GROOVE, BARTLEBY, WILDFLOWERS). In 2000 he produced his first feature film, HAIKU TUNNEL, which was selected for the 2001 Sundance Film Festival where it was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for distribution. Due to his success with HAIKU TUNNEL and his promise as a producer, Brian received the prestigious Sundance Producer's Fellowship in 2002, where he was mentored by luminaries of the independent film industry: Ted Hope, Ron Yerxa and Scott Macaulay. Brian produced the 2017 documentary DOLORES, which premiered at Sundance and was broadcast on Independent Lens. Brian currently teaches a course in Film Production and Financing at San Francisco State University.

GERRY KIM (PRODUCER) runs the production company, PPW Films, which is committed to diverse and issue-based storytelling. He has produced many award- winning films, including Iris Shim’s THE HOUSE OF SUH, Jennifer Kroot’s TO BE TAKEI, and Esra Saydam and Nisan Dag’s ACROSS THE SEA. His most recent film, Fernando Frias de la Parra’s I’M NO LONGER HERE, won 10 Mexican Ariels and was shortlisted for Best International Film at the 2021 Academy Awards. Gerry won the Producers Award at Film Independent’s Spirit Awards and was selected as a Creative Producing Fellow at the Sundance Institute in 2014.

ALEX ALBERS (CO-EDITOR) work has premiered on PBS, Fox Sports, Netflix, Amazon Prime as well as film festivals across the country and around the world. After receiving a BA in Liberal Arts from Sarah Lawrence College, they collaborated on a variety of documentary projects including Netflix’s MAKING OF A MURDERER, the Emmy- nominated Q BALL, and the Emmy- winning Netflix film FIRE IN PARADISE. They served as lead editor on the award-winning documentary WOMEN'S MARCH as well as on BEAKMAN & JOK, a short documentary about SF based artist Jok Church. Most recently, they edited PERFECT SWEAT, a documentary travel series about sweat culture around the world as well as COMPLICATED, a feature documentary about children navigating the complex illness, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

BILL WEBER (CO-EDITOR) is a San Francisco-based documentary editor. He directed and edited the documentary feature THE COCKETTES which premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and 2002 Berlinale. Bill co- directed and edited the documentary feature WE WERE HERE, which played at the 2011 Sundance and Berlinale festivals.Bill edited THE GALAPAGOS AFFAIR, which premiered in 2013 at the Telluride Film Festival and the Oscar- nominated documentary short film, THE FINAL INCH. He also edited the award- winning documentaries LAST LETTERS HOME and THE ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT. Weber collaborated with Jennifer Kroot on the documentaries TO BE TAKEI (Sundance 2014) and THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN (SXSW 2017).

MICHAEL HEARST (COMPOSER) is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and writer. His film scores include Chicken People; THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE HUNGRY; THE UNTOLD TALES OF ARMISTEAD MAUPIN, TO BE TAKEI, MAGIC CAMP, KATE BORNSTEIN IS QUEER and PLEASANT DANGER, THE GOOD MOTHER, and THE HOUSE OF SUH. Hearst is co-founder of the band One Ring Zero, which has released nine albums. As a solo artist, his projects include Songs For Extraordinary People, Songs For Unusual Creatures, Songs For Unconventional Vehicles, Songs For Ice Cream Trucks, and Songs For Fearful Flyers. He is also the author of the books Unusual Creatures, Extraordinary People, Unconventional Vehicles, and Curious Constructions, as well as co- director and host of the PBS Digital series Songs For Unusual Creatures.