Pursuit of Hope Production Team
Producer Steve Riach
An award-winning producer, director and writer of films, television programming, and home video properties, Steve has executive produced, produced, written or directed films, documentaries and specials which have been seen on NBC, ESPN, and Fox Sports, as well as through a variety of outlets around the world. With nearly 30 years in the industry, Steve has produced programming on nearly every major sporting event, including the Olympics, Super Bowl, World Series, NBA and NCAA Championships, major golf tournaments and college Bowl Games.
Producer Jim Jorden
In a career spanning more than two decades, Jim has been honored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences as an Editor, Film Editor, Cinematographer, Director, Producer and Executive Producer. He has won 13 Emmys® in the craft areas as well as feature, show, series and live-event turnaround. At NASCAR Media Group, Jim has turned the division into a highly acclaimed one; initiating documenting racing on high end formats and utilizing storytelling elements to enhance race broadcasts. He also created several new series launched on a variety of television networks. He served as Executive Producer and Cinematographer for the critically acclaimed film Dale on the life of NASCAR hero Dale Earnhardt.
Executive Producer Dr. Fred Sorrells
The Founder and President of the International Institute of SPORT, Fred has served in many capacities within the Paralympic Movement, and he has been instrumental in showcasing opportunities for people with impairments around the world. With a focus on the emerging nations, he has connected with artists and athletes with disabilities in Africa and the Caribbean. Dr. Sorrells has increasingly become a champion for the disabled around the world. He has been successful in elevating the status of the disabled in Third World countries by highlighting the achievements of citizens with disabilities – people who are often considered a curse, spit upon, and left behind. Since 1996, he has served in various administrative and coaching capacities with the Olympic and Paralympic Movements, including working with Zimbabwe Paralympic delegation during the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games. Dr. Sorrells has helped train several disabled athletes who participated in the Paralympic Games for the Olympics since 2000, including gold medal winners. Dr Sorrells has been active in Haiti with disabled athletes since 2004. Under the guidance of the World Amputee Football Federation, the Institute helped organize the Haiti Amputee Football Association and accompanied the national team to the 2010 World Cup of Amputee Football in Argentina. Dr. Sorrells and his teams travel the globe to deliver solutions for assisting some of the most disadvantaged people on Earth. His experiences have helped foster Fred's personal mission to create opportunities for disabled people around the world.
Director Charles Gay
An award-winning French-American filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY, Charles graduated from the EICAR Film school in Paris, and then worked as an assistant director, camera operator and editor on documentary films on sport and music thematics and later, architecture. In 2009, Charles moved to NYC where he now focuses his work on social issues and human rights, working with several NGOs or IGOs such as UNICEF and The World Bank. He has traveled across the world to Kenya, Haiti, Nepal, India, Poland and Colombia. In 2014, his film on the FGM/Cutting issue, When The Time Comes, won Best Short Documentary and a Special Jury Prize at the Social Impact Media Awards.
Cinematographer Felipe Jacome
a documentary cinematographer/photographer born in Ecuador, he finished studies at the Johns Hopkins University and the London School of Economics, and wen to work on issues of human mobility and human rights. In 2010 he won the Young Reporter Competition of the International Committee of the Red Cross. His work has appeared in publications such as Foreign Policy Magazine, The Guardian, Vice Magazine, CNN Photo Blog and the Miami Herald. His most recent work aims to document the work of female activists around the world through the creation of “visual testimonies,” that combine his portraiture with the women’s written testimonies and artistic expressions, allowing them to reappropriate their images and narratives. Jacome’s work has also been exhibited in London, Geneva, Amsterdam, Quito, and Washington DC.