Producer / Director: Shelley Rogers

Shelley Rogers grew up in rural East Tennessee. After an internship at the Media Education Foundation, she grew determined to help use media for social change. She began this film as part of her Master’s degree in Culture and Communication at New York University and was inspired by her interest in food politics, public health, and environmental stewardship. She believes it is our social responsibility as citizens in a democracy to stand up for our right to live in a healthy environment and have access to diverse, independent media. She sustains an urban existence in NYC by tending to her worm-composting farm in her tiny apartment and the gracious patience of her two roommates.

Consulting Producer: George Stoney

George C. Stoney, a Professor of film and cinema studies at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, has made over 40 documentary films on wide-ranging subjects. He is a pioneer in the field of documentary film and considered the “father” of public access television. He has directed several influential films including All My Babies, How the Myth Was Made and The Uprising of ‘34. He was he director of the Challenge for Change project of the National Film Board of Canada from 1966 to 1970 and co-founded the Alternate Media Center in New York in 1972.

Co-Producers: Suzanne Barr, Emily Triantaphyllis, and Beth Morrissey

Suzanne Barr has been an award-winning producer within the Film and Television industry for over 10 years. Her most recent production credits include, promos, mobisodes, and short art pieces for the MTV Network. A graduate of The Natural Gourmet Culinary School, she now works as both a chef and producer.

Emily Triantaphyllis grew up in rural Iowa, eating fresh vegetables and fruits from her family’s garden. After receiving a social work degree, Emily traveled to Malawi to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching community-based organizations in areas, including HIV/AIDS prevention, crop rotation, and even permaculture techniques. She currently attends The New School University’s Master’s Program in Media Studies. She aims to work on films that promote social change and ultimately bring humanity closer together. Emily hopes to have her own subsistence farm one day.

Beth Morrissey is a graduate of the University of Chicago, where she majored in anthropology.  She got her first foothold in film making as an intern at DCTV.  When she isn’t working on WHAT’S ORGANIC ABOUT “ORGANIC?” she’s bouncing around the presidential campaign trail with Purple States TV.  She is also a food enthusiast, spending much of her free time flipping through recipe books and wandering through farmers’ markets.  This film represents the perfect marriage of her two favorite topics: food and politics.

Intern: Leslie Diez

Leslie Diez is a third year film student at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her interest in documentary filmmaking began in a fundamental video making class at NYU, Sight and Sound Documentary, where she made a short documentary on the history and evolution of the comic book industry. This is her first involvement on a feature documentary.

Directors of Photography: Sean Williams, Antonio Cisneros et al

Sean Williams has been making films since age 17. He recently shot Ronald Bronstein’s Frownland, which received a Special Jury Award at SXSW 2007 and was named 2007 Gotham Awards’ “Best Film Not Playing at a Theatre Near You.” Sean currently works as an archivist at Maysles Films, and often goes on shoots alongside Albert Maysles as additional camera operator.

Antonio Cisneros is a New York based cinematographer and documentary photographer originally from San Antonio, Texas.  His interest is to create social documentary work in both still and motion photography.  Antonio was recently graduated from New York University Tisch School of the Arts Film and Television where he majored in Cinematography and Documentary Production.

Editors:  Emily Paine, Michael Arginsky

Emily Paine has been a feature film and documentary editor for over 20 years. She has edited numerous cable and independent documentaries, one of which won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject Documentary in 2001. She views the skills of feature and documentary film editing as mutually beneficial as both are devoted to “telling the story.”

Michael Arginsky has spent over 10 years in film production and post-production. Michael was a senior assistant editor at Consulate Ltd., a New York-based editorial house, before coming to this project.  He and his family try to eat and live as sustainably as possible in Brooklyn, NY.

Consulting Editor: Lora Hays

Lora Hays began her editing career in 1938. She has edited programs for CBS, NBC, ABC and HBO and produced several award-winning shorts. She has edited and served as consulting editor on numerous documentary films, including Eli Landau’s Montgomery to Memphis, Barbara Kopple’s Oscar-winning Harlan County, U.S.A., and Beverly Peterson’s The Andre Show and Sandra’s Web. She taught lyrical editing at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts from 1982-2007.

Composer:  Brad Bennett

Brad Bennett has being writing and performing music for over 20 years. As a rock musician, Mr. Bennett has toured nationally opening for a variety of groups such as Andrew Bird, The Hold Steady, Okkervil River, … And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead. He has written (and performed) songs from a number of albums and EPs released by independent labels. In 2005, he wrote the world’s first choose-your-own-adventure rock opera, which debuted at the Wexner Center for the Arts. More recently, Mr. Bennett was chosen to play guitar in the orchestra for Glenn Branca’s Symphony 13 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

Graphic Design & Animation: Georg Pedersen

Georg Pedersen is a graphic artist living in Brooklyn.  He has made websites, posters, and animations for clients as diverse as New York University, Bain & Company, SmartHoneymoon.com, and Harry and the Potters.  He is currently working on a website focusing on local options for sustainable living.