January 01, 2008
January 03, 2007
HI Teammembers
Director/Writer, Andrew Shapter
When 12 year old Andrew got his first camera, his creative life truly began to unfold. 15 years as a fashion and music photographer honed his creative eye and led him ultimately to expand his vision into motion pictures. His first film was the critically acclaimed fan favorite, Before The Music Dies, which is an unsettling and inspiring look at the American music industry. For his second film, Andrew turned his unique reality-based narrative style to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Uplifting cinematography and an insightful narrative have been the foundation of Andrew's work and, happily, will continue to light up the screen for years to come.
Producer, Tracy Marino
A native New Yorker, Tracy found her way from Manhattan to Austin, TX in 2000. For many years, Tracy’s livelihood focused mostly on marketing, advertising and building strategic alliances both nationally and internationally. Yet Tracy has always had a passion for helping artists bring inspiring stories to life. And so working with Andrew on Happiness Is became the perfect way to launch her future as a Producer. Tracy's focus now is to help bring Andrew's unique vision to life through the filmmaker brand voice they craft together and the hard work of a strong team. She also authors the MySpace blogs which provide a valued connection with the audience.
Executive Producer, Michael Lehrter
Executive Producer, Jim Bruno
Writer, director, and producer of the independent film, "beyond words!" (2001), Jim merges his love of filmmaking, storytelling, songwriting, and interactive media into one vocation. Jim recently completed a new screenplay, lyrics and music for a 15-song musical film, "Maria!", based on the 1867 Colombian novel of the same name.
Editor, Sjon Ueckert
Associate Producer, Christina Fernandez
At home both in front of and behind the camera, Christina honed her industry chops in both Austin and L.A. She holds a Master of Arts in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin in Production, Screenwriting, and Critical Studies. She worked for two years in television production at Paramount Pictures for Fauci Productions, and did script consulting at Writers Boot Camp in Santa Monica. She co-produced the short film "Mockingbird" and was Production Coordinator for the short film "On the Couch". As an actress she’s appeared as the lead role in the television pilot “Poodle Dog Lounge” and the indie biopic “Last Call for Tacos”.