Stokes McIntyre - Director
Born in Dallas, Texas, Stokes first moved to California to attend the University of San Diego where he earned his degree in Accounting. Recognizing his true passion for the arts, Stokes then moved to San Francisco where he earned a Masters of Fine Arts from The Academy of Art University with a focus in Motion Picture Film. Stokes combined his knowledge of business and passion for film to found Hotbed Media, Inc. with classmate and fellow director, Unsu Lee in 1997. Since launching his career Stokes has directed commercials, documentaries and narrative shorts for which he has received numerous awards. His notable clients include Vizio, Amgen, GSK, Sony, Identix, Genentech, Diageo and Disney. Stokes particularly enjoys diving into stories that have an emotional truth that audiences can connect with. His work has been described as organic, passionate and personal. He received a fellowship from the prestigious Montolvo Artist Residency in Saratoga California to pursue the development of his feature film Valley of the Sun. Stokes is an Eagle Scout.
Meika Rouda - Producer
Meika has over 15 years experience in the film and television industry. After graduating with a BA in film from Bard College in New York, Meika started her career at the Tribeca Film Center working on projects for directors Robert Redford, Spike Lee and Robert DeNiro. Her TV experience ranges from launching the long running animated series Daria for MTV to content development and pilot production for Tech TV. Meika was also the Marketing and Communications Director for the popular robot TV series BattleBots, which aired on Comedy Central. Commercially, she has produced numerous spots for high profile clients like Sony Entertainment, Benziger Wines and Amgen Pharmaceuticals. Her feature producing debut, the award winning film Quality of Life, screened at the Berlin Film Festival and was released in theaters nationwide. In addition to producing, Meika is on the programming committee for the prestigious Telluride Film Festival and is a member of Bay Area Women in Film and Television.
Erin Essenmacher - Line Producer
Erin has a long and proven track record in visual storytelling and documentary production. Early credits include three prime-time specials for PBS: “Critical Condition”, “Juggling Work and Family” and “Rediscovering Dave Brubeck”. She has since worked as a writer, director and producer on a wide variety of documentary-style films for corporate and non-profit organizations, as well as broadcast outlets including PBS, The Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Court TV and the History Channel. Recent credits include Series Producer and Director of “Shauna’s Amazing Animals” for Animal Planet and Producer of the feature documentary “MINE: Taken by Katrina” currently in post-production.
Cliff Traiman - Director of Photography
Cliff has been shooting motion picture and still images professionally for over ten years and brings a imaginative and unique eye to his photography. Cliff is also a writer and director and therefore has a solid understanding of storytelling. Cliff’s clients include William Phillibin Productions, Cisco Systems, Goodby, Silver-stein & Partners, eBay, Haggan Daz, Microsoft, Amgen and SF Giants. You can view his reel at www.clifftraiman.com.
