THE TEAM BEHIND THE SUCCESS

Our production and post production team is comprised of a multi-award winning crew, including a total of 5 regional Emmy® Awards.

Because we don't subscribe to the 9-5 work day, our team constantly work around the clock and regularly through the night to meet any last minute deadlines our clients have.

Our client's campaigns are our #1 priority, and this dedication and flexibility is what sets us apart. It's how we've developed long-lasting client relationships, with some spanning over a decade. 

 

A.J. CARTER

  • A.J. is a two-time Emmy® award-winning filmmaker who started his journey in the film industry in Australia earning on-screen credits in over 200 television episodes by the age of 18. His first narrative film debut achieved international success, earning A.J. a total of 13 international award nominations, of which he won 10.

    Moving to the USA, A.J. began Metropolis Media Group, a production company priding itself on telling stories about real people, environmental protection, and community issues that matter. He has gained notable acclaim as a campaign producer & director and has since worked on some of the biggest political commercial campaigns in U.S history, having produced and directed over 800 TV commercials across the USA. His campaigns have broken advertising records and have amassed over $1 billion USD in ad placement. His clients include companies such as Uber, Chevron, McDonalds, Dell, & Costco.

    A.J.'s extensive narrative experience has developed a hyper-versatile directing style that enables him to elicit powerful performances from both professional actors and real people with little to no prior on-screen skills.

    When not winning campaigns with his clients, A.J. can be found at the racetrack where he’s currently ranked 4th in the Tri-C California Karting championship, as well as enjoying hiking, Astro-Photography, Formula 1, and enjoying time with his wife and Insta-famous puppy ‘Wrigly’.

TORY TARANOVA

  • Tory has been with the Metropolis Media Group for over 6 years now as a Production Manager and Producer. She is a Swiss army knife with the motto that anything is possible with determination, creativity, and most importantly, the right people.

    Tory brings over 10 years of experience with her as an artist in multiple film making fields, including her own audition recording studio. As a graduate of business school, she molded herself into a Producer who is equal parts left and right brain, able to understand and actualize the vision of our team while also keeping the logistics of the project in mind.  

    Tory hails from Texas and holds BBA Business Honors, BBA Marketing, and B.A of Film/Television/Radio.

JOE BROUILLETTE

  • Joe is a seasoned Production Manager who brings over fifteen years of experience in project and product management to the Metropolis family. He has worked for the Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures, and the American Film Institute, managing a variety of people and projects for film, television and events.

    He enjoys being able to deliver important messages to market with the coordination of the skilled and reliable Metropolis team.

    A native Californian, Joe enjoys experiencing all the outdoor wonders of his beautiful home state; especially hiking and snowboarding.

CHRISTOPHER HOERDEMANN

  • Christopher is a multi Emmy® award-winning editor and motion graphics designer, who enjoys the fast-paced, collaborative, and high-stakes creative projects that Metropolis helps bring to life. This is his dream job, and you’ll be able to tell by the energy, enthusiasm, and creativity that he brings to each project.

    He picked up a camera when he was 16, and almost two decades later his passion for media production continues to drive him. He pairs his technical production skills with a degree in marketing from the University of Illinois-Chicago, which also makes him a valuable participant in the creative process.

    When not working, you’ll find him spending time with his wife and two boys (15 and 6), and when he’s looking to relax he mows the yard. That’s not a joke - he unironically enjoys it. He often claims he has the best looking yard in the entire Metropolis family.

JEFF ANDERSON

  • Jeff is a video editor and motion graphics artist. His background in post-production allows him to create captivating projects for Metropolis Media's clients, reaching millions of viewers across major TV networks and social media platforms. Jeff has previously worked on international travel documentaries as writer/photographer/editor, as well as short films, and music videos.

    With a passion for unique storytelling, Jeff loves motivating people into action whether it be travelling the world experiencing the planet and the vastly different cultures who inhabit it, or taking care of our environment and natural resources.

    He enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, traveling, and being outdoors.

MINARD MOLINA

  • Minard is a second-generation Latino filmmaker and post-production producer, story producer and EP with over twenty years of experience.

    In addition to working as Metropolis Media’s Post Production EP, his post-production management includes a ten-episode digital series Naysayer with a team of five editors, opening title animator and composer for Narrative Creep.

    Minard is motivated by the love of the game, producing quality material and supporting his costly filmmaking habit.

    He holds an MFA in Screenwriting and Creative Producing from Columbia University of New York. A former Golden Gloves boxer, he’s a pugilistic debater and wieldier of sword pens.

NORMA HOERDEMANN

  • Norma is an Emmy® award-winning story editor and line producer for Metropolis. She tends to ‘wear many hats’ on projects because she enjoys being a key part of moving projects forward during each phase of the process. Whether it’s helping map things out during pre-production, assisting on-site at a shoot, or helping shape deliverables in post-production, you’ll find Norma in the mix.

    A native of Mexico, she takes great pride in being bi-lingual, especially when it can be leveraged in a professional setting. 

    Outside of work, Norma enjoys spending time with her two sons (15 and 6), as well as gardening. She enjoys meticulously pulling weeds, one by one, out of her yard and gardens. If you didn’t know she was detail-oriented before, now you do.

STEVEN AGUILERA

  • Steven Aguilera is a multi-award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter. He has written seven feature scripts and has directed numerous short films and two features.

    Two-time Gold recipient of the Communicator Award for excellence in editing, he has edited more than 100+ TV commercials with the Metropolis Media Group over the past 8 years, for ballot measures and propositions, electoral campaigns, environmental issues, gaming, medical, and many others.

    Steven was born from artistic parents. From his mid-teens, he produced photo-realistic drawings and is self-educated in most aspects of art, having also written the art instruction book, A New Perspective on depth and three-dimensional form.

    When he’s not creating magic in the edit suite for Metropolis, he’s the host of the “Dissecting Horror” podcast.

CELINA BARNETTE

  • Celina is a logistics ninja and has Line Produced with Metropolis for almost 10 years. Originally from Lorain Ohio, she decided to move to Los Angeles in 2005 to attend The Los Angeles Film School where she majored in Line Producing and Editing.  Since graduating Celina has worked on countless projects as a Line Producer, Production Manager, Production Coordinator, Art Department Coordinator and Travel Coordinator. 

    Her love for logistics sees volunteer for The Alzheimer's Association's Los Angeles Walk To End ALZ as the logistics and event experience committee chair. 

    When she's not on set she's hanging out with her husband and their 2 dogs, a Weenie named Ally and a Chiweenie named Liza.

PETER BORRUD

  • With a strong history of working alongside Metropolis, Peter is a cinematographer with a passion for crafting light and collaborating with the team to capture artful and compelling stories that resonate with the audience on a deeper level. His ultimate goal is for each project not only to be visually impactful but also authentic to the human experience, inspiring viewers to take positive action and effect change in the world. 

    Hailing from Minnesota, Peter's passion for capturing life through a lens ignited at a young age, culminating in making his first feature film before turning 18. Since completing his film studies in Southern California, he has lent his expertise to an eclectic range of projects, collaborating with clients such as Jeep, Hyatt, Uber, Riot Games, Toyota, Google, Disney, Coldwell Banker, and Skechers. One of his short films was even nominated and screened at the Sundance Film Festival.

    Peter holds a B.A in Cinema and Media, and an Arts Degree in Cinematography. In his free time, you might find him out hiking, training for a triathlon, drinking matcha while reading, or going on travel adventures with his kids.

JEFF KNIGHT

  • Jeff is an award-winning motion graphic designer and video editor who also happens to be a musician, sound engineer, voice over artist video producer, and scriptwriter. A Swiss army knife of the Metropolis Media post department, Jeff always goes above and beyond as he enjoys challenges and always pushes himself to impress Metropolis’ clients and colleagues.

    Jeff takes both a scientific and artistic approach to all of his creative endeavors, often citing what he does as artistic mathematics. Starting with nothing more than colors, text, and raw assets, what excites Jeff more than anything is seeing something magical emerge from the seemingly random chaos. And our clients love it too.

    Jeff moved to SoCal in 2014 with his family, creating sizzles, promos, and social media assets for every major film studio in Los Angeles. After joining Metropolis Media, he discovered that he had a knack for explaining motion graphic and video editing processes in quick and digestible ways, so he created his YouTube channel, “7 Minute AE Tutorials”, which has resulted in a cult following of hungry motion designers at all levels of expertise.

    When he’s not working 7 days a week, Jeff will always be writing and recording music - his first true love. You can hear Jeff’s music on Spotify, see his work on Vimeo, and check out his tutorials on YouTube, Udemy, and Skillshare.

JONATHAN YOUNG

  • Jonathan is Metropolis Media’s multi award-winning senior photographer with an eye for creating authentic images that connect with every subject.

    With over 20 years of experience, Jonathan excels in photography across a range of industries including portrait, lifestyle, reportage, and even food photography.  Jonathan is passionate about storytelling, clean compositions, and attention to detail, creating images that command attention.  He collaborates with creative directors, video crews, and directly with Metropolis’ clients to bring their visions to life.  

    Jonathan holds a B.A. in History and Political Science from UCLA. And in his spare time, he loves riding bikes with his wife and daughters.  He’s also a freediver and has been down to 80 ft underwater. 

CHARLES CARTWRIGHT

  • Charles has been working as a cinematographer and editor/AE for over 15 years. Joining the Metropolis family 4 years ago, he brings an infectious, good energy to all our sets and has worked on over 70 commercials with us as 2nd unit Camera Operator and DIT / Assistant Editor.

    Charles, originally from Nevada, moved to Los Angeles to peruse a career in the film industry in 2013 and has since shot and produced many commercials as well as produced and directed a pilot episode for a show I created called "Set Stories".

    When not on set, Charles is the creator of a podcast about working in the film industry which is now in its 7th season.

JC OLIVA

  • JC Oliva is a two-time Emmy award winning editor who’s been editing with Metropolis for almost 10 years. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, JC's dedication for storytelling through audio-visual content led him to pursue a degree in Broadcasting after attending Film School in college.



    With over two decades of experience in the industry, his journey includes work with major networks such as ABC Disney, NBC Universal, and Sony Entertainment.



    JC is right at home with Metropolis, as he is all about making waves in progressive causes that are close to his heart, such as securing and preserving environmental protections, addressing labor abuses, and fostering empowerment within underrepresented communities.

BEN WINCHELL

  • [Director Of Photography]

    Ben has been a senior Director of Photography for Metropolis Media for over 5 years, filming more than 70 commercials with them, all of which have won every ballot measure, and received numerous awards.

    Based in Los Angeles, he brings 15 years of experience filming commercials, documentaries, TV shows, and music videos. He is known for his intuitive vision, cinematic style, and the authentic images he brings to life in all our commercials.

    His career has seen him bring his creative vision to a myriad of companies such as Disney, Amazon, Sephora, Montage, Hyatt, The Hollywood Reporter (Round Table series), Microsoft, and the BBC.

    Ben holds a B.A in Film Production / Cinematography, and when he’s not filming award winning commercials for Metropolis, you could find him… anywhere in the world. Travel is a passion for Ben, and he has had the opportunity to film all over the world creating documentary content along the way, including for his favorite streaming platform, Netflix.