THE FILMMAKERS

Brent Gudgel (Co-Director) Brent is a traveler and director with a background in humanitarian organization productions. He has worked in over 20 countries through a variety of circumstances that include, but are not limited to, getting held by the Vietnamese military and hanging out with monks in Tibet. In fiction filmmaking he won awards for his short film Athena’s Drive-Through Counseling Center. He also directed the documentary Hood Ranch about a group of at-risk students going on their first trip out of the city.

Jason Djang (Co-Director) Jason began working in editing and post postproduction ten years ago. He has experience in a wide breadth of formats ranging from short films to big budget commercials for the likes of Nike, Pepsi, and Budweiser. He has worked in both Los Angeles and London and edited the documentary The Big Spin that chronicled the final years of a friend and cancer victim. Dear Francis is his directorial debut.

Dave Mahanes (Producer) Dave has overseen the production of commercials, documentaries and short films for the last three years. While working for I-40 Films, a film/video production company, he produced several award winning commercials for Ford and the Carolina Hurricanes. For three years, Dave provided leadership to a community outreach program for at-risk high school students in Northwest Pasadena. Prior to moving to California, Dave spent four years as the personal assistant to Governor George Voinovich of Ohio.

Mark Maines (Associate Producer) Mark is a ministry leader and organizational strategist. For almost a decade he has enjoyed the challenge and opportunity of helping churches and non-profit organizations get from where they are, to where they want to be. Mark is on the pastoral team of NewSong Church in San Dimas, CA and is a Associate Consultant with Crossroad-Leaders, a firm which specializes in strategic leadership and organizational change. He holds a M.Div from Fuller Theological Seminary and lives in Pasadena, CA with his wife Jeanette and their Boston Terrier, "India."

Chronicle Project
A documentary production company in Pasadena, California, Chronicle Project focuses on telling the compelling stories of life through visual media that move people to offer compassion and hope. Chronicle Project was founded in 2003 by a group of filmmakers and travelers with production experience in over 25 countries for a variety of causes and clients. Their past work varied from commercials for Ford to NGO’s such as English Language Institute China and the Crisis Pregnancy Center. Dear Francis is their first feature film.