Filmmakers

MJ ISAKSON, M.S.
Producer, Director, Writer

mj@isakson.io
MJ spent nearly a decade researching the topic of this film--a journey that took her from Santa Ynez Valley, California to the south of Spain. Her love of horses, history and the cow horse community inspired her to work on Down The Fence. She is from Washington state.

GRANT FONDA
Composer

Grantfonda.com
Grant is an award-winning composer and has worked extensively as a collaborator with numerous directors. He has been a composing fellow for Film Independent & ASCAP’s Project Involve, a internationally selected semi-finalist in the Transatlantyk Instant Composer Competition, and a distinguished presenter at NYU’s Music and the Moving Image Conference. Grant is also a graduate of the prestigious Scoring for Motion Picture and Television Program (SMPTV) at the University of Southern California.

LEAH ANDREWS
Assistant Editor

Leah is a graduate of the Seattle Film Institute. She works with Eric Frith at Byrd Productions as an assistant editor. She has helped on multiple documentary projects for Byrd Productions. Leah started her own business, Reel Quick Productions in 2014. She has filmed at music festivals and venues in the Northwest.

LORI ADAMSKI-PEEK
Executive Producer, DP

Adamski-Peek Photography
Lori is a lifelong horse lover. She's been commercial photographer for 30 years, shooting for clients such as National Geographic, The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and Newsweek. Her photography and production company began shooting film in response to client requests and she instantly fell in love with the process and storytelling.

FERNANDO VENEGAS
Second Unit DP

Fernando is a still and motion photographer located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Fernando's work covering the motor sports industry for clients such as Yamaha and Honda motorcycles, made him uniquely suited for filming fast action performance horses.

DENISE CARVER
Music Clearances

CarverMusik.com
Denise spent much of her childhood in Oklahoma and Texas, riding horses in 4-H parades, coveting her brother's FFA ribbons, and dreaming of someday becoming either a professional barrel racer or a real life cowgirl who herds cattle by day and sings campfire songs under the stars at night (yes, she may have watched a few too many TV westerns in her youth). Although fate ultimately chose another path for her, leading her instead into the world of film music and a two-decade stint as head of music clearance and licensing at Paramount Pictures, her inner cowgirl is alive and well and still dreaming of a life out on the range.

ERIC FRITH
Writer, Editor

Byrdproductions.com
Eric films have screened at top film festivals including Sundance, Toronto International Film Festival, South by Southwest, Seattle International Film Festival, and dozens of other festivals around the world. These projects have received numerous awards and been acquired for distribution, both nationally and internationally, by Miramax, Dream Entertainment, Cinema Management Group, Off the Fence, Independent Lens, American Masters PBS, and Phase 4 Films.

BEN FONNESBECK
Drone Pilot, Key Grip, Digital Wrangler

Ben is the digital technology mastermind that keeps our production equipment state-of-the-art and humming, our media organized, cameras ready, and technical and special camera angle issues resolved. He has over 20 years of experience working with commercial photography and videography studios.

CHRISTINA ALLEN
Production Assistant 

Christina is a cowgirl and horse trainer from Indian Valley, Idaho. She has an amazing aptitude for making sure everyone is in the right place at the right time. She managed event interview scheduling as well as special projects. In addition, since the integrity of this documentary is a number one priority for us and we are not looking to make what the cowboys call, “A Hollywood horse movie,” Christina has become a volunteer research consultant.

TED LEVINE
Narrator

IMDB
Ted Levine is an American actor whose films include JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM (2018), DIG TWO GRAVES (2014), SHUTTER ISLAND (2010), AMERICAN GANGSTER (2007), THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (2007), MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (2006), and THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991), and TV series that include THE BRIDGE (2014), LUCK (2012) HELL ON WHEELS (2011), AND MONK (2002-2009). Ted is also an avid horseman and performance horse competitor with first-hand knowledge of the reined cow horse world.

PATRICK THOMPSON
Production Sound Mixer 

Patrick is a graduate of the University of Utah with a degree in Film and Media Arts. He has worked on several short documentaries, commercial projects, and narrative projects as an editor and cinematographer and in the audio, gaff, grip, and effects departments.

CHRIS JAMESON
Still Photographer

Jamophoto.com
Chris has been expertly documenting the subjects and production of the film in beautiful stills. He has years of experience as an editorial and commercial photographer and has worked with Lori Adamski-Peek, traveling all over the world for clients such as Athleta, Degree, and New Balance.

JACLYNN PARIZEK
Production Assistant, Marketing

@jaclynnparizek
Jaclynn graduated at the top of her class with a degree in advertising. She's a copywriting wonder woman and a savvy graphic designer. She helps with marketing strategy, graphic design concepts, social media, and event planning. When we're away shooting, she keeps the online posts posting and the tweets a tweeting.

Credits

Executive Producers: Lori Adamksi-Peek & MJ Isakson

Producer: MJ Isakson

Director: MJ Isakson

Director of Photography: Lori Adamski-Peek

Writers: MJ Isakson & Eric Frith

Narrator: Ted Levine

Editor: Eric Frith

Composer: Grant Fonda

Sound Design: Bad Animals

Production Sound Mixer: Patrick Thompson

Key Grip: Ben Fonnesbeck

Assistant Editors: Leah Andrews & Patrick Thompson

Music Clearances by Denise Carver

Production Assistants: Christina Allen & Jaclynn Parizek

Photography: Chris Jameson & Lori Adamski Peek

Second Unit Director of Photography: Fernando Venegas

Second Unit:

Camera: Guillermo Fernández

Camera: Mikon Haaksman

Production Sound Mixer: Alonso Velasco

Production Sound Mixer: Chad Chance