Discover Top Non-Fiction Film Directors in San Francisco, California, USA

Mike is a video journalist with over eight years of video production experience and an MFA in Filmmaking from American University in Washington, DC. He is a visual storyteller with extensive experience operating as an all-in-one producer and videographer in the field. Mike's most recent work was produced for The San Francisco Standard—an upstart digital media company in San Francisco—where he worked as a staff video journalist and contributed his filmmaking skills to the team's coverage of the city and wider Bay Area. Mike's video journalism work at The Standard helped establish and solidify the company's online presence as one of the most active, informative and engaging news organizations in the Bay Area. Mike also has extensive experience as a freelance videographer, Director of Photography and video editor. His work has been published in established media outlets such as Business Insider, CNBC, Bloomberg, Voice of America, 60 Second Docs, Cheddar, and Brut. He has also produced, shot, and edited a variety of independent documentary films which have screened on public television and at film festivals such as the DC Environmental Film Festival, the California Independent Film Festival, Water Docs, the Washington, DC International Film Festival and others. He is passionate about documentary storytelling and bringing ordinary peoples' lives to life through video.

• Documentary DP
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Field Producer
• Motion Graphics Designer
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Corporate Videographer
• Production Company
• Production Assistant
• Grip
• Video Editor - News
• Fixer
• Commercial DP
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Transcriber
• Drone Operator

Austin Meyer is a documentary filmmaker and photographer based in Oakland, CA. He is a National Geographic Explorer and his work has been featured by HBO, Hulu, Apple TV, National Geographic, The New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, PBS NewsHour, and Al Jazeera among others. Meyer graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. degree in creative writing and an M.A. degree in journalism. After graduation, he was selected as the winner of the New York Times’ International Reporting Trip with Nicholas Kristof competition, for which he reported for the New York Times in Baltimore, India, and Nepal. Meyer has worked as a videographer at the Los Angeles Times and was awarded an IDEO storytelling fellowship, during which he reported for Slate on the social and environmental impacts of hydropower dams along the Mekong River in Southeast Asia. In 2018 Meyer was awarded a National Geographic Explorer grant to create a documentary film on maternal healthcare in Zambia. His documentaries have screened at the American Documentary, Mill Valley, & Milwaukee Film Festivals, as well as in the National Geographic Short Film Showcase and Atlantic Selects series. Meyer’s purpose as a documentarian is to tell stories that change the way people walk through the world by inspiring empathy, curiosity, and wonder. He is passionate about telling vulnerable and intimate stories that are emotionally moving, break down stereotypes, and compel people to take action in order to make our world a better place. www.austinmeyerfilms.com @austinmeyerfilms on social media

• Documentary DP
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Reporter / Journalist
• Production Company
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Video Editor - News
• Fixer
• On-Air Reporter / Host
• Mobile Journalist / Livestreamer
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Senior Producer / Project Manager
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Event Photographer
• Executive Producer
• Senior Editor
• Product Photographer
• Creative Director

I'm a documentary cinematographer working out of Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Seattle, and Portland. My work has appeared on The New York Times, The New Yorker, PBS, Frontline, Al Jazeera, Channel 4 (UK), and more, as well as for clients like CNN, AirBnb, and the Oakland Museum of California. I've also produced on series for National Geographic, Netflix, and for feature documentaries like Girl Rising. I own and operate Sony equipment (Fs7, A7siii), with a MavicPro 2 drone, Sigma Art lenses, Aputure lights, and more. See more work at www.derekknowles.com

• Documentary DP
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Commercial DP
• Creative Director
• Video Editor - News
• Field Producer
• TV News Producer
• Drone Operator
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Mobile Journalist / Livestreamer
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Production Assistant
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Sound Mixer
• Corporate Videographer

I’m a film director/producer, musician, and video journalist based in Oakland, CA. For CALIFORNIA Magazine, I've written, shot, and edited around twenty short form documentary pieces, including a 3-part video series called “Bugged,” and am also a frequent contributor to the print magazine. An avid traveller, I have worked, trained, and performed all over the world, including Russia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and West Africa. I have a degree in Arabic and Russian Literature from UC Berkeley, and am the artistic director of Radix Troupe Productions, which I founded in 2013. Since finishing my studies in Arabic and Russian at UC Berkeley in 2013, I've been actively directing and producing original work, including multiple short films, music videos, short form documentaries, and promotional work. My most recent short film "Zoey and the Wind-Up Boy" produced by RADIX, won Best Fantasy Film at the 2017 Roswell Sci-fi Film Festival, was a finalist for Best International Short at the Ithaca Fantastik Film Festival, 2017, and won runner up for Best Film at the Carcosa Film Festival, 2018. Another film I produced, "All We Left Behind" won Best International Film at the 48Film Project Festival, 2018. In 2016, I was also one of the aspiring female directors to be selected to shadow BAFTA award-winning writer/director Amma Asante on the shoot of her soon to be released film, Where Hands Touch (2018). As a singer and cellist, I regularly perform with the award-winning band, MAD NOISE, and my newest musical/visual project called Girl Swallows Nightingale.

• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Documentary DP
• Creative Director
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Reporter / Journalist
• Motion Graphics Designer
• Production Assistant
• Music Composer
• Fixer
• Commercial DP
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Series Producer / Show Runner
• Non-Fiction Film Director

I’m a New York-raised Californian, filmmaker, photographer, partner and dad. My first foray into independent filmmaking was aboard a 4-seat Cessna, documenting impacts of the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, I spent several years in New York working and learning as a Production Assistant and later a Cinematographer and Editor in collaboration with networks and brands including ABC, American Eagle and the MSG Network. Since moving to the Bay Area in 2015, I’ve focused on developing my voice through the stories I was drawn to in the beginning, about the natural systems around us and the spectrum of relationships humanity has with them. And I’ve continued to collaborate with other filmmakers, organizations, and brands including Bloomberg, Netflix and the Biden/Harris campaign. My latest effort, don’t feed the coyotes, began screening at film festivals across the country earlier this year. Through the observations of two starkly-different naturalists, the half-hour documentary chronicles several years in the intertwined lives of San Francisco’s urban coyotes.

• Documentary DP
• Commercial DP
• Creative Director
• Production Company
• Field Producer
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• TV News Producer
• Video Editor - News
• Reporter / Journalist
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Mobile Journalist / Livestreamer
• Corporate Videographer

Vatsala is a cinematographer and director based out of San Francisco and Los Angeles. Her films have premiered in competition at Sundance, Tribeca, AFI Docs, Cinequest, Doc Fortnight: Museum of Modern Art (NY), and on platforms such Netflix, Amazon, PBS, CBS etc. Clients include Facebook, Google, Sony, Eventbrite, HBO Docs, MTV Films, VICE/ Refinery 29, Good Company, Godfrey Dadich Partners, Attn: Inc, Tribeca Studios, Firelight, ITVS, TIME, BET, AwesomenessTV, Salesforce and 23andme. Her work is informed by years of experience working across narrative and documentary film, photojournalism and fine art, as well as from her dual cultural identities as an Indian and queer woman of color living and working in the United States. Vatsala is a recipient of the American Society of Cinematographers' Vision Mentorship program (2020) and is a member of the International Collective of Female Cinematographers. She received her MFA in Cinematography from the Film and Television Institute, India.

• Commercial DP
• Documentary DP
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Field Producer
• Corporate Videographer
• Event Photographer
• Line Producer / On-Location
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Portrait Photographer
• Fashion Photographer
• Product Photographer
• Creative Director

I am a documentary photographer and videographer currently based in Northern California. I possess a solid background in photojournalism and specialize in the long-term narrative. My documentary work focuses on social justice, health, environmental conservation, and identity. I am passionate about utilizing the visual narrative as a tool to inform, engage, and impact social change. As a multimedia journalist and storyteller, I have experience working as a producer, visual creator, editor & curator, and project manager. I am proficient in image editing software, studio lighting, video and audio capture, and various array of photography including reportage, portraiture, editorial, travel, corporate, and commercial. I am conscientious, resourceful, and welcome any challenging assignments. Selected Clients & Publications: ActionAid, Asian Development Bank, Bloomberg Businessweek, BuzzFeed News, Clinton Health Access Initiatives, Courrier International, Der Spiegel, Facebook, Fair Trade, Financial Times, Getty Images, Global Citizen, Greenpeace International, The Guardian, Instagram, International Monetary Fund, The New York Times, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Open Society Foundations, Oxfam, ProPublica, Sactown Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, UN-REDD, USAID, USA Today, TripAdvisor, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post.

• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Documentary DP
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Field Producer
• Portrait Photographer
• Senior Producer / Project Manager
• Creative Director
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Commercial DP
• Corporate Videographer
• Translator
• Event Photographer
• Landscape Photographer
• Product Photographer
• Fashion Photographer
• Fixer
• Production Assistant
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Reporter / Journalist
• Post-Production Manager

Ellie Wen is an award-winning filmmaker from Hong Kong and Los Angeles. She began her career in Los Angeles where she produced independent films and worked at CAA, CBS Films, and Super Deluxe. Ellie is an alumna of Film Independent's Project Involve fellowship program. Her first short documentary "Single Mother Only Daughter" premiered on Short of the Week, is a Vimeo Staff Pick, and was featured by The New York Times. “Doing Good Business,” her short documentary series about social entrepreneurs worldwide, was released on Participant Media's SoulPancake. Ellie recently received her MFA in Documentary Film from Stanford University where she produced four short documentary films. "Share," has screened at DOC NYC, Frameline, Big Sky, DOK Leipzig, and was released on The Guardian. Ellie was awarded the Best Local Filmmaker Award at the UN Women Global Voices Film Festival for "On Mother’s Day," which was recently released by The New Yorker. “25 Hours” was a finalist in the WrapWomen/STARZ film contest and was distributed by STARZ. Her thesis film, "The Missfits," was awarded the UFVA Carole Fielding Student Grant and was released on KQED's Truly CA. She now lives in San Francisco and is developing her next documentary as a resident in the SFFILM FilmHouse Residency Program.

• Documentary DP
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Non-Fiction Film Director

I am Claudia Escobar and I like creating and following stories, making things and trying to find where reality meets magic. I am the director of the documentary Dear Homeland, produced by KQED. Currently I am producing a series with AJ+ Español about decolonization in Latin America together with it’s creator Paula Daibert, and In the past years I had been focused on making short documentary and experimental works about Bay Area artists and culture makers for KQED Arts. With the work I did with the arts team I had been nominated for three local Emmy's and I had won one, I had also won a Webby for the series I co-created together with Kelly Whalen, If Cities Could Dance. Before joining KQED, I directed, produced and edited short fiction films, fashion videos, stop motion animations, as well as non-fiction journalism work for AJ+, Common Sense Media, National Geographic, Mission Local, NBC’s former The Feast, and was the editor for the feature documentary “In The Red." directed bu Mimi Chakarova. Some of the indie films I had been part of, have screened all over the world, with the documentary “La Bicicleta Vieja" premiering at San Francisco International Latino Film Festival; "Antonio's Closet" screening at Miami International Fashion Film Festival, and "Mercado de Lagrimas," at Bokeh South Africa International Fashion Film Festival, and the La Jolla International Fashion Festival.

• Documentary DP
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Video Editor - News
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Creative Director
• Series Producer / Show Runner

Contessa Gayles is an independent documentary filmmaker, an award-winning journalist and an Emmy-nominated producer. She tells stories about identity, movement and social change, with a focus on race, ethnicity and gender. From 2014 - 2018, she was a producer at CNN, where she created, produced, directed, shot and edited award-winning original series and documentaries, including 'The Feminist on Cellblock Y' (2018 Vera Institute Award Winner, 2018 Eppy Award Finalist), 'Women Who March' (2018 Webby Award Honoree, 2017 Eppy Award Finalist), 'Women Who March: The Movement' (2018 Eppy Award Winner), 'This Is Birth with Lisa Ling' & 'This Is Sex with Lisa Ling' (2017 & 2018 Namic Vision Award Nominees), 'Unstereotyped' and the 2016 News & Documentary Emmy-nominated 'Feeding America's Most Vulnerable Children.' She has additionally contributed to VICE, PBS NewsHour, PBS Frontline, AFROPUNK and forthcoming independent documentary features, including 'Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project' (dir. Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster), 'Surge' (dir. Hannah Rosenzweig, Wendy Sachs) and 'Black Mothers' (dir. Débora Souza Silva). Contessa holds a B.A. from Columbia University and an M.A. in Journalism from New York University, with a concentration in Documentary Film. Her thesis documentary, 'School of Yoga,' screened at the 2015 DOC NYC film festival.

• Documentary DP
• Video Editor - News
• Fixer
• On-Air Reporter / Host
• Reporter / Journalist
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Field Producer
• Series Producer / Show Runner
• Senior Producer / Project Manager
• TV News Producer
• Non-Fiction Film Director

I’m a visual journalist in San Francisco. Before moving to news and documentary I worked for a decade as a commercial producer creating content for agencies like Leo Burnett, design studios like IDEO, and big brands like Google and Apple. I’ve also produced for CNN, The Washington Post, and Público, Portugal’s largest newspaper, as well. In 2022, I completed my master’s at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism after working for a decade as a commercial producer. My thesis documentary Hasta la última gota, following the fight for water and a new constitution in Chile, was published in The Intercept. The film also screened at the Mill Valley and Banff Mountain Film Festivals. I work in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

• Video Editor - Documentary
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Reporter / Journalist
• Field Producer
• TV News Producer

Originally from story-rich Mississippi, I began making films with my parents' home movie camera & friends in the early '90s. Now working mostly in the world of narrative and commercial media, I spent much of my formative years living, learning & working on film/TV sets in New Orleans and abroad. Naturally curious and very inspired by travel, my passions revolve around filmmaking, writing, still photography & design, more or less the case since 6. I've spent a substantial time just roaming about everywhere with a camera as a great admirer of everyday history & the physical world and generally staying ahead of the curve. Which could explain my fascination now with all things Unreal and aerial imagery. Thanks for looking!

• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Commercial DP
• Corporate Videographer
• Drone Operator
• Documentary DP
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Series Producer / Show Runner
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Copywriter
• Creative Director
• Video Editor - Commercial

Josh Freund is an award-winning documentary, narrative and commercial filmmaker. His diverse clientele range from leading brands like Nike, Mattel, Chevrolet, and Jameson Whiskey to Grammy-winning musicians. Josh's first feature film Do U Want It? won Audience Award at New Orleans Film Festival in 2017 and at SF IndieFest in 2018 and will be streaming in October 2019. He owns and operates ABIS Productions, New Orleans’ premiere video production company dedicated to creating video content for bands and musicians. Josh graduated with a BSJ from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism in 2012.

• Documentary DP
• Commercial DP
• Creative Director
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Fixer
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Field Producer
• Production Coordinator / Crewing
• Senior Editor
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Corporate Videographer

Jes Gallegos is a cinematographer, producer, director, editor and documentary filmmaker based in San Francisco, California. They specializes in cinéma vérité with large camera set ups big and small and complex interview lighting. They have collaborated across media platforms for many of the world's leading brands such as Google, Dropbox, Salesforce, Shopify, Airbnb, Dow Jones among many others. In their free time, they organize Rock Paper Film Society, a Bay Area women/non-binary folks in film with over 2,000+ members.

• Corporate Videographer
• Documentary DP
• Commercial DP
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Mobile Journalist / Livestreamer
• Drone Operator
• Creative Director
• Production Company
• Line Producer / On-Location
• Non-Fiction Film Director

I grew up hunting, fishing, backpacking and hiking between Northern California and Idaho. After high school I served four years in the US Coast Guard, then in 2009 completed a BA in Journalism from San Francisco State University. I'm currently a freelance journalist, photographer and videographer based in Oakland, contributing to Redux Pictures, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle and other local and national publications, as well as producing work for corporate and commercial clients.

• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Documentary DP
• Corporate Videographer
• Drone Operator
• Fixer
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Landscape Photographer
• Portrait Photographer
• Product Photographer
• Content Strategist
• Commercial DP
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Post-Production Manager
• Creative Director
• Field Producer
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Video Editor - News
• TV News Producer
• Social Media Producer

Andy Miller is an award-winning documentary film and video Producer, Director and Cinematographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has produced, directed and edited over fifty episodes of broadcast cable television as well as countless videos for web, many for the largest international web portals including Yahoo!, HULU, AOL and Comedy Central. Andy’s real passion lies in directing and producing documentary films. Since Co-founding Plus M Productions in 2011, he has helped lead production on countless short and long form documentary films.

• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Commercial DP
• Documentary DP
• Video Editor - News
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Non-Fiction Film Director

I own a production company in Sacramento, California called The Film Squad. It has been successful since 2014, but once COVID hit, everything went dark. I can both film individually or I can bring a team. I own a RED Scarlet-W, multiple Canon C100s, a Sony A7iii, and several other cameras. I'm a writer, director, and producer of feature films. I made an award-winning feature film called, Ru, in 2013, and I produced an award-winning documentary called, Becoming Incurable, in 2020. My film website is www.jeffthehapa.com

• Production Company
• Drone Operator
• Corporate Videographer
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Commercial DP
• Creative Director
• Documentary DP
• Field Producer
• Video Editor - Commercial

I am a passionate filmmaker, video editor, and content producer based in Oakland, California. I produce and edit brand videos, documentaries, educational videos & social media content exploring culture, food, lifestyle, wellness, technology, and critical social and climate change issues. I lead projects from concept to completion. I enjoy creative collaboration and bring my storytelling skills to every project.

• Post-Production Manager
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Senior Producer / Project Manager
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Video Editor - News
• Senior Editor
• Motion Graphics Designer
• Copy Editor
• Series Producer / Show Runner
• Digital Content Creator
• Field Producer
• Line Producer / On-Location

All The Way Around is a full service insured film and video production company creating award winning stories and content. Working on narrative and documentary features, branded content, and video media for the political space we pride ourselves on being able to tell the types of stories for the screen that move audiences across multiple formats.

• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Production Company
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Post-Production Manager
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Commercial DP
• Drone Operator
• Line Producer / On-Location
• Creative Director
• Documentary DP
• Fixer
• Mobile Journalist / Livestreamer
• Production Assistant
• Corporate Videographer

I'm a documentary and commercial film director, DP, and editor based out of Northern California. Projects I've directed have been Emmy nominated, Oscar shortlisted and have won awards at SXSW and other festivals. I create doc-style content for brands, nonprofits, political PACS, and organizations with stories to tell.

• Documentary DP
• Commercial DP
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Production Company
• Corporate Videographer
• Field Producer
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Video Editor - News
• Drone Operator
• Fixer