Creative Team

Meet The Team

Everyone who collaborated on “Outcasts: Surviving the Culture of Rejection“ has shared many accolades for previous award-winning films that tell the story of worthwhile nonprofit organizations dedicated to changing people’s lives, while promoting community economic development.

Stephen Newton, Writer/Director

Whether he’s behind the camera or in the studio editing, Stephen Newton is always focused on the most effective way to tell “the story.” He has been a communication professional for nearly 40 years. After a 23-year career as a founder and president of his own graphic design firm specializing in corporate communications for Pennsylvania manufacturing, health care and financial clients, he joined the Ringling College of Art’s new media department as creative director where he created one of the first methodologies for interactive CD-ROM development. In 1996 he founded RAZAR Interactive to create new media projects for clients like the University of Arizona, Xerox, and the American Red Cross. In 2006, he started a new career making short documentaries for Tennessee nonprofits that make a difference in their communities. “Outcasts: Surviving the Culture of Rejection” is his first full-length documentary.

David Wood, Photographer

David Wood began his freelance photography career in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Since then, his award-winning editorial, photojournalism, and corporate work has been featured regionally and nationally in the New York Times Sunday Travel Magazine, The Advocate, the Baton Rouge Blues Exhibit, and the Louisiana State Museum. He’s made Johnson City, Tennessee his home since 2006, where he’s become the go-to photographer for a number of corporate and non-profit clients including Eastman Chemical Company and Mountain States Alliance.  His work for “Outcasts: Surviving the Culture of Rejection” will be showcased in the film’s coffee table softcover book: “Outcasts: Stories of Survival.”

Paul Vanderbeck, Music

Paul Vanderbeck is a multiple award-winning composer and music producer. He is best known for the musical images he produced for hundreds of TV and radio clients, including the international award-winning jingle I Want My Baby Back, which was picked up by Chili’s and featured by Charles Osgood on CBS Sunday Morning in 2006 as one of the Top 10 jingles of all time. Vanderbeck has worked with many notable artists, including Johnny Cash, Melissa Manchester, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen. Most recently, he composed and produced the score for the award winning Hillhouse Video Works produced, “The RCAM Story: Building the 21st Century Workforce.”

Sergei Prokhnevskiy, Motion Graphics Designer

Since his graduation from East Tennessee State University, Sergei Prokhnevskiy’s motion graphics work has been winning awards and appearing nationally. His work for “The RCAM Story: Building the 21st Century Workforce,” showed how powerful animated text can tell a story. Sergei consistently delivers an effective solution that presents the message elegantly and effectively.

Jane Hillhouse, Producer

Jane Hillhouse is president and senior creative director for Hillhouse Graphic Design, and Hillhouse Video Works. Jane has been creating effective award winning marketing and advertising for regional and national nonprofits since 1984.

Jay Huron, Web Designer, Art Director

Jay Huron leads our new media initiatives and provides interface design, backend programming, Flash and rich media applications. He is a graduate of East Tennessee State University with nearly 10 years experience in new media and graphic design.

Jimmy Caswell, Senior Designer

A graphic designer for the past 20 years,  Jimmy Caswell’s always fresh perspective has provided award winning work for regional businesses and nonprofit organizations. He studied art and design at Berea College in Kentucky.

Sandy Vowell, Administrative Assistant

Sandy Vowell works behind the scenes providing social media development, content research, quality control, and project management.

Chuck Hillhouse, IT, Accounting

Chuck Hillhouse keeps all things technical in working order, stays on top of the accounting, and finds cool new programs, tools, and gadgets for the team to make the daily grind efficient and fun.