Our Team

Producing a video is a very creative process. Often by the time your project is completed more than 25 different individuals will have contributed toward completion of the project in various roles that include: producer, director, editor, photographer, sound technician, graphic artist, specs technician, music composer, music and sound effects editor, narrator, DVD face artist and designer, dub house technician, multimedia page designer, media relations coordinator and digital distribution technician—to name a few.

One of the advantages of working with Washington Independent Productions is the experience behind the people. All are top in their business for what they do. And, all are hand-picked for the individual project. Photographers all have different shooting styles. There are many different types of cameras. There are many different editors. Some edit projects that move and some do not. Each project is different. But one thing that is a constant and a guarantee with WIP—you will be working with someone who is one of the best in their field—all with major market or network experience, dedicated to work on each project.

Susan Stolov
Founder, CEO, Director, Producer, Scriptwriter

Susan Stolov owner washington-independent-productions

Susan Stolov is an award-winning filmmaker, director, scriptwriter and social media strategist. She has blazed trails in improving public safety, raised significant donations for non-profits and tackled hot topics on the public agenda-among a lengthy list of achievements. If you put your child in a booster seat or warn a friend not to drink and drive, you’re probably doing so because of her work.

A graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications (broadcast journalism) with a Masters in political science from American University, she shunned all professors advice when they said, it’s not possible to start a TV reporting career in a major market. But she loved DC and felt that was where the action was for anyone with reporting in mind and her ability to overcome obstacles has served her well throughout her career. As a White House and Capitol Hill reporter, she covered the Capitol for TV stations in Miami, Houston and Philadelphia including stints as election night anchor. Locally she’s covered drowning’s in the Potomac for WJLA and internationally she’s reported from France and England. As Bureau Chief of Washington Independent News, she built a staff of 13 employees and a facility with three edit bays to cover the U.S. Capitol for TV stations in different parts of the country. Then she was asked to set up a similar facility for the Senate Democratic Policy Committee so Senators could communicate via video with constituents. It was an exciting time to be consulting to the Senate as that was the year C-SPAN set up its cameras. After several years, she realized her love of storytelling was greater than her love of policy so she went back to reporting.

But, one could only stand in the rain on the White House lawn for so long….so she took her unique skills pitching and writing and crafting stories to a much larger arena. When she opened Washington Independent Production’s doors, she discovered she could have a real impact on the nation’s media agenda. She was hired by government agencies and associations to launch major media campaigns that inform and inspire. Her work began to be recognized with awards including one from the Department of Transportation recognizing work she did to improve seat belt and booster seat usage. For ten years, she produced videos for Mothers Against Drunk Driving that changed people’s attitudes about drinking and she is hoping to have a similar impact with a project for the U.S. Army, changing employer’s attitudes about hiring veterans with PTSD, hopefully boosting employment and life opportunities for those who served.

She has been involved with and served in some capacity with the Radio TV News Directors Association, National Association for Women Business Owners, Independent TV Association, Women in Film and Video and the Independent Public Relations Alliance. She loves to mentor and has taught at American University’s Graduate School in Communications program and guest lectured at Georgetown’s School of Business Administration.

Catherine Zimmerman
Director of Photography/Videographer

Catherine Zimmerman director-of-photography videographerCatherine Zimmerman never met a story that she could not make visual. As DP on documentaries, environmental programs, network magazine show segments, political spots, public service announcements, educational, corporate and government videos, Catherine has regularly contributed to productions for The Today Show, The Discovery Channel, CNN Productions, CBS’s 60 Minutes, ABC, NBC, Home and Garden Television, National Institutes of Health and the Library of Congress to name a few. She has been noted for her award winning, “outstanding ability to capture the heart and soul of a story through the lens.” She has worked in the documentary and production unit at WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C. and as a photographer and editor with NBC. Catherine is also a certified horticulturist and landscape designer and is currently producing a video to show people how and why planting native plants is critical to the survival and vitality of local ecosystems.

Murray Pinczuk
Director of Photography/Videographer

Murray Pinczuk director of photography videographerNeed an interesting angle for the shot? Murray can often be seen shooting in some of the oddest places. All in the name of getting the one shot that can best tell the story. Cutting his teeth chasing Senators and Congressmen in the DC area, he can show up at a shoot with 50 other crews and you know he’ll talk his way into the best position. Not to mention, coming back with b-roll that really moves and works great with promos. He’s also great fun to be with on an out of town shoot. He and Sue have been working together for longer than they can remember and its best that they not try too hard to remember.

Zach Sutton
Video Editor

Zach-SuttonVideo editing is an ever-expanding discipline that is as critically dependent on creativity as it is on technological fluency. As a result, a successful editor needs to spend just as much time on research and development as on editing itself. Zach believes that without a cutting edge understanding of this technology and what we can do with it, some of the most interesting stories can fall flat and go unheard. At Washington Independent Productions, how a story is edited if of equal importance, if not more so, than how it is shot and written. Zach’s amazingly versatile and expansive skill set eliminates any technical hurdles that could hinder the creative process. An editor excellent at pacing a story, his skill set includes motion graphics as well as graphic design.

Nancy Caldwell
Producer

nancy-caldwell Nancy is an award winning writer, producer and production manager with years of experience working on projects ranging from live broadcasts, to on-location shoots to videos for the web. Nancy has a great ability to make the person she is interviewing feel comfortable and relaxed and as a result she is able to get them to tell their story in a way that will touch viewers’ hearts. She is amazing under pressure and able to manage huge projects with ease. She specializes in producing live events and meeting tough deadlines. A former broadcast TV reporter herself, Nancy has an uncanny ability to pitch a story to a television station in a way that explains why their viewers should care, and her creativity and persistence always pays off.

Megan Tyson
Web Guru

Megan Tyson
As the director of marketing, web guru, and overall miscellaneous project champ, Megan holds the title as go-to gal for WIP’s adventures. She knows how to distribute on all mediums, and keeps on top of and easily adapts to new trends. Every platform has a different style and it is always amazing to watch her adapt each project to the medium. With over seven years of marketing and communication experience, she’s led successful social media campaigns, published a book on how to write for cause marketing, and tried her hand at photography, videography and acting. Megan’s an avid globetrotter and looks for opportunities to explore somewhere new any chance she gets. Born and raised in New Mexico, Megan has traveled to 20+ countries, and lived in Australia, Mexico and England. She is upbeat, energetic and a true entrepreneur. When she’s not working on WIP projects, she’s growing her business as a travel expert and lifestyle coach at makingtravelhappen.com.

Rick Patterson
Location Sound Technician

Rick-Patterson-Location-Sound-TechnicianBecause they are so silent (!), many production companies fail to pay much attention to the man or woman behind the mic. But, sound is such an important part of making a video work that we only work with very experienced sound technicians. Rick was born and raised in DC, a city that has become one of the most diverse and exciting media markets in the country. This diversity has given him the opportunity to work on a wide variety of high profile, award-winning productions and projects, from national and international news to corporate branding and documentaries in remote areas of the world. Rick brings his enthusiasm, energy, and good humor as well as high professional skill to every project.