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“Artists escaping cults, Social-Impact Documentary director and host of Witness Underground Podcast [the extention of the film]”
Raised in Wisconsin, my early bands and I recorded two albums as teens in our own studio while being influenced by a cult. I ran camera and sound for a local news station and studied photography, film, and digital media. Today I run Banana Island Films, born in an international music and film community in Hanoi, Vietnam during my five years there. Witness Underground, about artists escaping a cult, is my first feature film. It won Best Documentary Award at one of our 11 official film festival selections.
Along the way I picked up electronics hardware engineering and design, creating electronics for new prototype inventions in green energy, spacecraft for private companies, also NASA, Boeing, ULA, ISS, and also developed cutting edge neuroscience hardware, two technologies capturing your "Brainome" with whole head coverage, tech of the future. Now I'm assisting some colleagues in a sustainable toy venture using dissolvable electronic substrates, and reusable parts.
I maintain engineering as another creative outlet while operating the Witness Underground Podcast highlighting artists who've escaped a cult, carving out a post-cult themed genre of music with the focus on transformation and growth accelerated by self-expression, using art to process trauma.
I enjoy living abroad. I've spent my 8th year abroad in Panama and Mexico for 2023.
WITNESS UNDERGROUND | Documentary:
The main focus of the Witness Underground documentray is demonstrating the dark-side of shunning, a form of emotional abuse used to coerce and unduly influence someone. It's an extreme form of manipulation used effectively to gain social control over 8 million people within just one high-control faith group.
Description:
Within the confines of an elusive cult, a vibrant alternative music community thrived, deprogramming themselves through art. Poignant live performances punctuate tragic losses to beautifully illuminate shunning by Jehovah's Witnesses.
Guest EPK https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1rHkwxauhy6gSmlP6bwqnWoJdzrML1jFjN767Dr4XMs4/edit?usp=sharing
Film EPK
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1b0xBOrYh-TYVHvCVea6nwTXvkSpQJJf8VuRc03DjgJo/edit?usp=sharing
I look forward to speaking with you!
-Scott
Within the confines of an elusive cult, a vibrant alternative music community thrived, deprogramming themselves through music and art. Poignant live performances…
Artists Escaping Cults - In our award-winning feature documentary and podast, we interview former members of cults who use a creative outlet to process and heal from the abuse imposed on them by a high-control coercive community, or organization. Our film reveals life in a cult through artists on the inside, who push the boundaries of self expression only to hit the bars of their cage. Reviews: "Jarring, heartbreaking, infuriating" - 8/10 Film Threat "Advocacy with a megaphone" "Shunning, beautifully illuminated" "Frequently searing, undeniably confrontational" Launch: Our interview series, XJW Coming Out, started in 2016 featuring exit stories from: Germany, Vietnam, USA, Mexico, and Panama. We then crowdfunded the film production and it became a successful community oriented project. The film toured 11 film festivals, and now it's available stream! Check out the website to watch it and make your voice heard! If you're an artist apply for our grant up to $1000!
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