Production Team
Bleu Lagon Productions
Escape to French Polynesia
Established in Tahiti - French Polynesia for more than 15 years, Bleu Lagon Productions is specialized in producing and Co-producing documentaries and programs for the French TV and other International customers. With the latest equipment technology on the market Bleu Lagon shoots in HD using its Panasonic P2 HPX-3700 Cameras and editing on Apple Final Cut Pro or Avid Media Composer.
Bleu Lagon Productions has produced several shows for France 3 Thalassa, Planète Thalassa, France 5, Arte, RFO Polynesia, 1st, Prodom, Seasons, KTO, France Ô, RTBF, Discovery HD, PBS.
Headquarters based in Papeete with offices in Los Angeles and Paris. For more information: bleulagon.tv
Susan McNally, co-executive producer & producer/writer
Susan McNally is a writer/producer and director with more than 20 years experience in film and television. She is currently the co-executive producer and producer/writer of “Rudy Maxa’s World.”
From 2000 to 2006, she wrote, produced and directed for the series “Smart Travels with Rudy Maxa.” She is responsible for nearly 30, half-hour shows for this series. Her show featuring France’s Bordeaux and Dordogne regions won an EMMY Award in 2006. Her shows have garnered numerous other awards including the Grand Prix at the Croatian Golden Pen Awards for journalism and three CINE Golden eagle awards for the “Smart Travels” shows on Shanghai, the French Riviera and Venice. One of her episodes was a finalist in the New York Film Festival.
McNally also recently produced and wrote the PBS one hour special, “Adventures With Purpose, Lord of the Nile” that won the top prize in two categories at the 2007 TELLY Awards.
Mcnally graduated President’s Fellow for Comparative Literature from Trinity College in Hartford, CT, and went on to receive her Masters in Film and Television from Boston University. In 1999, she received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for her work in film. She writes and directs documentaries, advertisements, corporate communications and her own narrative films.
Fran Dunaway, producer
Buenos Aires & Mendoza
Fran Dunaway is an award-winning writer and producer with extensive national and international production experience. While she does prefer preproduction planning, Dunaway’s expertise in broadcasting technology—especially HD format--blends nicely with a sense of adventure and a genuine love of people. An army brat whose family lived abroad and hosted families from other countries in the US, she brings a unique appreciation of various cultures and is sensitive to the subtleties among them. Dunaway, a resident of Seattle, is also an accomplished photographer whose images have appeared in Time, television commercials and print publications throughout the United States.
Catherina Macek, producer
Buenos Aires
Catherina Macek is a seasoned professional with many years experience in film/television. She has spent years working as a producer and location manager throughout the US . Much of that time was spent traveling the country with television productions meeting and working with extraordinary people on projects that enhanced many lives and the communities in which they took place. Cat enjoys the challenge of a constantly changing environment and has a strong passion and love for the diversity and beauty the world has to offer.
Kirk Miller, photographer
Estonia & St. Petersburg, Russia
Japan: Tokyo & Kyoto shows
For more than 16 years, Kirk Miller’s camera work has been seen in numerous television programs and commercials. He studied film and video production at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and served as Director of Photography on two concert films and a tour documentary for comedian Margaret Cho. For “Rudy Maxa’s World,” he is the photographer on the St. Petersburg, Estonia, Tokyo, and Kyoto shows.
Joe Pontecorvo, photographer & producer
Thailand: Bangkok, Golden Triangle & Andaman Coast
Joseph Pontecorvo is an award-winning producer and cinematographer with more than 20 years of experience in non-fiction broadcasting. His career has been directed by his love of travel and a passion for filmmaking. During the past 10 years, Pontecorvo has focused on High Definition production. His work has appeared on The National Geographic Channels, The Discovery Channels, the BBC, and PBS. His credits include: “In the Shadow of the Tiger,” a one-hour special on the race to save Siberian tigers from extinction for the Discovery Channels; “Hyper Rescue Tokyo,” a close-up look at a special unit of the Tokyo Fire department for National Geographic Channels; “Mekong-Soul of a River,” a four part series on the Mekong River for Discovery HD and Discovery Channel International; and “Kingdom of the Elephants,” a documentary exploring the relationship between humans and elephants in Thailand for Discovery Channel International.
Peter Rummel, photographer
Turkey: Istanbul & Turkey’s Turquoise Coast
India: Delhi & Agra
India: Rajasthan
Peter Rummel has been involved in television production for 23 years. He has photographed scenes around the country and around the world. He lives in Seattle with his wife and his blind dog, Lars.
Eric Firth, editor
Eric edited the documentary “The Heart of the Game” that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was distributed by Miramax and lauded by one critic as “an Oscar-level piece of work.” Other recent projects include “March Point,” selected to air on the Emmy-award winning series, “Independent Lens.” The documentary follows three Swinomish teens and their investigation into the impact of oil refineries near their reservation and how the process of filmmaking changed their lives; “Uno Mas,” a documentary that pays tribute to one of the greatest Afro-Cuban musicians of all time; “Hidden Worlds: Underground Rome,” a documentary distributed in more than 20 countries. Firth also provided additional editing on “Take,” a movie starring Minnie Driver and Jeremy Renner that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Doug Lyons, editor
Doug Lyons is a colorist, compositor, graphic artist, writer, teacher, and visual effects supervisor.
His work with public television began in high school where he was a cameraman. More recently, he edited five seasons of "Bill Nye, The Science Guy” as well as the three-part series, "Pioneers in Aviation." His effects work can be seen on "Stargate SG1" and "The Outer Limits."
Seattle-based Lyons has worked in the Netherlands, Washington D.C., and New York City. From High-Definition to the internet to Dutch hip-hop videos and major motion pictures to Blu-Ray DVDs, Lyons says he’s seen enough to now only work on projects he believes in.
Keiko Takahashi, graphic designer
Keiko Takahashi is a graphic designer with more than 10 years of experience creating award-winning designs that gain the attention of national/international target audiences. Her areas of expertise include logos, image systems, print collateral, packaging, website design and illustration. She has worked on a wide variety of projects from retail to corporate.
Keiko earned a BFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design in Minnesota, and has worked at design firms in both the United States and Japan.
Richard McFarland, graphic designer
Richard McFarland brings a lifelong passion for the arts to his current work as an illustrator and graphic designer. He attended art schools in the Midwest and on the West Coast, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1979. An undeniable computer geek (he’s used Photoshop since version 1.0.7), McFarland now works almost exclusively in the digital realm.