Team
In the world of comics, it’s prophesied that one day Hellboy will usher in Ragnarök, a.k.a. Armageddon. While some may regard us as the Right Hand of Doom, we’re really just a small group of regular guys who have probably spent WAY too much time together on the road and in the editing room. Meet the intrepid group of filmmakers who have literally gone to Hell and back (Hell, Michigan, that is!) on our quest to discover if any of us are truly hellbound…
Kevin Miller - Writer/Producer/Director - Don’t mistake the grim look on his face as an indicator of his grim disposition. Despite dwelling on hell for far longer than most would recommend, Kevin maintains an optimistic outlook on life-and death. Originally from Foam Lake, Saskatchewan, Kevin always dreamed of being in the movie business but never actually believed he’d get there. So he’s as surprised as anyone to go onto imdb.com and find all of those credits listed under his name. Some of his most recent projects include spOILed, Sex+Money, With God On Our Side and Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed-not to mention a brief stint portraying Lex Luthor on Smallville. While he’s had a great time working on so many varied and fascinating projects, there’s nothing like being in the driver’s seat of his own film. It’s a great opportunity to apply everything he’s learned over the years and see if he really knows what he’s doing. Looks like we’ll all find out next September when Hellbound? hits theaters. When he’s not making films, Kevin can be found hanging out with his wife and four children and occasionally sneaking away to hike, fish or explore the world. Either that or writing his own bio in the third person.
David Rempel - Producer - If you need someone to help you find a good deal on a flight or a hotel room, get a release form signed, wrangle people out of the crowd for an interview, come up with humorous names for destinations on your GPS or find something-anything-with which to fill your sand bags when you’re in a pinch, David Rempel is your man. Originally from Chilliwack, BC, David was inspired to get into the film biz by the TV series Chips. And yes, that ring tone on his phone is the theme song for that epic show. Since obtaining a BA in film production at Biola University, David has spent the last seven years working on the creative side of television and feature film production. During that time, he has co-produced or executive produced numerous made-for-television movies, including Held Hostage, Storm Seekers, Tornado Valley, Come Dance at my Wedding and Toxic Skies. As David never tires of telling us, while at Biola, he interned at Phoenix Pictures and Mel Gibson’s Icon Productions, where they just happened to be making a little picture called The Passion of the Christ. Although you’d never guess it from his film credits, David’s true passion is baseball. In fact, at one point he was actually invited to join the Pittsburgh Pirates instructional league. Although David never made it to the big leagues, he never hesitates at an opportunity to fulfill one of his many childhood dreams…
Ben Eisner - Director of Photography - What do coffee, cheese, Thomas Merton, Milwaukee and the Green Bay Packers have in common? Answer: Ben Eisner smells like all of them. And that’s on a good day. On a slightly more serious note, when Ben isn’t raving about how much better life is in Wisconsin, he’s riding shotgun and helping us find our way to our next shoot-or our next meal-on his handy iPhone GPS. Oh yeah, and every once in a while he picks up a camera and knocks off some amazing shots. In addition to his fantastic work on Hellbound?, Ben has directed numerous music videos, television pilots and documentary projects for marquee music companies like Capitol Records, Warner Brothers, Sony BMG and EMI Music Group. He has also directed and served as director of photography on commercials for such brands as GE, Verizon, Case IH, Marquette University and Masterlock. And in case you aren’t suitably impressed by that long list of household names, Ben also plays a mean drum solo. So there.
Chris Gilling - Sound Man #1 - Spinal Tap had a problem holding onto their drummers. For us, it was the sound department that proved to be somewhat of a revolving door. Lest you assume the worst, Chris didn’t spontaneously combust, aspirate on his (or someone else’s) vomit or succumb to a bizarre gardening accident. No, Chris’s departure after the first three weeks of shooting was all about money, job security, a positive working environment and amiable co-workers-virtually none of which he (apparently) experienced on Hellbound? Now we all hope he’s full of regret each morning as he heads off to his cushy, downtown Vancouver studio to work for some high end post-production sound company, complete with monthly salary, reasonable hours and significant benefits. Despite appearances, we weren’t really bitter at Chris’s departure, but we did enjoy working with him. A lot. A fact we never hesitate to impress upon Tom Cassetta, otherwise known as Sound Man #2…
Tom Cassetta - Sound Man #2 - Tom had the distinct privilege of joining the Hellbound? team right before one of our most technically challenging shoots. Imagine hundreds of policemen, dozens of armored vehicles, crowds of grieving people, machine guns, watchtowers, and smack in the middle of it all, the Westboro Baptists. No, we’re not talking about Charlie Sheen’s latest house party. We’re talking about the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, which was commemorated at Ground Zero earlier this year. Despite that experience, Tom stuck with us throughout the rest of our grueling fall shooting schedule-fueled by little more than Red Bull, a few hours of sleep, and a steady stream of inspirational photos of his pet cats and rabbits, sent to him faithfully by his girlfriend. A producer and director in his own right, Tom has more imdb credits than the rest of the team put together (well, except for Murray). Thankfully, he’s never lorded that fact over us. But we’re all convinced he’s merely biding his time…
Simon Tondeur - Editor - When he isn’t passing the buck, you can usually find Simon trying to pass himself off as an American. Originally from London, Simon now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two boys. But he still insists on using that nefarious form of artificial intelligence known as a “British accent.” Simon and Kevin’s working relationship goes all the way back to Kevin’s first feature, After…,a fact that Simon construes as a license to mock Kevin’s every foible with merciless intensity. Kevin often returns the favor by chiding Simon for his poor taste in movies and even poorer taste in television shows. But he grudgingly admits that Simon has redeemed himself somewhat of late by championing both Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead. Other Miller/Tondeur collaborations include Sex+Money, No Saints for Sinners, Expelled and Hakani. After working together for so long, Simon and Kevin have attained a certain degree of synergy. You could even call them the dynamic duo. The only problem is, they both think they’re Batman…
Murray Stiller - Sound Designer - What do you call a guy who lists “studying philosophy for my PhD” as one of his pastimes? Pretentious? In the words of Murray, “Too bad.” Oh, and did we mention that one of the short films he sound designed actually won an Academy Award? No, we didn’t mention it. But Murray did. (It’s called The Vermeers.) And why shouldn’t he boast a little bit? It’s not like he’s some poor schlep holding a boom mike on the set of Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation. He’s a full professor at Capilano University’s Motion Picture Program in Vancouver and a sessional professor at Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia and Tyndale University. A former editing resident at Norman Jewison’s prestigious Canadian Film Centre, Murray’s long list of credits include Debating Christ, Nailin’ It To The Church, and Extreme Jesus. His films have shown and sold in film festivals around the world. All that, and he’s a PhD student at the European Graduate School in Switzerland. So there’s really nothing else to say except, “We’re not worthy!”
