Gardening in a War Zone, Director

"Sometimes I am trying to get to sleep, and I begin to think about the war, about the explosions, about this possibility that any time my dearest persons can be killed. I say to myself, do not think about that. Think about flowers," says Alla Olkhovska.

Alla is a gardener, an expert in finicky clematis, a photographer, a writer, and a caretaker. She lives in Kharkiv, Ukraine, about 30 kilometers from the eastern border. On the morning the war started, she could hear the explosions and gunfire. Munitions and debris have landed just yards away from her grandmother's home. Air alerts scream day and night and it's common to lose electricity and gas.

Yet, every day Alla boards a public bus that drops her near her family's garden, which her great-grandfather planted as a small apple orchard after World War II to help her struggling ancestors survive. There are still a few apple trees left, but now the garden is home to a collection of rare and stunning flowers.

And, it remains a means of survival.

While the garden is a refuge for Alla, a sanctuary she maintains despite the war, it's also a critical lifeline for her family. She collects as many seeds as she can from her clematis and other rare flowers. By selling them, Alla cares for her elderly grandmother, her mother-in-law, and her husband, who nearly lost his life to Covid-19 and has not fully regained his health.

Even as the harsh winter creeps ever closer, Alla is undeterred. With relentless optimism and a belief in the power of beauty and goodness, Alla fights for the survival of her family one seed at a time.

Read more about Alla and the film in The New York Times

Solving For Zero, Director

Based on Bill Gates' best-selling book, "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster,” the documentary follows five innovators around the world who are working on technological solutions to combat the worst effects of climate change alongside commentary by Bill Gates and other experts.  

Growing Floret (2 seasons), Director

Growing Floret is a documentary series that chronicles Floret, a family-run flower farm located in the Skagit River Valley of Washington State. Founders Erin and Chris Benzakein have spent the last 15 years building their business, now considered by many to be one of the most well-known flower farms in the world. 

Emmy-nominated season 1 (Outstanding Lifestyle Program and Cinematography) documents the transformation of the farm and the people of Floret for an entire year. Each episode is centered around a specific season and explores what it takes to grow a heart-centered, creative business.

Emmy-nominated Season 2 (Outstanding Lifestyle Program) explores four special projects including roses, flower breeding, education, and the natural world—all through the lens of legacy.

I was the creator and director of the series. You can now find it on Max.

Two offices, six continents, 700 films, and one dream—to tell stories that matter. This is the story of us. This is Blue Chalk, five years on.

Blue Chalk Reel, Creative Director, Writer, Editor

Derrick was a top high school football recruit set to play for the University of Oregon. But he struggled his freshman year with the pressures of playing a D1 sport, being a student, and living away from home. He became depressed, and didn’t know that help was available or how to get it. Once Derrick opened up to his coaches and friends about what was going on, their support blew his mind. But Derrick knew other athletes going through the same thing probably didn’t know how much support is out there. He made a video with UO about his mental health journey, which is now shown to all incoming freshman athletes. Blue Chalk worked with Wieden + Kennedy and its client Gillette to produce a series of short films for Gillette's #TheBestMenCanBe campaign.

“The Best Men Can Be” Gillette, Director

Blue Chalk worked with Wieden + Kennedy and its client Gillette to produce a series of short films for Gillette's #TheBestMenCanBe campaign.

Blue Chalk creative director Rob Finch tells a story about his seven-year old son who is trying to earn enough money to buy his own fish and be just like his older sister. Of course, the story is more about trying to help Seamus learn responsibility, consider the environmental impact of waste and appreciate the power of recycling. The film was part of a series commissioned by the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative. Director: Rob Finch Director of Photography: Rob Finch Editor: Eric Schoenbrunn Production Manager: Sebastián Weinberg Graphics: Miró Merrill Additional footage: Megan Clark Assistant Producer: Gordon Klco https://www.obrc.com/ http://worldofwetpets.com/

How Seamus Gets a Fish, Director, DP, Dad

Blue Chalk Media’s creative director, Rob Finch, tells a story about his seven-year-old son, Seamus, as he tries to earn enough money to buy his own fish—and be just like his older sister, Alcina.  

When Sean and Elaine found out their daughter Ara was autistic, they did everything possible to better understand and communicate with her. An architecture professor and computational designer, Sean noticed how Ara’s abilities changed depending on her environment. He decided to create a structure that could help his daughter and other children with autism spectrum disorders — but he couldn’t do it alone.

Open Stories, Atlassian, Director

Portland State University Foundation commissioned Blue Chalk Media to create an anthem film to represent the largest fundraising campaign in the school’s history, “Let Knowledge Serve: The Campaign for PSU.” The film features eight students performing a script that tells the story of the school—from its establishment as the Vanport Extension Center in 1946, to its current standing as one of the largest universities in Oregon. Accompanied by a mix of archival stills and cinematic visuals from the urban campus, the story of Portland State University is brought to life through the voices of its own students. Blue Chalk produced two versions of “Let Knowledge Serve.” The first was a triptych version created for a three-screen presentation at the Simon Benson Awards Dinner that played in front of an audience of over 1200 people. The second is a single-screen version designed for the campaign's website.

Portland State University Foundation, Director

"Small" is a visual anthem we created for Boston Children's Hospital. It captures images of newborns in the Neonatal, Intensive Care Unit and leading research labs. The piece, created hand in hand with the Hospital Trust, explains how the work of researchers with newborns is the key to finding answers to the world's most pressing medical challenges. http://giving.childrenshospital.org/

“Small” Boston Children’s Hospital, Director, Editor

The Warrior Games was established as a way to enhance the recovery of wounded, ill, and injured service members and introduce them to the world of adaptive sports. This video follows Russell Logan as he prepares for the Warrior Games. Russell lost his leg while serving in the United States Air Force, but that didn’t stop him from becoming the protector and competitor he is today. Agency: Edelman Client: Dove Men+Care Rob Finch, Director Jamie Francis, Director of Photography Whitney Bradshaw, Producer Chris Janjic, Assistant Camera Eric Schoenbrunn, Editor Maria Kjellstrand, Assistant Editor Sebastian Weinberg, Production Manager Jason Greene, Color Correction Digital One, Sound Design Anthony Boco, Camera Production Assistant Amanda Weidman, Production Assistant Created by: Blue Chalk Media (bluechalk.com)

“Trusted To Protect - Russell Logan” Dove Men+Care, Director

The Warrior Games was established as a way to enhance the recovery of wounded, ill, and injured service members and introduce them to the world of adaptive sports. This video follows Lee Montgomery, a Hall of Fame retired wheelchair basketball player turned coach. Lee has devoted his life to helping children find confidence through the game. This passion has brought him to the Warrior Games where he has coached and inspired veterans to play wheelchair basketball. Agency: Edelman Client: Dove Men+Care Rob Finch, Director Jamie Francis, Director of Photography Whitney Bradshaw, Producer Chris Janjic, Assistant Camera Eric Schoenbrunn, Editor Greg Snider, Editor Maria Kjellstrand, Assistant Editor Sebastian Weinberg, Production Manager Jason Greene, Color Correction Digital One, Sound Design Dylan Brown, Production Assistant Ricky Araoz, Production Assistant Sound Mixer: Mark Broe Created by: Blue Chalk Media (bluechalk.com)

“Trusted To Protect - Lee Montgomery” Dove Men+Care, Director

Blue Chalk worked with Pearson Education to create a series of marketing videos about the importance of education to future success and how, for many, education is not something to take for granted. "Ricardo" is the first film to be released in this series and tells the story of a young student activist who has been protected by the Differed Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, an executive order promulgated by President Obama in 2012. We hear about Ricardo's harrowing border crossing as a child, his family’s sacrifices once they reunite on U.S. soil, their anxiety around accessing higher education and his decision to fight for greater opportunities for himself and the many people with similar circumstances who will follow. Pearson released "Ricardo" on Sept. 1, 2018, as an accompaniment to their signature on the FWD.us letter from Leaders of American Industry calling for President Trump to preserve the DACA program. Rob Finch, Director Natalie Taylor, Natalie Taylor Rob Finch, Director of Photography Jason Greene, Director of Photography Maria Kjellstrand, Production Assistant Eric Schoenbrunn, Editor Ed Carlsen , Original Music Composition Digital One, Sound Design

“Ricardo’s Story” Pearson Education, Director, DP

Blue Chalk Media was commissioned by the higher education division of Pearson to create video stories that put human faces on key topics explored in its new digital courseware introducing students to the study of sociology. From race and gender to immigration to electoral politics, the films in this series, dubbed “Pearson Originals,” take the form of short character-led documentaries that highlight subjects who are “living in the news. To create the series, our team traveled all over the U.S. to capture personal stories while a team of editors worked to cut them into easily digestible short films of 12 minutes or less. Following delivery, each film was paired with a specific chapter in the courseware to help students connect the patterns studied by sociologists with examples of real people caught in the swirl of social change. Greg Moyer, Executive Producer Pam Huling, Executive Producer Dickson Musslewhite, Executive in Charge of Production Jeff Marshall, Executive in Charge of Production Rob Finch, Supervising Producer Natalie Taylor, Assistant Supervising Producer Jesse Crowell, Production Manager Natalie Camou, Producer Julianne Parker, Producer Megumi Nishikura, Producer Eleonore Hamelin, Producer Whitney Bradshaw, Producer Megan Clark, Producer Dana Romanoff, Producer Anna Clare Spelman, Producer Sean Logan, Producer Jamie Francis, Director of Photography Jason Greene, Director of Photography Rob Finch, Director of Photography Megan Clark, Director of Photography Luke Versalko, Director of Photography Ivan Weiss, Director of Photography Jessey Dearing, Director of Photography Curtis Boone, Director of Photography Raffaele Mosca, Director of Photography Adrian Durazo, Director of Photography Chuck Smith, Director of Photography David Parker, Director of Photography Kylie Juggert, Editor Maria Kjellstrand, Editor Jesse Crowell, Editor Rob Finch, Editor Greg Snider, Editor Natalie Taylor, Editor José Marquéz, Editor Sarah Marcus, Editor Ron Pearl, Graphics Little Girl and The Robot, Original Music Maria Teresa Fernandez, Additional Photography

“Fighting for Racial Equality: A Conversation Between Generations” Pearson Education, Director, DP

Directed by filmmaker Dana Romanoff and edited by Rob Finch of Blue Chalk Media, "Noah" tells the story of Noah Patton, a young man from Flint MI who was going down a one-way street backward. With a gun on his hip and always in search of the next lick, he had many enemies and was living on borrowed time. Flint, Michigan is a city built on the American Dream. With the disappearance of industry, it became impoverished and neglected, and so did its residents. The water crisis is just one more tragedy piled upon a mound of oppression. But Flint is a city of survivors. And like the phoenix, Noah and his city are rising from the ashes. Noah returned to his deep-rooted faith in God, and with the help of a pastor, he is turning his life around and helping to positively shape the future of his community. This isn’t a new story, but with talk of ravaged inner cities requiring a single-minded law and order response, it is an important one. In the neighborhoods, flowers are blooming–and by watering and nurturing the good, the gardens will grow. Dana Romanoff, Director/Producer/Cinematographer Rob Finch, Editor Amy Marquis, Co-Producer Chip Sloan, Digital One, Sound Design Caroline Cairlin, Production Assistant Madeline Lear, Assistant Editor Jesse Crowell, Graphics Patrick Dowdle, Grip Steve VanMaele, Grip Anastasius Brown, Archival Footage

“Noah” Directed by Dana Romanoff. Editor

Blue Chalk worked with The Enthusiast Network and Subaru to tell a story about Will Brady and his family who live on the Southern Oregon coast. This landscape is both beautiful and isolated. Brady calls it, “a wind magnet.” The Brady family has built their life around the wind. They own a kiteboarding school and a bed & breakfast on Floras Lake. Brady is a long time surfer and water sport enthusiast – a passion that his sons Reed and Josh have inherited. This short brand spot tells the story of how the family celebrates the natural environment they live in, navigating both on and off-road paths in their Subaru Outback. Rob Finch, Director Nick Midwig, Director of Photography Bruce Ely, Aerials/Assistant Camera James Allen, Editor Chip Sloan, Sound Design Created by: Blue Chalk Media (http://bluechalk.com)

“At Road’s End” Subaru, Director

Blue Chalk worked with National Geographic Creative photographer and North Face athlete Cory Richards to create a promotional piece to demonstrate the scope of his work and the passion and athleticism that accompanies him in the field. A Tribute to Discomfort brings the viewer through Cory’s stunning work, his unique sense of humor, and his quest to create photographs that relate a common humanity. Original Still Photography: Cory Richards/National Geographic Creative Co-Director, Producer: Catherine Yrisarri Co-Director, DP, Editor: Rob Finch Assistant Camera: Jamie Francis Original Music: Elizabeth Lim Sound Design: Chip Sloan, Digital One Additional Footage: Keith Ladzinski, 3 Strings Productions Created by Blue Chalk Media http://bluechalk.com

“Tribute to Discomfort: Cory Richards” National Geographic Creative, Director, DP, Editor