Filmmakers
Brean Cunningham
Co-Director
Brean Cunningham is a documentary filmmaker currently directing Dogs on the Inside and producing Cheer, the new documentary feature film from Emmy-award winning director, Mary Olive Smith, about a youth cheerleading team with developmental disabilities. In 2011, Brean co-founded Expect Miracles Productions to ‘tell stories people can believe in.’ Brean recently returned from West Africa after working on a web advocacy video on the positive effects of combating neglected tropical diseases in Ghana. Brean also was a Cinematographer on Crystal Lake Memories, a behind-the-scenes documentary anthology about the making of the Friday the 13th films as well as a Field Producer on a short documentary about Churchill, Manitoba aka “The Polar Bear Capital of the World” and the people who live there. He got his start working on the set of the ABC TV series Desperate Housewives in LA. Brean graduated with a B.A. in Government from Georgetown University.
Douglas Seirup
Co-Director
Douglas Seirup is a documentary filmmaker currently in the final stages of post-production on the film he co-directed and edited, Dogs on the Inside. Doug discovered his deep passion for making documentary films when he co-founded Expect Miracles Productions, as he directed and edited his first documentary film, Expect Miracles; a story out of central Appalachia about a family in need and a group of people ready to help. As a Production Manager for both Bret Stern Productions and Sono Studios in Connecticut, Doug wore various hats in the production of several commercials. In 2011, Doug moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he took on the role of Director of Photography and Editor for the creative agency, Gitwit. Doug has also worked as a Production Manager on films such as 3 Weeks to Daytona along with working in the Editing Department on Righteous Kill. Doug graduated from Hunter College where he received a B.A. in Media Studies, along with graduating from the SAE Institute of Technology.
Cindy Meehl
Executive Producer
Cindy Meehl founded Cedar Creek Productions, LLC in 2008. She is the director and executive producer of the highly acclaimed documentary BUCK which premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2011. There, it won the coveted Audience Award and continued to win many distinctive awards and honors, including the 2011 Oscar shortlist. In 2012, Meehl delved back into the BUCK footage to create an instructional, 7 DVD series of horsemanship called 7 Clinics with Buck Brannaman. In the fall of 2012, she directed her first music video with Templeton Thompson for her song called When I Get That Pony Rode which was featured in 7 Clinics. It won a Telly Award and was shown on music channels, including GAC and CMT.Meehl started work on the film Unbranded in early 2013 as executive producer and creative consultant. It is currently in the editing phase and should be finished by the end of 2014. In the summer of 2013, she came on board Dogs on the Inside as executive producer. It is currently in final post production. She is also in preproduction on a film about animal health. Cindy grew up in Mississippi and went to MS State University. She moved to NYC when she was 22 and studied at Mary Mount College and the National Academy of Art. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, Brian, and a menagerie of animals.
Sam Gay
Music
In 1989, Sam moved to Nashville. He was signed as a staff songwriter at the Acuff-Rose Publishing Company where he wrote Me And The Moon which was recorded by Bryan White on Bryan’s million-selling debut album. Sam has also been a staff writer at Hamstein Music Group, Bluewater Music, Edisto Music, and Corlew Music Group/Windswept Pacific Music. His songs have been recorded by Little Texas, Montgomery Gentry, Bryan White, Johnny Rodriguez, Ricky Van Shelton, Bonnie Bramlett and others. His song Take The Wheel was a top-10 single for Canadian artist Deric Ruttan. He is the long-time producer/co-writer and sideman for Templeton Thompson. Sam’s list of musical influences is long and varied. “I’m a big music fan and still listen to everything from Roy Acuff to ZZ Top.” He lists singer/songwriter Mac McAnally, guitarist Larry Carlton and “everything that came out of Southern California from ’71-’75” as his musical center of gravity. Gay’s musical compositions and recordings have been used in numerous television programs and commercials. He composed and recorded musical cues for the DVD series 7 Clinics with Buck Brannaman. Recently, Sam composed and recorded original music for the documentary Dogs on the Inside.