Jarrod met Wendi Burkhardt while filming another project — she connected him with VP of Marketing Emily Reynolds at Silvernest, a home-sharing platform for adults 50+. Emily wanted to capture the real human experience of their service through an intimate documentary series called Housemates — real people, real homes, real stories.
The engagement grew from there: How-To videos for their website, an Experts in Aging interview series, and eventually the full Housemates mini-documentary series.
The first challenge: identifying willing Housemate subjects. While the community manager reached out to candidates, Jarrod built a 12-video How-To series using four Silvernest staffers — planned, scripted, and executed in a single studio day.
For the Housemates series, Jarrod conducted pre-shoot email interviews to understand each pair's routines and activities, then planned production days that could capture maximum variety — bike rides, yoga, card games, fire-pit evenings — within the edit's 3–5 minute limit.
A run-and-gun approach was essential — capturing people in their natural habitats required flexibility over control. Most scenes relied on natural light with bounce cards. For controlled setups like interviews and staged scenes, Jarrod used the Arri Skypanel S-60.
"Jarrod has a unique talent for finding the story in a situation and extracting it beautifully on video. He delivers projects quickly, is organized and thorough, and does beautiful work."
"He is a gifted storyteller, genius at drawing out the arch of a story into a short video. His personality makes it easy for others to trust and open up to him."
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Start a ConversationProducer Jared Maher of F&W Media approached Jarrod after discovering his independently produced Artist Series — a collection of short docu-style films capturing artists at work. F&W saw exactly the format they were looking for: intimate, visually driven, emotionally resonant. The result was a sponsored three-part series with Liquitex Professional as the series sponsor.
Three artists across multiple cities. The first two were Denver-based, making planning straightforward — until an unexpected challenge on day one: the artist's studio was in his attic, and the roof was being torn off during the shoot. The crew had to pause the interview until the roofing team took a break, then raced through the on-camera work in a tight window.
The third video, featuring Seattle-based artist Carrie Schmidtt, required shooting across four locations in a single day — demanding precise pre-production to pull off without losing the intimate, unhurried feel of the finished film.
The first two films were shot on the Sony FS7 with Xeen Primes — chosen for its excellent dynamic range and built-in NDs, ideal for quick location changes and variable lighting conditions. For Seattle, Jarrod stepped up to the Red Scarlet to push the visual language further, leveraging the .r3d codec's latitude for a more cinematic grade.
"It was clear we needed to find the right DP and cinematographer to pull it off. Jarrod had the right aesthetic and creative style to capture artists in a manner that was both active and intimate. The series was super successful and the sponsor was very happy."
"Have you ever had an idea for a project, handed it off to someone, and had it come back 10X better than you imagined? This is what happens every time I work with Jarrod."
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Start a ConversationAs Senior Video Producer at Galvanize, Jarrod was approached by a Seattle admissions advisor for a simple explainer video about their Blended Learning program. Rather than deliver the minimum, he proposed a three-piece campaign: the explainer, a :30 pre-roll ad, and a short documentary following a student through her experience — three entirely different editorial voices from the same footage.
With Jarrod based in Denver and the production in Seattle, pre-production had to carry extra weight. Student identification was delegated to the admissions advisor on the ground. Multiple Google Hangout sessions helped establish relationships with subjects before cameras rolled. On arrival, a focused one-hour briefing with all participants replaced the usual extended pre-shoot period.
The production covered six locations across a single day — including a 20-minute ferry ride that required a completely self-sufficient run-and-gun setup.
Solo operation across six locations demanded a light, capable kit. Jarrod chose the Red Scarlet for its exceptional dynamic range and color science — the .r3d codec's latitude was essential for matching six very different environments in post. The camera handled beautifully everywhere, including the 20-minute ferry window where every second of available light had to count.
Three distinct editorial voices from a single shoot. The :30 ad demanded fast cuts, high-frame-rate slow motion, and an energetic custom track composed by Jesse Proctor of Seastock Audio. The explainer needed clarity without dullness. The student documentary required a slower, more contemplative pace — a custom score that brought the natural sounds of Rebecca's environment — forests, ferries, city streets — into the emotional fabric of the edit.
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