About Us
Rick Stout, Director/Producer
Rick Stout is an award-winning filmmaker. Though born in Southern California, he grew up in Japan, where his father was a missionary, and where the “national pastime” was photography. Since the age of 10 years old, he had his own darkroom, and was taking pictures of everything, all the time. Perhaps even more defining for him as a filmmaker, however, was his learning to observe, synthesize, and function within multiple cultures.
Rick received a Bachelor of Arts in 1989, as well as a Masters Degree in 1991; both from Brigham Young University. His diverse body of studies included cultural anthropology, and using “participant observation” methods to conduct original research, and to synthesize meaning from very diverse, and complex social situations. For Rick, photography and cultural analyses became the basis for an acute style of script writing, shooting, directing, and editing of films.
Rick has focused mainly on documentary films and biographies, but he has produced award-winning training and marketing films, as well as music videos, and specialty videos for celebrities.
Barry McLerran, Producer
Barry Mclerran is devoted to developing humanitarian causes, particularly as they impact families. He is the past Director of the National Crisis Center for the Deaf, the creator and founder of Virginia Relay Service for the Deaf, telecommunication services for the deaf. As Director of Humanitarian Aid for Family Action Council International, he directed a quarter of a million dollars worth of tents and sleeping bags to earthquake victims in Gujarat, India and more than $60,000 worth of coats to war-time refugees in Afghanistan. He previously served as Executive Director of Family First Foundation, a foundation dedicated to helping organizations and efforts that strengthen the family and bring awareness of the family’s importance to the world, during which time he served on the United Nations NGO Committee for the Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the Family. He also worked 11 years for Blue Ridge Mountain Sports, a chain of outdoor sports stores headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, where he served as Director of Purchasing.
Though Barry has past film experience as an actor both on stage and in film, he most recently brings his passion for humanitarian and family causes to the making of films that do good in the world. He is Executive Producer of the feature film Christmas Jars, adapted from the NY Times bestselling book by Jason F. Wright, a project designed to have a tremendous humanitarian impact, and has produced five other films.
Barry and his wife Mary raised their five children in beautiful Charlottesville, Virginia, where Barry attended the University of Virginia and where he and his wife did their work for the deaf community.
Executive Producer, Steven E. Smoot
Steven E. Smoot works in financial and economic research and development as President of Excel Investment Corporation and as Owner of Sky Properties and is a member of the National Congressional Committee Business Advisory Council.
Steven Smoot is also President and Founder of Family First Foundation, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to supporting organizations and efforts that strengthen the family and bring awareness of the family’s importance to the world. Steven has represented Family First Foundation as a delegate to numerous international conferences, such as The World Congress of Families, held in Geneva, Switzerland, Mexico City, Mexico, and Warsaw, Poland.