WHO WE ARE
In early 2012, director Denver Jackson found himself searching for ways to expand on his filmmaking experience in visual storytelling. He decided to write and direct an independent animated short film. The film CLOUDRISE was a 9-minute short that garnered attention online getting a Vimeo Staff Pick. Since then, Denver has created several more shorts, a webseries and his debut feature film, ESLUNA: THE CROWN OF BABYLON. Denver founded Cloudrise Pictures as a place to nurture growth while telling stories for the world.
DENVER JACKSON
director/animator
Originally from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, Denver Jackson is a self-taught animator and visual effects artist who got his start making films in high school before emigrating to Canada with his parents. As a filmmaker, he leans heavily on the fantastical while still being grounded by real world characters and situations. He works in both live action and animated films, blending the conventions of both mediums to create his own unique style, and is known to write, direct, film, edit and animate almost entirely on his own. THE WISHING JAR (2016) has screened around the world, including at three Academy Award-qualifying festivals and won Best Animated Film at both San Diego Comic Con International Film Festival and Heartland Film Festival, while his first animated short film CLOUDRISE (2013) cut through the 400 hours of content uploaded every minute on Vimeo to become a prestigious Vimeo Staff Pick. He wrote, directed and animated three feature length projects from a webseries (Esluna: The First Monolith) to two feature films (Esluna: The Crown of Babylon and Esluna: The Worlds Divide).
MARC JUNKER
composer
A long-time collaborator with Cloudrise Pictures, Marc Junker is a composer and music producer based in Vancouver, Canada, where he creates music for films and video games, and releases experimental music under the moniker R23X. Marc also manages Yetee Records, based in Chicago, IL, and spends a lot of his time producing video game soundtracks on vinyl, CD, and cassette tape. Marc works on all sorts of interesting projects with lovely people, including the likes of New Machine Studios, PlatinumGames, WayForward Games, Chuhai Labs, Plus100, Disasterpeace, Satchell Drakes, 100% Electronica, EQUIP, D-Pad Studios, and more.
DAVID PARFIT
composer
David Parfit is a composer, producer, and interactive media artist based on the west coast of Canada. He spends his time writing music for films, producing film scores, mixing films, programming interactive art installations, and cavorting with the whales and salmon (not necessarily in that order). He met Denver while mixing CLOUDRISE, and got to know him when they recorded foley for THE WISHING JAR together in David’s studio. Since then, David has had the pleasure of working with fellow composer, Marc Junker, to compose and produce Cloudrise Picture scores for SOS., ESLUNA: THE FIRST MONOLITH, and most recently, ESLUNA: THE CROWN OF BABYLON.
David’s non-Cloudrise scoring highlights include THE WILD (feature doc), THE HOLLOW CHILD (feature horror), TWO 4 ONE (feature drama, also with Marc), SAVING LUNA/THE WHALE (feature doc), and many other short films and TV shows.
NICOLE SOROCHAN
producer
Nicole is a Producer and Director who is passionate about re-inventing entertainment through story world building and cross-platform experiences. She specializes in hybrid genres while focusing her work on creating impact for global audiences. Nicole produced and directed Amplify Her, a feature documentary film, graphic novel, animated series, and exclusive event series that has reached over a hundred markets. She is also the Head of Marketing and a founding partner of DeepWell DTx, a video game developer and publisher dedicated to making games that deliver powerful mental health treatments that keep you coming back to play.
She has had the privilege of working with some of Canada’s top documentarians on their digital companion pieces such as Velcrow Ripper and his film Occupy Love and Nettie Wild and her film Koneline Our Land Beautiful. She got her start in 2008 producing a series for Al Gore’s Current TV and working with Invisible Children on their Displace Me experience. She also helped The Real News Network as both a Producer and Interactive Director. Since 2007, Nicole has co-owned One Net Inc., a high profile creative and marketing agency based in Victoria, BC.
You can contact Nicole at worldbeyondfilm@gmail.com
CLOUDRISE PICTURES
AWARDS
Esluna: The First Monolith
Best Digital Series - Blood in the Snow Film Festival
Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Series - TO Webfest
Best Music - TO Webfest
Best Score in an Animated Series - Leo Awards
The Wishing Jar
Best Animated Film - Heartland Film Festival
Best Animated Film - San Diego Comic Con International Film Festival
Audience Favorite Short Film - Victoria Film Festival
SOS
Best Animated Film - Storyhive Animation Edition
Cloudrise
Vimeo Staff Pick
