Bios

Mo Isern is the one who started this mess.

She’s Moped’s Founder and Executive Producer, which brings her lots of pride, paperwork and double espressos. Her career began in 2000 as a television news reporter and morning weekend anchor for WCTV in Tallahassee, Florida.  In 2002, she moved to New York to plunge into the documentary & entertainment industry, starting off as one of the first producers at MTV’s college network mtvU, an award-winning 24-hour college network that focuses its programming around student issues and interests. She soon began developing content for non-profit organizations such as NYU’s Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Hospice & Community Care and the Heather Hertzan Memorial Fund. Documentaries she edited such as 18 in ’08, about youth voting, and Owen & Mzee, an educational true story based on a children’s book, led Maureen to create her own company dedicated to furthering the creation and reach of stories like these. In February 2007, Maureen launched Moped Productions and has since received White House and Webby accolades for her work in storytelling and editing.

Mo’s artistic exploration has taken her through Pebblebrook High School for the Performing Arts in Mableton, Georgia, Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida, Florida State University’s School of Music and College of Communication, Florida A & M University’s School of Journalism, and finally, The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts School of Film & Television.

She enjoys movies, reading, lusting after worldly home furnishings, eating, the company of the people she loves, and trying to rule to world. She’s considering getting a dog, but only after she proves she can care for a plant.

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Ashley S. Faison, MSW, LCSW, has lots of important letters after her name.

She’s overwhelmingly talented, with a varied background that consists of marketing, fund raising, photography, visual arts, theater and social work. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, she has successfully incorporated the expressive arts into therapy, developed innovative community programs, cultivated non-profit funding streams, and educated and advocated for social change and awareness. Ashley served as the Social Marketing and Youth Services Director for YouthNet, a comprehensive system of care that partners with the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services (SAMHSA) and the Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health.

For 4 years, Ashley served as the Director of Development (also aquiring leadership over the Marketing and Education Departments during her tenure) for Hospice & Community Care in Rock Hill, South Carolina, during which time she also authored the children’s book “The Garden of Hope: a story about the hospice experience.” She currently directs the individual strategic giving program at Theatre Communications Group in New York City.

Since the company’s inception, Ashley has consulted for Moped as the Director of Development, bringing with her an in-depth and extensive understanding of the non-profit world and its social consulting and media needs.

She’s got 2 amazing animals, a loving husband, and a super-cool garden-level apartment near Prospect Park in Brooklyn. A friend recently described her talents in the following manner: ‘She can turn a pile of popsicle sticks into a 12-story building.’

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Gina Fitch graduated from SUNY Brockport with a BS in Broadcast Communications and a minor in Business Administration, which she hopes screams “creative, yet level-headed.”  As a Producer for Moped, she manages creative and logistical aspects of production, drawing from her multitude of experiences in network, corporate and independent production.

She moved to NYC in 2004 for an internship with MTV, was hired as a production assistant before the completion of the program, and worked Spring Break four years in a row, along with several series and specials including an Emmy award winning season of MADE.  Since then she’s also served clients such as Hess, Swiss Re, Elizabeth Arden, Related and Barnes & Noble.

Gina’s passion lies in documentary, as she loves telling people’s stories.  In her work she is constantly reminded of her mother’s words, “everyone has a reason for being the way they are,” and is determined to explore those reasons.

Gina is currently making one of her dreams come true by producing a show about food and the people who make it.  She swears she’s not in it for the free samples.  She enjoys travel, writing, restaurants, and comedy and like most New Yorkers, has started a screenplay that she’s definitely going to finish.

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As one of Moped’s primary Videographers, Artem Agafonov makes everything look gorgeous through any lens. Immigrating from Moscow, Russia, Artem has been a New Yorker since the age of 8. His interdisciplinary degree from NYU’s Gallatin School for Individualized Study titled ‘Documentary Film-making, Keeping it Real’ allowed him to concentrate on documentary filmmaking, propaganda and the history of Hip-Hop. His talent keeps him busy, between shooting for Moped, and being the house videographer at the Apollo Theater and the Jazz Museum in Harlem. He is currently directing and editing a NHL hockey show, ‘The 2 Man Advantage,’ which appears on the MSG network during hockey season. He has also co-produced, shot and edited a feature documentary ‘e-@thletes,’ a film documenting a year in the lives of two pro-gaming teams. Additionally, he’s working on a documentary about post-traumatic stress disorder, titled ‘Buried Above Ground.”

Artem enjoys playing ice hockey, taking improv class, traveling, reading (books on tape) and secretly wants to be a writer for the Daily Show.

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Joey Williamson is the Editor who makes everyone and everything look really really good.

He graduated with a Bachelors of Music from the University of Miami and moved to New York in 2001 to pursue art in every form. He spent 9 years in Regional Theatre where he doubled as both an actor and musician. In 2005, he helped establish an award-winning non-profit theater company called The Shalimar. His responsibilities ran the gamut from content creator and musical director to actor and producer. There he learned a unique and stylistic method of storytelling that seamlessly transcends from stage to screen. In 2007, Joey joined Moped Productions as Editor & Technical Assistant. Joey’s experiences at The Shalimar theater and history in engaging audiences has equipped him with a profound awareness of how the non-profit world and its national and international audience sees, hears and internalizes art.

He’s got an amazing apartment in the West Village, and is currently embarking on a nine month trip throughout the Eastern Hemisphere, during which he’ll be solo performing and picking up amazing gifts for all his friends back home.

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Sharon Ruedeman is one of Moped’s video editors, working hard to make every frame perfect.

Sharon graduated with a BA in Broadcasting and Mass Media from Temple University. In 2005 she took a semester abroad in London, England where she studied British Mass Media, Film and Theater and has ever since been infected by the traveling bug.  In the summer of 2006, she started her career at World Wrestling Entertainment, where she learned to take some hard hits in the ring, but mostly where she harnessed her creativity and her love for video production and post-production.

Having recently moved to Park Slope, Brooklyn, Sharon has been keeping busy at Moped Productions, Harrington Talents and American Movie Company, not to mention her many independent projects.  Recently, one of her videos for Dexter Lake Club Band was even featured on nytimes.com.

Sharon tries to bring a fresh and creative approach to every project she is a part of and truly enjoys what she does which shines through in her work.

When Sharon isn’t sitting at an edit station, she enjoys reading, painting, watching movies, listening to music, walking around her neighborhood and drinking lots and lots of coffee.

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Ingrid M. Alvarez is a multi-media artist and Moped’s Digital Marketing Manager. Ingrid brings a unique blend of down-to-earth ideas from the perspectives of art, design, marketing, online social media and business. She received a Bachelor’s of Art degree in Interdisciplinary Visual Arts and a certificate in Multimedia Design and Production from the University of Washington in Seattle.

Before relocating to Park Slope, Brooklyn, Ingrid was the Creative Marketing Director of RE/MAX Mutual Realty in Ballard, where she focused on re-branding the company and implementing new technology. Ingrid headed a new media education program and co-taught workshops with several social media industry leaders in Seattle.

Both a student and a teacher, Ingrid is constantly researching her way to the top. Whether it’s reading, watching documentary films or traveling, Ingrid has an insatiable hunger for learning. She loves teaching kids art, helping people learn about technology and is currently learning a new dance improv method.

On the artistic side, Ingrid is a visionary painter, inspired by artists such as Jackson Pollack, Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo, Jose Guadalupe Posada, Chuck Close, and Alex Grey, to name a few. Her artwork has been shown in New York and Seattle, and is collected nationwide.

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John Robbins Faison is known to his friends as “Jay,” and he wants to take your picture.

John has an extensive background in the visual arts and photography. He graduated from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, FL with a major in painting, and then furthered his creative exploration by majoring in documentary photography at the School of Visual Arts in NYC.

Over the last 10 years, Jay has worked as a freelance photographer, as Staff Photographer for the Telfare Museum in Savannah, Georgia, and has founded his own company, Bird Ink Photography. He has also completed various commissioned murals and paintings for area interior designers and has his work hanging in health care facilities. John brings his experience in corporate sales and management to Moped as the Business Development Manager and, of course, Photographer. He is currently furthering his artistic education at The Art Institutes of New York by specializing in Multimedia Web Design.

John hopes one day to land the position of commentator for a local dog show.

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Steven Lowe is an all-around guy who really likes to do a bit of everything. And that’s what he does at Moped, bringing a fresh, steady and helpful hand as the ever-busy Office Coordinator.

Steve graduated in 2006 from the School of Visual Arts in NYC with a BFA in Traditional Animation. He started out as a Cartooning major, but realized that animation had something more to offer him. During his pursuit of that degree, he realized just how passionate he was about the many other facets of working in Film & Television. He has held quite a few positions at various studios and companies such as Nickelodeon, Animation Collective, RDF Media and Bill Plympton Studios. He has worked as a storyboard artist, character designer, digital colorist, script supervisor, production coordinator, assistant accountant and voice actor to name a few.

Steven was born in East Flatbush and now lives in Park Slope. He enjoys it quite a bit. He also enjoys air travel, video games, movie soundtracks, making funny voices and sounds, bacon, and learning to speak Japanese.

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Other than being self-diagnosed as awesome, Annie Nagler is a recent college graduate of Hunter College with a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies and a Minor in History. While in school, she wrote/produced a short film, dabbled with acting, and discovered her love for editing. One of her favorite projects she completed was a Hot Mix; a comedic twist on rejection, titled “Rejection.”

Interning at FUSE TV in the digital media department, she honed transcribing skills and enjoyed learning about and meeting many different bands. Upon finishing her 3-month internship at Moped Productions, she was invited to to join this family of movers and shakers as a Production Assistant and Assistant Editor.

Annie is passionate about being a part of a team that brings awareness to different causes. In addition to the pieces she helps with today, she hopes future editing projects will one day lead her to cutting a feature film (what else…a comedy), as well as editing a time period piece – unless SNL knocks on her door first.

In her down time, she enjoys watching knowledge-filled TV shows and reading compelling novels. On her DVR at the moment: Dog The Bounty Hunter. On her night stand: My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler.

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