First Light Films

First Light Films : Who We Are

James Brundige

Thirty years in music and television have taken James from the nightclubs of New York to the Amazon jungle and slopes of Mt. Everest. After studying film scoring at Berklee College of Music in Boston, he moved to New York. By night he played jazz and latin music; daytimes were spent in recording studios and edit suites. At the same time he was able to indulge in his love of the outdoors by shooting adventure and science films. Film expeditions included exploratory rafting, mountaineering in Alaska, the Andes and Himalayas, canoeing in the Amazon, and skiing in Antarctica. James has shot and edited for PBS, BBC, NBC, ABC, BBC, Turner, Fox, Discovery, and National Geographic. Since moving to Colorado in 1994, he has focused on environmental documentaries. For more about James’ music career

Chelsea Congdon

Chelsea Congdon was born and raised in Colorado. Inspired by the wild country she explored as a child, and opportunities to travel throughout the world, she became intrigued by the ways politics affect the environment and the people who depend on it. Starting with a study of how the Colorado River is shared, this interest turned to a deep fascination with rivers and how decisions about water resources affect societies and the natural environment. Following her graduate work at the University of California at Berkeley, Chelsea gained a broad expertise in western water issues, working in the Rocky Mountain West, California, Arizona, Mexico and Washington D.C. Her fascination with the quirkiness of water management evolved into a keen interest and ability to work for the resolution of natural resource and social issues through writing, speaking and filmmaking. Chelsea has worked for several local and national conservation organizations, served on boards of research institutes and land trusts, and enjoys raising a family in Snowmass, Colorado. For more about Chelsea.

Steven Alldredge

Steven Alldredge is a writer, screenwriter, media consultant and journalist. Presently, he is the associate editor of the weekly newspaper The Snowmass Sun. Recent film projects include a film treatment for Thundercloud Books, based upon the novel Waking the Ancients. Past produced film projects include the story and screenplay of The Amazing Panda Adventure, distributed by Warner Bros. and associate producing and screenwriting the independent feature Dance, distributed by Overseas Film Group and AIP. As the Executive Vice President of Sterling Films in Los Angeles, Mr. Alldredge wrote the film projects Heart of Fire and Silent Thunder. Working in feature film development and production for Paramount Pictures, he was involved in the acquisition and script development of projects such as Flight of the Intruder, Fat Man and Little Boy, Let It Ride, The Hunt for Red October, Days of Thunder, and Talent for the Game. He is the former president of the board of directors of Aspen Filmfest.

Krysia Carter-Giez

Krysia Carter-Giez, Editor. A native of England, Emmy Award Winning editor Krysia Carter-Giez has over 20 years experience as an editor and director in documentary filmmaking. Beginning her career with a large TV company in the North of England, she went on to become editor and supervising editor for many acclaimed documentaries for the BBC and other major broadcast companies in London. Since moving to the US in 1992, she has edited numerous award-winning documentaries for PBS, Discovery, National Geographic and Animal Planet.

Jeff Van Nostrand

Jeff Van Nostrand, composer. After graduation from Eastman School of Music 1973, Jeff’s free-lance career began. He appeared with The Rochester Philharmonic (on banjo, no less), Broadway touring companies, and the Paul Winter Consort. His studio career began 1982, when he became a music producer at Ted Bates Advertising. In 1986 Jeff left Bates to concentrate on composition. He has written extensively for As the World Turns, Another World, and Guiding Light. His work has also been heard on NBC’s Friends. More recently he has completed scores for original audio dramas on www.SciFi.com. For First Light Films, Jeff scored Taller Than Everest? and Wild For Good.

Alex Irvin

Multifaceted image maker, Alex Irvin has been living and working in the Roaring Fork Valley since 1998. Primarily a still photographer, he shoots commercial, editorial, portrait and fine art. Alex’s clients include The Aspen Music Festival and School, The Aspen Skiing Company, Us Filter, MTV Networks, Black Diamond, Reuters, The New York Times, and The National Geographic Society.