On This Page:
“The doc is engrossing,
even enraging…he [Ennis] has a lot to say”
“What Real Investigative
Reporting Looks Like In
The 21st Century.”
“Goddamn Brilliant...
The Best Election Movie”
John poses with the famous 62 foot
Jesus in Southern Ohio.
John Wellington Ennis
Director
John Wellington Ennis attended the USC and NYU Film Schools. His production company Shoot First Inc. specializes in non-fiction entertainment.
His feature directorial debut was an improvised comedy, Wild Girls Gone, written by and starring the Upright Citizens Brigade (Amy Poehler, Matt Walsh, Ian Roberts, and Matt Besser). In Documentary, Ennis has dealt with pharmaceutical companies’ impropriety (the award-winning Money Talks: Profits Before Patient Safety), and has been a long-time documentarian of the sport of competitive eating (Major League Eaters; Red, White, & Yellow) He co-DP’ed A/K/A Tommy Chong, chronicling the comedian’s federal prosecution, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.
Ennis has produced and developed Reality TV for FremantleMedia, Rocket Science, RDF Media, and Nash Entertainment, and his work has been seen on NBC, FOX, CBS, ABC, TLC, BBC, even Oprah.
Ennis’s New York City cable access show Toolz of the New School was a cult hit in the late 1990’s. A combination of sketch and stunt comedy blended with political documentary and live Hip Hop, the show was developed within Howard Stern Productions as well as Lorne Michael’s Broadway Video, won awards, and screened in top art galleries around the world.
Ennis has produced tons of music documentary, with many of today’s biggest artists, such as Weezer, Linkin Park, Fall Out Boy, Fergie, John Mayer, Jane’s Addiction, Ne-Yo, Sarah McLaughlin, Jack Johnson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Audioslave, and many more. (visit www.shootfirstinc.com to see clips)
Ennis also teaches documentary filmmaking at UCLA Extension.
Holly Mosher
Executive Producer
Holly grew up in Wisconsin and graduated with honors from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. After graduating, she spent two years in Brazil working as an assistant picture and sound editor on four feature films, including the Oscar-nominated films O Quatrilho, Tieta, and Pequeno Dicionario Amoroso. Once back in the United States, Holly contributed to the PBS productions, Reading Rainbow and Puzzle Place. Following her work for PBS, Holly went on to produce numerous commercials and feature films including Lady in the Box and Reeseville.
Finally, with notable experience under her belt, Holly decided to return to her true passion to unite political purpose with art. In 2004, she had her directorial debut with Hummingbird, an inspiring documentary about two non-profits in Brazil that work with street children and women who suffer domestic violence. The film shows that one person truly can make a difference in the lives of others. Hummingbird won numerous awards, including Best Human Rights Documentary in Rome and Best Short for Children’s Advocacy at the Artivist Film Festival. The film also appeared on PBS and has found a home on library shelves across the country.
Most recently, Holly produced two films about the dangerous and misleading tactics of the pharmaceutical industry. The films, Side Effects and Money Talks: Profits Before Patient Safety, received unprecedented international press attention and have been heralded for raising awareness about a timely and important topic.
After struggles with other distribution companies and to ensure that socially conscious films are brought to the public, Holly teamed up to launch Hummingbird Pictures, an independent film distribution company. Their motto is, “Making a difference, one drop at a time,” a theme taken from Holly’s first film Hummingbird.
Currently, Holly is involved with several documentaries. She is co-producing Maybe Baby, which presents the challenges facing older single women trying to get pregnant with modern medical technology. Holly also recently announced her second directorial project, Small Change: World of Difference, where she plans to follow the work of the Nobel Peace Prize winning Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank.
Holly has spoken to groups across the country about the important issues addressed in her films. She has also been interviewed by numerous magazines, newspapers and radio programs, including NPR, Rough Cut LA, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and by The Hollywood Reporter, which in 2001 named her among the top up and coming independent film producer.
