CAST AND CREW | thebigmuddyseries

Shooting 'Sins of the Past'

October 2014

MEET THE CAST AND CREW

I'm passionate and it resonates with my work and academics. At AAU I have been awarded President's Honors twice and I am working hard to stay on track to graduate Cum Laude in 2016. My last two short films ‘Unsung Heroes’ and ‘Sins of the Past’ have receiv

CHRIS HOFFERT

Writer/Director/Camera

MIKE HOFFERT

Executive Producer

I started off learning the ropes of film as a stunt choreographer for a small production company in Hawaii which later turned into a passion for cinematography and editing that I took with me when I deployed to Iraq in 2006 and began documenting the daily activities of my fellow soldiers through some of the worst times of the Iraq war. I really threw myself at film because I found such a love for it and I was always reaching for the next bold and creative project I could do; I began screenwriting, directing, and sound design work which eventually lead me to enroll at the Academy of Art University where I've excelled and really honed my abilities.

I'm passionate and it resonates with my work and academics. At AAU I have been awarded President's Honors twice and I am working hard to stay on track to graduate Cum Laude in 2016. My last two short films ‘Unsung Heroes’ and ‘Sins of the Past’ have received acclaim both academically, professionally, and from my fan base of over 4,000 followers.

MARTIN HOFFERT

Co-Writer/Actor/Executive Producer

Martin has always had an affinity for the old west both in study and in movies. He grew up watching the escapades of John Wayne, Randolph Scott, Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, and Clint Eastwood; just to name a few. He studied theater in High School but turned down an opportunity for a higher education in the arts in order to work on the family farm, where he felt he was needed more. Not exploring his love for acting became a regrettable offense as the years moved on, until he starred in his first motion picture; Sins of the Past.

Aside from starring in the series as William Sackett he is also co-writing the remaining films in the series with Chris Hoffert, his son.

MATTHEW YETTER

Executive Producer/Actor

Cursed with wanderlust, Matthew has lived in more places than most people ever visit -- nine states and too many addresses to count. He has finally settled in Dillon, MT thanks to being able to telecommute as the Customer Support Manager for Pixologic, the developer of the Academy Award-winning ZBrush software. Bit by the acting bug at a young age, drama and film have been a passion throughout his life, leading to a number of roles in college or community productions. Today, he indulges that side of his personality by participating in Bannack Days, the Ghost Walk and the Virginia City Grand Victorian Balls.

He is best known around Dillon as the lunatic behind the "Holiday House" where he puts on elaborate displays for Halloween (complete with holographic ghosts) and Christmas (with over 25,000 lights synced to music). In his so-called free time he also enjoys a variety of outdoor activities, brewing mead and directing a handbell choir. 2015 will see the culmination of his "Continental Conquest" as a two week trip to New Zealand will give him visits to every inhabited continent.

It is Matthew's pleasure to help finance the production of The Big Muddy series, and perhaps find a fun role to fill along the way.

JAMES LINDSEY

Coordinating Producer/Post-Prod. Consultant

James has been a professional sound recording artist for over 20 years working in feature films, documentaries and major television productions such as ‘Clownhouse’, ‘Modern Marvels’, and ‘House Hunters.’ While working in the industry, he created Lindcraft Grip and Supply, a manufacturer of quality grip equipment. He is the inventor of the "Butterfly Lift Sandbag", which has become an industry standard, as well as many other products for Panavision, Arriflex, Mole-Richardson and other prominent Hollywood businesses. As writer and producer, he is currently developing Film projects, as well as lecturing at The Academy of Art University in San Francisco and Berkeley City College on Location Sound Recording, Sound Editing and Digital Video Production.

James is responsible for overseeing the continuity in coordination between the various producers for each production and will work to facilitate and arrange any out of state assets the series needs. As each installment enters post-production James will use his many years of audio/video experience to review and critique the editing and sound design, which will greatly enhance the overall quality of the series.

DAVID WORTH

Production Consultant

David may be better remembered as the director of ‘Kickboxer’ and the director of photography on iconic Hollywood classics such as ‘Bloodsport’, ‘Bronco Billy’, and ‘Any Which Way You Can’ but he has also gone on to direct, shoot, write, and produce many more films through his long and adventurous career. For the last 8 years David has been imparting his wealth of knowledge in the form of teaching fresh filmmakers just starting their journeys through degree programs at prestigious schools like Chapman University, USC, UCLA, and the Academy of Art University.

David will serve the Big Muddy team as a technical consultant to the director and will be involved in the quality control and review of all the elements through each phase of production in order to ensure that a high caliber standard is met and maintained from script to screen.

STAN SMITH

Stunts/Casting/Actor

Stan has been in show business since his first performance as lead singer and guitarist for the 70's rock band American Hearts at age 14. Stan's first time in front of the camera was as a disco dancing roller skater in the movie musical Xanadu with dance legend Gene Kelly. Since then Stan has appeared in nearly a hundred films, mini-series, documentaries, commercials, and as a male model.

Growing up as a ranch kid he developed diverse abilities that he applies in every project he is involved in as an actor, stunt performer, stunt coordinator, director, and producer. Stan’s cinema experience stems from his work on various film and television shows such as ‘Far And Away’, ‘Always’, ‘Son Of The Morning Star’, the ‘Lonesome Dove’ series, the ‘Patriot’, ‘Busch Beer’, ‘Chevy Trucks’, ‘Ghost Adventures’, and ‘Cooper’. He has also performed hundreds of historic reenactments from everything “old west” to the adventures of Lewis and Clark. His credentials and work ethic speak volumes to the abilities he possesses.

For The Big Muddy series Stan is bringing his experience in stunts, living history, acting, casting, and producing up front, and behind, the camera which adds a powerful force to this already highly talented cast and crew.

MARY RIITANO

Script Supervisor/Acting Consultant/Actress

Mary Riitano joins Aviation Pictures with a mix of different talents grown the good old fashioned way, through a lot of experience and education picked up along the way. She brings nearly 20 years of theatre experience to her work in film, everything from acting to crew work.

Beginning work with the Montana Actor’s Studio more than five years ago gave her an introduction to film work. She learned film acting as she worked with students in the film department at MSU Bozeman. Since then she has worked with Interwoven Studios casting for the Indie-Film production of ‘Crimson Winter’ and as an actress in ‘What Separates Us’. Currently she is in production for a screenplay adaptation of ‘Wuthering Heights’ as the character Nelly. In between filming, day job, family, and outdoor Montana adventures, she attended the Margie Haber Intensive Studies Acting Program in LA along with several acting workshops and classes that keep her acting talents up to speed. www.maryriitano.com.

For the Big Muddy Series, Mary will be wearing a few different hats working as script supervisor, acting consultant, and has a guest appearance as an actress.

ANNELLA JO PERRY

Costuming Supervisor/Actress/Co-Writer

Annella Jo grew up with parents who were avid history buffs and were involved in ‘The Just Us Players’ (a re-enactors group) that Stan Smith created for Bannack Days years ago. She has been around horses since she was very young, learned how to “braintan” at 14, trained in Tae Kwon Do, classically trained vocally, and recorded her own CD while living in Arizona. Annella completed a degree in Native American Studies with a minor in history and she served as a certified mediator in Montana until 2001 when she left the state to finish college in South Dakota. She modeled for ‘Gorgeous Vodka’ in 2014, was in ‘Ghost Adventures’ (Bannack Episode from 2013), and had a co-creation of hers walk “the Red Carpet” for the Oscar’s in 2014.

Annella is currently providing costuming and cultural oversight on the Big Muddy team as the costuming supervisor, cultural advisor for installments 3 & 5, and also stars as Mary Ann Sackett. Her attention to detail and dedication to authenticity and history will ensure that the series ushers in quality in maintaining historical accuracy on the set.

SKYLER O'NEAL

Music Composer

Skyler was born and raised in Provo, Utah. He has been creating music since middle school but playing the piano since he was very little.He picked up music scoring over the past few years and has slowly been enhancing his performances and compositions as evident by the major kudos he received for the musical scores of ‘Unsung Heroes’ and ‘Sins of the Past’.

He spends his spare time writing and composing musical compositions and working hard attending college.

Skyler will lead the production’s score with his musical prowess and breathe life through-out each installment with his compositions.

JAKE BARCIZ

Actor/Historical Consultant

Jake is a historical reenactor and has been performing live action theater for a multitude of venues around the west for the last 10 years. For 8 years he has been portraying Buffalo Bill Cody, entering local and national look-a-like contests. He has won every competition he has attended. His authentic look has been showcased in 4 films and a music video. Mirroring the life he so painstakingly recreated in Buffalo Bill, he is also an avid outdoorsman, trapper, hunter, and fisherman; things he has done for the better part of his entire life. Jake also served his country as a scout in the U.S. Army with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment. Jake’s hope is to continue living a life he thoroughly loves and enjoys and to become more involved in filmmaking; portraying the historical and fictional characters of the Old West. One of Jake’s lifelong goals is to play the part he loves so dearly as that of Buffalo Bill Cody on screen, showcasing the last days of a truly great man’s life.

As an important member of The Big Muddy team, Jake will be playing the part of Sheriff Tanner in three installments (Episode 1, 2, & 5).He also brings to the production his vast expertise of the Old West and will also serve as a pre/post-production and on set historical consultant. The wealth of knowledge and ability he possesses is an invaluable asset to the team.

GERALD PENN

Executive Producer/Actor

JASON CHAMBERS

Executive Producer

TODD BAKER

Associate Producer/Actor

COLTON TASH

Assistant Director/Production Manager

ROBERT DEL TOUR

VFX Supervisor

ARLEN GUEST

Production Manager

KEITH HERRIN

Cavalry Equipment, Props, and Horses

TONY SCHAAN

Set Effects/Art Director/Actor

JON MEN

Sound Recording Artsit

Tayler Haxton

Sound Recording Artist

BRENDAN FIELDS

Lighting Grip/Production Asst./Extra

DEBRA HOFFERT

Costuming Designer/Food Service/Insurance

ALLIE HOFFERT

Make-Up Dept./Actress

PERRY SHANK

Asst. Script Supervisor/Actor

DAVID DUSTER

Wrangler/Actor

DENA CARLIN

Wrangler/Food Service

RAY HEISER

Wrangler/Actor

STONE SMITH

Actor

BRYAN EZZELL

Actor

BEN ANDERSON

Camera Department/Actor

CORY BIRKENBUEL

Actor

GREG SHADETREE FALCON

Actor

PAT STODDARD

Actor

JEREMIAH NYGREN

Actor

TYE DENNY

Actor

TRAVIS HERREN

Actor

MIKE HERREN

Actor

HAYDEN SCHMIDT

Actor

ADAIR HOFFERT

Actress

SETH CARLIN

Actor/Extra/Slater

HAWKEN HUDYMA

Production Asst./Extra

AMANDA CARLIN

Extra

VYCTOREA, KASSY, VENESSA

Extras

CLAYTON MARXER

Actor/Wrangler/Stunts

Clayton is also known as ‘The Adventure Cowboy’ and is the owner/creator of adventurecowboy.com. This summer He will be appearing as a co-host on an episode of the hit show "Sasquatch Mountain Man" on the Outdoor Channel. He has worked on some of the largest cattle ranches in the country since he was born. Currently he is a Range Technician for the Salmon/Challis National Forest. On top of his video productions he spends time with his two children and working on local ranches.

Clayton will be serving the production as an actor, animal wrangler, and our on horse stunt man. His experience with horses has and will continue to serve the team by bringing additional action to the set that we might not otherwise have had.