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CO/NC/UT
POETRY
+
MOTION
Our studio is helmed by creative duo Nick Kalisz and Mike Ferrell. Together they shape stories to stir curiosity, spur action, and convey their love of the outdoors, art and human connection.
As a creative film company, they leverage their varied experiences and skills – a visual artist and wordsmith – to create campaigns, non-scripted series, and documentary films for brands and Hollywood studios.
We can't do it alone.
TopTop has grown into a collective of fun-loving wanderers that found a home in their craft. A team of filmmakers, journalists, art directors, marketers, writers, and musicians that believe anything is possible with the right team and an open mind.
Meet the Collective
Founder
Director
Producer
Writer
A confluence of past lives, dreams, and experiences led Mike here. He seeks truth and poetry in storytelling and strives to bring humanity to his work. His background in production, journalism and marketing gives him the unique ability to connect and communicate, allowing him to develop and tell impactful stories. His innate curiosity to understand the world and passion to evolve creatively, and as a human being, who’s walked many paths, embody his work as a writer and filmmaker.
Mike Ferrell
Founder
Director
Director of Photography
Nick is inspired by the great outdoors and the raw beauty of human emotion. Growing up, his teachers encouraged him to create videos in lieu of writing because that’s how he could best express himself.
He was nominated for a Sports Emmy for his cinematography in Lindsey Vonn’s HBO Documentary and also captured the first ski descent of Mt. Lhotse, the world’s 4th highest mountain. His film LHOTSE has garnered over 4.5M views on YouTube.
Nick Kalisz
Kelly Bernard is an award-winning (hat tip) associate creative director and designer with a passion for filmmaking. She’s worked for agencies up and down the West Coast and brings with her ad agency funk, film campaign know-how, and the unique lens of editorial storytelling. Check out some of the killer work she’s helped create for clients like ESPN, Footjoy, and Rao’s Homemade.
Art Director
Designer
Associate Director
Kelly Bernard
Jay is based in Los Angeles, California. He has worked extensively in public media for the past five years, producing audio documentaries, live newscast mixes, and sound-rich features for air on LA’s KCRW, American Public Media’s Marketplace and Marketplace Morning Report, and the BBC World Service.Jay also produces for independent artists working in Americana, nu-jazz, pop, and ambient electronic music. He is the songwriter and band leader for the bi-coastal recording collective Starsapien, which he bills as “cosmic country & western.
Mix Engineer
Sound Designer
Producer
Jay Siebold
Niki is based in Brooklyn and currently works in Vevo’s original content team. She’s versed in branded content & documentary and loves telling stories. Beginning as an editor at the NYC-based agency Group SJR, she has created work for a gamut of industries.Over the past several years she has expanded into cinematography and directing for various top brands. She received her BFA in film & video from the Maryland Institute College of Art and studied fine arts at the Korea National University of Arts.
Niki Murphy
Director
DP
Editor
Dan is our preferred partner for post and is the Director of Operations for Unscripted Content at Cosmic Pictures in Salt Lake City, UT. Planning for post as soon as an idea is born, he creates pipelines with maximum efficiency so the filmmakers he partners with can focus on what they do best.When a project is ready for color, Dan blends art and science to get the most out of the image he's working on, constantly seeking new techniques to achieve the desired look. Dan has an MBA from the University of Utah and takes pride in creating a stellar post-production experience, providing guidance far beyond the color suite.
Colorist
Post Production Supervisor
Dan Olsen
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