About the Filmmakers

Ann Hedreen is a writer, filmmaker and teacher. Her memoir, Her Beautiful Brain, is forthcoming from She Writes Press in Fall 2014. Rustin Thompson is a director, writer, editor and cinematographer. Ann and Rustin own Seattle-based White Noise Productions, known for its independent documentary films and advocacy films for non-profit organizations. Over their careers, they've won many Emmys, Tellys, festival awards and other recognitions for their work.

Some of their recent productions include: Clean Oceans (2013), about the danger of ocean acidification, Harvesting the Wind (2012), a film about how wind energy has transformed Southeast Washington; The Church on Dauphine Street, a post-Katrina story; Art without Walls: the Making of the Olympic Sculpture Park, Wild America: Protecting the Lands Explored by Lewis & Clark, narrated by Sissy Spacek; False Promises: The Lost Land of the Wenatchi and 30 Frames A Second: The WTO in Seattle.

Ann's career has spanned print journalism, television news and documentary production, and public affairs assignments for dozens of clients ranging from the National Wildlife Federation to the Seattle Art Museum. She is the voice of the radio podcast and blog, The Restless Nest. Ann has an MFA from Goddard College and a BA from Wellesley College. She began her career at the City News Bureau of Chicago. Ann is on the marketing and communications committee of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Western & Central Washington chapter. She speaks and writes frequently about Alzheimer’s disease and also regularly volunteers for research.

Rustin has shot and co-produced documentaries in locations ranging from Haiti to Bangladesh to Moscow to Central America. He is also an on-air programmer and film critic for KBCS radio. Rus graduated from the University of Washington.

Ann and Rus are both Northwest natives with deep family roots in Seattle and Montana (Ann) and Tacoma and rural Washington (Rus). In 1987, they began their married life by quitting their jobs in local television and traveling around the world for a year. They live in Seattle and have two grown-up children, Claire and Nick.

All rights reserved © 2004, 2008  White Noise Productions