About
Jerry Risius, Cinematographer / Producer
Jerry Risius was born on a farm on the Iowa side of the Iowa/Minnesota border. He grew up working on the family farm, went to the University of Iowa and then joined the Peace Corps/Ecuador in the mid-80s.
In 1990, he moved to NYC and began to pursue a career in documentary filmmaking. He worked with many talented producers and directors of photography as a camera assistant, and after purchasing a super 16mm camera, he soon began to shoot.
Presently, he has over a 20 year career dedicated to documentary filmmaking. His clients include: HBO, Showtime, PBS (Frontline, NOVA, Nature, Wide-Angle, Independent Lens), National Geographic, Discovery, among others.
He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and daughters.
Curriculum Vitae
Download CV » (PDF format)
Documentaries »
Crossroads/Sundance-ITVS
“Poor Consuelo Conquers the World”
Director: Peter Friedman (WIP)
Propeller Films
“Watchers of the Sky”
Director: Edet Belzberg (WIP)
Ark Media/PBS
“Faces of America”
Director: Sue Williams
Myrtle and Olive
“Muskrat Lovely”
Director: Amy Nicholson (Independent Lens/PBS)
“The Last Day of the Zipper”
Director: Amy Nicholson (WIP)
Kartemquin Films
“On Beauty”
Director: Joanna Rudnick (WIP)
Show of Force/HBO
“Mann V Ford”
Director: Micah Fink/Maro Chermayeff (WIP)
Show of Force/PBS
“Carrier”
Director: Deborah Dixon
Emmy 2008 – Best Documentary Cinematography
Breakthru Films
“The Devil Came On Horseback” (**)
Director: DIRECTOR
2009 Emmy-nominated – Best Documentary
Latham/Simmons Productions / HBO
“Brave New Voices”
Director: Stan Latham & Annie Sundberg
Uncommon Productions
“The Price of Sugar”
Director: Bill Hany
2007 SXSW Film Festival Audience Award
Shortlist 2007 Documentary Academy Award
“The Last Mounain”
Director: Bill Haney
2011 Sundance Selection
Slough Pond Productions
“Our Brand Is Crisis”
Director: R. Boynton
2005 IDA Feature Documentary Award
Wide-Angle/WNET
“About-Face: Japan’s Military”
Director: Micah Fink
American Museum of Natural History
“Science Bulletins”
Director: Vivian Tratinski & Sandya Viswanathan
Pandinlao Films
“The Betrayal”
Director: Ellen Kuras
2008 Academy Nominee – Best Documentary
Rainmedia/PBS
“Dupont: Telling the Truth”
Producer: Margarita Dragon
“Frontline: After the Wave, Banda Aceh/Indonesia”
Producer: Margarita Dragon
Ambrica Productions: PBS/Frontline
“Young & Restless in China”
Director: Sue Williams
Radical Media
“NYC Marathon”
Producer: Lilibeth Foster
Crowing Roosters Productions
“Rezistans”
Producer: KK Keane
“VouDou”
Producer: KK Keane
Propaganda/Polygram Entertainment
“Generations” : Encore
Director: Barbara Kopple
Partisan Pix
“The American Revolution” : History Channel
Producer: Peter Schnall
“The Silence of the Bees” : PBS – Nature
Producer: Doug Schultz
Peabody Award 2007
“The Loneliest Animals” : PBS – Nature
Producer: Doug Schultz
“Cults” : History Channel
Producer: Sandya Viswanathan
“Titanic Revisited” : NGTV
Producer: Peter Schnall
“Tragedy in the Baltic Sea” : NGTV
Director: Lise Zumwalt
“Christmas Kindness: Oprah in South Africa” : Harpo
Producer: Peter Schnall
“USS Monitor” : Discovery/BBC
Field Director: Jerry Risius
“Air Force One” : Nat. Geo. Special
Director: Mark Wexler & Peter Schnall
Engel Entertainment
“Walk to Beautiful” : PBS/NOVA
Director: M.O. Smith
2007 IDA Documentary of the Year
2009 Emmy Winner: Outstanding Informational Programming – Long Form
“Eternal Art” : Voom TV
Producer: Jessica Winchell
Zero Point Zero Productions/Travel Channel
“Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations”
Uzbekistan, Peru, Sweden, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, India, Korea, Indonesia, Ireland, Namibia, Ghana, Beirut, Viet Nam, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Nicaragua, Vienna, NYC, etc…
Field Director (Beirut Episode): Jerry Risius
2007 Emmy Nominee (Beirut Episode) – Outstanding Informational Programming – Long Form
NGTV
“Lockdown: Ironwood”
Producer: Erica Sashin
“Lockdown: The First 90”
Producer: Erica Sashin
“Lockdown: Sex Offenders”
Producer: Catherine Shin
“Megastructures: Steel & Brick”
Producer: KPI, Various
“Obesity”
Producer: John Plummer
“The Physics Of Thrill Rides”
Producer: John Plummer
“Embryo Adoption”
Producer: Maria Patrick (Sci Times)
“Earthquake – Turkey”
Field Producer for (Explorer): Jerry Risius
Keeve Productions
“Unzipped”
Director: Douglas Keeve
“Remaking of Harper’s Bazaar” : Lifetime TV
Director: Douglas Keeve
UNICEF
“AfroRegge in the Favelas of Rio”
Producer: Loch Phillips
“IDD in Panama”
Producer: Loch Phillips
Showtime
“Dreaming In Cuba” : NYTimes TV
Field Producer: Jerry Risius
Atlantic Television: SouthBank Show
“Iggy Pop”
BBC
“Question of Identity”
Producer: Isabel Rosin
“Bookmark: Saul Bellow”
Producer: Sarah Aspinall
Incite Pictures
“Homecoming”
Director: Marion Lipschutz
Download CV » (PDF format)
Promos »
Hungry Man
“Nokia”
Director: Amy Nicholson
TVS:
“Toyota/Prius”
Director: Tamara Katepoo
“Mennon: Stay Dry”
Producer: Ed Poteet
Brunt/Movingon.org
“Bushed”
Director: C. Brunt
A Thin Line
“Sexting” PSA
Director: Joel Schumacher
MTV / MTV 52
“Cornel West”
Director: Siya Peter-Thomas
“Alicia Keyes”
Director: Evan Silver
“Nelly Furtado”
Director: Evan Silver & Gina Fortunado
“Jim Jones”
Director: Ian Gefland
“Myriad”
Director: Leo Crobin
MTV / MTV Tres
“Tu Pride”
Director: Evan Silver
“Tu Pride II”
Director: Evan Silver
2008 Emmy Nominee – Best Promotional Announcement
Download CV » (PDF format)
Jerry Risius »
Education
B.A. Anthropology – University of Iowa, 1984
Teaching
Cinematography Instructor: School of Visual Arts; MFA: Social Documentary – 2009 to Present
Languages
Fluent in Spanish; Conversant in Portuguese and French
Owned Equipment
Aaton 16/Super 16 Camera Package
Panasonic HD Varicam, Package
Doc Lighting/Grip Kits
Contact
Jerry Risius
161A St. Mark’s Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Home: 718-398-6688
Mobile: 917-805-8042
Email: jerry@jrisius.com
