The Filmmakers

Debbie Etchison

Director/Writer

Debbie Etchison is a public relations executive by day and a sleep-deprived documentary producer and screenwriter at night. She has been writing screenplays, TV scripts, a book, poems and song lyrics for the last 10 years.

Etchison is vice president of the global public relations agency, Weber Shandwick Worldwide. She has written four narrative feature screenplays, including, “Miracle Fishing,” set in Colombia about journalists risking their lives to get the story and a dark comedy/mystery with writing partner Robert Lee entitled “Clarkesville.”

As a journalist she served as a wire service reporter for UPI in Alabama and for a daily newspaper in Tampa, Fla. Etchison earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Auburn University.

Michael Samstag 

Director/Producer 

Best known for his work directing and producing special features for the first three Harry Potter DVDs and the Van Helsing DVD, Samstags' work on Van Helsing was featured in an article by American Cinematographer Magazine and his documentary WAR &TRUTH was featured in The American Prospect.

In 2005, he directed 30 shows for the Telly Award winning Backyard Habitat series for Discovery Network ‘s Animal Planet Channel. Samstags' documentary, TALES IN FLIGHT is currently available on DVD and On Demand. His latest documentary, A Southern Fix, is expected to be released in the Fall of 2015. A 1989 graduate of Hampshire College, Samstag has worked with blockbuster budgets but also prides himself with making the most of smaller budgets for non-profit organizations.