Christian de Rezendes
Director / Producer
Videographer Editor / Writer
Christian has directed, produced and edited over two dozen documentary and narrative films, many of which are critically acclaimed. His credits include 41, a doc about the youngest victim of the Station Nightclub Fire, Getting Out of Rhode Island, a fully improvised dramedy feature, Alzira's Story, a family inspired doc, and Raising Matty Christian, a doc about a man born without full limbs. His films can be streamed on PBS, Tubi, Prime Video, Apple TV and more. Other notable works include several short films, such as Memories for Sale, Revealed: Portraits from Beneath One's Surface, Cat Scratch, Zach: A Film About Epilepsy and Fred and Emile, which aired on WGBH Boston, as well as several music videos. To date, his work has received more than 40 awards. In 2022, after 11 years of production, the first season of his documentary series Slatersville: America's First Mill Village premiered on Rhode Island PBS and now streams internationally. For its first two seasons, Slatersville received 3 Regional Boston/New England Emmy® Awards, including one for Direction of Long Form Content. The series was also nominated for Outstanding Documentary and Long Form Editing. It also received one Gold Telly and two Bronze Tellys for Documentary Series and four film festival awards. In addition, In 2023, Christian was honored with the John H. Chafee Award from the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. The third and final season is in post-production, and future projects are now in development.
Since 1996, we have collaborated with
many project partners on a wide variety
of films. Here are some of our most frequent.
Pat Horn Ferron is a graduate of Assumption College were she received a BA, double majoring in Social & Rehabilitative Services and Fine Arts and later an MA in Rehabilitative Counseling. She spent a summer season as an intern at Trinity Repertory Company working in their scene shop and as an assistant stage manager. She is one of the founding members of the Rhode Island Stage Ensemble (RISE) and is the longest seated member of its Board of Directors, currently serving as Vice Chairwoman. Pat was Production Coordinator on the documentary 41, about the youngest victim of the Station Nightclub fire, Nicholas O’Neill. She received a certificate for completing a Scenic Art Intensive Program at Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam CT. She is a breast cancer survivor and proud mother to Michael, Steven and Tim. She lives in Smithfield, RI with her husband Rich.
Pat Horn Ferron
Co-Producer, Slatersville
Raised near an old cemetery, Gail Denomme’s interest in history began when she became curious about the stories behind each tombstone. Her questions turned into a passion for detective work in 2009 when she became a cemetery historian for the Town of North Smithfield, Rhode Island. Her accomplishments include transcribing for Ancestry.com’s database, Ancestry’s World Archives Project and online databases for research and local libraries. She has also maintained memorials for Ancestry’s link Find A Grave and has photographed and catalogued graves throughout southern New England. Gail works with the North Smithfield Heritage Association in several roles, but she has mainly worked in maintaining the integrity of their memorials on Find A Grave, by telling their stories. She has mapped out three historic cemeteries and is currently photographing and cataloguing burials for the RI Veterans database project. Gail has transcribed and researched historic documents, films and photos for Slatersville: America's First Mill Village.
Gail Denomme
Co-Producer, Slatersville
Stephen Gilbane has been a composer for film and musical theater, as well as a music director and teacher of music for improvisational theater. He has scored several short films (Bit Parts, Memories for Sale, Fred and Emile and It Might Be Me), eight frantically-composed 48 Hour Film Project scores, music for the web series Staying In Boston, and many short projects for comedy groups and documentary projects around town. He has accompanied hundreds of shows at ImprovBoston, where he is a music director and teacher, essentially playing film scores “on the fly”. He has written original music for a number of musicals, including 10 Gorefest Halloween productions. He studied jazz with Charlie Banacos and Film Scoring at Berklee College of Music. Stephen is continues to work on the original score for the historical documentary series Slatersville: America’s First Mill Village, for which he received two NATAS Boston/New England Emmy® for original music composition/arrangement. Most recently he composed the score for the short documentary Union Village, which can now be seen on PBS.
Stephen Gilbane
Composer
Irina Slovtsova
Director of Photography / Editor
Irina Slovtsova was born is Uralsk, Kazakhstan (USSR). As a child, she spent time in with her father Lev Slovtsova, who was the Director of TV studio in western Kazakhstan. From the age of 12, she worked as a Production Assistant for painting, lighting, camera operation and studio designing. From 1992-1998, she studied at Volga Telecommunications University in Samara, Russia, where she received a bachelors degree and engineering in telecommunications. In 2000, she started at a TV company in Samara, Russia called Terra, where she worked as a videographer and editor of both linear and non-linear systems (during the long transition from analog to digital). She has worked on cultural theater performances and daily news, as well as political and artistic pieces for weekly shows in both documentary and narrative genres and as a Director of Photography on live fashion shows and award ceremonies. In 2008, she moved to the US, where she continued to provide videography and editing services for programs and events in Massachusetts. Today she works as a math teacher at Russian School of Mathematics in Acton, Massachusetts and continues to do film work whenever opportunities arise. After working on several projects with Breaking Branches, she is officially serving as Director of Photography for the first time on a current project to be announced.
John Dolber
Camera Crew
John Dolber has been passionate about photography and filmmaking since his first introduction to cameras through classes at the Worcester Art Museum in the early 1980s. A versatile and resourceful creative professional, John’s diverse background includes working as a blacksmith’s assistant, entering the real estate market, and spending 25 years in the automotive and motorcycle industries while earning a degree in Natural Science from Worcester State College. In 2001, he embraced digital photography and video production, bringing his technical expertise, ingenuity, and unconventional thinking to a wide range of creative projects. His film credits include Getting Out of Rhode Island, Cat Scratch and the series Slatersville: America's First Mill Village, along with numerous documentaries, theatrical productions, music videos, and special events. Known for his multifaceted talents, innovative problem-solving, and ability to think outside the box, John brings a unique combination of artistic vision, mechanical know-how, and hands-on creativity to every production at Breaking Branches.
Allison Horrocks is a public historian and park ranger who lives in Lincoln, RI. Allison completed her Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut in 2016. She currently works as a Park Ranger at Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park in Pawtucket, RI. Allison has been an interpreter and tour guide at a number of historic sites. For five years, she was the co-host of a podcast about American Girl, history, and pop culture. Allison is the co-author of Dolls of Our Lives: Why We Can't Quit American Girl (2023) and a forthcoming book on labor history.
Allison Horrocks
Co-writer, Slatersville (E7-E12) and Union Village
Allison Rogers
Writing / Producing Partner
Allison (Alli) Rogers is an attorney, policy professional, writer, and producer whose work spans environmental and climate justice, energy, sustainability, public service, technology, and the arts. Growing up with Cape Verdean and Irish roots, she developed an early appreciation for Rhode Island’s rich cultural diversity, the stories and traditions of its many communities, and the history that connects the state to the broader American experience. Alli has collaborated with Breaking Branches on the short doc Sue AnderBois for Rhode Island PBS and served as a promotional assistant on Season 1 of Slatersville: America's First Mill Village. Previously, Alli served as Director for Environmental Justice Public Engagement in the White House Office of Environmental Justice. Her other public-sector leadership roles include Executive Director of the Green the Capitol Office in the U.S. House of Representatives and Director of Policy for the RI Department of Administration. She has worked with leading nonprofit organizations advancing climate, sustainability, and technology policy, including the Aspen Tech Policy Hub, Wild Gift, and Climable. Her work has been shaped by fellowships with the National Audubon Society's Toyota TogetherGreen program, the National Wildlife Federation's Campus Ecology program, and the Truman National Security Project. Alli previously served as Executive Director of the Miss Rhode Island Scholarship Program, Rhode Island’s affiliate of the Miss America Organization, supporting young women’s leadership development, educational goals, and artistic talents. A graduate of Harvard University, Vermont Law School, and the U.S. Naval War College, she holds degrees in the comparative study of religion, education, national security, and law, as well as an LL.M. in Energy Law. A lifelong musician and writer, she has studied classical piano and guitar with instructors affiliated with the University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, Longy School of Music, and Summer Sonatina, and pursued voice studies with Dede Wyland, a vocalist and educator who is recognized as one of the most respected singers in bluegrass music. Alli is currently collaborating with Breaking Branches on a documentary now in development.
With over thirty years of experience in advertising and communications, Brian Heil brings a natural capacity for developing creative that works and client relationships that last. He has applied his award-winning creative touch in fields as diverse as hospitality, health care, pharmaceutical consumer goods, retail, fitness and publishing. Brian has directed creative projects from brand positioning to corporate identity, utilizing print, broadcast, direct mail and online media. He took the lead role in creating highly successful campaigns for Bank of America, Standard & Poor's, Energy Star, Gold’s Gym International and the ASPCA. Brian was also instrumental in the creation and launch of Monster.com. Brian is a three-time past president of the Southeastern New England chapter of the American Marketing Association. He is also an avid photographer and bass musician.
Brian Heil
Producing Partner
Judy Tenczar Beauchemin
Photo / Graphics
Mark Freedman
Sound Engineer
Angel Connell
Marketing / Promotion
