Meet the Team
The Owners:
JP Frydrych is a born entertainer. He began performing in the choir, talent shows, and school plays at the very young age of seven. After high school he moved to Hollywood to pursue acting and learned a great deal about the film industry. In 2010, JP started Ber Co. Productions and decided to try his hand at producing. Because of his unique ability to find just the right person for every job, as well as his ability to obtain props like jets, Aston Martin’s, and Ferraris at the drop of a hat, JP transitioned into the role of a producer seamlessly. JP has produced seven music videos, three short films, two series of commercials; acted in more than ten stage plays, six short films, a feature, and a commercial; and has done voice over work for an internet cartoon. He plans to dedicate his life to film until the day he dies, and even then he’s willing to volunteer his corpse as a prop.
Favorite Movies: Pulp Fiction, Four Rooms, Back to the Future
Favorite Producers: David Heyman and George Lucas
Devon Garcia began writing, producing, doing set design, and makeup for Reigning Rabbits when it was created three years ago. She has since worked with several other production groups, expanding her talents as a makeup artist and set designer. Devon is always armed with a camera around her neck, and can be found taking behind the scenes photographs when she has completed her duties on set. She was drawn to the world of filmmaking because she loves the complexity and challenge of making a great story come to life. She is dazzled by the ability to create a world of make believe where one can lose themselves and escape reality. Devon is always reading and dreaming up new ideas and concepts. Her ability to turn any space into a believable and visually stunning set is unmatched.
Favorite Movies: Gone With the Wind, All about Eve, How to Steal a Million, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Favorite Actors: Bette Davis, Audrey Hepburn, Vivien Leigh and Danny Kaye
Robert Garcia took the daring plunge into the film industry three years ago when he started his comedy group, Reigning Rabbits. Through constant experimentation, Rob taught himself how to be an exceptional Cinematographer and Director. He strives to make quality films even when he has very little resources, inspired by his favorite director, Robert Rodriguez. Rob has worked with several different production groups over the years, and was Co-Creator of Missing Link Pictures. He has had one web series and four short films accepted into various film festivals, including the Phoenix Film Festival and Phoenix Comicon. He has also received several awards during multiple film challenges. Rob takes every project as an opportunity to experiment with different equipment, styles, and specialized shots so he is constantly learning on set. He gives his all on every project and strives to be the only Cinematographer who has a camera with a moustache.
Favorite Movie: Ronin
Favorite Directors: Robert Rodriguez and Tarsem Singh
Nicki Legge was born with a pen in her hand; she started writing short stories at a young age. Her friends whisked her away into the film industry last year and showed her how to apply her creative writing talents to film. At this time she started to appreciate all of the moving components behind the camera, and most recently she has taken on the responsibilities of a Camera Operator and an Assistant Director. She loves all people because she feels that anyone can be like a character in a story. When she’s not blowing bubbles and spending time with her family, she is sitting in class at the Scottsdale Community College film school to increase her knowledge of the film industry. One of Nicki’s favorite projects to date is Missing Link Pictures’ “Second Thoughts.” It was her first 48 hour challenge and she thought it was amazing how creative her team could be on the fly. Nicki’s creative and logical thinking is a crucial part of the team.
Favorite Director: Tim Burton
One thing she wants everyone to know: “Art is food for the soul. Eat.”
Craig MacDonald discovered an interest in film in sixth grade when he made his first music video using a VHS home recorder. He participated in school plays and took a few film classes in college, but his passion for film didn’t truly spark until he began working as a producer with Ber Co. Productions in 2010. Craig is a mystery box of innovative and creative ideas. He has a remarkable ability to quickly adapt and thrive in situations that are unpredictable, and his talent to anticipate problems before they occur is uncanny. Craig is inspired by the unimaginable joy that a film can create with simple moments that shed light on overlooked elements of reality. He would be happy to dedicate his life to film for the chance to create even one of those timeless moments. His favorite projects are the ones that are the most challenging, because of everything he can learn from the obstacles that are overcome.
Favorite Movie: Bottle Rocket, Favorite Actor: Jon Hamm
Jacquelyn Nelson has an insatiable passion for photography. The film industry lured her in with the promise of collaborating with other artistic minds on and off screen. Jacquelyn has worked with Ber Co. Productions for the past year as their on-set Photographer. Throughout that year, she has developed her own photography style and begun doing freelance photography as Decorated Photos. When she is not on a film set, Jacquelyn can be found baking impressive desserts and flexing her artistic muscles creating different arts and crafts. Because of her desire to learn, she is always willing to help out with any task on set, and because of her creativity she is an invaluable asset to the team.
Favorite Movie: 10 Things I Hate About You
Favorite Actors: Mary-Louise Parker, Emma Stone, and Jessie Eisenberg
More of our crew:
Ryan Ammann is always willing to help out on set, and never late to any shoot. He started out editing effects on pictures in high school, and then moved onto special effects in video in 2009. One year later, he ventured onto his first set, where he worked with a small crew for ASU’s news site, The State Press. There he filmed short skits to review newly released movies (e.g., a bank robbery to review The Town). Ryan has mainly recorded audio on set, but he has worked every aspect of production and is full of useful knowledge on any department. Aside from being an amazing filmmaker, Ryan has been studying legal cases and will be moving out of state to attend Law School in the fall. Ryan is an invaluable asset to the team; he always brings a happy go lucky energy and goofy sense of humor on set that will be greatly missed while he is away at school.
Favorite Movie: Suckerpunch
Favorite writer/producer: Steven Moffat
Nile Popchock is insanely talented in all aspects of sound design. Nile did some composing for shorts here and there while he was in college back in 2010, but he didn’t fully dive into filmmaking until he moved to Arizona in 2012. Nile mostly does location recording and sound mixing on set, but where he really shines is in his musical compositions. He has won numerous awards for his original film scores, and has built quite the good reputation for himself since he moved here a short time ago. Nile loves how every vision is different on film; you can have the exact same equipment and camera, and can have an endless amount of different looking products. His favorite project to date is “The Face of Innocence,” because he was able to do the sound mixing on set while the scenes were being shot and then wrote an award winning score for the final film, giving him complete control over the sound from beginning to end. Nile is most definitely a filmmaker on the rise; his work ethic and pure skill is not something that can be learned at any school, which makes him irreplaceable.
Favorite Composer: Hans Zimmer
Favorite Movie: Big Labowski
