Executive Producer

Stephany is the creator of Trustworthy. She is a California native raised in Silicon Valley, a veteran tech executive who specializes in business systems and operations for growing startup companies. In 2015, she moved to Southern California and formed SZ Strategies, where she’s leveraging her entrepreneurial spirit to create meaningful films that challenge and inspire us as a society.

Trustworthy is Stephany’s first feature documentary.

Director

Dana oversaw the Trustworthy bus tour, as well as the pre and post-production processes. She began her career as a journalist at The Houston Post (now Chronicle), going on to hold staff positions at CNN, ABC News 20/20 and VH1. In 2002, she founded BACKLOT, a production company specializing in short and long-form storytelling, as well as branded content for such companies as AT&T, Sony, Smartwater and General Motors. Her debut documentary, Gateway, about how the opioid epidemic ravaged three American families, earned a Silver Telly Award for excellence. Dana was featured in SHOOT Magazine’s 2020 New Directors Showcase.

Executive Story Editor

Bud wrote the script for Trustworthy and supervised editorial direction of the film. An Emmy-winning filmmaker, he has produced segments and specials for CNBC, long-form programming for PBS and a documentary for journalist Soledad O’Brien’s production company. As the director of CNN’s documentary unit, he oversaw Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s groundbreaking documentary on medical marijuana, Weed, which won a duPont Award. He also spearheaded the launch of CNN’s acclaimed docuseries, Black in America, and served as executive producer of Her Name Was Steven, an official selection of the San Diego and New Orleans film festivals. Bud’s work has earned him an Edward R. Murrow Award, a pair of National Headliner Awards and two Emmy awards.

Talent Executive

Denise oversaw the booking of media experts and journalists, served as story producer and supervised digital content for Trustworthy. She has extensive experience booking, writing and producing news and feature programming for broadcast, digital and marketing platforms. Her sweet spot is media, entertainment and culture as viewed through a hard news lens. As a Senior Producer and 18-year veteran of CNN, she led the network’s breaking news coverage following the deaths of Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson. Her career history also includes work with the Associated Press, CBS, the Recording Academy and RollingStone.com.