Meet the
Film Team
Nancy Svendsen
Director / Producer
Nancy Anne Svendsen is an independent filmmaker, producer, and founder of the Follow Your Dream Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to stories that inspire connection, courage, and social change. After more than two decades in leadership roles within the healthcare industry, Nancy returned to her storytelling roots to create impactful documentary films.
Her award-winning first feature-length documentary, PASANG: In the Shadow of Everest, tells the story of Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, the first Nepali woman to summit Mount Everest, and has received international recognition for its themes of perseverance and women’s empowerment.
Nancy holds degrees from St. Olaf College and the University of Minnesota and lives in Marin County, California, with her husband and twin children.
Clare Major
Director of Photography
Clare Major is an award-winning documentary cinematographer and filmmaker whose work has appeared on HBO, PBS, Netflix, The New Yorker, and The New York Times.
Known for her observational camerawork and visually intimate storytelling, her credits include the Emmy-winning Belly of the Beast and Oscar-shortlisted Holding Moses.
Clair was also named one of DOC NYC’s “40 Under 40” filmmakers to watch.
She is based in Oakland, California.
Sharon Wood
Writer
A longtime documentary filmmaker, Sharon Wood’s most recent producing and/or writing credits include PASANG: In the Shadow of Everest, Pleistocene Park, Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly, and And the Oscar Goes To… She began her career by independently producing and directing Kheturni Bayo: North Indian Farm Women and Outside in Sight, portraying a Black and Asian American Bay Area jazz ensemble. Wood served as writer on the Oscar-nominated Tell the Truth and Run: George Seldes and the American Press, and Super Chief: The Life and Legacy of Earl Warren, along with the Peabody and Columbia-Dupont award-winning The Celluloid Closet and Paragraph 175. Between 2003-11, she was producer/writer for Lucasfilm’s documentary department, making 18 documentary shorts on subjects from Leo Tolstoy to Vichy France to the Ottoman Empire, as well as Manifest Destiny, a series on U.S. foreign policy that aired on public television. “The Art of Nonfiction Movie Making,” which Sharon co-authored with Oscar winners Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein, was published by Praeger-ABC Clio in 2012.
Nicole C. Scott
Digital Strategist
Combining a background in studio post-production with modern digital strategy, Nicole helps independent filmmakers and non-profit foundations expand the digital footprint of cause-driven films and web series.
Her campaign experience spans a wide spectrum of genres, from environmental and human rights documentaries like Paying the Price for Peace: the Story of S. Brian Willson and Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly to cultural series like Perfect Sweat and Sauna Channel.
Complementing her work in audience strategy, she brings extensive experience as a post-production audio coordinator, with IMDb-listed project credits alongside A-list actors and veteran filmmakers. This background gives her a holistic view of the filmmaking process from final mix to digital release.
She focuses on creating target-driven digital strategies that connect powerful stories with the right global audiences, maximizing both digital reach and cause based advocacy.
Andrea Pierpont
Producer
Andrea Pierpont is a producer, business strategist, and community leader whose work spans documentary filmmaking, entrepreneurship, and nonprofit leadership. She spent 15 years in corporate management before turning her focus to projects rooted in social impact and human stories.
Andrea is actively involved with the Follow Your Dream Foundation and served as an associate producer on the award-winning documentary PASANG: In the Shadow of Everest. Her work is driven by a passion for stories of resilience, courage, and the human spirit—and for using film to spark conversation and connection.
A longtime Marin County community leader, Andrea served as an elected trustee and President of the Larkspur-Corte Madera School District Board of Trustees. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Government from St. Lawrence University.
Daniel Toman
Assistant Editor
Daniel Toman is a documentary film editor and assistant editor based in San Francisco. His work for PBS Frontline, American Masters, Netflix, HBO, Nat Geo, Disney+, Hulu, ABC, and Prime Video has contributed to six Emmy Award wins and eight other nominations, and has been honored at major film festivals like Telluride, Tribeca, and Mill Valley.
His editing credits include the feature documentary, PASANG: In the Shadow of Everest, and the Emmy award-winning mini-series, You Are What you Eat: A Twin Experiment.
He is currently working on SF Bay Area specific, and remote team projects with reliable and fast hybrid / remote film editing workflows.
Meet the
Executive Producers
These are the Executive Producers who are providing important guidance and support for the series.
Dr. Richard Sherratt
Dr. Richard H. Sherratt is an entrepreneur, civic leader, and philanthropist whose career has been defined by business leadership, public service, and a lifelong commitment to education and community. He has founded more than a dozen companies and has played an instrumental role in the development and growth of prominent national and international businesses.
A third-generation resident of Alameda, California, Dr. Sherratt has devoted decades to creating opportunities for young people and strengthening his community. He served on the Alameda City Council, including a term as Vice Mayor, and spent eight years as Executive Director of the Alameda Boys & Girls Club. He has continued his commitment to education and youth through extensive leadership, volunteer service, and philanthropy.
A graduate of California State University, East Bay, Dr. Sherratt is a member of the university's Pioneer Athletics Hall of Fame and a longtime supporter of student success. Together with his wife, Susan, he has established scholarships and supported initiatives benefiting students and student-athletes. In recognition of his contributions to higher education, civic leadership, and philanthropy, California State University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
Executive Producer
Sarah McDonald
Sarah McDonald is a keynote speaker, executive coach, bestselling author, and startup advisor with a career spanning Fortune 100 companies, high-growth startups, and mission-driven organizations. With leadership roles at eBay, Accenture, and Adentro, she brings strategic insight, operational excellence, and a deep commitment to culture transformation.
A two-time cancer survivor, Sarah channels her personal journey into powerful storytelling and advocacy. Her bestselling memoir, The Cancer Channel, offers a candid and humorous account of navigating dual cancer diagnoses while balancing career and family. Her second book, The Cancer Companion, is a guidebook to those newly diagnosed with cancer. She is a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society and raises funds for rare cancer research through Cycle for Survival.
Sarah holds an MBA from Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, studied culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu, and earned an Advanced BA in English Literature from Occidental College. She lives in Mill Valley with her husband, Geoff, and daughter, Rory.
Executive Producer
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Email nancy.svendsen@gmail.com, call (415) 233-3200, or use our contact form.
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