INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY
HISTORY
Holy Grail In America
HISTORYWESTERN NATIONAL
Night Owls
WESTERN NATIONALour work speaks for itself
- By Category
- tv + documentaries
- /
- commercials
- /
- branded content
- By Director
- Andy Awes
- /
- Ben Krueger
- /
- Brandon Boulay
- /
- Cari Merryman

20/20: In An Instant
ABC20/20: In An Instant
ABCMARIA AWES

Toy Story 4
TARGETToy Story 4
TARGET
SERIAL KILLER: Devil Unchained
INVESTIGATION DISCOVERYSERIAL KILLER: Devil Unchained
INVESTIGATION DISCOVERYMARIA AWES
ANDY AWES
BRANDON BOULAY

Odyssey Project
SPERRY | MONOOdyssey Project
SPERRY | MONOANDY AWES

The Swirl Of Life
AMERICAN STANDARD | THORBURN GROUPThe Swirl Of Life
AMERICAN STANDARD | THORBURN GROUPJEFF STONEHOUSE

Secrets of Einstein’s Brain
HISTORY CHANNELSecrets of Einstein’s Brain
HISTORY CHANNELMARIA AWES
MICHELLE LAPPIN DAY

Top of the World
TRAVEL CHANNELTop of the World
TRAVEL CHANNELMARIA AWES

Living on Earth
Living on Earth
MARIA AWES

My Aloha Dream Home
HGTVMy Aloha Dream Home
HGTVMARIA AWES

The Last Pope
HISTORY CHANNELThe Last Pope
HISTORY CHANNELMARIA AWES

Unlock Speed: Capitals
ADIDAS | LATITUDEUnlock Speed: Capitals
ADIDAS | LATITUDE
Flamethrower
HORMEL | BBDOFlamethrower
HORMEL | BBDOBigfoot Captured
HISTORY CHANNELBigfoot Captured
HISTORY CHANNELMARIA AWES
Headliners | Pope Francis
MSNBCHeadliners | Pope Francis
MSNBCMARIA AWES
Popper
WALMART | MONOPopper
WALMART | MONOSuperhero Breakfast
GENERAL MILLS + DC COMICSSuperhero Breakfast
GENERAL MILLS + DC COMICS
Cook It
GOLD'N PLUMP | HABERMANCook It
GOLD'N PLUMP | HABERMANAmerica Unearthed
TRAVEL CHANNELAmerica Unearthed
TRAVEL CHANNELMARIA AWES
Found
HISTORY CHANNELFound
HISTORY CHANNELMARIA AWES
Gnometown USA
MN LOTTERY | PERISCOPEGnometown USA
MN LOTTERY | PERISCOPEBlue Monster
BEST BUYBlue Monster
BEST BUYMyth or Monster
TRAVEL CHANNELMyth or Monster
TRAVEL CHANNELMARIA AWES
Aster-Rick
iWIRELESS | HUNT ADKINSAster-Rick
iWIRELESS | HUNT ADKINSSnack Attack Samurai
DORITOSSnack Attack Samurai
DORITOSTrue Monsters
HISTORY CHANNELTrue Monsters
HISTORY CHANNELMARIA AWES
BEN KRUEGER
Leadman Tri [longform]
LIFETIME™ | 3eLeadman Tri [longform]
LIFETIME™ | 3eMaking of Setu
HERMAN MILLER | MONOMaking of Setu
HERMAN MILLER | MONONostradamus: 21st Century Prophecies Revealed
HISTORY CHANNELNostradamus: 21st Century Prophecies Revealed
HISTORY CHANNELMARIA AWES
BEN KRUEGER
The Shops
TARGETThe Shops
TARGETBEN KRUEGER
Gone Girls
Gone Girls
MARIA AWES
Odyssey – Shout Out Louds
SPERRY | MONOOdyssey – Shout Out Louds
SPERRY | MONOIn The End
PORSCHE | CARMICHAEL LYNCHIn The End
PORSCHE | CARMICHAEL LYNCHOdyssey – Eva & Rob
SPERRY | MONOOdyssey – Eva & Rob
SPERRY | MONODark Side Mom
GENERAL MILLS | BELLSHOPDark Side Mom
GENERAL MILLS | BELLSHOPSuperdad
CHRIST HOSPITAL | TEN ADAMSSuperdad
CHRIST HOSPITAL | TEN ADAMSWho Really Discovered America
HISTORY CHANNELWho Really Discovered America
HISTORY CHANNELMARIA AWES
Gimme a Mini
DAIRY QUEEN | SPACE 150Gimme a Mini
DAIRY QUEEN | SPACE 150Today
BEST BUYToday
BEST BUYScience!
DORITOSScience!
DORITOSCattle First
BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM | MONOCattle First
BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM | MONOLexi
GILLETTE CHILDREN'S | GdBLexi
GILLETTE CHILDREN'S | GdBPolka Dog
TARGETPolka Dog
TARGETREENACTMENT REEL
c_fREENACTMENT REEL
c_fFields of Gold
sWHEAT SCOOP | BROADHEADFields of Gold
sWHEAT SCOOP | BROADHEADPb & Yay
TARGET | MONOPb & Yay
TARGET | MONOMade With Respect
PRAIRIE VODKAMade With Respect
PRAIRIE VODKABEN KRUEGER
Breakthrough
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL | MONOBreakthrough
CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL | MONOwe can do it all
We are Committee Films. And we’ll go to the ends of the Earth to make magic for you. Of course, we mean this figuratively. Well, literally too. (No, not the very non-literal kind of “literally” people literally use these days in every sentence. Wait.)
It’s like this: We’ve shot in dozens of countries, like Nepal, China, Ghana, Turkey, Chile and even Canada. (Oh, come on, Canada. You can take a joke, eh?) We’ve also filmed on six of seven continents. (We’re coming for you next, Antarctica!) We’ve been to Everest, Easter Island, and the driest place on the planet—twice. Which, by the way, is the Atacama desert. Pro tip: Don’t bring pretzels as your snack.
We’ve even talked to a serial killer (for real), helped the FBI identify a bombing suspect (for real) and hunted for Bigfoot (for real—even though he very well might not be). And when we’re not chasing down monsters, we’re making commercials for brands like Target, Best Buy, Walmart and Sperry.
Our founders, Andy and Maria, come from two very different worlds: Andy, a film and commercial director and editor. Maria, an award-winning investigative journalist. (Andy wants you to know he won some awards, too.) With these two disparate backgrounds, it’s no wonder one week we’re talking to a serial killer and the next we’re shooting a commercial for Target.
Finally, our mission statement is: We can do it better. This, of course, applies to everything we do (aside from coming up with a new mission statement). And we’d love to do it better for you.
We’ll see you at the end of the Earth. Or Antarctica.
meet the committee

Andy Awes
president | EPAndy Awes
president | EPIn addition to turning the company into a production powerhouse, Andy has been Executive Producer and Showrunner for ABC's hit docudrama series, In An Instant, Travel Channel’s, America Unearthed, Investigation Discovery’s Serial Killer: Devil Unchained and History Channel’s Found and True Monsters. Long before the success of his series work, Andy’s first foray into television came in 2009 when he directed and produced the 2-hour documentary special Holy Grail in America for History Channel. It was so well received, it helped Committee Films launch America Unearthed, H2’s top-rated show – which aired an impressive 39 episodes and was re-booted on Travel Channel in 2019. Andy has also produced multiple specials and pilots for National Geographic, History Channel, Travel Channel, MSNBC and HGTV.
Whew. As if that's not enough...
Andy's television work doesn't stop at successful network and cable programming. He continues to direct and edit national spots, digital content and brand campaigns for companies such as Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Sperry, Dairy Queen, Herman Miller and Alice's Wig Warehouse. (Okay, the last one's a joke. But if Alice were ever to want cool branding, he'd be all over it. But we all know Alice.)

Maria Awes
SVP | head of developmentMaria Awes
SVP | head of developmentSince the success of her first television special, Holy Grail in America on HISTORY, she's gone on to produce a LOT more content - including the hit docudrama series In An Instant on ABC. She spent three years as the Executive and Series Producer for H2's top-rated show, America Unearthed, oversaw the new HISTORY series True Monsters and was an EP on Top of the World for Travel Channel. Specials she's developed, produced or written include Who Really Discovered America, Bigfoot Captured, Secrets of Einstein’s Brain, and Nostradamus: 21st Century Prophecies Revealed - all for HISTORY - and Mystery of Easter Island for National Geographic/NOVA.
Maria has also done not too shabby of a job overseeing the successful, rapid growth of the company, which now employs nearly 30 people in varying roles. That's a lot more than the 4 it started with!
Is there anything she doesn't do? Yes, get enough sleep. But - on the bright side she does still cook every night for her family while she and her husband Andy prep their two young children to take over the world, or at least the company, someday.

Ben Krueger
director | EPBen Krueger
director | EPAfter attending film school in Minneapolis, Ben started his career as a Production Assistant – working freelance for many years. In 2009, he submitted a commercial (his first) for Doritos "Crash The Super Bowl" contest and was selected as a finalist. His spot "Snack Attack Samurai" aired in the 4th quarter of the 2010 Super Bowl and was "the most watched ad of all time" by Nielsen ratings. It was also rated "best ad with a samurai" by Samurai Zine, which is not a real magazine. Since then he's kept busy working with Committee Films on all of its projects big and small. He's been all over the world with Committee and hopes to keep doing just that.Ben's trademark is his captain's hat – he is currently on his seven(teen)th. "The Captain stands for quality,” he says, “and being cool with everyone you can, while you can.” He lives in Chaska with his awesome wife, rad sons and odd dog where they have a small garden and a great life.When asked to write a play-by-play fight between his favorite 8Os comedy star and favorite 8Os drama star (this is a standard interview question), Ben wrote about a bout (see how I did that?) between Fozzie Bear and Magnum PI. It speaks volumes about Ben's character that Fozzie won in this scenario.

David Mueller
director of post | EPDavid Mueller
director of post | EPNeither do we.
But if you do, he has dirty blonde hair, dirty blue eyes, and a dirty personalty. He graduated college in 2 years and moved to NYC to pursue everything dirty. Well, not everything dirty.
For many years, he worked in theatrical film distribution, helping release independent films such as CROUPIER, YU TU MAMA TAMBIEN, PALINDROMES, BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, TARNATION, PASSION OF THE CHRIST, among many others. He worked for Shooting Gallery, IFC films, Newmarket, Wellspring, Tribeca Film Festival & United Artists during his tenure.
David (NOT DAVE - don’t you dare!) made the transition back to television, securing a position on the ABC sitcom Hope & Faith. Once those adjectives wore off, David pursued a producer position with PBS. While at the Twin Cities affiliate, TPT, Mueller wrote, edited and produced a number of local short-form documentaries.
Mueller eventually fell in love with POST and was lured to the other side so to speak. Managing post production on numerous television series for Magnetic Productions in Minneapolis reminded David that he no longer needed to carry pelican cases for pennies and flex his shapely muscles for meals. Please note that flexing his muscles for meals was never required.
In his current Post (get it?!) David leads the post production department, which includes managing personnel, equipment, schedules, budgets and plays Post Supervisor on all projects. He leads a team that is responsible for completing and delivering all projects to television networks and commercial clients.
If that’s not enough, Mueller fights hard to always show that the POST muscle is as fast, strong and as pretty as the production muscle...well, maybe not as pretty. Not that it’s a competition or anything...or is it?!!

Cate Honzl
producerCate Honzl
producer
Cari Merryman
director | animatorCari Merryman
director | animatorBefore working at Committee, Cari had an oddly large number of jobs (her resume was 12 pages) including but not limited to: lifeguard, GAP employee, DNR employee, real estate mogul for Victoria’s Secret, clothes dryer, and ammunition sorter. Only after all that did she decide to get her masters in animation over in Bristol. It’s actually a common path for animators.
When she’s not at work or making art project after art project, Cari is planning her next Halloween party – they are legendary! I kid you not. Her kitchen table is surrounded by 6 handmade corpses; there is a 12ft papier-mâché shark hanging in her basement; and currently at least two frozen cave people effigies reside in her garage (although only one of which has an alien popping out of its chest cavity). Point is, her creativity knows no bounds. And she brings that to each and every project.
Oh, and if that's not enough, she’s also a scuba diver and co-captains charters to Isle Royale.

Brandon Boulay
director | DPBrandon Boulay
director | DPBrandon Boulay is Committee’s resident Director / Director of Photography. His approach: be wildly passionate and always reach beyond (or around, or inside, or on top – or all of the places you didn’t think of) the status quo.
We are here to sing our DP’s praises because he won’t – even though he is one of the driving forces behind the amazing Committee Films aesthetic you’ve grown to love and expect. The “20-something Caucasian male” points to his mediocre cooking and affinity for bikes (with a motor, or not) when characterizing himself. His favorite smell: the ocean. His favorite place: the ocean. His favorite sound: [this bio brought to you by THE OCEAN].
But that’s why we like him – he’s a humble dude with genuine talent, who loves everything about saltwater and, even so, chooses to reside in Minneapolis. He began his career immediately after graduating high school and spent seven months on the road directing two films, both involving motocross. The experience provided him an arena to explore new avenues of storytelling in action sports and this is where he made bold moves as a fresh, young director – moves that would help him refine his craft and prove his talent.
Even though he’s led a life amongst thrill seekers, Brandon wants you to know he has a softer side. Think Humane Society photos and Sarah MacLaughlin songs. Things that cause him to ask deep rhetorical questions like, “How many dogs could I bring on the road? What if I covered the airfare? Why Sarah, why?!”
Not to worry, it’s nothing a little Arrested Development can’t fix (the television pleasure for which he feels no guilt).
Sergio M. Rapu
producer | developmentSergio M. Rapu
producer | developmentSergio M. Rapu, known to some as “The Surge,” was born on the remote island of Rapa Nui, like all great producer/writers. Easter Island, as you may refer to it, is the most remote, inhabited place on Earth, but even distance didn’t stop this guy from coming to Committee Films.
Before he arrived at c_f, he migrated to Hawaii – the most isolated archipelago on Earth – and then went on to Loyola Marymount University in LA – the least isolated place on Earth – where he earned a degree in Film/Television Production. One of his first TV gigs was working on the hit show LOST as a production assistant and he moved up quickly from there – and on to projects of his own. He’s won a boatload of awards and grants for his work, mostly pertaining to the topic of Polynesian culture.
Committee contracted him to AP their first NOVA / Nat Geo project about Easter Island because they figured hey, this guy can help us get access to the sites we need to film! But what Committee Films got was so much more. Sergio proved to be an invaluable collaborator, levelheaded producer and aficionado of great restaurants, which he likes to frequent with other c_f staffers and his lovely wife. Naturally we brought him on full-time and he was one of a tight-knit team of folks who made Committee Films’ series, America Unearthed, a hit on H2. Now, he’s trying his hand producing material for our development department, bringing fresh ideas and a new perspective in our approach to content creation.

Brendan Harris
director of photographyBrendan Harris
director of photography
Curt Ash
senior editorCurt Ash
senior editorI was born in Fargo, ND and I'm half Canadian. When people make fun of Canada in front of me, there are repercussions. I went to film school to avoid sitting at a desk all day. Ironic, eh? Also, I joined the Army after High School but didn't pass my physical. I was voted most likely to win an Oscar in high school. I dig the outdoors. I'm an Eagle Scout, how's that for all-American (but half Canadian)?
That sums it up, except for one thing. Curt is just ridiculously tall.
He’s as tall as any two other Committee employees combined.
We say 6’10”.
This allows us to constantly shower him with praise puns: “If you left we’d have big shoes to fill,” or “You take editing to new heights,” or “You’re super tall Curt." Wait, that last one isn't quite the same…
Despite his stature, he’s crap at basketball and has a tiny dog - a 6lb Chihuahua named Paco. He is, however, a fantastic editor despite the small keys.
Outside of work Curt likes to be outside in the woods. He may be solely responsible for 1/5 of the sasquatch sightings in North America.
In the past, Curt has been a cart pusher at Target, a truck driver and a homebuilder. He was also once a door-to door meat salesman – a common path for editors. Whatever the path he took to get here, we’re happy he’s here now. He was a huge hire for Committee Films. There we go again…praise punning.

Bill Hurley
associate producerBill Hurley
associate producerStill, that ham though…
Originally from New Hampshire Bill came to Committee through an internship after having seen our work on TV and writing in with a letter entitled “Bill: Intern Extraordinaire”. We called him up and liked his voice and the faint “bahs” in the background. So, he came to Minnesota where we fell in professional, HR-compliant love with him as he worked on back-to-back TV specials. Knowing he had to be ours, we made him an offer he could refuse, but didn’t – Production Assistant #2.
But Bill was so much more than a number two. He’s the shit so we made him an Associate Producer! In his short time at c_f he has become a well-rounded employee capable of taking on any task he’s asked to do and providing comic relief in the spaces between.
In his spare time… well, I guess all the time… he is a nerd of the highest order. He loves to play video games, go to the Renaissance Festival (who doesn’t?), play something called “Catan” or whatever, play Magic The Gathering, and watch Lord of the Rings (his favorite movie) or Game of Thrones (his favorite show). As nerdy as this all is, he somehow makes it cool and we love him for that. Surprisingly, he also just got married… to a lady not a sheep!
Bill is also about 5’11”.

Zak Hanson
associate producerZak Hanson
associate producer
Cindy Barber
office managerCindy Barber
office managerI’m going to let that sink in for a second…
…just one second longer…
While not saving largish rodents from ravaging diseases, Cindy is into interior design and home décor. She once worked as a custom furniture designer AND as a buyer for Nordstrom where she was both buyer of the month and buyer of the year. At first I thought – how much did you spend!? – but then I read it again. Pretty cool.
All of this is aided by Cindy’s meticulous nature. She loves cleanliness, organization, even numbers, and symmetry. The perfect person to help organize a sometimes cluttered, random, and odd group of TV and Commercial makers!
In short, we would be lost without the unanimously voted MVP of Committee Films! There is also a high probability that without Cindy in this world, guinea pigs would be extinct too.

Courtney Reistad
assistant producerCourtney Reistad
assistant producer
Devin Meierding
post coordinatorDevin Meierding
post coordinatorOfficially, Devin is the Media Management Coordinator, but in reality he’s the Catch-All-Guy Extraordinaire. When he’s not helping to keep the media nice and tidy, driving gear around, making our calendars run smoothly or simultaneously troubleshooting fifteen random office tech issues, Devin can be found unwinding by taking selfies. You know, pictures of yourself, I mean himself, I mean yourself , if you’re Devin, or if even you’re just you… forget it.
At any rate, you should see his selfie collection – its amazing.
Devin's mastery of selfie snapshots stems from his general love of photography, film and images and that's why he's a great member of our team. Bottom line, we’re glad to have him on board and don’t think we could live without him. We're not sure if he feels the same about us, but he definitely can't do without the TV shows Glee and Heroes.

Jen Blanck
head research librarianJen Blanck
head research librarianJen is schooled in anthropology, airplane runway taxiing, hand modeling, camp counseling and fancy coffee drink making – though she’ll tell you herself she’s the worst barista ever. She also happens to have an MLIS degree. That’s the part that makes her a real deal librarian. After an eight-year stint working in a hospital library, she decided it was time to do something that made more use of all of her various skills and that’s when she started heading up Committee Films’ research department. It’s a place where she can both do research and do a little hand modeling from time to time. But, she’s not allowed to touch the coffee, except the Keurig.
Jen spearheads our many research needs, managing all of the information from that research and loves it almost as much as we love her. When she has free time, she doesn’t read nearly as many books as you might think a librarian reads. She loves to travel and spend time with her friends and family. Any other free moments are spent uploading and organizing all of her photos of her travels, friends and family.
If she could have a superpower, she’d love to make more of those moments. “I would like to be able to stop time. I would use this power for two purposes. First, during the best days, I would stop time to revel in the moment. Additionally, I would stop time to do stupid tasks like dishes and laundry.”
We’ll remember to not add dishes and laundry to the, er, laundry list of everything else she does for us.

Ryan Soule
designerRyan Soule
designerTurns out, Ryan is actually an extremely talented designer and master of Photoshop, so the execs at Committee decided he should be paid before it started to look like the company was in violation of labor laws. In addition to making his own films in his spare time, Ryan is an avid snowboarder, jazz connoisseur, and tree-fort builder. Seriously, you should see his tree fort.
Now that he's on board at Committee and lending his creative brain to all things design, we actually talk to him. We found out his favorite television guilty pleasure is Wife Swap, which he calls "excellent social experimentation." He also likes the Planet Earth documentary series, Misfits, NewsRadio, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
We've all stopped talking to him again.

Paul Hunter
assistant editorPaul Hunter
assistant editor
Kari Kloster
director of operations | EPKari Kloster
director of operations | EPBy this we concurrently mean that she specifically doesn’t have any sort of objectionable smell and that she actually can’t smell well. This is entirely due to what she calls a “freak childhood mishap.” Having a “freak childhood” mishap is super tough in and of itself, but check this out: Kari’s first job in television was covering sports – The NFL, MLB and NASCAR. She would never have actually gotten that job if she could smell. Have you ever been in a locker room?
Her sports gig ultimately led her to work for John Madden’s crew where her amazing production talents came face-to-face with her then very un-amazing football knowledge base. But with a great attitude, awesome skills and “Football for Dummies,” she went to the Super Bowl.
After that adventure, she boarded a plane to check out what to her was an even bigger matchup than the Super Bowl – figure skating at the 2002 Olympics! This fulfilled a lifelong dream for Kari, as she is an avid figure skater herself. Lifelong dream fulfilled, Kari thought, “Why not move back to Minnesota?” I mean, it is the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," and lakes become ice in the winter – perfect for her to skate on.
Turns out, Minnesota is the land of 10,000 other things too, meaning television series, and all of them wanted a Kloster. She started show running, and she ran fast.
She ran like 3 shows, was VP of a production company, and developed countless programs. In 2013, she fell in with Committee because we needed an awesome Show Runner ourselves! Since then she's moved on up and had a hand in all of our success, including ABC's hit docudrama series In An Instant, Travel Channel's Top of The World, the new HISTORY series True Monsters and upcoming specials Secrets of Einstein’s Brain, Nostradamus: 21st Century Prophecies Revealed, and Bigfoot Captured also for HISTORY.
All of this, just because Kari doesn’t smell.
who we work with
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14530 Martin Dr. Ste. 120
Minneapolis, MN 55344
952-448-9312
info@committeefilms.com