Theo Avgerinos is an LA-based, Greek-American film director. He has directed three independent feature films. His feature debut, Fifty Pills premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and stars Lou Taylor Pucci, Kristen Bell, Jane Lynch, Eddie Kay Thomas, and Michael Pena. His second feature, Americons, had a limited national release in AMC theaters.

The origins of Rising Hope can be found in Theo’s student documentary short from 2000, featuring Herron Wilson of Indianola, Mississippi and the non-profit mission work in his community.

Chris was born in New York City. Four decades later, he was blessed to be part of this film and collaborate with some truly inspiring individuals. Of his contributions to the fields of music, graphic design, and photography, he considers his cinematographic work on Rising Hope to be some of his most personal and resonating. He states:

“Hope is taking the pejorative ‘Thank God for Mississippi’ and reclaiming it: transforming its meaning to something positive – an affirmation. It is the courageous men and women who work tirelessly to better the human condition of their fellow statefolk, and in turn, all humanity.”

Lynn Appelle began her career taking by pictures of rock stars in Athens, GA. After building a multidimensional career spanning across film, tv, and commercials, she began working in production in NYC. In 2002, she won an Academy Award* for producing the Documentary short film Thoth.

Lynn has been a Line Producer/UPM/Producer for more than 20 years, working on productions such as Still Alice, Lizzie, Gimme Shelter, Urge, Lake City, Rob the Mob, Howl, and numerous others. Recently, she worked on the feature film The Poison Rose with John Travolta, Morgan Freeman and Famke Jannsen, and on the series I’m a Virgo for Amazon Studios.

Jacki Huntington is a filmmaker with a specialization in (and unabashed love of) documentary narratives. She previously worked as a producer at Refinery29 in New York City, where she piloted the unapologetically feminist, body positive video content that continues to influence the brand's video aesthetic. She grew up in rural North Carolina, studied journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a Master of Science from Harvard Medical School. She is currently producing a multimedia body of work about the global struggle for abortion access. She lives between Mexico and the United States.

Acclaimed composer Alex Wurman, recognized for his Emmy-winning score for the HBO film Temple Grandin lends his talents to the powerful new documentary, Rising Hope. His diverse filmography includes scores for the Academy award-winning March of the Penguins, and the cult classic, Anchorman.

Roderious Phillips is a photographer and filmmaker from Shaw, Mississippi. Roderious attended Mercer University, receiving his BA in Journalism and a minor in Media Studies. He now resides in Macon Georgia, where he works with Good Faith Media as an Associate Producer. Rod aims to capture human authenticity through portraits. As a photographer, he brings the personal conversations he has with his subjects to his artistry, transcending the moment to capture an entire story in a portrait. Rod's story as a first-generation college student and artist is featured in the film.

John is a seasoned content creator and event technical producer with a breadth in all production disciplines and event technologies and a focus on cinematography. He lives with his family in Wildwood, MO and regularly tours nationally in support of productions on and off the big screen.