Founded three years ago by Rick Rosenthal, Whitewater Films is dedicated to helping new filmmakers find their voices while also helping established filmmakers fund their passion projects. We believe that tempering strong creativity and vision with over 25 years of production experience forges a business model that is very attractive in today's marketplace of mega-budget movies.

The combination of passion, enthusiasm and insight enables Whitewater Films to produce movies that have as their signature, a strong script, riveting performances from ensemble casts, an attention to detail not commonly found in smaller films and a visual look that belies the films' budgets.

While recognizing that the movie business is a business, the philosophy of the company is that a work of art and a work of commerce can be combined in the same project without sacrificing objectives on either side of the aisle.

With a hands-on, fiercely independent approach, we welcome others who share our vision.


The Whitewater Films Team

RICK ROSENTHAL (President)

An old pro with bad knees, Rosenthal has been directing films since the 1980s, with credits like the hard-hitting drama BAD BOYS, starring Sean Penn, the hilariously bittersweet romantic comedy AMERICAN DREAMER, starring JoBeth Williams, Tom Conti and Giancarlo Giannini, as well as the heart-warming, Emmy-winning, ABC television series LIFE GOES ON, starring Patti LuPone, Bill Smitrovich, Chris Burke and Kellie Martin.

After graduating cum laude from Harvard with a degree in Visual and Environmental Studies, Rosenthal got his start as a documentary filmmaker for PBS’ New Hampshire Network.  He then came West as a young man to attend the American Film Institute, where his half-hour short, MOONFACE, based on a Jack London short story, found its way onto PBS.

En route to settling in Los Angeles, Rosenthal also worked as a metal sculptor, a cabdriver, a carpenter, an assistant to a U.S. Senator, a deckhand on an 82 foot ketch in the Caribbean and a tennis pro on the French Riviera.

Committed to helping new filmmakers find a voice, Rick’s production company, Whitewater Films, launched its banner by producing MEAN CREEK, which marked the directing debut of Jacob Estes. The film was selected by Sundance Festival in 2004, included in the Directors Fortnight at Cannes and sold to Paramount Classics and Focus Films International.

Two years ago, Rosenthal’s coming of age film, NEARING GRACE, starring Gregory Smith, Jordana Brewster, David Morse and Ashley Johnson premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival and he returns now as the producer of KABLUEY, Scott Prendergast’s feature debut which stars Lisa Kudrow, Christine Taylor, Teri Garr, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Chris Parnell.

Rosenthal made his feature film debut with HALLOWEEN II and 20 years later returned to helm HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION, starring Busta Rhymes, Bianca Kajlich, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

His other feature credits include the indie JUST A LITTLE HARMLESS SEX, which premiered at the LA-AFI Festival and starred Alison Eastwood, Jonathan Silverman, Lauren Hutton, Kimberly Williams and Rachel Hunter; the pre-Glasnost film RUSSKIES, which starred Whip Hubley, Joaquin Phoenix (then known as Leaf) and Susan Walters, the post-Vietnam drama DISTANT THUNDER, which starred John Lithgow and Ralph Macchio: and Showtime’s taut mystery thriller DEVLIN, which starred Bryan Brown, Roma Downey and Lloyd Bridges.

In addition to directing the ground-breaking pilot of “Life Goes On,” Rosenthal was the co-executive producer of the series for the first two seasons. He has continued to work in television as well as features, serving as a director on such diversely popular network shows as “Tru Calling”, “Smallville”, “Buffy”, “Law & Order: SVU,”  “Providence,” “Crossing Jordan” and “The Practice”, among others.  He recently helmed the two-hour pilot of FLASH GORDON which will debut this summer on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Rosenthal has served as chair of the Directing Program at the American Film Institute’s Center for Advanced Film and Television Studies where his students included Patty Jenkins ("Monster"), Brian Dannelly ("Saved") and Jacob Estes ("Mean Creek"). He has also taught at the International Film and Television Workshops in Maine where his students included Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Amores Perros"). 

GARY DEAN SIMPSON (Writer/Producer)

Gary Dean graduated from the American Film Institute in 1996 with an MFA in Screenwriting.  His thesis script SOMEDAY COMES PARADISE won the distinguished AFI Screenwriter Program Award and lead to collaboration work with Rick Rosenthal on multiple projects.  Gary Dean has written and developed a dark thriller RAZOR, a sci-fi adventure FREEZE and is currently re-writing LEVITTOWN --a production-in-waiting at Whitewater Films.

Sharing a common vision for passionate, character-driven journeys, Gary Dean joined the team at WW Films in early 2006 as a Producer of KABLUEY.  Simpson brings a vast background of life experience to story development and production execution.  With an undergraduate degree in engineering, Magna Cum Laude honors, he worked and lived in the international business world … London, Dubai, Jakarta and Greenland.  Back at home, Gary Dean represented an S&P 500 corporation on Wall Street.  Then, as an entrepreneur, he co-founded several private enterprises.  Simpson grew up on the beaches of Texas, windsurfing, fishing and boating.  His family, with wife Corinne and three young children, are avid travelers, sport-sters and fun-seekers.

DOUG SUTHERLAND (COO / Producer)

Doug Sutherland attended the University of Victoria where he majored in International Business and earned a Bachelors of Commerce Degree with Distinction.  After completing his degree, Doug spent a year working in Vancouver on the hit Warner Bros’ series “Smallville” and Nickolodeon’s “Little Romeo.” 

Sutherland joined Whitewater Films after meeting Rick Rosenthal on the set of “Smallville” in 2003.  Sutherland worked on Whitewater’s first feature film, Mean Creek, which was selected by the Sundance Film Festival and included in the Directors Fortnight at Cannes.  Mean Creek sold to Paramount Classics/Focus Features.  The company’s second feature, Nearing Grace, directed by Rosenthal, premiered at the 2005 Los Angeles Film Festival to rave reviews.  Sutherland headed physical production on Nearing Grace and was credited as associate producer. 

In the spring of 2006, Sutherland served as a producer for Whitewater Films on Kabluey, director Scott Pendergrast’s first feature film.  Kabluey attracted a stellar cast including Lisa Kudrow, Christine Taylor, Teri Garr, Chris Parnell and Jeffery Dean Morgan.

Sutherland is currently in pre-production on Whitewater Films’ fourth feature, Greta.  Greta, a character driven coming of age story, will be Nancy Bardawil’s first feature film after a successful run in the commercial and video world.  Filming begins in New Jersey in the Fall of 2007.

VALESKA RAMET (Senior Vice-President)

Valeska recently walked into the compound at Whitewater Films, met Rick Rosenthal, saw his vision, his movies and met the rest of his crew--she never left. She is now Senior Vice-President at the company, overseeing a development/production slate of character-driven films marked by unique, commercial themes and A-list talent. Valeska will also produce THE DICTATOR’S DAUGHTER, a female spy project in development with Kate Winslet attached to star that Bronwen Hughes will direct. Also in the works is a book-to-film adaptation of Lolly Winston's HAPPINESS SOLD SEPARATELY starring Julia Roberts, an Eva Mendes project called YOU LOOK NICE TODAY (based on the book by Stanley Bing, to be written by Neil Cohen,) and a re-make of Kurosawa’s 1952 classic, IKIRU, to be produced DreamWorks in Spring 2008 with Tom Hanks attached to star. Prior to Whitewater Films, Valeska worked at Stone Village Pictures and with Director Brad Silberling at Reveal Entertainment. Valeska started her career in the New York film community at Miramax and then Universal Pictures, where she established lasting relationships with talent and publishers that would later complement her move to Los Angeles.

VIVAN DUGRE (Associate Producer)

Vivan started as in intern with Whitewater Films in an attempt to simply learn more about how films are made. She was instantly hooked on the process as well as the folks at Whitewater....and has now been with the company for nearly 3 years. She graduated from the NYU’s Stern School of Business, with a focus in musical theater in the School of Education. She continues to pursue acting as well as producing.

BERT KERN (Associate)

MAX LAVINE (Associate)

Max Lavine joined Whitewater films in June, 2007. After moving to Los Angeles in early 2006 from his hometown of Austin, Texas, Max began working at Industry Entertainment where he gained valuable experience working in literary and talent management and as an assistant to the producers of "Masters of Horror" for Showtime and "Masters of Science Fiction" for ABC. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English, Cum Laude, from Middlebury College in 2005 where he also wrote and co-produced the award-winning student film Dumb Luck.