 Dana’s first independent documentary film, Witch Hunt, opened to sell-out crowds at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2008. Dana and her creative partner Don Hardy captured the attention of Sean Penn, and after seeing a rough-cut of the film, he signed on to be narrator and executive producer. The team went on to sell Witch Hunt to MSNBC Films, win several film festival awards and garner critical acclaim for tackling the difficult subject of wrongful conviction. Dana’s second feature-length documentary, LOVE HATE LOVE, is due out in 2011. She co-directed both films with Don Hardy, through the production company they co-founded, KTF Films.
Witch Hunt was Dana’s first foray into independent documentary film after spending 13 years producing, directing, and writing for television news. As Special Projects Producer for the NBC affiliate in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dana won nearly every major award television news has to offer, including multiple Emmy awards, The Edward R. Murrow Award, The Associated Press award and The Radio and Television News Director Association award.
Dana has a Bachelor’s Degree from Trinity College in International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies and a Master’s degree in Journalism from New York University. She is the proud mother of three young children.
 Don Hardy knew at an early age he wanted to create documentary films. He was always a fan of compelling stories that exposed audiences to new thoughts, ideas and perspectives. Throughout his professional career he’s always worked toward turning that passion into action; producing relevant, sometimes quirky, always thought provoking work.
Prior to directing independent documentary films, Don Hardy spent more than a decade working as a television news photojournalist with FOX, ABC and NBC affiliates in New York, Florida and the San Francisco Bay Area. Don has won numerous awards for his photography and editing including 5 Emmys, 3 Edward R. Murrow Awards, 7 Associated Press Awards, the prestigious San Francisco Bay Area Photographer of the Year Award and more than 15 National Press Photographer Association Awards throughout his career.
Don’s first feature length documentary film, Witch Hunt, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2008 and was awarded the Grand Jury Award at the Washington DC Independent Film Festival and the Audience Award at Cinequest. Don served as Director, Director of Photography, and Editor on Witch Hunt. He served in the same capacity on his latest documentary film, LOVE HATE LOVE, due out in 2011. Don directed both films with his creative partner, Dana Nachman, through the production company they co-founded, KTF Films.
 Chelsea Matter joined KTF Films from producing the Discovery Network’s hit series, Build it Bigger. A graduate of Stanford University, Chelsea’s work has been seen on The History Channel, The Science Channel and A&E. She has traveled all over the world, producing high quality stories on low television budgets. Chelsea started her career in television journalism, working as a news writer at WGN-TV in Chicago and NBC-11 in the Bay Area, where she originally met directors Dana Nachman and Don Hardy. From them, she first learned about the power of true stories to motivate audiences profoundly and entice social change. That revelation began her path towards a career in documentary filmmaking. She is thrilled to be back in the Bay Area pursuing her passion with this talented team and making films that can change the world.
Chelsea graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Communication and a minor in Political Science. She lives in San Francisco with her wonderful husband, Kyle. In their spare time they enjoy cheering on the Stanford football team and exploring remote locations around the world. |
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