Producers Bios

    Eric Weisinger 

Eric has been in involved in the wine industry for over 20 years, most of that time as winemaker.  He was a founding member and past President of the Southern Oregon Winery Association, a former member of the Ashland Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and southern Oregon Representative for the Oregon State Wine Board Marketing Committee.  He holds degrees from both the University of Oregon and the University of Freiburg, Germany.  Eric currently travels between the northern and southern hemispheres working harvests in order to gain a better understanding of the global wine industry. In between harvests, Eric consults with new wineries on winemaking and production design.  As the “Traveling Winemaker”, Eric has been a contributing writer to Oregon Wine Press magazine where he writes about his travels throughout the world of wine.  Eric brings to the company not only his vast knowledge of winemaking, viticulture and the wine industry, but also his wine connections throughout the world. When not making wine, Eric likes to spend his free time in the jungle of Belize.

   Jim Mau 

Jim is a former principle and executive in two biotechnology companies. His responsibilities there encompassed R&D of a product line for the diagnosis of enteric pathogens, manufacturing process development and validation, Quality Control and oversight of regulatory matters. He is currently the founding principle in a bioscience industry development corporation overseeing the establishment of several industry development projects. Jim is a scientist who in his studies of disease ecology has witnessed the development of global climate change over the past twenty-five years by its effects upon the biology and ecology of disease causing organisms. He has a unique understanding of the consequences global climate change can have on the health of entire ecological systems and the potential devastating affect climate change presents for human health worldwide. 

   Calvin Kennedy, DP

Calvin states his objective to be “As a Storyteller… to tell the next incredible story.” Calvin has been a Director & Director of Photography since 1985 and is Owner of Freedom Film & Video, a Production Company and Rental House which he established in 1994. He has numerous titles to his credit in long format, commercial television, corporate production and music videos. As owner of Freedom Film & Video, Mr. Kennedy has all of the equipment (not to mention the experience) to fully produce the HD production requirements demanded.

   Julie Kennedy 

Julie joins the team with a Graduate education and extensive background in all aspects of film and video production. Her experience comes from a variety of arenas to include broadcast media, PR/MarCom, public education and theatre.  Julie also knows and understands the importance of the Balance Sheet and ensures the financial foundations of the company. She is presently a partner in Freedom Film & Video and acts as the chief financial authority there.  Julie's innate sensibilities, charisma and refined communication skills, combined with her training in theatre and television also make her a welcome addition in front of the camera.

   Gregory V. Jones, Ph.D.   Main Scientific Talent

Professor, Department of Environmental Studies

Southern Oregon University Ashland, OR 97520

Education: Ph.D. and B.A. – Environmental Sciences (concentration in Climatology), University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, September 1991 to September 1997. Ph.D. awarded January 1998. Dissertation: Synoptic Climatological Assessment of Viticultural Phenology in Bordeaux, France. (Dr. Robert E. Davis, Advisor).

Teaching: Associate Professor, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR Physical Geography, Weather and Climate, Climatology, Research Methods, Quantitative Methods for Geographers, Global Change Issues, Geography of Latin America, Map Analysis, Cartography, Geographic Information Systems. 1997-present, promoted to full Professor Fall 2005.

Research: Gregory V. Jones is a research climatologist at Southern Oregon University. His research interests include climatology, hydrology, and agriculture; phenology of plant systems; biosphere and atmosphere interactions; climate change; and quantitative methods in spatial and temporal analysis. He is considered to be the world’s foremost authority on climate, viticulture, and wine. He has been invited as a keynote speaker in nearly every major wine region in the world, giving hundreds of international, national, and regional presentations on wine-related research. In addition, he is the author of numerous book chapters, reports, and articles on wine economics, grapevine phenology, site assessment methods for viticulture, climatological assessments of viticultural potential, and climate change. He also conducts applied research for the grape and wine industry in Oregon.

2 Degrees Above Normal

Ashland, OR

(541) 482-5179

Email: 2 Degrees Above Normal

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