The Filmmakers

THE CREATIVE TEAM BEHIND BURN

TOM PUTNAM: DIRECTOR/PRODUCER

Tom Putnam’s short films and features have played over 400 film festivals and have been released worldwide. His projects for PBS include producing the critically acclaimed documentary feature Marwencol, winner of the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival and two Independent Spirit Awards. Other credits include the documentary Red White Black & Blue for the Emmy-winning PBS series “Independent Lens.” His short films include Broadcast 23, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and Tom Hits His Head, one of the most widely seen short films of all time. He also was named “One of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film” by Filmmaker magazine.

BRENNA SANCHEZ: PRODUCER/DIRECTOR

Detroit native Brenna Sanchez is a documentary filmmaker specializing in music, adventure and cultural projects. She got her start in as a writer and editor for the award-winning monthly magazines Orbit, Hour Detroit, and Raygun, the cutting-edge music magazine. She has worked on such films as Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues (PBS), The Highwaymen (CMT), The Joy of Lex (Discovery), The Cool School (PBS), about the LA art scene of the 1960s, SEARCH AND DESTROY: Iggy & The Stooges’ RAW POWER (Sony), and Johnny Cash’s America (Sony/A&E IndieFilms), which was nominated for a 2010 GRAMMY Award. BURN is her directorial debut.

DENIS LEARY: EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Denis Leary is a five-time Emmy nominee and the star of the critically acclaimed FX series Rescue Me about the lives of New York firefighters. He is also the founder and president of The Leary Firefighters Foundation, which provides funding and equipment to fire departments throughout the United States. Leary has acted in over 40 movies, including The Ref, Wag the Dog, Ice Age and the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man. His most recent book, Why We Suck, spent six months on the New York Times Bestseller List.

JIM SERPICO: EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Jim Serpico is President of Motion Pictures and Television at Apostle.  A native New Yorker, Serpico co-founded the production company in 1994 with producing partner Denis Leary. Serpico has produced several feature films, is currently executive producing the upcoming Marc Maron series on IFC and served as an executive producer on FX’s critically acclaimed Rescue Me.