About Us

Three-time Emmy® winners Mark Pedri and Carrie McCarthy are a producing and directing duo that have created more than ten films in the last decade. Born out of their endless curiosity, their movies often take off in their home state of Wyoming to explore people and places all over the world, from Los Angeles to France, Germany, Italy, and Hong Kong. 

​Deeply character-driven, their stories are infused with Mark and Carrie’s love for the outdoors and their fascination with science – both areas in which they are expertly trained.

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​Impact & Reach

​Burning Torch Productions has successfully secured diverse and impactful distribution channels for its films. Through US national distributors such as NETA and the World Channel, our documentaries have had national reach through PBS stations via broadcast and streaming. We have also seen success with digital distribution, for example with GAIAM TV for our film A Movement of Movement and Kanopy with Dear Sirs.

The international relevance of our films has been recognized beyond film festivals to include international impact screening tours funded by US Embassies as well as worldwide digital and broadcast distribution. The most recent example of which, Dear Sirs ran a 65-city international impact screening tour, national broadcast in the US, and international distribution through ScorpionTV. We have also had success in the educational market as an owner-member of New Day Films.

A few of our partners

Mark Pedri
​Founder, Writer, Director

Mark is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and writer from Southwestern Wyoming. His character-driven style of storytelling is reminiscent of his equally unique upbringing in Wyoming. Mark’s journey has been guided by the stories he tells. His thirst for truth and storytelling go hand in hand, which has given him the opportunity to make films in some of the furthest corners of the planet. In addition to his own writing and directing career, Mark also has a special interest in supporting new voices within the film and television industry. During his tenure at Sundance Institute in the Feature Film and Episodic Programs, he focused on ushering underrepresented artists into the industry by helping them hone their craft and develop their own personal stories. Mark holds an MA in Communication & Journalism from the University of Wyoming and an MFA in Producing for TV and Film from the University of Southern California. ​

​Carrie McCarthy
​Producer, Scientist, Creative Executive

Carrie is a scientist turned producer. She got her start working as a scientific film consultant before going on to earn a PhD in Materials Chemistry from the University of Southern California. Funded by the National Science Foundation, her research has been published in several peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences worldwide.
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Carrie has produced two feature documentaries and several short films. ​She is driven by her endless curiosity to hunt down engaging stories with a unique perspective and has a critical eye for detail in the true-life stories she develops. Carrie is currently based in Wyoming developing and producing documentary, feature, and episodic content.

Collaborators

Helena Vilaplana
​Producer

Helena is a film and TV executive with experience in the US and Europe. She has worked across development, acquisitions, and content curation at organizations like HBO, Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, Audible, Vertigo Entertainment, and the European Commission’s MEDIA program. She has an MFA in Production for Film, Television & New Media from the University of Southern California, is a LaCaixa fellow, a Berlinale Talents alumna, and a member of BAFTA and Women in Film. Helena is a producer on two upcoming films with Burning Torch Productions, Mountain Roots and Sharon Runs the World.​

Rebecca Ballard
​Producer

Rebecca is a producer with 10 years of experience in the entertainment industry in the US and the UK. Her extensive portfolio as a producer for unscripted television includes Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted for National Geographic, Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper for National Geographic Wild and Expedition X for Discovery Channel. Rebecca’s earlier production work includes films like Life starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds and Wakefield starring Bryan Cranston. Rebecca is a graduate of the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California’s School for Cinematic Arts. She is passionate about developing uplifting stories told through unique perspectives.  ​She has recently collaborated with Burning Torch Productions on the upcoming Afar and Below for PBS.

Hussain Currimbhoy
​Producer

Hussain is a film programmer and producer. He has programmed international film, documentaries and interactive experiences for Sundance Film Festival, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Nordisk Panorama and some of the biggest film festivals in Australia. ​Hussain was born in Canada, and has spent time living and working in Australia, Japan, the USA, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the UK. After graduating from the Victorian College of Art in 2002 he wrote and directed several short films, many of which have played at international film festivals. His latest collaboration with Burning Torch Productions is LIGO: The Way The Universe Is, I Think.

Calvin Maserow
​Producer, Creative Consultant

Our resident lawyer-turned-filmmaker, Calvin is a former attorney and television producer from Cape Town, South Africa. With a special eye for developing material and discovering emerging talent, Calvin acts as our go-to creative consultant and co-producer. ​Calvin graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from the famed Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California’s School for Cinematic Arts. His primary interests lie in commercial scripted material and other forms of pop-culture.

In The News

​​​Top 10 World War II Films for Libraries and Classrooms ​– Video Librarian

Boosting the Creative Economy (Interview)  – University of Wyoming UWYO Magazine

​Documentary About Wyoming World War II POW Wins Three Emmys​ ​– Cowboy State Daily

PBS Documentary Brings Wyoming’s Trona Miners to the Big Screen (Interview) – WyomingNews.com

Shining a Light on Trona (Interview)   – Green River Star

​​​UW Announces WIP Creative Economy Start Up Challenge Winners ​– University of Wyoming

​​​Rock Springs Film Production Company Wins Three Emmys and $25K Start-Up Award ​– Sweetwater Now

​Military Archive Dive: Secrets of How to Research Your Veteran's History ​– AARP

​Wyoming PBS Takes Home Pair of Heartland Emmys ​– County10.com

​POW's Grandson Captures in Film A Story Never Before Told ​– American Legion

​New Releases from New Day - 2024 Winter Edition ​– New Day Films

"Dear Sirs" Filmmakers (Interview 5/26/23) – Wyoming Chronicle (PBS)

​On Set: New Documentary retraces journey of Wyoming prisoner of war during World War II ​– 891Khol.org