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Matt Petterson
Matt Petterson is one of Companion’s rising stars. Interested in tinkering with electronics and video doo-dads since childhood, Matt parlayed this quirk into a livelihood thanks to his training at Fairfield University.
In school, Matt took full advantage of the academic curriculum to learn anything and everything he could. After a varied and confusing course of study, his crowning achievement was the successful premiere of his thesis “DMV.” This short musical about sticking it to the man was written, directed, edited, and composed by Matt. Matt has lived in New York and Florence. 
Dennis Donovan
Dennis Donovan, an avid Boston sports fan, was born in Massachusetts and raised in New England for most of his life. Inspired by filmmaking at an early age, Dennis attended Fairfield University in Connecticut. Through his time at the university, he became very passionate about cinematography, directing, and editing. He served as director of photography on many films, taking the time to master several cameras, including the RED One. After working closely with a number of colleagues at school, Dennis realized the potential such a group could bring to the industry. He created the name Companion Pictures, which would ultimately lead to the eventual founding of the company.
Always determined to take his work and skill to the next level, Dennis draws inspiration from many genres of film and television including sci-fi, action adventures, and thrillers.-

Robert Cammisa
Robert Cammisa, born and raised in Connecticut, he knew at a very young age that he wanted to make films. In pursuit of achieving his childhood dream, Robert attended the Film program at Fairfield University where he directed and produced six films throughout the course of his four years of study. After gaining recognition for his direction and his desire to produce, Robert alongside Dennis Donovan had an early interest in the other members of Companion that would ultimately serve as the foundation for what the company is today. Robert has had the opportunity to not only produce and direct narratives but also travel all over the world to film documentaries in Thailand, Australia and Nicaragua. A constant yearning to learn about other cultures and better understand humanity keeps him in pursuit of filmmaking and creating moments on screen that others can relate to and learn from.

Ashley Momtaheni
Ashley received a degree in Film from Fairfield University and has just recently begun to continue her cinema studies at New York University. Prior to her college graduation, Ashley moved to Los Angeles in pursuit of learning more about the entertainment industry. There she would work for Lin Pictures as Dan Lin's assistant and walk away with one of the best and most rewarding experiences of her life. She has worked on films such as Terminator Salvation and Sherlock Holmes and assisted on the television show, The Good Wife. Alongside her partners, Ashley maintains company balance and business relations. She also works with the creative team on developing and producing projects that highlight and represent what it means to be human. Ashley is passionate about creating identifiable and relatable moments for the everyday person on screen and believes film to not only be a great escape but also one of the most fascinating ways to identify with reality.
Ashley grew up in Scarsdale, New York and currently resides in New York City with her beloved little Pomeranian, Lola.
Patrick Hendrickson
Patrick Hendrickson was born and raised outside the city of Chicago. Chance landed him at Fairfield University where he met and graduated with the future founders of Companion Pictures. During his four years at Fairfield, Patrick worked as a writer, director, and cinematographer on many student productions. Most of his experience has been with narrative shorts but he is currently and enthusiastically pursuing various music video projects. Stories about heroism and human triumph inspire Patrick in everything he does. However, it is the darker side of human nature that he finds most fascinating. This complexity is what makes the human condition so interesting to portray on film.

Jim Mayzik
Jim Mayzik, a native New Yorker, received an MFA in Film from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and has worked in film and video for a number of years. He has produced, written and directed many award-winning narrative, documentary and educational programs, many of which have been screened and broadcast nationally. He is the director of Fairfield University’s Media Center, and has developed it into one of the leading academic production centers within the Northeast. He is a professor of film and television in Fairfield’s New Media Film, Television and Radio program—a program which he originated and developed at Fairfield. Jim is interested in using film to tell stories about important human moments—often seemingly ordinary-- which uniquely and creatively explore ideas of substance and transcendence.

Phil Toran
Phil Toran was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Upon graduating Needham High School, Phil realized his wildly growing passion for film and imagery, and thus went on to develop this desire at Fairfield University's New Media Program. Phil has since found himself exploring the art of visualization through photography and film. Life as seen through the lens has become the core of what Phil believes to be the center of filmmaking. In his four years at the University, Phil acquired a tremendous amount of experience working on numerous film projects as Director of Photography, and exploring the possibilities of light and cinematography. Post graduation, Phil has combined his educational background in marketing and music, with his extensive portfolio of cinematography to acquire a presence both on and off the set in the industry. When he is not with a camera or reading through a script, Phil enjoys ice hockey, frozen lemonade, hand making his own skim boards, and the beautiful world around him.
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Jamie Destefano
Born in Manhattan and raised in Carmel, New York, James “Jamie” DeStefano was intrigued by video at an early age—constantly volunteering to film home movies with his father's camcorder. Jamie's ascent into the world of film began with creating various projects for Kennedy Catholic High School's TV station and taping the season of the school's varsity basketball team of 2003 - 2004. From that point on, he would dive into video and film production and ultimately have two award-winning shorts to his name: Red Light Green Light and Waking the Foal. Upon graduating Summa cum Laude from Fairfield University with a degree in Film, Jamie has strengthened his knowledge of writing, directing, and editing.
When Jamie is not working with film, he enjoys singing, sports, writing, photography, and exercise.
