Donald Griswold is an author, director, writer and producer.  His drive to write and create started early as he was an avid reader as a child.  While living in his childhood home in Rochester, New York, Donald Griswold was first published in The Weekly Reader as a 1^st grade student. 

Donald has lived in the Dallas, Texas area most of his life.  He graduated from the University of North Texas with a Bachelor of Arts in Radio, Television and Film, specializing in the narrative of film writing.  Since 1998, Donald has owned Dog Star Media, a boutique content marketing company with a national clientele of high-end small businesses. Professionally, Donald has written and directed narrative, comedic and marketing scripts for video and radio. Donald experience includes writing, directing and producing a wide range of video projects ranging from full-length DVD concepts to television commercials. He has ghost written a memoir for a notable figure in the field of engineering. 

Donald writes works of fiction and non-fiction and he published his first novel, Dying Light, in 2017.  Giving is of the main themes of Dying Light and, in researching the novel, Donald learned about the world of living organ donation.  Inspired by his readers’ comments, Donald chose to explore the realities of living kidney donation further through non-fiction programs produced for television and theatrical release.

In 2018, Donald opened Maitri River Productions, a non-fiction media production business to make media that inspires social change.   The documentary projects that grew out of the response to Dying Light include CrowdSource for Life, a one-hour special for PBS and Abundant, a five-episode series currently in development.  Donald is an executive producer, writer and the creative force behind these productions.  Through association with Laurie Lee, Maitri River Productions has provided guidance on the development of the podcast Donor Diaries.  Maitri River Productions has several productions also in development that address topics such as institutional racism, progressive movements and how we see the human body.

Donald has appeared in Oral Fixation, the critically acclaimed Dallas-based storytelling show.  In 2015, his story for the Push The Envelope show was voted by Best in Show and he performed the story in the annual Best of Season show.  Donald has also produced Word of Mouth, a live storytelling series, that hosted shows in Dallas and Atlanta.

Donald, some friends from high school, and local musician friends sometimes perform around Dallas as Driver 8.  Donald manages the band, plays guitar and sings lead vocals.  Donald is a long-time supporter of the arts in Dallas. He supports museums, local artists and live performance, especially ShakespeareDallas. Donald frequently visits the best Dallas-area music venues to support local musicians and live performance.

Donald lives in Downtown Dallas, not far from The Dallas Arts District.  He has two daughters and his family lives in the Dallas area.  Donald and his girlfriend, Libby, enjoy travelling (especially to the United Kingdom), cultural events, movies, music and family activities.

Laurie Lee, is from Hawthorn Woods, IL, and now lives in Algonquin, IL with her husband Rob Lee. Her passions include her family & friends, adventure travel, SCUBA diving, her pets, her business Swift Passport Services, the outdoors, and transplant.  Laurie is a non-directed kidney donor whose donation sparked a 6-person transplant chain on Nov 22, 2016.  She was compelled to become a donor after her father, Dan Dickinson, received a lifesaving liver transplant in 2011.  She has a solid track record if making a difference in the world of transplant.

Laurie is one of the original members of Northwestern Medicine’s Transplant Advisory Council, that powers Transplant Village, founded in 2011. Transplant Village is an inspired group of organ recipients, donors and their families is united in their mission to support the future of organ transplantation at Northwestern Medicine while connecting and supporting the transplant community. 

Laurie’s main role with Transplant Village is facilitating a monthly workshop called the Kidney Champion Program which teaches people who need a kidney different strategies to attract a living kidney donor.  Laurie was instrumental in creating and launching this program and has never missed a workshop since the program launched in 2018.

Laurie enjoys working on projects in the transplant world that make an impact!  Laurie and her friend Kate Griggs organized the  2018 Donor Rally in Chicago, IL which resulted in a Guinness World Record for the largest number of Living Organ Donors (410!) in one place.  The 40K that Laurie raised through this event was used to create a Living Donor Assistance Fund at Northwestern.  This fund covers expenses for living kidney donors that are not covered by the kidney recipient’s insurance.

Laurie is currently wholeheartedly invested in CrowdSource for Life and is a producer for the docuseries Abundant which explores the concept of abundance through stories of non-directed organ donation.  She believes this project is the catalyst that our society needs right now to pay attention and to act, so that people don’t have to die or suffer waiting for an organ transplant. Her podcast, Donor Diaries, was developed to support this project and its initiatives.  After six months, Donor Diaries already has thousands of downloads, and has even been shared by Al Roth, the economist who won a Nobel prize for using economic theory to create the modern day kidney exchange program.

Laurie is extremely interested in connecting with people who share her interest in flooding the donor pool, so that nobody has to wait for a life-saving transplant.  You can call her at 312.927.7655 or laurie@transplantvillage.org.

“I grew up with a camera in my hand and was always making little movies. Showing them to my Boy Scout Troop for fun. I realized from a young age that video is the most powerful tool to get an idea across. Video can do so much. It can entertain and educate. It can move someone to action or tears. That’s powerful and I love it. I’ve never wanted to do anything else but make great videos.”

Wyatt Cagle currently serves as CEO of South Coast Media Services with long-time collaborators Michael Bell and Bill Brauer after acquiring the business in 2019. As CEO, Wyatt helps to drive South Coast forward to cut technology and creativity in all aspects of video production. Onset, Wyatt fills the role of Director and Cinematographer (Director of Photography) for many of South Coast’s productions. Ensuring the vision and needs of South Coast’s clients are met. 

Starting in the film and TV production business in 1999, Wyatt Cagle has been all over the world developing his craft, contacts, and business models for the evolving video production market. As a novice, Wyatt was hired as a camera operator on a new series for Travel Channel Europe, "Underground,” providing a unique opportunity to work throughout Europe. Returning as a veteran, he dove into the world of large-scale commercial production and feature film production, with companies like POV, Inc. of Houston, and Somnio Solutions out of Austin. Wyatt is an award-winning editor, cinematographer, and director Wyatt has completed several multi-award winning independent film projects, television series, and advertising campaigns including the development of Team Baby Entertainment (TBE), developing and directing for the popular PBS show Profiles with Greg Scheinman and the establishment of his own production company, CGL Studios and has since completed several multi-award-winning independent film projects including a historical film, “The Example”, that is currently distributed on Amazon Prime Video.

“Many video production companies don’t stand the test of time, but South Coast has. South Coast stood through the decades because it had integrity. I joined the team because I felt it was important to keep that legacy alive. Houston’s film and video production community need to have a local company that does things the right way. That leads as an example of how to do video right. Doing right by our clients, our crews, and our community. That’s South Coast and I’m honored to be the steward of that.”