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Baker Boys - Inside The Surge
Baker Boys - Inside The Surge, a Documentary by Jon Steele No war in the history of mankind has been more covered by the media than the Iraq War. Amazingly, the cumulative effect of the coverage has been an endless recitation of the same information over and over again. A steady tabulation of body counts, tens of billions of dollars, and political blunders branded to garner ratings for mainstream media.
What the documentary series “Baker Boys” achieves is quite simply the most accurate, honest and unfettered look at what the much-heralded “Surge” in Iraq really looks like on the ground -- from the point of view and in the words of the soldiers who fight in it. We have not seen this before! “Baker Boys” delivers details and insight into the U.S. Army’s counter-insurgency effort in Iraq that will be the blueprint for the new efforts of the Obama administration in Afghanistan.
Across four 60 minute episodes, “Baker Boys” takes us straight into the heart of an Al Qaeda hotbed a few kilometers outside of Baghdad, for the last 90 days of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry battalion, Baker Company’s tour of duty. The series follows the men from this farthest outpost in enemy terrain until they return back home to Fort Benning, Georgia, and then chronicles the “war inside” that they bring home in the form of post traumatic stress, suicidal tendencies and emotional scars -- the inevitable result of being a combat soldier.
This extraordinary turn of events is documented by the world class, award winning cameraman, Jon Steele, who also narrates the series. For 25 years, Jon has covered every conflict and crisis on the planet as the lead combat cameraman for the international news agency ITN. His lens has captured the stories in Gaza, Somalia, Chechnya, Rwanda, Burma, Haiti, Kosovo, Lebanon, Iraq and over 20 other conflicts.
Among the thousands of hours of combat stories Jon has shot and aired, Baker Boys is his magnum opus. Jon filmed 90 continuous days at the most forward combat outpost, the longest embedment of any reporter in the entire war to date. He developed an uncommon level of trust among the soldiers, and an unprecedented level of access from the Army’s commanders. The resulting interviews with the soldiers toward the end of the 90 days are more like confessionals. What the boys tell to Jon’s camera is so deeply personal, they can’t even say these things to their own wives and parents. Company credits
Kern Konwiser is a writer, director and producer of award-winning theatrical films, documentaries, cable and network movies & series, new media, live events and dance.
Kern Konwiser has collaborated with industry’s most influential artists and pioneers, including Quincy Jones, Magic Johnson, Peter Guber, Laurence Fishburne, Oliver Stone, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, Chuck D among many others. Frequently working in partnership with his brother Kip, Kern brings a combination of business savvy and artistic talent to every project.
Among his award-winning credits are the HBO film “Miss Evers’ Boys” (winner of 5 Emmy Awards, 3 NAACP Image Awards, The Humanitas Prize and the Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award, among many others); the documentary film “On Hallowed Ground” (winner of Sports Emmy Award for Best Documentary, winner of Gold Medal at New York Film Festival); the feature film “Shanghai Kiss” (winner of Gold Angel Award at the Chinese American Film Festival); the documentary film “Crossover” (winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Worldfest Houston International Film Festival); a series of commercials for the non-profit educational group Cable In The Classroom (winner of multiple Cine Golden Eagle Awards, among others); the interactive music documentary “Herbie Hancock Presents Living Jazz” (winner of Gold CINDY Award, nominated for a Peabody Award); and the feature film “Dallas 362” (winner of the Cinevegas Film Festival), among others.
Jon Steele Bio
Presently: Gained unique and uncensored access to Baker Company of the 1/15 Infantry while posted on the Iraqi battlefield. Spent months embedded with the troops filming their daily life from sunup to sundown, capturing their feelings and emotions in a series of confessional-styled interviews. Currently being edited into four one-hour doco series titles The Baker Boys to run on HDNet in January 2010 in USA.
Also…shot, edited and directed 45 documentary My Jerusalem, based on the memories of Palestinian refugees who lost their homes in the ’48 war. Film entered in Sundance Film Festival, 2010.
2007: Shot, edited and directed No Shoof Camera, for the Royal Film Commission of Jordan. A fifty-five minute doco built around the true and funny events of an Italian film company (who spoke no Arabic) who hired three thousand Jordanians (who spoke no Italian) along with herds of sheep and goats, horses and camels, to film an epic feature length film about the Holy Family (script in English).
2004-2007: Authored The Watchers, a mystical noir novel set in an 800 year old gothic cathedral in Lausanne, Switzerland. Currently in editing/represented by Capelland, UK.
2003-2005: Authored Saddamistan, a story of love and war, a novel set in Baghdad in the final weeks leading to Iraq war when the TV news media betrayed all it stood for. Currently in editing/represented by Capelland, UK.
2000-2003: Authored, War Junkie. Published worldwide in Commonwealth Nations by Random House, UK. Translated in Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark.
1998-2003: Cameraman/Editor/Producer, ITN Middle East Bureau.
Researched, shot, edited stories from the Middle East Region. Also assigned to stories in Africa, Asia and Europe. On the ground stories include: Al Aqsa Intifada on the West Bank, Gaza and Israel. Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon, 1998 American and British attacks on Iraq, Sixteen trips into Iraq covering effects of sanctions and political developments leading to collapse of the regime of Saddam Hussein, American missile attacks on Khartoum, Turkish earthquake. Funerals of King Hussein of Jordan and President Assad of Syria, Pool Cameraman for Pope John Paul II’s visit to the Middle East. Extended assignments: Second Chechen/Russian War, Struggle for Independence and subsequent invasion of East Timor, Plight of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, Selected as pool cameraman for British led NATO invasion and occupation of Kosovo, Cyclone devastation in Orissa Province of India, Famines in Ethiopia.
1994-1998: Cameraman/Editor/Producer, ITN Asia Bureau.
Researched shot, edited stories from Asia. On the ground stories include: British Handover of Hong Kong to China, Extensive coverage of social/cultural/political developments in urban/rural regions of Mainland China, Funeral of Deng Chou Peng, Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the counter offensive led by General Massoud, Pakistan/Indian conflict in Kashmir, Political instability in Indonesia, Threat of Chinese invasion of Taiwan, National elections in Taiwan/India/Pakistan, political and social struggles in Burma and Cambodia.
1991-1994: Cameraman/Editor/Producer, ITN Moscow Bureau.
Researched, shot, edited stories from Russia and the Former Soviet Union. Also assigned to stories in Europe and Africa. On the ground stories include: First Chechen/Russian War, Revolution of Russian Parliament in Moscow and subsequent attack on the Parliament by Boris Yeltsin, Economic collapse of Russia and dissolution of the Former Soviet Union, Civil conflicts in Georgia/Tajikistan/Armenia/Azerbaijan. Extended assignments: Three tours in Bosnian War, ethnic slaughter of nearly one million Tutsi in Rwanda, Cholera epidemic in Goma, selected as British Pool Camera crew for HM Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Tour of Russia.
1982-1991: ITN Cameraman/Editor/Soundman Washington Bureau.
Member of the White House Press Corps with Secret Service security clearance for White House pass 1983-1992. Traveled extensively through the United States and overseas with Presidents Reagan/Bush/Clinton (during first election campaign). Also shot and edited news stories from the United States and Latin America. On the ground stories include: National Elections in the USA (3). National elections in Mexico/Canada, Chile/Haiti, US invasion of Panama, civil strife and elections in Haiti, Mexico City earthquake, Cocaine drug Cartels in Columbia.
1980-1982: Freelance Radio Producer. Write and produce entertainment and commercial items for broadcast. Finalist for CLIO Award (Advertising Oscars), 1980.
1976-1980: Production Director, KBCO-FM, Boulder, Colorado. Responsible for all entertainment and commercial production (content and quality) for on-air broadcast. Programmed and hosted program five nights per week. (slot always highly rated in Arbitron ratings).
1975-1976: Midday program host, KADE-FM, Boulder, Colorado. Hosted daily music program, six days per week.
Major Awards: BAFTA (part of four team awards), Royal Television Society Cameraman of the Year and International Story of the Year (short listed as finalist three times), 1994 & 1999 Monte Carlo Golden Nymph Award, New York Television Festival Silver Medal, several International Emmy nominations, Citation for Bravery from Press Club de France, Nominated for CLIO Award (advertising Oscars), International Radio Festival of New York for Intervention Day ‘Grand Award for Best Entertainment Program of the Year’ (co-written and directed with Richard Ray and Jeremy McCaleb for KBCO FM, Boulder, Colorado).
Kern Konwiser Bio:
In 2008, Kern joined forces with GigaPix Studios to collaborate on numerous feature films, documentaries and TV series projects. To date, the partnership has yielded the acclaimed documentary series “Baker Boys” (produced in association with the U.S. Army, premiering on HDNet), and the theatrical kids film “Blackbeard” starring Ron Perlman and Christopher Lloyd, the first in a franchise of kids movies.
In 2007, Kern was commissioned to write the script for the Oliver Stone feature film “Escobar”. Kip is attached to produce the film, which is set to shoot in Puerto Rico where the Konwisers have a local production company.
In 2006, Kern directed the Lifetime Television movie, “Island Heat: Stranded” starring Erica Durance (“Smallville”, Butterfly Effect 2).
Also in 2006, Kern co-directed the independent feature film, “Shanghai Kiss”, a romantic comedy starring Ken Leung (“Inside Man”, “Rush Hour”), Kelly Hu (“The Scorpion King”), Hayden Pannittere (NBC’s “Heroes”) and Joel David Moore (“Dodgeball”, “Avatar”). The film was distributed by Anchor Bay and earned three film festival awards: Best Actress (Hayden Panettiere) at the Newport Beach Film Festival; Special Jury Prize for Best Acting (Ken Leung) at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival; and the Gold Angel Award at the Chinese American Film Festival.
In the Winter of 2005, the Konwisers wrote, produced and directed multiple projects for Burton Snowboards and Mandalay Entertainment. The largest of the projects is a feature length documentary that redefines the genre of outdoors sports films traveling the globe with the Burton pro riders, including Olympic gold medalist Shawn White, for over a year. As well, the brothers delivered a snowboard event special that aired on NBC in April 2005.
In 2004, Kern was 2nd unit director on the feature film “Animal,” starring Ving Rhames, Terrence Howard, Chazz Palmenteri, Jim Brown and distributed worldwide by Blockbuster. As well, he co-produced the independently financed feature film, “Smile”, starring Mika Boorem, Beau Bridges, Sean Astin, Cheri Oteri., and filmed in Los Angeles and Shanghai, China. “Smile” was distributed theatrically in April 2005 and released on home video/DVD by Universal Screen Media.
Also in 2004, Kern completed “Crossover”, a documentary for Showtime Networks, in partnership with Nike, and Executive Producers Magic Johnson and Penny Marshall. Narrated by hip hop pioneer Chuck D, the film explores the global explosion of the game of basketball and its cultural impact around the world. The show premiered on Showtime in the Summer of 2004 and won the Grand Jury Prize at the Worldfest Houston International Film Festival.
In 2003, Kern was commissioned by Clear Channel to write the Broadway music entitled “Step Up” set against the backdrop of rushing a fraternity.
Also in 2003, Kern co-produced the independently financed feature film “Dallas 362”, written by, directed by and starring Scott Caan (
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