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Passions Film

The compilation of all 13 song videos from the Passions CD

  • Jonathan Sprout
    Director
    Grammy Nomination
  • Rodney Whittenberg
    Director
    co-producer of Caregivers, Emmy Award winner
  • Jonathan Sprout
    Writer
    Grammy Nomination
  • Rodney Whittenberg
    Writer
    co-producer of Caregivers, Emmy Award winner
  • Jonathan Sprout
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Music Video, Short
  • Runtime:
    55 minutes 53 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 22, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    26,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jonathan Sprout, Rodney Whittenberg

JONATHAN SPROUT
Since his first professional appearance in 1972, Jonathan Sprout has recorded 12 albums, performed more than 6,500 concerts (including 5,500 children’s concerts), and taught more than 800 songwriting workshops throughout the United States. His songs have appeared on several internationally released compilation albums.

Jonathan’s seventh release, American Heroes, won critical acclaim for its groundbreaking contribution to the field of educational children’s music in 1996. Three American Heroes sequels followed in 2000, 2009, and 2014. The series has earned a remarkable 26 national awards, including a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Children’s Album, several NAPPA Awards, several Parents’ Choice awards, two Film Advisory Board of Excellence awards, a Family Choice Award™, Dr. Toy One of the 10 Best Audio/Video/CD/DVDs, Academics' Choice Award, KIDS FIRST! Award, Tillywig Brainchild Award, Dove Foundation Seal, Mom's Choice Awards® Gold, Creative Child Magazine Award, Santa’s Choice Award, National Parenting Center Award, and a Global Music Award Bronze Medal.

Inspired by the heroes he has been writing, performing and recording about for more than 20 years, Jonathan founded

Force For Good in 2016. Force For Good provides uplifting compositions and character-driven messages to unify, inspire, and energize people to engage in responsible civic duties. Force For Good’s song videos compassionately and intelligently address important issues like sensible gun control, immigration reform, solar and wind energy, hunger and homelessness, celebrating and protecting the environment, and many others.

RODNEY WHITTENBERG
Rodney Whittenberg is an Emmy Award winning composer and Emmy-nominated filmmaker for Outstanding Documentary. From a young age he’s had four passions: music/sound, film/television, technology, and education. Rodney’s deep sense of faith has called him on a lifelong quest to integrate these passions into his art. In his late 20s he directed the non-profit Banner Project, an educational anti-drug program that emphasized nonviolence, and witnessed the power of music and arts to heal and transform communities.

In the early 1990s, Rodney created Melodyvision, a production and consulting company, to serve as a platform for his original audio and visual creations and a vehicle to help others achieve their artistic visions. In 2016, he produced We Stood Up, an audio CD of original songs, poetry and interviews with civil rights leaders. In 2018, he co-produced Caregivers, a film about the people who help the helpers that was nominated for an Outstanding Documentary Emmy.

From his numerous projects as a children’s music producer and composer to his award winning Voices of Ages, a feature documentary about the first intergenerational choir, Rodney makes art to heal, empower, and transform.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Rodney and I want to make a difference with our "art" (our music and films). It's not enough for us, anymore, to just make Good Art.

So we embarked on a two-year mission to create this film after I'd spent two years composing and recording the music with Joe Mennonna. With Rodney's influence, I chose our topics - sensible gun legislation, the refugee crisis, gender and racial equality, the climate crisis and renewable energies, and more. We decided to create films with the intention of empowering people to make positive impacts.

Any true work of quality goes through numerous iterations. Our films evolved again and again as we slowly created our look, our brand, our system that carries through each of these song-films.

I feel like a kid again, as I've discovered the art and business of film making. It's been a joy adding a new layer of meaning and emotion to my music through film making. I hope you resonate with what we've created.

Thanks for watching. And listening! --- Jonathan Sprout