About Us
PLAY AGAIN is a production of Ground Productions, an independent, international production company based in Portland, OR and Norway, founded by Tonje Hessen Schei and David Bee. At Ground Productions we believe documentaries are powerful tools in shaping our future. Our films focus on new perspectives and untold stories, encouraging critical thinking and an active audience. Our mission is to work towards a more just and sustainable society.
Mail: PMB 205, 4110 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, OR 97214-5246
Director Tonje Hessen Schei
Tonje is a Norwegian filmmaker who has been working with independent documentary film since 1996. She is the director and producer of the award-winning documentary INDEPENDENT INTERVENTION (2006). She worked for ENG (Electronic News Group, LA) on All Power to The People! (1997). Other productions include Texas and the Death Penalty (1997). In Norway Tonje worked for NRK, the Norwegian National Broadcasting Network. She has a masters in film from the University of Trondheim in Norway and a BA in film production from the University of Texas in Austin. Tonje is the co-founder of Ground Productions, an independent international documentary production company based in Portland and Norway. Tonje is a member of IDA, International Documentary Association, EDN, European Documentary Network and OMPA, Oregon Media Producers Association.
Producer Meg Merrill
Meg is a film producer and social worker. She received a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Oregon in 1990 and a Master’s in Social Work from Portland State University in 1993. She produced PLAY AGAIN (2010) and embraced the opportunity to unite her passion for social issue film, media literacy, the importance of play and environmental stewardship. Before becoming a producer in 2006, Meg spent over fifteen years as a program director and clinical supervisor. She served as the director of two federal research projects at the Insights Teen Parent Program, working directly with young parents, counselors, community leaders, researchers, and government agencies to bring diverse communities together toward a common goal. Meg also ran therapeutic wilderness groups, served as an adoption counselor and facilitated workshops on Fostering Attachment and Processing Grief and Loss.
Editor David Bee
David is a filmmaker and teacher with over fifteen years of professional experience working in documentary, narrative, experimental, and commercial film and video, who specializes in independent productions that deal with essential subject matter. He has edited over five feature-length and short-form documentaries in recent years. His editing credits include GETTING MY CHILD BACK: FIGHTING AUTISM (2006; winner of Best Educational Documentary at NYIIFVF ); the award-winning film INDEPENDENT INTERVENTION (2006); MIRACLE BALL (2008); WHY DANCE FOR PARKINSON DISEASE? (2008); and PLAY AGAIN (2010; winner of seven awards). He has worked as a freelance video editor for over a decade and as a teacher of filmmaking and media studies for fourteen years during which time he has introduced many bright and talented young people to the craft of filmmaking, and overseen the production of over a hundred student videos. David Bee is a co-founder of Ground Productions and Light Motive Films.
