Matthew Helderman

Matthew Helderman founded Buffalo 8 in 2010, while an undergrad student. Buffalo 8 has since premiered projects at Sundance, SXSW, and Berlin, as well as produced the Netflix original film “Rodney King” directed by Spike Lee and the Joe Berlinger directed Netflix global hit “The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes”. In 2013, he co-founded BondIt Media Capital and has led BondIt in the deployment of over $375M of capital in over 400+ film, television, and media opportunities, while raising $30M of equity and debt for a partial sale to Accord Financial (TSX: ACD) in addition to expanding the company’s credit facility to $75M in 2020. Helderman also co-managed the acquisition of 30-year-old entertainment payroll firm, ABS Payroll, in 2017 and today serves as an Executive Director, Partner, and Board Member after having overseen the sale of the business to Vensure Employer Services.

Luke Taylor

Expertise: Media, finance, film producing, startups

Luke is the co-founder and COO of both Buffalo 8 and BondIt Media Capital. Taylor oversees the financing operations and client management of both businesses on a daily basis. Taylor graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Music Industry and Business.

Jonathan Sheldon

Jonathan Sheldon has worked professionally in film and television for over 15 years. Starting in film development, Sheldon produced several well-regarded independent films and co-authored a seminal book on filmmaking titled “The Declaration of Independent Filmmaking”. As post production entrepreneur, Mr. Sheldon boot-strapped a post production company from a desk in Beverly Hills building it to contribute post production expertise and services to over 100 feature films and several network television shows.

Tyler Gould

Tyler joined BondIt Media Capital in 2018 and today serves as the VP of Finance and Development. Tyler is an integral member of the deal team, taking point in negotiating, structuring, and contracting deals in addition to risk analysis, business development, and other ongoing operations. Gould also oversees the internal development slate of projects by reviewing, developing, and packaging projects for original productions. Gould has a background in film production and finance, graduating with degrees in Radio/Television/Film and Economics from Northwestern University.

Grady Craig

BondIt and Buffalo 8 have financed and produced countless major film productions starring Robert DeNiro, Sylvester Stallone, Anna Kendrick, Martin Lawrence, Mel Gibson, Megan Fox, Kevin James, Bruce Willis, Vince Vaughn, and many more.

Nikki Stier Justice

Nikki Stier Justice is an independent producer and seasoned entertainment executive with a background in film production and distribution. In 2014, she moved to start-up production company Good Deed Entertainment (GDE), where she helped grow the company into a multi-million dollar studio. As Chief Operating Officer she oversaw development, financing, production, distribution, corporate branding and marketing on a slate of 7-10 releases a year. In addition to her role as Head of Distribution for Buffalo 8, Justice teaches at UConn in the Digital Media & Design Department as a Visiting Assistant Professor.

Stephen Mastrocola

Stephen is a project coordinator at Buffalo 8, working closely with filmmakers to develop and shop their projects in the EP Service division. After attending film school at Chapman University, Stephen began his career in entertainment working on the Entourage movie and HBO’s Ballers. After several years working as a screenwriter, selling projects to Blackpills and Fullscreen, and others through his reps at ICM Partners and Writ Large, Stephen pivoted to producing and co-founded Static Films in 2021. Independently producing five features and several shorts in their first two years alone, he gained immeasurable hands-on experience with physical production both as a producer and 1st AD. He joined the EP Service team in 2023 to continue serving independent filmmakers, providing guidance on finance, physical production, and sales.

Tims Johnson

Tims Johnson is a 25 year veteran post-production and digital technology specialist having worked on hundreds of titles ranging from studio content to micro-budget indies.

John R. McConnell

John has over 27 years of experience in feature film, television, documentaries and pre-visualization as a senior compositor, illustrator, and Emmy winning VFX Supervisor.Today John oversees the VFX team across dozens of Buffalo 8 projects.In 2013 he won the Emmy Award for “Best Graphics and Art Direction” for VFX Supervision on “Big History” at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards.

Yagmur Kaplan

Yagmur Kaplan is a veteran featured film mixer and an integral part of the Buffalo 8 audio team. With over 150 credits, he has worked on award winning feature films, documentaries and TV shows. As a seasoned Re-recording Mixer he takes a unique and innovative approach to film audio. Being a Berklee College of Music graduate, he’s also a composer and music producer signed with multiple labels.

Brian Berger

Brian Berger joined Buffalo 8 in 2018 and is an integral part of the post-production sound team. As a supervising sound editor and re-recording mixer, Brian oversees a talented mix of sound editors, designers, and foley artists. With his team, Brian emphasizes close collaboration with every filmmaker towards their sonic vision as the top priority. Brian was born and raised in Chicago, and graduated from Indiana University with a degree in audio engineering and sound production.

Lawrence He

Lawrence He started his audio journey with a piano at the age of 5 and never looked back. He has a strong passion for anything audio-related and discovered his love for cinematic sound in college. He enjoys the collaborative nature of sound teams and uses every project to push his own creative and technical limits to benefit the final form. In his downtime Lawrence can be found experimenting with different sound recording techniques, styles, and technologies.

Vivian Williams

Vivian Williams is the head foley artist at Buffalo 8. She enjoys experimenting with sound in unique and creative ways, dubbing herself a “sound scientist”. Her foley work is known for detail and nuance, bringing to each project – whether a large scale feature or low budget short – a handmade foley soundscape and helping to being the film itself to life.

Jenna Tresidder

Jenna Tresidder developed her passion for audio growing up in a family that was constantly listening to and creating music. She studied audio recording and cinematic sound at Emerson College. It was there that she resolved to continually expand her skills and knowledge, especially when it comes to the math and physics of sound. Jenna is passionate about supporting women in the audio industry and wants to help foster an increasingly welcoming, collaborative and innovative environment for the future generation of audio professionals.

Charlize Toratani

Charlize Toratani is a Japanese-American bilingual techy who started in the film industry as an Assistant Editor. She has more than 15 years of experience in the film and TV industry with post-production credits that include Wrong Place starring Bruce Willis, The Miracle Season starring Helen Hunt and William Hurt, and producer credits for Untogether starring Jamie Dornan, Ben Mendelsohn, and Lola Kirke. Charlize worked as a creative producer for Paradox Film Group from 2016 to 2020 and returned to post production in recent years.

Adam Harris Engelhard

Adam Harris Engelhard is a film producer & former literary manager with over 10 years of industry experience. Starting his career at ICM Partners, Adam worked in the MP Talent department where he cut his teeth in film packaging. From there he worked for Academy Award winning producer Dan Jinks at CBS Studios. In 2016 Adam founded Mailroom Entertainment where he managed a roster of 15 budding writers and directors. He graduated from The University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration.

Luke Morton

Luke assists within the B8 Services division, generating client materials and working with producers + creatives on a personal level. He graduated from Chapman University, earning a dual-BFA in Advertising and Screenwriting — and interned for Buffalo 8 / BondIt Media Capital prior to joining the team. Luke believes in subjecting every project to the highest standard of quality, served with a little Southern Hospitality.

Tim Healy

Tim assists with overseeing and designing marketing content for BondIt and its family of companies. Additionally, he helps potential clients identify the best BondIt and Buffalo 8 services for their projects, and he manages the Company Internship Program each semester. Tim holds a degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Philosophy, from Boston College.

Jacob Silvera

Jacob Silvera is the Director of Distribution and Acquisitions at Buffalo 8. He manages new distribution relationships and B8’s existing library of titles. After starting out his career at HBO in the accounting department, Jacob moved on to a talent agency that taught him how to best work with business and creative executives in the entertainment industry. Jacob graduated from the University of Southern California in 2021 with a B.S. in Business Administration.

Lauryn Danesh Jafari

Lauryn Danesh Jafari started her career in brand and film integration for large studio based films ($20M to $60M+ budgets), she soon leaned into her passion to market Independent Films ensuring to find the most impactful initiatives on indie budgets, and eventually started her own marketing agency. Since then, she has marketed over 300 independent films. With a focus on bringing psychology and consumer behavior to film marketing, Lauryn has been able to address several of the new environment conflicts of the industry while also continuing to authentically connect with audiences.

Julie Siragusa

Julie spent several years in real estate and lending leveraging her expertise in e-commerce and deal-making as an M&A Advisor with The FBA Broker/Summit Capital. Building upon her extensive experience in real estate, lending, and M&A, as well as a lifelong love of film and entertainment, Julie applies her expertise to help oversee the BondIt Media Capital loan portfolio as a Portfolio Servicer. In this role, she ensures optimal performance, communication, and effective risk management. Additionally, she supports the BondIt family of companies across business development at Buffalo 8 Post-Production, further utilizing her skills in deal-making and relationship building to help drive growth and success for the company.