Luna Productions
is the documentary film making partnership of Catherine Ryan and Gary Weimberg. We are 6-time Emmy Award nominees, 2-time Emmy Award winners. We have been personal and professional partners since 1980. We are a fully equipped production company with capacity for everything from idea to delivery, start to finish, for any audience you might imagine.
Our films …
have won multiple national Emmy Awards; have been short-listed for an Academy Awards; have helped to free political prisoners; have been an acknowledged “most important media” contributor to ending the civil war in El Salvador; are currently in use in schools, colleges, universities, churches and community groups; and have won “best of” awards in literally dozens of film festivals and have been broadcast and seen by millions of people around the world.
What we like to do:
To make a difference.
To change the world.
To collaborate with joy and creativity.
To surpass expectations.
To promote critical thinking thru storytelling.
To bring laughter and tears.
To make media that reflects the diversity of the human experience.
To take a viewer on a journey.
To share evidence-based good news.
Our Documentaries...
…seek to explore universal human truths; perhaps simple things that are profoundly true, or controversial subjects that are too important to ignore, or any emotional life journey that moves and inspires us and our audiences.
We have a goal: to make media that reveals the potential for solutions; to tell stories that include us all.
In Hillsborough
For a while, we specialized in making historical programs and documentary portraits of ordinary people with extraordinary lives.During another period, we worked on big budget features, primarily in sound editing, including films like Return of the Jedi and Godfather III.
In South Central LA
At times, our work has been for prime-time network television. At other times, our work has been making media that supports non-profit organizations – videos and web shorts for fund-raising, education, policy initiatives, awards events, and outreach. Over a period of less than 4 years, more than $24.7 million was raised for worthy causes by organizations using our media.
More recently, we have focused on short form, multi-media for the internet, and some cool pro bono stuff. Plus Tiktoks, zoom videos, vertical videos, COVID coping videos, and over 200 short videos on excellence in education grades K-12, funded by the Gates Foundation for Teaching Channel.
Some of our Clients
and broadcast partners include ABC, NBC, The WB Network, Fox, HBO, Cinemax, PBS,ITVS, Frontline, Travel Channel, Outdoor Life Network, American Zoetrope, Skywalker Ranch, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Johnson & Johnson, Kodak, Mastercard, Sears, California Newsreel, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Michael Jackson, Dennis Hopper, and others.
Our Non-Profit Clients
include the Council on Foundations, The California Endowment, San Francisco Foundation, Women’s Foundation of California, Liberty Hill Foundation, Earth Justice, Seventh Generation Fund for Indian Development, Brotherhood Crusade of Los Angeles, Berkeley Public Schools Fund, Diversity in Philanthropy, Arte Press, Hispanic Civil Rights through Books, 1000 Voices Project, San Mateo County Historical Association, Bay Area Black United Fund, Community Foundations of Southeast Michigan, Arts League of Michigan, Amazon Partnerships Foundation and others.
Luna de la Paz – company namesake and CCO
Our beloved standard poodle, our four legged friend, someone with better breeding and more intelligence than either of us.
“Her title?” you ask, “What does CCO stand for?”
CCO – Chief Canine Officer
a top-level management position within Luna Productions.
Luna was a film star, a film worker, a published author, and our best, best friend.
She will never be forgotten.
July 12, 1994 – Oct 22, 2007
Rest in peace. Rest in power.
