Welcome to
Wavecrest Films
We specialize in independent and advertising-related filmmaking, bringing depth, artistry, and originality to our own brand of storytelling.
At Wavecrest Films, we have one mission:
Create content that makes a positive social impact.
We consciously seek out brands, organizations, and individuals who share our passion for spreading goodness around the globe.
Our specialty is creative, soulful storytelling — great content that inspires audiences, moves
ideas forward and makes a positive contribution
to the media landscape. There’s enough noise already; we don’t care to add to it. We do, however, care about the messages we’re putting out there, and so we choose our projects carefully.
Whether we’re making films for clients directly, offering production services for foreign clients, or creating original works of our own, we put our heart and soul into all we do, and we love doing it!
Latest News
Hello, and welcome to our new website!
2025 has been a tough year. Here in LA, we experienced historical loss and heartbreak as fires burned thousands of homes and acres of beautiful Southern California nature. So much loss, so much grief. We have a rough road ahead…but we are Angelenos – creative, resilient, and community-minded — so we’ll get through this, and we’ll be stronger than ever.
Speaking of strength from loss, we are proud to share with you our most recent Mindful Short film, “Broken & Beautiful”, a film about a woman whose daughter was murdered in a mass shooting, and how she found a way to piece her life back together again. Using the Japanese art of Kintsugi as a metaphor for repair, this short documentary offers hope to anyone suffering from loss. It has already won several awards and continues to capture hearts at festivals around the country. Next stop: the Ojai Film Festival in November.
In other news: Our years of traveling and collecting imagery, objects and whatnot along the way have resulted in some truly unique works of art. Check out our studio on Etsy to see what we’ve been up to, and maybe find a cool gift for someone you love:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/WavecrestFilmsStudio
Be well, everyone. And be kind. Let’s all work on being better humans — the planet is demanding it of us.
Warm wishes,
Julie & Josh
Our Films
Broken & Beautiful | 23 min
Mindful Short Doc (Grief)
A Good Day | 32 min
Mindful Short Doc (Addiction)
Into Light | 14 min
Mindful Short Doc (Depression)
K is for Karate | 1 min
Short Doc for Sesame Street
Giusti Farms | 2 min
Branded Documentary Short
N is for Nature | 1 min
Short Doc for Sesame Street
Release | 6 min
Mindful Short Doc (Anxiety)
Sesame Street: Foster Care | 7 min
Short Doc for Sesame Street in Communities
Just Breathe | 4 min
Mindful Short Doc (Anger)
Cetma Cargo | 6 min
Branded Documentary Short
G is for Grandparents | 1 min
Short Doc for Sesame Street
Expedia | 1 min
Branded Documentary Short
Surfing Corona | 10 min
Bonus Mindful Short Doc (Covid-19)
Time & Tide | 60 min
Documentary for TV
Mindful Shorts
Mindful Shorts is an ongoing series of experiential short films that explore the practice of mindfulness as it pertains to self and culture from childhood through old age.
We have now completed five films — "Just Breathe" (on Anger & elementary school children), "Release" (on Anxiety & middle school), "Into Light" (on Depression & high school), "A Good Day" (on Addiction & mid-life), and "Broken & Beautiful" (on Grief & elder years) — that are currently being shared around the world via social media, film festivals, classrooms, doctors' offices, and social service departments. The next film is on Trauma, and will focus on young adults and the science behind mindfulness.
This series of films provides people with a holistic view of mindfulness and how the application of this simple philosophy can help us — as individuals, and as a global community — throughout all stages of life.
The work is made possible through charitable donations and offered to folks free of charge. It is entirely dependent upon people like you to watch and share. We invite you to participate in spreading some much-needed peace and emotional regulation throughout the world. To help us help others, please click the button below:
Who We Are
Julie and Josh are storytellers. Their own story, and the spirit of their work, is driven by the power of vivid, creative filmmaking.
Both self-taught photographers and avid environmentalists, they have combined their unique talents and experiences in film and video to pursue projects that give voice and visibility to the true stories of others. As creative partners, they strive to craft distinct productions that tap into the issues of today, and the emotions of today’s audiences.
Julie Bayer Salzman
Filmmaker
A lover of powerful stories with rich imagery, Julie spent the first part of her career gaining a solid understanding of the nuts and bolts of commercial production. For over twelve years, she produced and oversaw countless nonfiction commercial campaigns for others while moving into writing and directing projects of her own.
She, along with Josh, made her directorial debut in 2006 with Time & Tide, a documentary about the impact of globalization and global warming on the tiny South Pacific nation of Tuvalu. One of the first films to address climate change, the film garnered numerous international film festival awards, and was broadcast in the US on PBS for seven years. It continues to attract audiences for its prescient capture of a disappearing culture.
Julie's sensitivity to subject and subject matter was fully realized and recognized in the widely celebrated short film “Just Breathe,” a film about the power of mindfulness to transform anger, as articulated by a group of elementary school kids. The unscripted piece showcased on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday program in April 2015, and is currently often used as an educational tool in classrooms and training videos around the world, having so far been translated into Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, and Hungarian.
Often with her hand in many pots, Julie's main focus is on the Mindful Shorts series, while continuing to write screenplays, work on photography projects, and produce television commercials. When she’s not working, you can usually find her wandering in the hills, camera in hand and dog in tow, or somewhere hanging out with her tribe. She puts a tremendous amount of heart and soul into everything she does, and believes that the joy and beauty of filmmaking (and life itself, really) lies as much in the process of creative collaboration as in the actual completed projects.
Josh Salzman
Director of Photography
Going on 25 years as a Director of Photography in the business, Josh brings an invaluable collaborative spirit to every project he dives into. Successfully straddling the seemingly incongruous world of documentary and commercial filmmaking, Josh has honed the art of balancing a naturalistic approach with cinematic craftsmanship.
Josh has lensed numerous successful commercial campaigns for companies including Ford, Bank of America, Pepsi, Intel, Sprint, AT&T, and Toyota, with acclaimed directors Stacy Peralta, Steve James, Jessica Yu, and David Gelb, to name a few.
Currently, Josh is shooting for Jason Kohn on a feature documentary for Netflix following astrophysicist Avi Loeb on his epic journey to prove the existence of extraterrestrial life. Recently completed is The Last Republican, a feature doc by Steve Pink tracking US Representative Adam Kinzinger in his courageous and risky role leading up to and throughout the January 6 hearings. Both films were shot anamorphically in a visually arresting style, an ambitious and virtually non-existent method used in documentary films. The Last Republican premiered at TIFF 2024, and is currently on the festival circuit, receiving rave reviews.
Other feature documentary work includes “45 Seconds of Laughter” by actor Tim Robbins, “Under the Gun” by director Stephanie Soechtig and EP Katie Couric, “Los Punks: We Are All We Have” by director Angela Boatwright, “The Human Element” by director Matt Testa, and more. He also contributed cinematography to Vanessa Roth’s 2021 Amazon documentary “Mary J. Blige’s My Life” and the 2021 Netflix short “What Would Sofia Loren Do?”
In the TV realm, Josh shot the 2022 mini-series “BTK: Confession of a Serial Killer” on A&E, and min-series “The Last Wright” for director Vanessa Roth. Josh also operated on Season 3 of the hit show “Good Trouble.”
To view Josh's DP reel/site visit:
Press & Awards
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