Welcome
To Wavecrest Films
We specialize in independent and advertising-related filmmaking,
bringing depth, artistry and originality to our own brand of storytelling.
We specialize in independent and advertising-related filmmaking,
bringing depth, artistry and originality to our own brand of storytelling.
“Just Breathe”
A film on anger for elementary school kids.
“Release”
A film on anxiety for middle school kids.
“Into Light”
A film on depression for high school kids.
We are cycling through the stages of life, addressing a particular experience common for that age, and showing how a simple yet profound mindfulness practice can help people navigate the very real challenges of being human.
Next up: Films on Trauma (featuring young adults), Addiction (for middle-aged folks), and Grief (with elders).
The film on addiction is complete! “A Good Day” is now screening at festivals and recovery centers. We’ll offer it here, as soon as we can.
In September 2023, we head to Atlanta to start production on the Grief film, documenting a Mindfulness retreat being offered to folks who have lost a child. After that, we’ll circle back to the Trauma film, and thus complete the series.
We would so very much appreciate whatever assistance we can get as we endeavor to help others cultivate inner peace in the midst of 21st century chaos.
Many thanks for your time and support. And if you could please share this campaign with your friends, colleagues, and family members, that would be super.
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.
~ Anais Nin
At Wavecrest Films, we have one mission: to create content that makes a positive social impact. It’s that simple. We consciously seek out brands, organizations and individuals who share our passion for spreading goodness around the globe.
Our speciality is creative, soulful storytelling – great nuggets of content that inspire audiences, move ideas forward and make 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!
Hi Everyone!
We’re thrilled to announce our latest Mindful Short, “A Good Day” — the next film in our series of Mindful Shorts (following “Just Breathe”, “Release”, and “Into Light”).
“A Good Day” is an intimate portrait of SAMADHI, a mindfulness-based addiction recovery center in Kingston, NY. It illustrates the power and necessity of a caring, compassionate community when healing from addiction of any kind. Screenings are underway both at festivals and at recovery centers around the country. Next screening: The Global Peace Film Festival in Orlando, FL, on Sept 22 at 5:30pm. If you’re interested in hosting a private screening for your group, contact Julie. (We’ll post it up on the socials as soon as we’re given the greenlight to make it available for all!)
You might recall that last Spring we had started production on our 4th film, “Reimagine”, about survivors of gun violence learning mindfulness techniques through an 8-week MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) course taught by the University of California, San Diego. That film had to go on hold for a while due to complications while filming, so we forged ahead on the 5th and 6th films of the series while the next cohort of students is determined and the class schedule announced. (For that one, we’re partnering with Sandy and Lonnie Phillips of Survivors Empowered.)
Moving ahead, we are now in pre-production on what will be the 6th and final film of the series, on GRIEF. We’ll be in Atlanta at the end of September filming a mindfulness retreat for people who have lost a child, thus completing a series of short films that spans a lifetime, and shows how mindfulness helps people of all ages navigate the very real and very difficult task of being human.
This film series has been a labor of love for years, and has reached millions of people around the globe, offering very practical mindfulness tools that can make a huge difference in just a few minutes. The films have been translated so far into French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Hungarian, Czech, and Italian — all for free.
Because we have been giving these away, the only way we can continue on making them is to ask for help — so please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Mindful Shorts series today: https://mindfulshorts.wedid.it/
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
SURFING CORONA
Welcome to the Unknown. The coronavirus pandemic is affecting us all in a myriad of ways. Our short film, SURFING CORONA, is a lov...
N is for NATURE
Our short N is for Nature premiered on Sesame Street/HBO on May 9, 2020. The girl featured is the remarkable ShelbyO’Neil. Shelb...
INTO LIGHT
The 3rd short film in our Mindful Shorts series, "Into Light" features 4 inspiring teens who use their mindfulness pract...
K is for KARATE – Directors’ Cut
The Directors' Cut for "K is for Karate", a film produced for our friends at Sesame Street. It aired on HBO on June 23, ...
Giusti Farms
Meet John Giusti, a 3rd generation farmer in Half Moon Bay, CA, and get a glimpse into the past, present and future of a family fa...
FOSTER CARE / SESAME STREET
The warm, empathic Adriana Molina offers tools to foster parents on how to help their foster kids through challenging transitions....
G is for Grandparents
A tribute to the special role grandparents play in our lives, "G is for Grandparents" was produced for Sesame Street and...
Release
The 2nd film in our series of Mindful Shorts, "Release" addresses Anxiety as experienced by middle school kids, and offe...
CETMA Cargo
We've been big fans of cargo bikes ever since we first saw them in Europe a few years ago, and we've been waiting to find an Ameri...
Just Breathe
The viral hit "Just Breathe" features kids speaking candidly about anger and how they use mindfulness techniques to cope...
A MAD(libs) SUMMER — Expedia
What started out as a fun idea for our son's preschool class turned into a piece for Expedia. ...
Time & Tide (trailer)
"Time & Tide" began in April 2000 upon reading an article about how the South Pacific nation of Tuvalu signed a deal...
Projects, Praise, Participate?
Only passions, great passions, can elevate the soul to great things.
~ Denis Diderot
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 co-directors and creative partners, they strive to craft distinct productions that tap into the issues of today, and the emotions of today’s audiences.
Julie Bayer
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 ten years, she produced and oversaw countless commercial campaigns for others before moving into writing and directing projects of her own.
She, along with Josh, made her directorial debut with “Time & Tide”, a documentary about the impact of globalization and global warming on the tiny South Pacific nation of Tuvalu. The film garnered numerous film festival awards, screened internationally, and was broadcast in the US on PBS for seven years.
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, screens regularly at international children's film festivals, and is used as an educational tool in classrooms and training seminars around the world, having so far been translated into Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, and Hungarian.
Often with her hand in many pots, Julie is currently more than halfway through a six-part series of short films on mindfulness and mental health. She's also developing a children's TV 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/DP
Director of Photography Josh Salzman successfully straddles the seemingly incongruous worlds of documentary and commercial filmmaking. His skills for visual storytelling and creative collaboration have made him an invaluable asset to each project he dives into.
Josh has lensed several successful commercial campaigns for companies including Ford, Bank of America, Pepsi, Intel, Sprint, and Nokia, with acclaimed documentarians such as Stacy Peralta, Steve James, Jessica Yu, Robb Bindler, and more. He lensed actor/director Tim Robbins' feature documentary “45 seconds of Laughter,” and helmed “The Human Element,” (2018) about renowned photographer James Balog, who uses his camera to reveal how environmental change is affecting the lives of everyday Americans. He currently is working on a Netflix documentary about Harvard astrophysicist/author Avi Loeb and his search for extraterrestrial life, as well as two high-profile political projects that he is not allowed to talk about, so stay tuned for more...
Other past highlights include “Under the Gun” for director Stephanie Soechtig and Katie Couric, and “ForEveryone.Net” by director JessicaYu, both standouts from Sundance 2016. Also from Slamdance 2016, “Los Punks: We Are All We Have” by director Angela Boatwright. Other recent collaborations include two premieres from Sundance 2018: “The Devil We Know” for director Stephanie Soechtig, and “Inventing Tomorrow”, for academy award-nominee director Laura Nix.
Creativity is the greatest rebellion in existence.
~ Osho
“Just Breathe”:
http://www.supersoul.tv/supersoul-short-films/what-children-can-teach-us-about-dealing-with-anger
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/05/22/children-mindfulness-emotions-anger-calming-
http://www.mindful.org/kindergarteners-talk-about-mindfulness-in-just-breathe-short-film/
http://www.upworthy.com/what-we-can-learn-from-6-kids-who-are-masters-of-their-anger
Audience’s Choice, Best Short, Providence Children’s Film Festival, 2015
“Time & Tide”:
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1705128.htm
http://www.hiff.org/about-hiff/history/hiff-2006/
Golden Orchard Award, Best Documentary, Hawaii International Film Festival, 2006
Audience Award, Best Documentary, Sidewalk Film Festival, 2006
Best Documentary, Big Muddy Film Festival, 2006
ReelHeART Film Festival, 2006
“Release”:
http://www.mindful.org/middleschoolers-tame-anxiety-release-short-film/
OTHER:
https://thelanote.com/meet-julia-bayer-salzman-filmmaker-photographer-and-writer/
https://shoutoutla.com/meet-julie-bayer-salzman-filmmaker-mindfulness-educator/
http://voyagela.com/interview/rising-stars-meet-julie-bayer-salzman/
Awards become corroded; friends gather no dust.
~ Jesse Owens
310.505.4619 (Julie) or 310.503. 5690 (Josh)
Venice, California
