Our team

The people behind the films

Ryan Mah

Director / Producer

Ryan Mah is a filmmaker based in Vancouver, Canada. A founding member of award-winning production company Black Rhino Creative, he has extensive background experience in documentary productions that have screened on CBC, AMI TV, Knowledge Network, Telus Optik, Air Canada and SBS Australia. Passionate about building relationships both on and off camera, Ryan shares his filmmaking expertise as a mentor with the National Screen Institute and as a moderator for Telus Storyhive.

Danny Berish

Director / Producer

Danny Berish is an award-winning director. Over the last twenty years, he has created content for broadcasters such as AMI, CBC Gem, TVO, and Knowledge Network. He has distributed unscripted series and feature-length films worldwide, partnering with Blue Ant Media and his film was an official Hotdocs selection. Past awards include a Leo Award for best direction, Yorktown Film Festival Golden Sheaf Award and Best Doc Series of the year by Doc Weekly. Danny is committed to strengthening Black Rhino Creative’s development pipeline, and solidifying the company as a leading force in premium Canadian storytelling in both scripted and unscripted entertainment.

Joanna Wong

Producer

Joanna Wong is a Vancouver-born filmmaker with a passion for cross-cultural content. Her award-winning work has aired on CBC, Knowledge Network, AMI TV and TELUS Optik. From 2010-2020, Joanna co-founded and managed FLOW, a creative studio in Beijing producing original content for clients across Asia, including tech and entertainment giants Tencent, Alibaba and iQiyi, the “Netflix of China.” Now based in Canada, she is currently writing and producing a 3-part series Seeking Saltwater City on contemporary Asian migration.

Leah Mallen

Executive Producer

Leah Mallen has produced film, television, and digital content for over twenty-five years. Her past credits have garnered many awards and accolades including a Best Short Film Award at the Cannes Film Festival’s Critic’s Week, a Best Documentary Film at the Zurich Film Festival, and multiple Leo Awards and Best Apps Awards at Kidscreen. She has distributed her content around the world, both theatrically and on such platforms and broadcasters such as HBO, Sundance, Hulu, BBC, ARTE, CBC, Knowledge Network and Amazon. She was one of six international producers selected to attend the Binger Film Lab in Amsterdam, is a graduate of the Canadian Film Centre’s Producer Lab, and has chaired or sat on many creative boards, including the Hot Docs International Film Festival board, DOCBC, and Vancouver’s Cinematheque. She also produces the Architecture and Design Film Festival in Vancouver.

Richard Tran

DOP

Whether documenting at-risk youth in North Chicago, the favelas of São Paulo, or life inside Kabul, Afghanistan, Rich Tran takes thoughtful risks to tell stories from the inside out. He approaches filmmaking at the intersection of science and art, constantly learning while trusting that emotion and story always come first. His work balances precision with intuition, finding beauty in both structure and uncertainty.

Stephanie Clayton

Financial Controller

Steph Clayton is a film accountant originally from Australia who has 10 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Responsible for all corporate and production processing, her experience ranges from producing small features through to accounting and payroll on major network series inc. WB, Apple+ and NBC. With a passion for film and television and an eye for making anything a spreadsheet she continues to put her Bachelor of Accounting to a much more entertaining use!

Black Rhino Creative

Connect with us ↗

info@blackrhinocreative.com