The Film Makers


Walter Cruttenden, Writer/Executive Producer
Walter Cruttenden is the founder of the Binary Research Institute (BRI); an archeoastronomy think tank focused on celestial knowledge of ancient civilizations, with an emphasis on precession mechanics. Based on this research Cruttenden has put forth the "Binary Model" to better explain the Precession of the Equinox, the little- understood, third motion of the Earth.

Cruttenden has had a life long interest in the science of archeoastronomy, mythology and esoteric teachings. Prior to founding BRI, he was in the investment banking business and one of the largest providers of IPO and private financing to science and technology companies in the under $100 million market cap range. He sold his banking interests to Fidelity and E*Trade and now devotes fulltime to BRI.

Geoff Patino, Writer/Co-Producer
Geoff Patino is the Director of Production for the Binary Research Institute, and is an experienced producer and creative developer. Prior to joining BRI, Geoff founded and served as Creative Director of NetChemistry, a web development firm specializing in large-scale interactive sites ranging from the entertainment to financial services in industries. Before NetChemistry, Geoff served as a Web Design Consultant at E*Offering, and Art Director for Genesis Intermedia, where he developed interactive media systems for several international companies. Geoff currently sits on the board of directors for the Yogananda Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides grants to individuals and groups dedicated to the promotion of spiritual growth in modern society. He has earned a BA in Visual Arts Media from the University of California, San Diego.

Robert Ballo, Director
Robert Ballo is an image-maker and a storyteller. With over 20 years of industry experience, Robert has acted as the Director of Photography on numerous films and television programs. Award-winning productions for clients such as ABC, TBS, PBS, Discovery Channel, Air Touch Cellular, and singer Michael Jackson – to name only a few – have aired on national network television, cable networks, and internationally in Asia and Europe.

As President of GOAL Productions, Robert serves variously as producer, director and cinematographer. Recent directing credits include the award-winning The Student Ambassador Experience and America’s New Year Celebration for the Tournament of Roses. Other directing credits include The Granddaddy of Them All (ABC), Ballooning in Europe and The Great European Balloon Adventure (both Discovery Channel).

As Producer, Robert has supervised numerous “behind-the-scenes” documentaries for DVD release, corporate projects for Fortune 500 companies like Boeing and Miller Brewing Company, and commercials for Strouds and Sharp Seating Company. Television projects he has produced include A Child’s Voice in Court and Alpine Ballooning. He also produced exhibits including interactive video kiosks for the Pasadena Museum of History and the Tournament of Roses.

Robert has more than two decades of cinematography and producing experience, and has shot several projects for Warner Brothers – All on Accounta Pullin’ a Trigger (10th anniversary special for Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven), The Making of Space Cowboys, and Dirty Harry: The Original (30th anniversary television broadcast on the Encore Cable Network). His additional work includes featured segments for the popular morning show Good Morning America (ABC) and weekly talk shows Leeza (Paramount Pictures) and Caryl & Marilyn (Viacom). Weekly cable television series credits include Movie Magic and Hollywood’s Greatest Stunts (Discovery Channel), How’d They Do That? (The Learning Channel), Sci-Fi Buzz (Sci-Fi Channel), and Running and Racing World (ESPN). PBS Documentary experience includes a number of specials – The Gift, The Jack Lewis Story: A Time to Live, Surviving Loss, and many more.

Robert is an active supporter of High Definition Television and other digital technologies. The documentary College Sports in America, which he shot and produced for GOAL Productions, was made using the first Sony/Panavision 1” tube HD camera and went on as a finalist at the Montreux Electronic Film Festival in Switzerland in 1986. He also shot The Hole, a dramatic short that screened at the Sundance Film Festival Digidance sidebar. Corporate clients like Light Value, Pioneer, and Hi-Vision have all used Robert’s HD images in their HD projection systems. Robert’s most recent HD production is the feature film Runnin’ at Midnite, which he also co-produced.

Bud Robertson, Producer
Serving as both project coordinator and producer at GOAL, Bud recently produced several documentary shorts for independent film studio Nu Image, including Behind the Scenes of Undisputed, Inside Try Seventeen and the award-winning Grounded: The Making of Air Panic.

Bud serves as director on various GOAL projects as well. Most recently, he directed two television commercials for retailer Strouds and two commercials for Rose Parade vendor Sharp Seating Company. As director, he is currently in production on Beyond the Twilight Zone, a retrospective television special planned for release in 2003. Previous directing credits include the educational feature Life in the Spotlight: How Kids Can Break into Showbiz, the science fiction feature Assault on Dome IV and 2nd unit work on the ABC series Ellen.

Prior to joining GOAL, Bud developed and refined his ability to oversee set operations and manage production staff through years of on-set experience as a First Assistant Director in the feature film arena. Among his feature film credits are the Lou Diamond Phillips action film Route 666, the Nastassja Kinski romance Cold Heart, and the James Brolin detective thriller Blood Money. His reputation for bringing films in “on time and on budget” earned him a staff position with Hit Entertainment, where Bud supervised several feature films like the Robert Carradine sci-fi thriller Firestorm and the Hulk Hogan comedy The Secret Agent Club.

No stranger to television, Bud served as First Assistant Director on the AMC cable network series The Lot and performed production coordinator duties on the sitcoms Temporarily Yours for CBS and Ellen for ABC. Additionally, he assisted with the development and founding of start-up cable entity America National Network (ANN), serving as Line Producer on the High Definition pilot episode of the network’s premier series, Dawn of Our Nation, which is scheduled to air when the network launches.

Bud has a BA degree in Motion Pictures/Television from the University of California, Los Angeles and is a graduate of the Dale Carnegie School of Public Speaking and Human Relations. Bud is married to his best friend Beth, with whom he has two daughters – Sara and Jenny.

Ed Bishop, Editor
Ed Bishop is the senior editor at GOAL, having been with the company for almost two years. He has cut several award-winning productions for GOAL during this time, including Road to the Rose Bowl for Lawry’s Prime Rib Restaurant (Telly Award), The Student Ambassador Experience for The Pasadena Tournament of Roses (Crystal Award of Excellence), and Grounded: The Making of Air Panic for Nu Image Films (Communicator Award of Distinction). Working with PR firm Burson-Marsteller, Ed also edited Video News Releases and Virtual Press Releases for the debut of Dean Kamen’s Segway Human Transporter, a campaign that was recognized by The Holmes Group with a Bronze SABRE Award from for Superior Achievement in Branding and Reputation.

Ed began his professional career in 1989 as an editor, then segment producer on a national video newsmagazine for the American Library Association. Throughout the early 90’s he produced and edited award-winning music videos, commercials, training and promotional videos for such clients as DuPont, Polygram Records, and PRS Guitars.

In 1997 Ed teamed with director Pericles Lewnes on the independent documentary Fast Game, Fast Money: The Grifters of New York. An irreverent expose of Three-Card-Monte and Shell Game con artists, the “documentary-noir” earned critical accolades and numerous awards, including the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle and Grand Prize in the Rosebud Film Festival. The film screened at the Kennedy Center AFI Theatre in DC, The Baltimore Museum of Art and the Atlanta Film Festival. It also aired in several markets on PBS. Ed and Pericles followed that success with the production of Fighter, a documentary feature following the rise of Ultimate Fighting Champion Randy Couture.

While working on Fighter, Ed co-produced, co-wrote, and edited the Bogart, Cagney, Gable, Spencer Tracy, and Kirk Douglas installments of Movie Stars On Film, a documentary series released on DVD by Delta Entertainment. Ed also co-produced and/or edited several short films and worked on post-production and digital effects for Disney Channel, Planet Hollywood, ABC, ESPN, Mattel, Britney Spears, and the features Highlander: Endgame, Terminal Error and Driven. He most recently edited a short demo for the documentary Egypt Is In Africa, directed by Michael Schultz (Boston Public, The Practice).