Hi, welcome to Thrill Wave. We make films for people, not audiences.
Who we are
There's no such thing as an audience.
There are only people, and people take in a story in remarkably similar ways. Nobody has lived on the desert planet in Dune, but readers everywhere have felt its grief, fear and loyalty for sixty years, because those are true for everyone. We're a video production company in Phoenix, and our films start from the same place: nothing changes anyone unless they feel something real. So we make them from real people saying true things, with no narration, no actors, no stock footage and nothing telling you what to feel. Getting those true things out of people is the hard part, and it's the work we do best. The camera comes last. Here's some of what we've made:
What we do
We make complicated stories simple.
The stories worth telling are rarely simple. Our job is to find the one thing that matters and say it clearly, beautifully and in a way people remember. We do the research, the shoot and the final cut, and the same crew stays with you the whole way. You can bring us in for one part or all of it. Here's how we can help:
Our services
- 01
Story
We research your world, find the idea, write it and plan where the film will live.
- 02
Production
We plan the shoot and run it: casting, locations, directing, camera, light and sound, on the ground and in the air.
- 03
Editing
We cut, color and finish the film, then make a version for every screen.
- 04
Photography
We shoot stills with the same eye: brand imagery, portraits, products and behind the scenes.
- 05
Rentals
You can rent our cinema cameras, lenses and lighting, with or without our crew.
Who we serve
Built for people with something to say.
Blood, sweat and tears built this boring world. Every organization assumes its story is dull, from the payments company to the construction crew to the law firm down the hall. Nobody's is. They just haven't let anyone look, and looking is our job. Here's who we work with most:
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Film
We make documentaries, docuseries and shorts with filmmakers and studios, from the first treatment to the festival cut.
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Media & publishing
We do field production, segments, promos and series for networks, public media, news outlets and publishers, delivered to broadcast spec.
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Nonprofits & public service
We make films for nonprofits, NGOs, tribal councils and public agencies that move people to give, join and act.
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Schools & institutions
We make films for universities, schools, museums, art spaces and research centers that help people learn, visit and believe in the work.
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Businesses
We find the story every business assumes is too boring to tell, from the bakery down the street to a national company.
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Agencies & PR firms
We produce for creative agencies and PR firms under your name, to your brief and on your timeline.
Fields
Every field has its own story.
Athletics, the arts, academics: wherever we look, we find people striving, overcoming, achieving and discovering something new. Each field has its own language and its own stakes, so we learn them before we film. The setting changes, from a hospital to a council chamber to a factory floor, but the human story underneath doesn't. These are the fields we work in most:
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Tribal Nations
Inter Tribal Council of Arizona
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Government & Public Affairs
Inter Tribal Council of Arizona · Paradise Valley Mountain Preserve Trust
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Medical
Boston Scientific · Thermo Fisher · Nektar · Andres Plastic Surgery
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Education & research
Nektar · Thermo Fisher · ITCA Tribal Epidemiology Center · New Pathways For Youth
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Tech
Uber · Opendoor · Ridgeline
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Professional Services
UBS · State Farm · 1st Bank
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Sports
NFL · UFC · Golf Digest
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Live Events
Relentless Beats · Music Celebrations International · Wonderspaces
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Arts & culture
Wonderspaces · Music Celebrations International · Wax Society · Relentless Beats
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Food & hospitality
High Vibe Kitchen · PB Americano
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Builders & makers
Rumco · Citgo & Brundage Bone · IMS Builders
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Products
Kindred · Hypnotik · Neighbor
Clients
From neighborhood names to household names.
We'll make a film for anyone with a story worth telling. Some of our clients are down the street and some are known around the world, and every one of them gets the same care. Here are a few of the names we've made films for:
Our work
Films that stay with you.
These are a few of the stories we're proudest to have told. Each one started with a question worth answering and ended with people who felt something. Here's what that looks like:
Case studies
Every film has a job to do.
A good-looking film is only half the job. Each project we take on is made to do something specific, like reach new people, teach something or move people to act, and the case studies show how it went. Here are a few to dig into:
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Education
A 10-part docuseries that shows Native voters how every level of government reaches their lives, in time for the 2026 midterms.
See the work -
Education
A welcome film, a series of short guides and Dear Mom, so tribal families trust WIC enough to enroll and know what to do once they have.
See the work -
Exposure
Our aftermovie lets fans relive the night and puts next year's festival in front of everyone who missed it.
See the work -
Sales
We made a team film that lets prospective clients feel the service before the first meeting.
See the work -
Awareness
Tribal health leaders explain vaccines to their own communities, in their own words.
See the work -
Exposure
We filmed a family pop-up event so the fun reached far beyond the families who came.
See the work
Our process
From first idea to final cut.
Whether it's your first production or your fiftieth, it helps to know how things will go. Our process has five steps, and the same crew carries your project through all of them, from the first conversation to the final frame. Here's how it works:
- 01
Idea
Bring us a brief, a hunch or a blank page, and we'll read it for what it's really asking.
- 02
Discovery
We find the people with the true story and start earning their trust.
- 03
SITREP
We research your world so we know which hard questions to ask, then bring you a point of view.
Zoom in - 04
Production
The camera comes last: by the time we roll, we know who we're filming and what we need to hear.
- 05
Completion
We keep the true thing in the cut, then make cuts for every place the film will play.
How we work
We call it the Thrill Wave treatment, and three things stay the same on every project, from an aftermovie to a docuseries:
- 01
Go and get the true thing
Before a camera turns on, we do the research, ask the hard questions and wait as long as it takes for someone to say the true thing.
- 02
Argue for the good version
Every project has a safe version and a good version, and we'll push for the good one and tell you why.
- 03
Put our name on it
We take every film as seriously as the person it's for does, and we don't put our name on anything we don't mean.
What sets us apart
SITREP: we do our homework.
SITREP is our research. Before we film, we dig into your craft, your peers and your industry, like an outside R&D department that cares about your story as much as you do. Here's how it works, with a quick look at the tool we built for it:
Dig in
We study your craft, your peers, your industry and the sector around it.
Find the story
We bring you a point of view on what's worth saying and why people will care.
Make it
We film that story with real people and plan where it will be seen.
Intel
The stories behind the stories.
Intel is our blog. We write about what we learn on set, what turns up in our research and the gear and craft behind our films. Here are the latest posts:
The team
Your friendly neighborhood filmmakers.
We picked up cameras for the love of it and built a company around the stories that matter. We stay close to every frame because we care how it turns out. Here are some of the people you'll be working with:
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Chris Kuzman
Co-Founder, Strategy
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Tony Swann
Co-Founder, Director/DP
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Ari Everett
Co-Founder, Producer/Manager
Start a project
We'd love to hear your story.
Tell us what you're working on, even if it's only a hunch so far. We'll find out whose story it really is, and then we'll help you tell it. The easiest way to start is to write to us here:
Write to us