Prairie Surf Creative
Focused on delivering high-impact narratives, documentarian work, and original content to amplify community and empower storytelling.
Focused on delivering high-impact narratives, documentarian work, and original content to amplify community and empower storytelling.
Focused on delivering high-impact narratives, documentarian work, and original content to amplify community and empower storytelling.
Latest Release
Future Proven
Featured Project
Councilwoman Nikki Nice initially approached Director, Matt Payne, about creating a video to help save the last Black owned theater on the East Side of Oklahoma City. Prairie Surf then partnered with filmmakers Marcus Brown and Dekoven Riggins of Notis Studios to further our impact. What began as a simple campaign video developed into a mission to preserve the identity of a community. Throughout the past year, we have immersed ourselves into the history and culture of the Eastside of Oklahoma City. From Deep Deuce to urban renewal this documentary tells the history of a community with the goal of bringing back the spirit of the Jewel.
Directed By
Matt Payne
Release Date
Spring 2024
Cast
Arthur Hurst
Vanessa Morrison
Anita Arnold
Jabee Williams
Quintin Hughes
Dr. Dekoven Riggins
Marcus Brown
Councilwoman Nikki Nice
Florence Jones Kemp
Members of the NEOKC Community
Film Students of Douglass High School
Students of the University of Oklahoma
Partnership
Prairie Surf Creative in partnership with Notis Studios. Kevin Ford also served as a Co-Producer on the project.
Production Team
| Matt Payne | Executive Producer/Director |
| Marcus Brown | Executive Producer |
| Rachel Cannon | Executive Producer |
| Dekoven Riggins | Executive Producer |
| Clarissa Cozzoni | Producer |
| Kevin Ford | Co-Producer |
| Allison England | Associate Producer |
| Alex Semikopenko | Director of Photography |
| William Warner | Best Boy Electric |
| Emily Pearson | Key Grip |
| Caroline Hill | Best Boy Grip |
Production Team
| Chris Lomelin | Grip |
| Samuel McClure | Sound Mixer |
| Khonor Patterson | Additional Sound Mixer |
| Jordan Lovick | Utility Sound |
| Daisy Montoya | Production Assistant |
| Max Kreigel | Production Assistant |
| Jekayla Lovett-Dixon | Production Assistant |
| Camryn Sturgill | Production Assistant |
| Andrew Terrell | Production Assistant |
| Lauren Bowman | Stills Photography |
| David Eboh | Stills Photography |
Our Work
Stories that Captivate, Inform, and Inspire
University of Oklahoma/Price College of Business
Cadillac Home Tour | Episode 1 | 405 Magazine
Clara Luper 100th Birthday Tribute Video
Grey Has No Allegiance | Grey Sweater
Artist Spotlight – Tony Tee | Visit OKC Modern Frontier
Artist Spotlight – Nicole Poole | Visit OKC Modern Frontier
Douglass High School Hype Video | PSM & FEIO & Notis Studios
A Tribute To Deborah McAuliffe Senner | Allied Arts
5 Year Anniversary Party | The Jones
Assembly
2023 Fundraiser Campaign | Allied Arts
Jesse McCartney – Selfless | The Kelly Clarkson Show
About
The Next Wave of World-class Storytelling
Prairie Surf Creative is a division of Prairie Surf Media, a production company located in downtown Oklahoma City. PSM was founded by Oklahoma natives Matt Payne and Rachel Cannon upon their return from Los Angeles. Leveraging their knowledge, connections and commitment helped our local industry become a premier production prospect.
Under Matt Payne’s leadership, PSC produces high-impact narratives, documentarian work, and original content for visionary businesses, nonprofits, and institutions across the region. The PSC team has extensive experience working with major entertainment brands like Disney, HBO, Marvel, NFL, and Netflix and is augmented by a global network of resources and partnerships.
Our Team
Uncommon Company
You can learn a lot about someone by the company they keep and we’re proud to mingle with brilliant investigators, foul-mouthed superheroes and a century-old mouse. We confidently embrace that collaboration, knowing the product connects on a deeper level, and engages the emotions of the audience.
OVER
Combined Years of
Experience
Recognized with
Hands-on Work With
Major Hollywood Studios
Tanya Ruby, serves as EVP, Head of Finance at Prairie Surf Media. With over 25 years of experience in the film industry, Ruby started her career working as a production coordinator at Walden Media. Eventually transitioning into Finance, she spent a decade accumulating extensive international experience working on AAA films like Captain Phillips, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Prometheus, and Wonder Woman. In 2017, she returned to Los Angeles where she shared her expertise at Amazon, Netflix and Big Beach. Ruby moved to Oklahoma and joined Prairie Surf Media in early 2022. Ruby is committed to empowering women in film through leadership, mentorship, and community building.
Nader Tavangar is a storyteller at heart. He’s spent hours watching reruns of the great classics, hundreds of hours on the stage performing classical works and the rest of his time behind the camera leading business strategy. Nader joined Prairie Surf Media as Executive Vice President and Managing Director of its Creative Division. In this newly created role, Nader will reach audiences through short and long-form films as well as brand partnerships and intentional brand campaigns.
Nader brings 25 years of experience guiding corporate initiatives across the globe, earning deep and abiding trust of people who don’t give it away easily. Prior to joining Prairie Surf, Nader was tapped to lead a new startup in the entertainment space developing and executing scripted and unscripted works across episodic and feature length films. Leading business strategy to develop creative IP for 26 different projects across documentary, feature, and Indie films. Nader partnered with brands, media companies and people to kickstart using internal resources while maintaining ownership of creative IP through financing and distribution.
No matter the company or the assignment, chief among his roles is to be a fountain of positivity.
Wendy Garrett was drawn to the stage at an early age and has been working in the entertainment business for 20 years. Garrett has worked as an Imagineer for The Walt Disney Company, as an associate casting director on “Law & Order” and has performed on Broadway. Upon arriving back in Oklahoma, Garrett worked as Associate Director for the famed director, Francis Ford Coppola (THE GODFATHER), on Coppola’s live cinema project, DISTANT VISION. Garrett currently lives in Tulsa and is writing, directing and producing fiction and nonfiction films. In 2020, she produced the documentary “Eddie, the cost of greatness”, on basketball legend Coach Eddie Sutton that aired on ESPN and ABC. Wendy is the lead producer for Cinema Eye Honors Annual Documentary Awards Ceremony in New York City and is a member of Women in Film LA and Actor’s Equity Association. She is a graduate of Oklahoma City University with a degree in theater and dance.
George Back started GB Creatives in the studio lots of Hollywood. He put the “free” in freelance by offering to write feature film marketing copy in exchange for opportunity. His big break came in 2015, when he landed a two-day writing assignment with 20th Century Fox. The project was “Deadpool.” The irreverent IP matched George’s unique creative stylings perfectly and the resulting copy absolutely crushed.
Following the massive success of “Deadpool,” George’s career as a writer took off. He found himself writing everything from taglines to brand integration for multiple studios. He even wrote a daily column for Yahoo! Entertainment – over 800 articles!
Working for such large media outlets involved a significant amount of co-branding. Writing copy that makes one brand happy is challenging, writing copy that makes two separate brands happy can be downright herculean.
The co-branding gauntlet not only galvanized George’s skills, it also revealed that a lot of corporate marketing isn’t very creative. GB Creatives was founded to bring the magic of storytelling back to the overly logical and statistics driven creative of modern marketing.
Mark is the Founder of Mark Steele Creative and a well-known author, speaker, comedian, songwriter, playwright, and film writer/director. For 20 years, he was the Co-Founder and Executive Creative of Steelehouse Productions, where he led a team of creatives as they crafted narratives for film, animation, and virtual reality.
Mark also has a long-standing history of stand-up comedy and performance in both stage and film as well as producing and directing film projects for both the corporate and artistic worlds. He speaks regularly at media and artistic conferences and events across America.
Mark has written several books incorporating humorous stories from his personal life that weave in life truths, including “Flashbang” (2005, Relevant Books), “Half-Life/Die Already” (2008, David C Cook Publishing), and his collection of fictional short stories “The Most Important Thing Happening” (2011, David C Cook Publishing). All have been released to great commercial success and overwhelmingly positive reviews. Mark has also written episodes and songs extensively for the hit series VeggieTales. His songwriting has landed him membership in the Recording Academy/Grammy organization. He is the playwright of several produced theater works including “Fiction Is Revolting,” “Panic in Suite 1612,” “The Bema,” and “Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.”
Richard Rosser is a filmmaker, author and educator based in Los Angeles. He honed his story skills on hit TV shows, including This Is Us, Grey’s Anatomy, Chicago Med, MacGyver and 24. Rosser has written award-winning books and taught storytelling workshops to 15,000+ students of all ages. Richard’s passion for the creative process led him to develop school programs that empower students to express themselves through storytelling and conquer their fear of speaking in public. He has guest lectured at numerous colleges and universities, including Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and NYU.
Rosser’s most recent book, ChatGPT Simplified, is available on Amazon. It offers non-tech professionals a unique and accessible approach to unlock the power of ChatGPT and amplify creativity.
Clarissa Cozzoni is a Telly award winning producer, SAG-E actress, and director located in Oklahoma City, OK. A born and raised Oklahoman, Cozzoni has drawn much of her artistic inspiration from the memoirs and music of Red-Dirt country. Beginning her career in the theatre at thirteen, Cozzoni shifted into film upon her arrival to college. Clarissa has worked in a variety of theatrical/film mediums as both an actress and director. Cozzoni is a proud alumni of the University of Oklahoma where she received her BFA in Acting & Dramaturgy. During her time at OU, she received the Rupel J. Jones Directing Award for Excellence in Directing. Currently, she serves as the Creative Services Coordinator at Prairie Surf Media where she produces, directs, and coordinates in-house productions ranging from commercial, narrative, and documentary all the while developing IP with her colleagues. When she isn’t being a workaholic, Clarissa enjoys reading, cooking, and hiking with her dog, Brontë!
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Our Team
Matt Payne is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker, writer, photographer, and educator based in Oklahoma City. During his 15 years in Los Angeles, Payne worked as a writer on the hit CBS series “Vegas” and “Defenders”, and TNT’s “Memphis Beat”, additionally he was a part of the production team of Fox’s “24” and CBS’ “Without a Trace.” As a graduate of the film school at the University of Oklahoma, Payne returned to Oklahoma in 2015 with the goal to create an industry that empowers other storytellers, allows them to be the mentors they wish they’d had, and to help shape the rapidly expanding entertainment industry in Oklahoma. Since his return, Payne has taken a key role in the Oklahoma film community, producing documentaries for Griffin Communications and the OETA Foundation, as well as serving as an adjunct professor at Oklahoma City University for three years. Payne was the Travel Editor of 405 Magazine and has been a contributing writer and photographer to National Geographic Traveler, Travel Age West, Explorer Magazine and many other travel publications. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America, the Society of American Travel Writers, is a regular speaker at the deadCenter Film Festival, a participant in the Oklahoma Conservation Leadership Academy and sits on the board of directors of the Oklahoma City Zoological Society, the Moderns Board at the Oklahoma Museum of Art, deadCenter, and the Film Education Institute of Oklahoma. Today, he serves as the Co-CEO and Founder of Prairie Surf Media
Our Team
Tanya Ruby, serves as EVP, Head of Finance at Prairie Surf Media. With over 25 years of experience in the film industry, Ruby started her career working as a production coordinator at Walden Media. Eventually transitioning into Finance, she spent a decade accumulating extensive international experience working on AAA films like Captain Phillips, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Prometheus, and Wonder Woman. In 2017, she returned to Los Angeles where she shared her expertise at Amazon, Netflix and Big Beach. Ruby moved to Oklahoma and joined Prairie Surf Media in early 2022. Ruby is committed to empowering women in film through leadership, mentorship, and community building.
Our Team
Nader Tavangar is a storyteller at heart. He’s spent hours watching reruns of the great classics, hundreds of hours on the stage performing classical works and the rest of his time behind the camera leading business strategy. Nader joined Prairie Surf Media as Executive Vice President and Managing Director of its Creative Division. In this newly created role, Nader will reach audiences through short and long-form films as well as brand partnerships and intentional brand campaigns.
Nader brings 25 years of experience guiding corporate initiatives across the globe, earning deep and abiding trust of people who don’t give it away easily. Prior to joining Prairie Surf, Nader was tapped to lead a new startup in the entertainment space developing and executing scripted and unscripted works across episodic and feature length films. Leading business strategy to develop creative IP for 26 different projects across documentary, feature, and Indie films. Nader partnered with brands, media companies and people to kickstart using internal resources while maintaining ownership of creative IP through financing and distribution.
No matter the company or the assignment, chief among his roles is to be a fountain of positivity.
Our Team
Austin Taylor is an Emmy award winning Producer and Director. Most recently, he produced a TV show for Disney+, called “Disney Insider”. Previously, he was Director of Production for Superbly studios, a full service data driven video agency. Additionally, for the past 18-plus years, he served as Director of Production/Executive Producer for several production studios in the Greater Los Angeles area, including Tonik+ and Pollution studios. Austin received multiple Emmy nominations and wins for his work with the NFL Network, producing and directing documentary style films showcasing how the NFL puts on its biggest and most ambitious events every year; e.g. NFL Draft and Super Bowl. Prior to that, he produced vast amounts of commercial content and documentaries for Carnival Cruise Line and its tourism platform, building a team of elite filmmakers who traveled the world together. He has worked with A-list celebrity talent, entrenched himself with international documentary filmmakers, traveled extensively for production, and gained unparalleled exposure and knowledge to the production process.
The secret to Austin’s success has always been working harder, and building incredibly talented teams of filmmakers. He grew up a few miles north of Dallas and his very first job in the film business was working on the set of Walker Texas Ranger. After that, he immediately began producing films and commercials locally in the DFW area. He gained real life, hands-on experience working in Texas and was able to use that knowledge to achieve a high level of success during his time in Los Angeles.
Austin and his wife, Meghan, have three young sons.
Our Team
Kevin Ford produced, shot, and edited the Netflix feature documentary “Sr.” about the life and works of filmmaker Robert Downey Sr. which premiered at Telluride 2022 and also won Best Documentary from the National Board of Review. Some other notable works by Ford include The Pathway, a doc series about NBA basketball prospects for TNT, which he shot and directed with James D. Stern. In 2021 Kevin directed Face The River, a documentary for RCA Records featuring musician Gavin DeGraw. In 2020 Kevin directed, shot, and edited a documentary, The Pushback, produced by Richard Linklater, which was an official selection of SXSW 2020 and also won 3 awards at El Paso Film Festival, including Best Director. In 2018, Ford produced, shot, and edited the Sony Pictures Classics documentary American Chaos. Other acclaimed projects include The Bomb (director, editor) a chilling archival documentary about nuclear weapons which was the closing night film of Tribeca 2016 and was also featured at the 2017 Nobel Peace Awards Ceremony. Ford was a director of Stone Barn Castle, a soul-searching documentary with Adrien Brody which premiered at SXSW 2015, as well as the Rock n’ Roll feature Three Days starring Jane’s Addiction which premiered at Slamdance 1999. Kevin has also made his fair share of independent narrative feature films, including the drama Legs, starring Eddie Steeples which premiered at the 2014 Cinesander Film Series, as well as two other features featuring Ellar Coltrane — an indie-romance, Drowned, and a road film, By The River, which was produced by Adrien Brody and premiered at 2016 Sidewalk Film Festival. As cinematographer, Ford worked on a forthcoming documentary series for A24 and HBO, and previously he shot the feature film Roman produced by Lucky McKee, as well as the 2003 political documentary The Party’s Over starring Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Our Team
Wendy Garrett was drawn to the stage at an early age and has been working in the entertainment business for 20 years. Garrett has worked as an Imagineer for The Walt Disney Company, as an associate casting director on “Law & Order” and has performed on Broadway. Upon arriving back in Oklahoma, Garrett worked as Associate Director for the famed director, Francis Ford Coppola (THE GODFATHER), on Coppola’s live cinema project, DISTANT VISION. Garrett currently lives in Tulsa and is writing, directing and producing fiction and nonfiction films. In 2020, she produced the documentary “Eddie, the cost of greatness”, on basketball legend Coach Eddie Sutton that aired on ESPN and ABC. Wendy is the lead producer for Cinema Eye Honors Annual Documentary Awards Ceremony in New York City and is a member of Women in Film LA and Actor’s Equity Association. She is a graduate of Oklahoma City University with a degree in theater and dance.
Our Team
George Back started GB Creatives in the studio lots of Hollywood. He put the “free” in freelance by offering to write feature film marketing copy in exchange for opportunity. His big break came in 2015, when he landed a two-day writing assignment with 20th Century Fox. The project was “Deadpool.” The irreverent IP matched George’s unique creative stylings perfectly and the resulting copy absolutely crushed.
Following the massive success of “Deadpool,” George’s career as a writer took off. He found himself writing everything from taglines to brand integration for multiple studios. He even wrote a daily column for Yahoo! Entertainment – over 800 articles!
Working for such large media outlets involved a significant amount of co-branding. Writing copy that makes one brand happy is challenging, writing copy that makes two separate brands happy can be downright herculean.
The co-branding gauntlet not only galvanized George’s skills, it also revealed that a lot of corporate marketing isn’t very creative. GB Creatives was founded to bring the magic of storytelling back to the overly logical and statistics driven creative of modern marketing.
Our Team
Mark is the Founder of Mark Steele Creative and a well-known author, speaker, comedian, songwriter, playwright, and film writer/director. For 20 years, he was the Co-Founder and Executive Creative of Steelehouse Productions, where he led a team of creatives as they crafted narratives for film, animation, and virtual reality.
Mark also has a long-standing history of stand-up comedy and performance in both stage and film as well as producing and directing film projects for both the corporate and artistic worlds. He speaks regularly at media and artistic conferences and events across America.
Mark has written several books incorporating humorous stories from his personal life that weave in life truths, including “Flashbang” (2005, Relevant Books), “Half-Life/Die Already” (2008, David C Cook Publishing), and his collection of fictional short stories “The Most Important Thing Happening” (2011, David C Cook Publishing). All have been released to great commercial success and overwhelmingly positive reviews. Mark has also written episodes and songs extensively for the hit series VeggieTales. His songwriting has landed him membership in the Recording Academy/Grammy organization. He is the playwright of several produced theater works including “Fiction Is Revolting,” “Panic in Suite 1612,” “The Bema,” and “Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.”
Our Team
Richard Rosser is a filmmaker, author and educator based in Los Angeles. He honed his story skills on hit TV shows, including This Is Us, Grey’s Anatomy, Chicago Med, MacGyver and 24. Rosser has written award-winning books and taught storytelling workshops to 15,000+ students of all ages. Richard’s passion for the creative process led him to develop school programs that empower students to express themselves through storytelling and conquer their fear of speaking in public. He has guest lectured at numerous colleges and universities, including Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and NYU.
Rosser’s most recent book, ChatGPT Simplified, is available on Amazon. It offers non-tech professionals a unique and accessible approach to unlock the power of ChatGPT and amplify creativity.
Our Team
Clarissa Cozzoni is a Telly award winning producer, SAG-E actress, and director located in Oklahoma City, OK. A born and raised Oklahoman, Cozzoni has drawn much of her artistic inspiration from the memoirs and music of Red-Dirt country. Beginning her career in the theatre at thirteen, Cozzoni shifted into film upon her arrival to college. Clarissa has worked in a variety of theatrical/film mediums as both an actress and director. Cozzoni is a proud alumni of the University of Oklahoma where she received her BFA in Acting & Dramaturgy. During her time at OU, she received the Rupel J. Jones Directing Award for Excellence in Directing. Currently, she serves as the Creative Services Coordinator at Prairie Surf Media where she produces, directs, and coordinates in-house productions ranging from commercial, narrative, and documentary all the while developing IP with her colleagues. When she isn’t being a workaholic, Clarissa enjoys reading, cooking, and hiking with her dog, Brontë!