Stories from the Block
Scranton’s wholesale district. First-hand accounts of Lackawanna Avenue, written by Mary Ann Moran Savakinus. A Cannon Fire production.
Featured
Latest
A 30-minute film — The Secrets Beneath Hazleton.
The Secrets Beneath Hazleton
The expanded film. Unmapped tunnels, a rumored speakeasy, and the anthracite history still sitting under West Broad Street.
Features
Documentary features
Feature-length films. Wrote, shot, directed, and edited unless noted.
Agnes
The 1972 Wyoming Valley flood, 50 years later. Sold-out premiere at the Kirby Center on the anniversary night. Written and narrated by Alan K. Stout.
Hanson’s Park
Harveys Lake, 1890s to 1984. Two IndieFEST awards and a Silver Telly. Premiere at the F.M. Kirby Center.
Angela Park
The lost amusement park in Drums, PA. Rare footage from opening day through the auction — Porky the Paper Eater and all.
Press
“Beautifully done, very professional.”
Times Leader — on Agnes. The reporter left the screening in tears.
Kirby Center premiere, June 23, 2022: sold out. Extra shows added. Citizens’ Voice · NEPA Scene
Hanson’s Park — Citizens’ Voice · Standard Speaker
Narrative
Assistant director credits on narrative features.
Selected work
Films & series
Documentaries and shorts. Wrote, shot, directed, and edited unless noted.
The Secrets Beneath Hazleton
Trailer for the 30-minute film. Unmapped tunnels, a rumored speakeasy, and the anthracite history still sitting under West Broad Street.
Lycoming Careers that Work
Trailer for this year’s WVIA Lycoming County workforce series. Last season is the NETA nominee — this is the new one.
The Secret Beneath Hazleton
The Emmy-winning VIA Short Takes film. A forgotten city under the city — it went viral and helped spark a plan to reopen Hazleton’s oldest mine.
The Lost Town Beneath Pennsylvania’s Forest
Alvira. A farming town seized in WWII, bulldozed for TNT bunkers, then grown over by forest. Nominated for a NETA — a national public media award.
The Angel of the Anthracite
Sophia Coxe’s story — coal-region history from the anthracite fields.
Bald Eagles Are Returning to Pennsylvania Rivers
A conservation story on the Susquehanna and the birds coming back to it.
The Lattimer Massacre
They marched for fair pay. Then deputies opened fire. The 1897 killing of anthracite miners near Hazleton. Winner of a 2026 Mid-Atlantic Emmy for Historical/Cultural Short Form.
Why Local Elections Matter
Election Day in Hazleton. Voices from the city on why the local vote still counts.
Living Well in Recovery
A journey of healing and resilience — recovery told as a human story, not a PSA.
Great Teachers: Mrs. Cabe
WVIA Education’s 2024 Great Teachers Essay Contest winner — Roxanna Gonzalez on Mrs. Cabe.
Care Can’t Wait
The crisis facing Pennsylvania’s direct care workforce — Aging Together in PA. Nominated for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy.
Is Life After Death More Than Just a Mystery?
A WVIA piece on what people believe happens after we die — and why the question won’t leave us alone.
A Day in the Life of a Certified Nurse Aide
A Careers that Work portrait of the people doing the work most of us never see.
A Day in the Life of a School Nurse
What the job is actually like — not the poster version.
Microplastics and Community Action
Restoring Pennsylvania rivers — Keystone Edition Health.
She Beat Cancer
Keystone Edition Health. A young athlete’s return to the game after pediatric cancer.
Delaney’s Story
Mind Over Matter. A youth mental-health portrait from WVIA’s series on isolation, anxiety, and recovery.
About
About me
I’m a filmmaker and multimedia producer at WVIA Public Media in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I’ve spent my career behind the camera, telling stories about real people, forgotten history, and the places we often overlook.
My work has earned four Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards, including recognition for The Secret Beneath Hazleton and The Lattimer Massacre. What started as a short documentary about Hazleton’s forgotten underground history eventually grew into a larger film and helped bring attention to efforts to preserve a piece of the city’s past.
I’ve always been drawn to stories that make people curious, challenge what they think they know, or help them see something familiar in a completely different way. Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time developing and refining my own approach to storytelling, trying to understand what makes a story connect with people. I’m still learning, still experimenting, and probably overthinking things more than I should. But I believe the best documentaries do more than tell you what happened. They make you care about why it matters.
I graduated from Penn State with a degree focused on film and video. Over the years, I’ve worked in just about every part of production, from shooting and editing to directing and producing. I’ve watched the industry go from videotape to 4K and beyond, which probably tells you more about my age than I’d like to admit. I’m always looking for that next story, especially the ones hiding in plain sight that nobody thought to ask about.
At the end of the day, I just like finding a good story and figuring out the best way to tell it. If I can make someone laugh, think, or say, “I had no idea that happened,” then I’ve probably done my job.
Recognition
Awards
Four Emmy wins. NETA, IndieFEST, and Telly.
2026
Producer / Director
Historical / Cultural — Short Form
VIA Short Takes: The Lattimer Massacre
VIA Short Takes: The Lattimer Massacre
Producer / Director
2025
Director / Camera / Editor
Historical / Cultural — Short Film
VIA Short Takes: The Secret Beneath Hazleton
VIA Short Takes: The Secret Beneath Hazleton
Director / Camera / Editor
2025
Director / Camera / Editor
Health / Medical News
Keystone Edition Health: She Beat Cancer
Keystone Edition Health: She Beat Cancer
Director / Camera / Editor
2024
Writer / Camera / Director / Editor
Societal Concerns — Short Form
Delaney’s Story — Mind Over Matter
Delaney’s Story — Mind Over Matter
Writer / Camera / Director / Editor
2020
Writer / Camera / Director / Editor
IndieFEST Film Awards — Award of Merit, History / Biographical
Hanson’s Amusement Park
Hanson’s Amusement Park
Writer / Camera / Director / Editor
2020
Writer / Camera / Director / Editor
IndieFEST Film Awards — Award of Recognition, Tourism / Travel
Hanson’s Amusement Park
Hanson’s Amusement Park
Writer / Camera / Director / Editor
2020
Novo Digital Media
Telly Award — Silver Winner, General-History Documentary
Documentary of Hanson’s Park
Documentary of Hanson’s Park
Novo Digital Media
NETA
National Educational Telecommunications Association — Nominee
The Lost Town Beneath Pennsylvania’s Forest (Alvira)
Writer / Camera / Director / Editor
The Lost Town Beneath Pennsylvania’s Forest (Alvira)
NETA
National Educational Telecommunications Association — Nominee
Careers that Work
Writer / Camera / Director / Editor
Careers that Work
Emmy
Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award — Nominee
Care Can’t Wait
Writer / Camera / Director / Editor
Care Can’t Wait
Contact
For screenings, commissions, and press.
If you want to license a film, book a talk, or start a new documentary, start here.