NEVER NOT COLLECTIVE
Never Not Collective seeks to tell the stories of everyday people doing great things, brave things, things that are challenging, engaging, and gratifying—regardless of “success.” Action is exciting, but we believe that people, with all their complexity, faults, and flaws, are at the heart of every compelling story. Our deep commitment to collaboration stems from diverse backgrounds in writing, photography, video, multi-media, and analytics. This fusion of unique perspectives helps Never Not create refreshing content that connects with viewers.
COLETTE MCINERNEY
After a decade of traveling the world as a professional climber, Colette started recording her adventures through photography and film in 2010. She found her passion at the intersection of photo, film, travel, and climbing, and since then she’s worked with companies like Red Bull, National Geographic, Prana, and New Balance to capture the story behind the biggest accomplishments. From summiting 14,000-foot peaks to scaling massive limestone walls, she can—and will—go anywhere to get the shot. Follow Colette.
JULIE ELLISON
As Climbing magazine’s first female Editor in Chief, Julie has spent a quarter of her life writing, shooting, and editing stories about climbing and the outdoors. With a genuine documentary style, her stories use adventure as a way to experience the world and help the people in it. She’s written about the refugee crisis on the island of Kalymnos, a climbing camp for cancer survivors, and seeing death firsthand in Mexico. In 2017, the OR Daily named her one of the 26 Most Talented People in the Outdoor Industry. Follow Julie.
LESLIE HITTMEIER
Working as an editor at Skiing Magazine, a managing editor at Teton Gravity Research, and a freelance photographer, Leslie became a fixture in skiing media before joining Never Not Collective as the group’s token young gun. She’s traveled to Chile, Japan, France, and all over the American West to document badass skiers, climbers, and adventurers in their natural habitats. As an obsessed skier and climber herself, Leslie plays and trains in her home mountain range of the Tetons. Follow Leslie.
WHo we’re collaborating with…
Sophie Danison is the ridiculously smart and talented lead editor behind our current film Pretty Strong. She has taken the pile of footage we gave her and turned it into something magical and we are eternally grateful. Danison also worked on the wildly successful all women ski film Pretty Faces which premiered in 2014 and she created her own film The Quiet Force, which explores the effects of the current political climate and actions on Latino individuals and communities. The Quiet Force won the People’s Choice award at 5Point Film Festival in Aspen, CO in 2018. Danison is also a bad ass river guide and spends her summers guiding in the Grand Canyon. Follow Sophie.
Alexis Krauss is a singer, songwriter and front-woman of the band, Sleigh Bells. A long time lover of the outdoors, Alexis is a nature educator with Wild Earth and an AMGA certified Single Pitch Instructor. An avid rock climber, she combined her passion for climbing with outdoor education and helped launched the Young Women Who Crush mentorship program in partnership with the Cliffs at LIC. Young Women Who Crush is a climbing and leadership development program that provides opportunities for high school girls and gender non-conforming students in NYC to experience the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of rock climbing, indoors and outdoors. Krauss has made Sleigh Bells music affordable and accessible for us to use in Pretty Strong. Follow Women Who Crush.
Steph Hon is a 24-year-old phenom super woman currently working on solving all the problems of all the traveling women out there by creating leakproof, sustainable, and personalized refillable capsules designed so you can move more freely with your toiletries. Keep your eye on Keep Your Cadence. Before becoming an entrepreneur Hon edited REEL ROCK and she has become our trusted advisor and go-to person for the question, “Should we cut this?” We are so lucky to have her on the Pretty Strong team. Follow Steph.
Dan Olson is a professional Post Production Supervisor with his own company First Chair Media. Olson has supervised and colored many action sports films made by Teton Gravity Research and is a genius when it comes to all things tech. He agreed to help us color Pretty Strong even though we aren’t paying him what he deserves. Thanks, Dan. Check out First Chair Media here.
Maybe the most creative person we know. Bryan Nanista is a graphic design wizard with a skillset that ranges from art directing editorial magazines, to complicated motion graphics for big commercial brands. He is a one-man design house and his work is incredible. Currently, Nanista is doing all of the motion graphics for Pretty Strong while juggling a million other jobs and being a kick ass dad. Follow Bryan.