Staff
Our backgrounds are diverse: TV news, ad agency and corporate communications, to name just a few. Our specialties are distinctive yet often overlapping: writing, designing, producing, directing, shooting and more. We create videos, TV spots, radio commercials, print materials, display pieces and just about anything else our clients need to communicate with their target audiences. We design and build Web sites; write, direct and produce interactive video. But as a staff, we have a shared passion: tell good stories. Do it economically. Make it memorable and long-lasting. Create a story that makes us all proud because it’s well told and gets results. Our deep experience in every type of media will ensure that outcome.
We also share a commitment to creating a good quality of life for ourselves and others. Three-day shoots, community service, volunteerism or weekend softball: we’re serious about getting the job done and we’re serious about recharging our batteries, too. Sometimes we can do both. Client lunches, shoots and meetings at our place are filled with food, fresh air and laughter—all vital components of creativity and camaraderie. It’s exactly this atmosphere—combined with talent and experience—that lends itself to first-rate communication services and products for our clients.
That’s our story; now meet the people who will make your story come to life.
DIANA SOLE WALKO | CEO | dsole@motionmasters.com | 304.345.8800
As president and owner of MotionMasters, Diana is hands-on in every aspect of her company’s business. She leads film crews into remote villages in Africa. She visits India with a Marshall University contingent and logs hours toward her M.B.A. She writes scripts, directs live action, casts talent, produces video, edits copy and serves as project manager, executive producer or creative director for much of the work we do for our clients.
Her leadership has earned her accolades such as the State Journal’s Who’s Who in West Virginia Business award and the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. Junior Achievement presented her with a Laureate award and selected her for membership in its Business Hall of Fame. Her business acumen was lauded in the 2005 book, Jumpstart Your Awesome Film Production Company, and political candidates, corporations and non-profit organizations repeatedly seek her strategic communications consulting. But perhaps most important of all, she builds and keeps relationships with clients, many of whom have been with us from the beginning, 20 years or more.
She is a veteran of the communications industry, serving as the CEO of MotionMasters since 1988, and prior to that as its vice president and executive producer. With nearly 30 years in the industry, she has led innumerable public relations, advertising and marketing campaigns designed to educate, motivate and persuade. Under her direction, the company has evolved from a film and video firm serving West Virginia clients to an award-winning producer of educational media and documentaries that are distributed nationally.
In addition to leading MotionMasters, she served as the communications director and spokesperson for the 1996 campaign of the late West Virginia Gov. Cecil H. Underwood. Her communications and business skills led to her selection as editor of Capacity magazine, a publication of the Robert C. Byrd Institute that focuses on economic and business issues in West Virginia, principally those affecting the manufacturing sector. She has also served as managing editor of Leverage magazine, a publication of the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, based in Washington, D.C., and as managing editor of WeSave magazine, a public employee incentive program, with editions for Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia.
Diana is president of the board of Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha and Putnam, a group she has been actively involved with since 1990. In addition to her board responsibilities, she leads the organization’s ReStore Advisory Team. She also serves as a member of the Charleston Area Alliance Board of Directors and is a member of its executive committee. A Rotarian since 1990, she is a past member of the Charleston Rotary Club’s Board of Directors, and chaired the group’s Community Service committee. She also serves on the Board of Directors of ALEF, the Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation to provide college scholarships to young men and women from Appalachia. She was a co-founder and co-chair of the Charleston Area Medical Center Foundation’s Children’s Fund Gala and is a member of Elizabeth Memorial United Methodist. Diana was the co-coordinator of Celebration Station, Charleston’s community playground built entirely by volunteer labor.
She holds two degrees from Marshall University — a B.A. in Journalism; and an M.B.A., the latter of which she completed in 2004.
PAT LEGG | Business Manager (and Head Chef) | plegg@motionmasters.com | 304.345.8800
Pat is the textbook definition of a people-person. She’s happiest when the studio is full of clients; the conference room is booked for a meeting and when she’s busy with the thousands of details that come with being the business manager, production coordinator, bookkeeper and head chef. Her energy level is rivaled only by her cheerfulness. Or maybe by her fresh-from-the-oven homemade rolls. People know her by her sweet and helpful disposition on the phone—and her full-course country cookin’ meals.
She’s handled all aspects of putting together a shoot: from the crew to craft services to talent, wardrobe, props and makeup. Whether it’s obtaining a recently caught fish for a prop in a spot or finding the freshest sushi for a health-conscious client, Pat handles the details with precision, grace and a good disposition.
PK KHOURY | Copywriter | pk@motionmasters.com | 304.345.8804
Competitive—that’s the best way to describe pk. An experienced multimedia copywriter, pk realizes that every bit of copy she writes, whether for print, video or audio, has to compete for attention in a sea of images, words, sounds and themes. She knows that not only must the message be on target, it must also be accurate, compelling and memorable. She also knows the importance of timing and that each medium sets its own pace and cadence. As a former broadcaster, marketing director and ad agency chief copywriter in West Virginia, Virginia and Washington, D.C., pk has written and produced for all media. She brings a vast pool of experience and a competitive spirit to the projects and accounts assigned to her at MotionMasters.
When asked to identify the most challenging part of her job as a MotionMasters copywriter, pk replied, “Writing my own bio—in third person.”
BRIAN PETERSON | Executive Producer | bpeterson@motionmasters.com | 304.345.8807
There’s no such thing as an ex-news director; there only are former news directors and Brian’s one of them. He’s covered news for radio and TV in markets ranging from Green Bay to Hawaii with stints in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Huntington, too. His talent for uncovering the seed of a story and nurturing it to full maturity serves our clients well. As a former newsman, Brian searches and digs to find the most compelling elements of a client’s message and then wraps the storyline around them to create a fascinating tale—one that will keep your target audience attentive and engaged.
His instinctive knack for newsgathering is also what keeps Brian eager to learn new material or find new ways to do things, including building this Web site from the ground up. “My curiosity is often piqued when we get a new client at a company or industry we haven’t covered before,” he says. (He even talks in news-talk.) “There are always challenges, but by the end of the project, those challenges have led to discoveries and accomplishments that allow us to achieve our clients’ goals.” Whether it’s writing a script, producing a shoot or constructing and maintaining a client’s Web site, Brian’s mantra is quality and value. Count on him to bring both to your project.
LUKAS DEGRUYL | Production | ldegruyl@motionmasters.com | 304.345.8800
He’s an actor, a dancer, a director and a stunt man. He’s the founder of a Chicago theater company (called Outside the Lines) for which he served as artistic director. He’s also experienced in large-scale video productions, and during his tenure at Towers Productions in Chicago, he served as associate producer for projects that aired on cable channels such as Discovery, Biography and National Geographic, among others. As someone who understands and appreciates the inherent drama in a good story, Lukas is a great asset to writing, planning, shooting and editing scenes for video presentations.
Lukas is happy to be back in his home state, and our clients are pleased that he’s putting his background in theater to good use for their projects. His interest in artistry is matched by his aptitude for all things technical. And because he takes great personal pride in the work he does for our clients, you can be sure that he’ll be sure that everything is done right.
DIANE DIMOFF | Producer | ddimoff@motionmasters.com | 304.345.8806
Name something in the video production business and Diane can do it: on-camera, voice-over, research, scriptwriting, producing, interviewing a subject or supervising an edit—she does it all at MotionMasters and she does it extremely well.
Many will remember Diane as a television news journalist at WSAZ. She’s still an investigative reporter of sorts, especially when she’s searching the dusty archives of the state capitol for rare photos. As producer for the MotionMasters documentary, “A Moving Monument: The West Virginia State Capitol,” she tracked down all the elements needed for the video to explain the story of West Virginia’s six statehouses. She also played a key role in fundraising for the video by writing grant proposals and coordinating underwriting requests to nearly 140 prospective donors. Her expertise in television commercials and long format productions includes historical topics, health care, academics and athletics. Quiet, resourceful and industrious, she’s a real dynamo when it comes to staying on schedule and in budget.
AMY DRAKE | Graphic Designer | adrake@motionmasters.com | 304.345.8800
She had just graduated from Marshall University and couldn’t believe her good luck at landing a full-time position at a well-known firm in Charleston. Everybody was warm and welcoming at MotionMasters and her workspace was outfitted with a big, fast Mac. She couldn’t wait to settle in and put her hard-won graphic design skills to work. Amy Drake wanted to show the MotionMasters team that she was the right person for the job! Little did she realize that her wish was about to come true—in spades.
“Being thrown into the middle of that was a big deal…it was a lot of work and a big job,” she says, thinking back to her first few days on the job. When Amy arrived, the creative department at MotionMasters was immersed in producing a high quality, nationally distributed, 80-page magazine called Capacity. Photographs, layout, ads, editorial—it all needed to be completed—quickly. “That was the first big thing that I did as my first job as a graphic designer,” she says. But she met the challenge head-on and continues to wow clients with her design skills in print, video and electronic media.
What does she enjoy the most about her position at MotionMasters? “Being able to do what I love.”
DOUG MORRIS | Production Manager | dmorris@motionmasters.com | 304.345.8800
Sometimes at night and from a distance, they looked like a construction crew on the Capitol grounds. Then a light would bounce off the lens of the camera and a nearby dog-walker would call out, “Am I going to be on TV?” But when the trees are in full leaf and the moon’s just right, conditions are perfect for shooting some of the most vivid scenes for “A Moving Monument.” As co-videographer for the 60-minute MotionMasters documentary that tells the story of the six statehouses that have served as West Virginia’s Capitol, Doug remembers it as his favorite project to date. “It was a pure production job—shooting and editing,” he says. “We were able to shoot some nice jib and dolly shots, too—a process that raises everyone’s game.”
Doug also likes to take his game to other continents. Beginning in 2004, he has been part of the MotionMasters crew on location in Africa to shoot, edit and present video of and for the Leon Sullivan Foundation Summit: a bi-annual conference of world leaders who come together to help carry on the work of the late African-American international humanitarian. The challenges are difficult and the conditions sometimes tense, depending upon the level of civil unrest, but Doug soldiers on and never complains. It’s exactly this calm demeanor and nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic that have made him a favorite of co-workers and clients for the more than 30 years he’s been in the business.
WESLEY POOLE | Videographer & Editor | wpoole@motionmasters.com | 304.345.8800
Wesley is a traveler. But not in the traditional sense. Wes does most of his scenic sightseeing through the lens of a video camera. When he experiences the beauty of his home state of West Virginia or when he marvels at the lush green landscapes of Africa, it’s to capture it in video for others to experience also. “MotionMasters takes people places,” he says. “I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to go to so many places and meet so many interesting people if I hadn’t been shooting for our clients.”
Wesley is an experienced videographer who puts his visual sensitivity to good use in telling stories. He’s also finely attuned to the aural sense of storytelling and often serves in a dual capacity on shoots: audio and video. Medical, coal industry, safety training—Wes has done it all—and sometimes doing it all entails hanging out of the door of a helicopter while shooting with a 25-pound video camera! Quiet, hard-working and creative, Wes says that, “…being a team player is as important as mastering my craft.” He demonstrates that he’s mastered both on a daily basis.
WARD HINEY | Production Assistant | whiney@motionmasters.com | 304.345.8800
According to Ward, “I have wanted to work at MotionMasters since my first week as an intern.” That desire, coupled with his proficiency in video production and the completion of his degree in broadcast communications, resulted in Ward’s landing a full time gig here. “I really felt as if the internship had spoiled me, especially toward the end, just by allowing it to be so much fun in what I did each day,” he says. A filmmaker since age 17, Ward developed a penchant for capturing nuance and subtleties in commercial video productions. “I enjoy shooting visual indicators of the video’s message rather than letting the narrative do all the work.” Whether he’s producing, shooting or editing, Ward’s vision and innovative techniques will bring a fresh perspective to your projects.
