OUR TEAM
BILL HARRIS
Co-Owner & CEO
Bill Harris is CEO and co-owner of Pyewackitt Productions and a television programming executive with 30 years broadcast and cable experience with ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS, his last 16 years as head of production for the A&E Television Networks, which includes A&E, History, Lifetime and Biography channels, among others. Bill joined A&E in 1994 overseeing Documentary Programming, including the development, launch and unprecedented success of the Emmy Award-winning BIOGRAPHY® series.
As VP of Production, he managed the launch of THE HISTORY CHANNEL before becoming SVP of Production and Broadcast Operations. A multiple Emmy, Telly, Ace, Cine, and Vision Award winner, Bill has been inducted into the National Association of Minorities in Cable (NAMIC) Hall of Fame and was named a Cable Maverick by the Cable Center in October, 2008.
Bill was executive producer on two Oscar®-qualifying documentaries: DIGITAL DHARMA and TRIAL BY FIRE: LIVES RE-FORGED. Bill was both Producer-in-Residence and an adjunct professor in Film and Media Arts at Sacred Heart University. He served as General Manager of the Ridgefield Independent Film Festival for three years, one of Film Freeway's "Top 100 Best Filmmaker Reviewed Film Festivals. Currently, Bill is working on the launch of the Stratford Film Festival and Film Series in Stratford, Ontario.
Megan’s career encompasses documentary, television, film, theater, and radio both in Canada and the United States. She is the president and co-owner of Pyewackitt Productions, an independent production company with a commitment to create high quality, socially relevant programs with a unique perspective. Megan produced, directed and co-wrote the critically acclaimed documentary TRIAL BY FIRE: Lives Re-forged. The film has aired on PBS, been dubbed, "a must-see" by Real Screen, "emotionally potent” by the Los Angeles Times, and “a truly important film” by PBS International. TRIAL BY FIRE has aired across the country on PBS and continues to stream on AmazonPrime in the U.S.
Megan also produced and directed THE BUDDY SYSTEM, a long-form documentary about the positive impact of autism assistance dogs on the lives of children on the spectrum, and helmed three documentaries for the Women’s Entertainment Network: SURROGATE STORIES, CHILD BRIDES and POLYGAMY.
For six years, Megan was the award-winning editor of Wilton Magazine, part of the Town Vibe Media Group. She is now the Managing Editor of OUR HOMES Magazine, a home-centric publication with OUR HOMES Media. Currently, Megan is adapting her award-winning play, KILLING MOM, for the big screen and shopping her screenplay THE GHOST OF YOU, which placed in 14 film festival screenwriting competitions. She is the Festival Director of the Stratford Film Festival launching in 2024-25. More at MeganSmithHarris.com
MEGAN SMITH-HARRIS
Co-Owner & President
SARA ALLEN
Co-Executive Producer
Sara Allen is a career songwriter/lyricist best known for countless recordings with partners Daryl Hall and John Oates including the hits PRIVATE EYES, MAN EATER and I CAN'T GO FOR THAT (No Can Do) Along the way, she has worked in research and production for television documentaries and music videos that have aired on PBS, Lifetime, and MTV.
Sara first partnered with Pyewackitt Productions as an Associate Producer on the critically acclaimed feature documentary, TRIAL BY FIRE: LIVES RE-FORGED, which screened at film festivals and special events across the country and aired across the country on PBS. She also served as a Co-Executive Producer on THE BUDDY SYSTEM, Pyewackitt's one-hour independent documentary about the impact of autism assistance dogs on the lives of children on the spectrum. Most recently, she was Special Guest producer of an episode of Daryl Hall's television show LIVE FROM DARYL'S HOUSE with Daryl Hall, which featured the legendary band 'Cheap Trick'.
LAELA KILBOURN
Director of Photography
Director of Photography Laela Kilbourn was recently chosen byIndiewire as one of "8 More Female Cinematographers You Should Know About". Her documentary feature credits include five Sundance Film Festival hits: HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO, award-winningAMERICAN TEEN, Emmy-nominated WORD WARS, and her additional camera work on HOT COFFEE and Oscar-winning 20 FEET FROM STARDOM.
Laela also filmed MAGIC CAMP, winner of the Outstanding Achievement in Family Filmmaking Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival; SYNC OR SWIM, winner of the Billie Award for Journalismfrom the Women’s Sports Foundation; and History’s eleven part docu-series SANDHOGS. She has worked on projects for HBO, NBC, AMC, A&E, Nick Jr., ESPN, MTV, VH1, WeTV, Trio, TruTV, and TV One. Laela also collaborated with Pyewackitt Productions on the two-hour television special, SURROGATE STORIES (WEtv) and TRIAL BY FIRE: Lives Re-Forged which aired domestically (PBS) and abroad. She has a degree in social anthropology from Harvard University. More at LaelaKilbourn.com.
ELLEN LEWIS
Research & Development
While working in New York and traveling the world both for work and pleasure, Ellen Lewis cultivated a passion for the arts. She is an avid theatergoer, ceaseless reader, a museum habitué, and an ardent film lover.
Ellen has consulted on a number of projects for Pyewackitt Productions including TRIAL BY FIRE: LIVES RE-FORGED, THE TACKLE GIRLS, and THE BUDDY SYSTEM. She served as the Senior Programmer of the Ridgefield Independent Film Festival for three years (2018, 2019, 2020), helping the festival quadruple in size and consistently place on Film Freeways "Top 100 Best Filmmaker Reviewed Film Festivals."
She has been a story-editor for several plays and screenplays by Megan Smith-Harris, including BEHIND THE HEDGEROWS, CRYPTIC, THE PLAYDATE, MUSKOKA DRY, KILLING MOM and THE GHOST OF YOU.
Currently, Ellen is collaborating with Megan and Bill on the Stratford Film Festival launching in Stratford, Ontario in 2024-25.