ABOUT | Salem, OR | High Sierra Collective

About Us

photo / video / documentary / adventure

High Sierra Collective is built to tell stories. We are an award winning, fully equipped production team capable of capturing stories in any location or environment.

Get to Know Us

High Sierra Collective is a creative agency based out of Salem, Oregon. We work on projects of varying size and scope, regionally, nationally, and overseas - from documentaries for state agencies to brand videos for small non-profits.

We are deeply drawn to projects that have compelling stories and captivating characters.

For project inquiries, please contact us.

People

The primary motivation for all we do is serving people and building community. Our focus on every projects is honoring and respecting the people and communities we work with and represent.

Story

Story lies at the heart of every project we take on. Stunning visuals and immersive audio are just lights and noise if they are not being used to tell a well crafted story.

Creativity

Creativity and communication are what bring stories to life. We value cultivating a space where our team can feel free to think beyond the realm of normal and experiment with how to tell a good story.

The Team

Dedicated. Experienced. Professional.

It takes a village - or a the very least, a specialized team. We are a team of creators, climbers, travelers, and fireside conversationalists. We all value creativity, collaboration, and meaningful effort - just like you.

creative director / founder

Bryce Funk

Bryce is the founder and creative director of High Sierra Collective. His passion is to tell the stories of marginalized, forgotten, and hard to reach people.

He has been awarded Best Director at the Oregon Documentary Film Festival. Apart from filming, Bryce has worked as a mountain guide and outdoor school instructor.

logistics

Brooke Funk

Brooke's passion for people and perfection are what keep High Sierra Collective moving forward. You can find her on set and in the editing studio; wherever she is, she's always pushing the team to perform at their best.

Brooke is also a classically trained violinist and teacher with an MFA in Violin Performance.

photographer / logistics

Ryan Unger

Ryan picked up a camera in college and hasn't looked back in 20 years. He's worked for news papers, shot weddings around the globe, photographed remote tribes in Brazil, and worked on award winning short films. Ryan is also a logistics extraordinaire and an expert at getting into (and out of) hard to reach places.

Ryan is usually walking. He's hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, Appalachian Trail, Arizona Trail, Colorado Trail, the Pacific Northwest Trail....

director of photography

Damian Byington

Damian is an optimistic nihilist with a heart for adventure. His goal is to live and travel around the world while shooting documentaries and commercials.

He loves the people who make this career what it is - from long, established relationships to meeting up with someone brand new, the people matter most to him. He take care of my set families, and consistently prioritize a healthy set culture and meaningful relationships above all else. For him, if the people aren’t happy and safe, the quality suffers, and the stories aren’t told the way they should be.