About
Squid and Beard is a moving pictures company that devotes its time to the development and production of creative content. Based in Charlottesville, Virginia, we are fortunate enough to spend our days shooting and editing, innovating, creating, working and playing. Dividing time between our own series, Making Good, and commercial projects with artists, galleries, businesses, and individuals, we are constantly striving to create the best product possible for both ourselves and our clients, while maintaining a hold on what makes a video stand out: innovation, personality, and honesty. We’d love to speak with you about your project or just to answer the question, “Who is the squid and who is the beard?”
JJ Cohoon
As partner and Technical Director, JJ is the wizard behind the curtain here at Squid and Beard. Technical challenges are what JJ loves most, and film and photography innovation (and innovating) are his passions. There is neither a project too large, nor too small for JJ, as each is respected with a technical reverence that creates the most beautiful product possible; he is both a jack of all trades, and a master of many. JJ is a lover of travel, but he is always happy to come home to his native Charlottesville, Virginia, where he resides with his wife and baby-on-the-way.
Rob Douglas
As a religious study major at UVA, Rob has always held a deep love for narrative form. A Richmond, Virginia native, his winding road has found him working and living in range of places from Montana, New York City, Kenya, and Nepal, to up and down the Atlantic coast, and most importantly, Charlottesville, Virginia. The narrative of his story and the many great relationships made during his adventures have taught him again and again that we all have stories to tell. That deep conviction and love of community, is what brought him into Squid and Beard. As the Director of Development and Squid and Beard partner, his roles focus on producing and editing, but he’ll be quick to tell you that what he loves the most is conducting the documentary interviews. Helping people tell their stories in the best way possible is his daily drive here at Squid and Beard.
Helen Horal
A Florida native, Helen received a B.A. in art history from the University of Virginia in 2008 and stuck around after finding it very easy to trade the beach for the mountains. After three fantastic years devoted to art and music therapy for children with autism, Helen joined the Squid and Beard team in 2011 as the business director and one of the creative voices in Squid and Beard projects. She loves being surrounded by interesting people who have stories to tell—with or without their own voices—which is one of the reasons why she can’t resist but continue her work with her kids with autism as her Squid and Beard schedule allows.