Who is Swan Dive Media?

With backgrounds ranging from daily newspapers, multimedia journalism, and public relations, to digital marketing, photography, music video and wedding cinematography, Swan Dive Media offers a variety of specialized services, including media strategy consultation, corporate branding, and editorial content development. Inquire today to learn about media packages, including corporate branding, communications development, and high-quality, informational video materials. Let the story of your business take flight with stunning digital media production by Swan Dive Media.

Joel Hersch 

Creative Director & Journalist

As the creative director for Swan Dive Media, Joel conceives of the company’s business strategy, develops clients’ video campaigns, directs on set, and serves as project manager. Joel brings a decade of journalism work for newspapers and magazines to the creative film house, helping to equip organizations with impactful, cohesive brand stories through video and editorial content plans. He has hosted films investigating nuclear waste being stored controversially near high-population densities, the impacts of the cruise ship industry on sensitive marine habitats, and reported on stories such as 3D-printed surfboards crafted from algae, the viability of wave energy powering cities, and received a national award for his reportage of the University of California’s education system. Something many people don’t know about Joel: he was raised traveling around the world on a sailboat, where his passion for storytelling was born. 

Michael DanIEl 

Cinematographer & Editor

Michael has produced films professionally for more than a decade, getting his start as a wedding filmmaker and organizing visually-stunning media packages for clients all over California.  Michael's work as a producer has evolved and expanded into music video production, large-scale event recap coverage, commercial branding and documentary video stories. His eye for visual media is informed by an inherent talent for capturing the human experience. Michael’s film work has brought him to the mountains of Nepal with nonprofit Gravity Water, Costa Rica to film product content for a beverage organization, and Alberta, Canada to document a music festival. Michael earned his degree in Marketing from San Jose State University in 2010. His passions include photography, the culinary arts, and international travel. Something many people don’t know about Michael: he was cast as a lead actor in a horror film—called “Sator”—currently hosted on the streaming platforms Amazon Prime, Hulu and Shutter.