Welcome to CirrusFilm™
Cinema Shaped by Story, Place, and Consequence.
CirrusFilm™ is a founder-led production company developing original feature films rooted in character, place, and lived experience.
About CirrusFilm™
CirrusFilm™ is a film production company focused on the development of original feature-length projects.
Founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico, CirrusFilm™ began as a production services company supporting film, television, and commercial projects throughout the region. Over time, the company’s work behind the camera informed a deeper commitment to storytelling and a strategic shift toward the development of original intellectual property.
Today, CirrusFilm™ operates as a founder-led creative studio, developing feature films that are grounded in character, place, and lived experience. The company’s slate spans period thrillers, psychological dramas, and docu-drama, with projects shaped by historical context, institutional dynamics, and personal consequence.
CirrusFilm™ approaches development with intention, prioritizing depth, authenticity, and long-term creative viability over volume. Each project is built to move thoughtfully from concept to screen, with an openness to collaboration at the appropriate stage.
Our Team
JD Herrera
President/CEO, CirrusFilm™ | Writer | Director | Producer
JD Herrera founded CirrusFilm™ in 2010 as an Albuquerque-based film production company with a focus on feature-length storytelling rooted in place, character, and lived experience.
With a background in film, television, and broadcast journalism, JD brings a cinematic eye shaped by decades of professional work, including a distinguished career as a board-certified criminal trial attorney in both federal and state courts. His legal work has included major felony cases, death penalty litigation, and service as a special prosecutor in the aftermath of the New Mexico Penitentiary riot, the deadliest prison uprising in American history.
These experiences inform JD’s writing and filmmaking, grounding his projects in authenticity, moral complexity, and an unflinching engagement with American systems and histories. He has authored multiple feature-length screenplays and continues to develop narrative and docu-drama projects through CirrusFilm™.
In addition to writing, JD directs and produces feature films and has appeared as an actor in both film and television. His longstanding passion for aviation (and his status as a licensed pilot since 1972) continues to influence the themes and settings of his work.
Jean-François Cavelier
Company Advisor
Originally from Paris, France, Jean-François Cavelier brings more than 30 years of experience in domestic and international film sales, distribution, and production consulting. His career spans global markets across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, including senior advisory roles for financial institutions and international distributors. Cavelier has worked extensively in content acquisition and production worldwide and served as a producer on major international projects, including Air Strike and the feature documentary Wonders of the Sea, narrated by Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by Jean‑Michel Cousteau.
Through his consulting company Gallico Media, he continues to advise producers, writers, and directors on international distribution strategy and the business realities of film and television.
Charlie Gravina
CFO & Vice PresidenT
Charlie is the CFO and Vice President of CirrusFilm. He arrived in Hollywood as an aspiring screenwriter in 2001, worked in front of and behind the camera in the California and New Mexico film communities for seventeen years, then returned to his home state of Massachusetts in 2018. He is an entertainment attorney, director, UPM and 1st AD and a SAG-eligible actor. He specializes in contract review for producers, directors and actors and film finance and funding issues. He has produced successful film festivals, published three books and continues to write and act for the screen and stage. He oversees the East Coast office and facilities of CirrusFilm.
Jim Behnke
Producer
Jim is a forty-year Hollywood insider and veteran with credits that read as from a list of Hollywood’s box office biggest movies. After graduate school in theater, and in 1980 Jim applied for and was accepted into the Director’s Guild of America Training Program. He spent the next two years becoming a Directors Guild member. As an Assistant Director, Jim worked on successful television shows like “Fame” and movies like “Stand by Me.” However; Jim worked in post-production and sound recording/mixing from ’78-’80.
Forty years later Jim has worked on many of Hollywood’s blockbuster movies. Acting as Producer, Production Manager, or both, he continues to work with Hollywood’s biggest directors and actors on movies ranging from 5 to 125 million dollars. His knowledge and understanding of the film business and the ability to work in many budget ranges continues to make Jim a sought after commodity.
Marshall Nelson
Music Supervisor
Marshall Nelson is a music man. He is a gifted guitarist, song writer, and a vocalist capable of evoking the legendary styles of the rock and roll greats. First and foremost, Marshall is a showman that can draw and hold a crowd. As a performer and with his band, Della Street toured regularly throughout the southern United States opening shows for many Rock & Roll bands including Alvin Lee, The Beach Boys, Blue Oyster Cult, Cheap Trick, Foghat, REO Speedwagon, Mariah Carey, Kansas, Jefferson Starship, John Butcher, Marshall Tucker, Molly Hatchet, Steppenwolf, Smithereens, Nazareth, Outlaws, and Pat Travers.
Marshall has enjoyed success both as lead singer and front-man for prominent bands, including Scratch and Della Street, both bands have amassed a large fan base and concert crowd followings. As a composer, Marshall Nelson has arranged and recorded hundreds of songs. Today, he continues to enjoy success as a solo performer/songwriter.