Live And Let Go: About the Filmmakers

Jay Niver: writer, co-producer
Jay is an award-winning writer, editor and photographer who grew up in Bedford, Ohio, and received a B.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University. He has spent the past two decades living and working in the Carolinas, where he
earned a master's degree in teaching from The Citadel in 1996. Jay has told vital stories in print and still photography for more than 25 years. Live and Let Go - An American Death is his first foray into filmmaking, a tribute to his father, and his effort to further the causes of assisted suicide, euthanasia and the right to die.

Jay Spain: director/cinematographer
Jay is a nationally and internationally recognized filmmaker with roots in Raleigh, North Carolina. He grew up in the film business; his father, also a cinematographer, was a founding partner in one of Raleigh’s first video/film production facilities. Jay, a 1980 graduate of NC State, is one of the top cinematographers in North Carolina. Jay’s production company, The Communications Group has created award winning films, videos, and media productions. In the Independent film world Jay has co-produced and photographed several features winning an international award for Chesterfield, a black and white film noir. Jay has a passion for documentary film having shot and edited numerous broadcast and educational films for a variety of clients before filming his first feature documentary Live and Let Go. Currently, Jay has several feature documentaries in various stages of development.

David Iversen
editor
David is a 1989 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he received a B.A. in Broadcast/Cinema. As a principal with The Communications Group, he produces, edits and directs film and video projects, and specializes in computer graphics. David has handled projects for clients including IBM and Glaxo-Wellcome, and was the writer/director/editor of the award-winning 35mm feature film Chesterfield. This film was his first exposure to the issues of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients.

Gretchen Niver
co-producer
Gretchen earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Carnegie Mellon University and worked as a graphic designer before becoming a freelance artist. She now works out of her home in Pittsboro, NC, where she specializes in stained-glass creations. Gretchen has joined the Hemlock Society and become a staunch advocate not only for assisted suicide, but also for euthanasia.