our team

staff

Jonathon Czarny
Jonathon Czarny
Government Guru

Born and raised in the Shenandoah Valley, Jonathon is a lifelong adventurer, which has nurtured his affinity for story-telling. From Jamaica to Africa, skiing, skydiving, zip-lining to spelunking, attending sports events or concerts, he has spent a lot of time seeking new experiences, meeting new people and learning new cultures. Naturally, such adventurers find their way to the mountains, where he found Asheville, NC while searching out universities to attend. He earned his B.A. in Mass Communication at UNC- Asheville and has worked in community television in Asheville, Knoxville and now Avon, CO at High Five Access Media. A lover of stories in all forms, Jonathon likes to search out new and interesting ways stories are told and culture is shared, whether its radio, television, film, oral history or literature.

Brett Ferraro
Brett Ferraro
Education and Production Assistant

Born and raised in the Vail Valley, Brett spent their formative years attending ECCA and VMS. They graduated from CU Boulder in 2021 with a BA in film production. Brett moved back to the valley and works for TV8 Vail filming, recording, and directing their morning show Good Morning Vail. They love the outdoor lifestyle that the valley provides as well as telling stories through all sorts of great mediums including film making.

JK Perry
JK Perry
Executive Director

J.K. began working at High Five Access Media in 2007. He moved to the valley in 2005 after attending the University of Iowa, where he studied journalism and photography, while working at The Daily Iowan. He interned at the Cedar Rapids Gazette covering public safety and wrote for the Vail Daily after moving to Colorado. This Chicago native is a hardcore Windy City sports fan, enjoys deep dish pizza, rock climbing, fly fishing, and reading. He and his partner Erin, and son Roland live in Eagle with their cats, Ryu, Circe and Xena.

Austin Richardson
Austin Richardson
Production Assistant

Austin moved to the Vail Valley the weekend of the Two Elk Fires in 1998. He is a veteran of several newspapers, including the Vail Valley Times, Vail Valley Business Today, Vail Daily, Eagle Valley Enterprise and the Leadville Chronicle. Currently he is the Operations Manager with KNS Broadcasting, featuring KZYR, KKVM and The Outlaw. He loves to read, play golf and watch old Star Trek episodes.

Casey Russell
Casey Russell
Education and Access Manager

Casey strives to ensure that each student learns something about the world and something about themselves. She graduated from Syracuse University with a magazine journalism degree, and uses her diverse range of career experiences to inform her philosophy at High Five Access Media. Casey has taught students from age 6 to 60+ in subjects including video production, social media, podcasting, civics, newswriting, digital storytelling, media ethics and more.

Board of Directors

High Five Access Media is governed by a group of community volunteers. The towns of Vail, Avon and Minturn appoint one member each to the board of directors. The remaining directors are elected by HFAM members. The Board of Directors typically meets once every quarter. The board considers and approves policies, budgets, initiatives and programs. Meetings are open to the public, and input is welcome during the public comment portion of the agenda. If you would like the board to consider taking action on an item, please email a detailed proposal ten days in advance of a meeting.

Mads Partridge
PRESIDENT
Executive Director
Mountain Pride
Russell Frederickson
Vice president
Founder
Redcore Creative Alpine Group
Mike Griffin
President emeritus
Systems Comm. Manager,
Eagle Valley Behavioral Health
Harry Green
Community representative
Loan Officer
‍Alpine Bank
Tegan Davis
community Representative
Executive Director
Eagle Valley Library District
TJ Johnson
Vail representative
IT Director
Town of Vail
Ruth Stanley
avon representative
Member
Avon Town Council
Gusty Kanakis
Minturn representative
Member
Minturn Town Council
Board of Directors

Shape the Future of Community Media

Join the High Five Access Media Board of Directors. High Five Access Media believes in putting the power of the media in the hands of the people.

Do you want to foster a creative environment with the free exchange of ideas, opinion, passion and viewpoints? Want to leverage the capacity of other local nonprofits to advocate for their cause? Or perhaps spark a passion for for media and community engagement among young people? Then join the High Five Access Media Board of Directors. We're looking for Eagle County residents or employees with a passion for community media who want to give back.

From the Clog: Community Technology Blog

Stilt walkers at parade

Vail America Days Parade 2025

Join High Five for the Vail America Days Parade on July 4. We'll bring you live coverage in the morning, and we'll have opportunities to volunteer running cameras and acting as brand ambassadors.
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Advanced camera image

High Five Community Makerspace 2025

Take Your Media-Making Skills to the Next Level! Join us for the Community Makerspace events at High Five Access Media.
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Rocco

Giving Out High Fives - Rocco Romano

Rocco Romano brings humor, creativity, and dedication to everything he does at High Five Access Media. With a sharp wit and a love for storytelling, Rocco first joined our family at the High Five Youth Film Camp in 2023.
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