About Us

Jack Rittenhart

Jack Rittenhart’s interest in storytelling began at an early age, when he wrote his first “story” in 1st grade. Growing up in Minneapolis, Jack was rarely seen without a pen and notebook, jotting down ideas whenever opportunity or inspiration struck. But there was something about film that appealed beyond all else and became his primary focus.

Jack attended Washington University in St. Louis, where he majored in Film Studies and Writing. He voraciously pursued any opportunity to learn film production and practice his skills. He served as President and head Director of a video sketch comedy troupe, directed and acted in plays on campus, and eventually studied abroad in Prague, Czechia at FAMU, the national Czech film academy. During his senior year, he interned at Lionsgate under CEO Jon Feltheimer, which made it clear that Los Angeles was his next stop.

Focused on the creative side of the industry, Jack took some jobs while writing and directing his own projects until he made the professional switch into post-production. As an Assistant Editor at a variety of companies, Jack learned the ins-and-outs of modern post-production and how important it can be to plan projects with the post- in mind. He eventually rose to Post-Production Coordinator at The Refinery Creative, where he oversaw a team of assistant editors, editors, and finishers to create exemplary creative marketing content for many of the world’s major entertainment companies.

But working on his own projects never left Jack’s mind for long. Again with a notebook and pen full of ideas (Jack prefers writing long-hand to typing most of the time), he worked to cultivate a network of like-minded creatives. One of those creatives was a young woman named Aubrey, who brought Jack on to take press photos and create a fundraising trailer for a play she was directing. Their teamwork led to a successful Fringe Festival run and, eventually, Jack and Aubrey’s marriage. As a team, they founded Rising Action Productions to create the kinds of projects they want to see in the world.

Aubrey Rittenhart

Born and raised in the heartland of Kansas, Aubrey followed her big city dreams to Los Angeles over a decade ago. She ventured West in pursuit of an acting degree from the University of Southern California but also discovered a passion for filmmaking in her minor at the School of Cinematic Arts. After graduating in 2017, she immediately dove into directing for the stage as well as performing in micro-budget film projects for friends.

As with many other creatives in the City of Angels, she has held a variety of day jobs in the last ten years, from office management for a holistic health center and a professional young actor studio to being the lead server for a local e-sports "nerd bar." All while continuing to hone her skills as an artist and producer by working on smaller projects and keeping up with modern trends in the industry.

Prior to building Rising Action, she worked for four years in a tech start-up, first as an SEO Article Copywriter before being promoted to a Digital Media Associate tasked with creating a brand new YouTube channel and finally the lead Content Producer in charge of all types of content. In less than 8 months, she was instrumental in growing the YouTube channel from less than 1,000 followers to over 10k with videos averaging as much as 150k views. In her time she also had multiple editorials featured on Medium's email digest while managing a team of 12 writers and creating new types of articles for the website.

This new-found talent for producing lead Aubrey to start her own production company with her husband, Jack. She enjoys every part of the development of a good story, from cracking the script to getting all the right people on set to collaborate. She also relishes the creative processes of producing content that can resonate with an audience or help people better understand what they previously knew nothing about.

This love for informational content also shines through in the social media posts she has made about Type 1 Diabetes, an autoimmune disease that Aubrey was diagnosed with only four months before moving to California. She is passionate about diabetes awareness and equal access to affordable healthcare for all disabled folks, volunteering or involving herself with organizations such as Breakthrough T1D and T1International's Insulin4All movement.

In her personal life, Aubrey enjoys dancing most of all, especially social dancing in the 1930s/40s styles of Lindy Hop and Collegiate Shag. She loves all things Old Hollywood and appreciates a restaurant with a vintage vibe or a speakeasy with delicious cocktails. If you don't find her out dancing with her husband, she's probably at home cuddling with her Shih Tzu/Pomeranian dog, Phoebe, and street tabby, Saturn.