Roger grew up in Alaska.  His father Edwin, a civil engineer, became an Alaskan bush pilot, and his mother, Josefina from Puerto Rico, was a writer and Alaskan sportfishing lodge manager with a hobby of Flamenco dancing.  In his late teens, Roger was a king salmon sport fishing guide on Alaska’s Naknek River, and also a commercial salmon fisherman in Bristol Bay. He attended Deep Springs College and graduated With Honors from UCLA with a BA in Theater Arts - Film. His first film work was for UCLA Film School's Automotive Collision Research project, including a film for TV, “Safety On The Road,” which he wrote, produced and directed. 

 

He worked for IBM for several years as an in-house filmmaker involved largely in producing and directing motivational films for employee conventions. He has made over 30 documentary films, mostly sponsored by IBM.  His IBM film, "The Inner Eye of Alexander Rutsch" had a special screening at New York's Museum of Modern Art and won the CINE Golden Eagle Award, as did three of his other films, "Frontiers," "Challenge Over the Atlantic," and "Strategy of the Achiever."

 

 

 

Roger & son Winston in the high country.