A city in Colorado tries a different kind of justice system powerful enough to change the incarceration game of the U.S. Instead of locking up non-violent offenders, these advocates focus on the challenging but rewarding process of apology, forgiveness, and redemption that radically shifts our idea of justice and our part in it. Sam Martin is the Founder and CEO of Sam Martin Productions and the Creative Director of Free the People. Sam has over a decade of experience in cinematic storytelling, acting, and production. He has produced everything from full-length and mini-documentaries to presidential campaign ads, short films, commercials, scripted web series, music videos, and online promotional content. Sam completed Stella Adler Art of Acting Studio’s two-year professional conservatory program; studied at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center; and received his BA in Theatre Arts from Westmont College. Sam created and stars in the web series “Liberty Beats,” spoken word poetry tackling issues of individual liberty and communal responsibility, which has garnered millions of views. Sam is an enterprising problem-solver, dynamic Creative, and principled communicator.

Matt Battaglia is the Executive Producer at Free the People. He is a designer, editor, and illustrator with experience in politics, advertising, media, and comics. His graphic novel, Indoctrination, was published by Z2 Comics in 2016, and he’s also worked on books published by BOOM! and Image.

Matt has been working in the liberty space since 2012. He was previously the Creative Manager at FreedomWorks in Washington, DC, as well as serving creative roles at Task & Purpose, comiXology, and mcGarryBowen in New York City. He holds a degree of dubious value from Rutgers University, and is the lone dog owner of the Free the People team, with his lethargic bulldog/boxer mix Misty.

Amidst a broken system, the era of Restorative Justice has come. We spend billions of dollars in the United States each year incarcerating non-violent offenders who, after release, inevitably find themselves back behind bars or have no idea how to reintegrate into society. Restorative Justice offers an alternative vision and a lifeline for everyone involved — one of personal responsibility, forgiveness, and redemption that heals communities from the inside out.