Jonathan Sprout

Since his first professional appearance in 1972, Jonathan Sprout has recorded 12 albums, performed more than 6,500 concerts (including 5,500 children’s concerts), and taught more than 800 songwriting workshops throughout the United States. His songs have appeared on several internationally released compilation albums.

Jonathan’s seventh release, American Heroes, won critical acclaim for its groundbreaking contribution to the field of educational children’s music in 1996. Three American Heroes sequels followed in 2000, 2009, and 2014. The series has earned a remarkable 26 national awards, including a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Children’s Album, several NAPPA Awards, several Parents’ Choice awards, two Film Advisory Board of Excellence awards, a Family Choice Award™, Dr. Toy One of the 10 Best Audio/Video/CD/DVDs, Academics' Choice Award, KIDS FIRST! Award, Tillywig Brainchild Award, Dove Foundation Seal, Mom's Choice Awards® Gold, Creative Child Magazine Award, Santa’s Choice Award, National Parenting Center Award, and a Global Music Award Bronze Medal.

Inspired by the heroes he has been writing, performing and recording about for more than 20 years, Jonathan founded Force For Good in 2016. Force For Good provides uplifting compositions and character-driven messages to unify, inspire, and energize people to engage in responsible civic duties. Force For Good’s music videos compassionately and intelligently address important issues including sensible gun legislation, immigration reform, renewable energy, combatting hunger and homelessness, and celebrating and protecting the environment. The music videos he co-created with Rodney Whittenberg from the Passions CD (2020) and the Innocence CD (2021) have been accepted into 68 film festivals worldwide and have garnered 21 film festival awards. The Passions CD was nominated for the 17th Annual ZMR Music Awards “Best Piano Album w/Instrumentation." Innocence debuted at #4 on the ZMR Top 100 Radio Airplay Chart.

Rodney Whittenberg

Rodney Whittenberg is an Emmy Award winning composer and Emmy-nominated filmmaker for Outstanding Documentary. From a young age he’s had four passions: music/sound, film/television, technology, and education. Rodney’s deep sense of faith has called him on a lifelong quest to integrate these passions into his art. In his late 20s he directed the non-profit Banner Project, an educational anti-drug program that emphasized nonviolence, and witnessed the power of music and arts to heal and transform communities.

In the early 1990s, Rodney created Melodyvision, a production and consulting company, to serve as a platform for his original audio and visual creations and a vehicle to help others achieve their artistic visions. In 2016, he produced We Stood Up, an audio CD of original songs, poetry and interviews with civil rights leaders. In 2018, he co-produced Caregivers, a film about the people who help the helpers that was nominated for an Outstanding Documentary Emmy. Among the many artists Rodney has worked with are Time For Three, The DePue Brothers, and Phyllis Chapell. Recently, he directed a shoot of the Philadelphia Orchestra/Shanghai Philharmonic for the award winning film Beethoven in Beijing.

From his numerous projects as a children’s music producer and composer to his award winning Voices of Ages, a feature documentary about the first intergenerational choir, Rodney makes art to heal, empower, and transform.

The music videos he co-created with Jonathan from the Force For Good Passions CD (2020) and the Innocence CD (2021) have been accepted into 68 film festivals worldwide and have garnered 21 film festival awards.

LISA GAGE

Lisa Gage has worked as a marketer, event promoter and publicist promoting live and televised venues for over 30 years. In 2010, she launched her own company, Hue Marketing and Entertainment, offering booking, marketing and publicity services. A passionate artist advocate, her dedication is reflected in special event planning and fundraising positions for nonprofit organizations including The Metropolitan Opera, United Way, and the African American Museum of Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Leslie Chew

Leslie Chew is the engineer behind the recording and mixing controls for many acclaimed artists. His extensive client history ranges from his early days on tour with Roberta Flack, Steve Forbert, Joan Baez, The Hooters, and Todd Rundgren to current touring artists Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Taylor Dayne, Earl Klugh, and Hiroshima to mixing music for television shows like the original reality show Survivor to recording and mixing albums for the legendary jazz/fusion group Hiroshima. Leslie is equally at home recording and mixing in large commercial facilities and in artists’ private studios, having recorded, mixed and/or mastered more than 100 albums including five Grammy-nominated titles.

With more than 20 years’ experience as a recording engineer, producer, and mastering engineer, Leslie began designing audio systems to fit a wide variety of needs for commercial music, post-production facilities and private artist recording studios. His studio installations have been nominated for TEC awards. His many clients have won numerous nominations and awards from projects produced in their studios.

Leslie also blends his musical talents and passion for community outreach with singer-songwriter Hillary Black in the “two guitars/two voices” acoustic duo StuccoRainbow. 

Hillary Black

HILLARY BLACK’s 30-plus years creative experience began with a BA in Theater Arts from UCLA, film, TV and stage roles—and two LA Weekly awards. She joined producer-writer-director teams at ABC Circle Films, CBS, Paramount Pictures, and others where she worked with such icons as John Travolta, Chevy Chase, Gloria Steinem, and Virginia Masters. An adjunct professor, she taught improvisation at USC.

Hillary’s writing, photography and styling talents led to editor positions for national magazines including Romantic Homes, Cottages & Bungalows, Victorian Homes, YUM Food & Fun, and Yum for Kids. Her article “Vintage Vavoom,” celebrating classic décor and creative reuse, inspired a book of the same name and its sequel The Vintage Table (Clarkson Potter/Random House). Hillary contributed to both books as well as She Sheds Style (Cool Springs Press/Quarto). Via social media, she blogs, curates content and provides marketing services.

A singer-songwriter, Hillary has performed on many musical projects. Her passion for wellness, equality and preserving nature inspires her work with charities where she provides music and event support as half of the acoustic duo StuccoRainbow with Leslie Chew.

Joe Mennonna

Joe Mennonna began his musical career while a student at Yale University where he graduated Scholar of the House in Music 1981. Classically trained in piano and flute, Joe is a freelance musician whose work encompasses a wide range including liturgical and educational, as well as studio and live performing. He is currently multi-instrumentalist for The Bacon Brothers. He has scored numerous features and documentaries as well as multimedia corporate presentations for IBM, Ford, Colgate-Palmolive, McDonalds, and countless other large and small companies.

Joe appeared as a keyboard or saxophone soloist on recordings with Vanessa Williams, Melba Moore, Gillan and Glover of Deep Purple, Tom Rush, Al Stewart, Janis Ian, and Richie Havens. Joe created five albums with Jonathan as co-producer, arranger, recording engineer, and musician. He brings his expertise in many musical genres to Force for Good as co-writer and orchestrator with Jonathan.