About Strong Island Films.
STRONG ISLAND FILMS is an award-winning production company, committed to creating compelling documentary films, television, and podcasts. We are committed to telling stories that are thought-provoking, and emotional, inspiring change. Strong Island Films has won ten international Best Documentary Film awards for the groundbreaking documentary MAKING AN EXONEREE, and five international Best Documentary Feature awards for ONE GIRL, and WOMEN ON WAR. Cindy and Rob have interviewed serial killers on death row, revolutionists, politicians, explorers, Academy award-winning actors, writers, producers and directors, Grammy Award winning musicians, policymakers, and everyone in between. The Dorfmanns specialize in true crime and live investigation series on cases that have not been adjudicated.
Cindy Dorfmann.
CINDY DORFMANN is an Emmy-winning writer, director, and producer and a member of the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences. She received an MA in Television/Film from Emerson College. She has produced, written and directed over 300 hours of content for NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL, AMC, HBO, SHOWTIME, DISCOVERY ID, OXYGEN NETWORK, HGTV, THE WEATHER CHANNEL, CBS, ANIMAL PLANET, DISCOVERY AND APPLE TV. Cindy also worked as a broadcast journalist at NBC, PBS, and FRANCE 24 in Paris, France. She has lived in five countries and filmed in over 30. Cindy’s international experience has given her a different perspective on narrative storytelling allowing her to connect globally with her audience by understanding the importance of human themes that cross the boundaries of culture and language. Cindy brings her deep understanding of story, collaborative personality, and passion for visual storytelling to all her projects. Cindy thrives in the field where she can use her storytelling, investigative and filmmaking skills to create compelling content.
Rob Dorfmann.
ROB DORFMANN is a TELLY Award-winning producer, director, Showrunner, and writer who has been responsible for over 1000 hours of television programming. He has produced content for FOX, DISCOVERY, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, MSNBC, A&E, COURT TV, CBS, SPIKE-TV, HGTV, PBS, TLC, TRAVEL CHANNEL, ANIMAL PLANET, MTV, ESPN, DISCOVERY, DISCOVERY ID, OXYGEN, NAT GEO WILD, HISTORY CHANNEL and APPLE TV. Rob has extensive experience with law enforcement and the true crime genre. Rob has interviewed two of the world’s most notorious serial killers: Charles Manson and Gary Ridgeway. One of the original producers of “LOCKUP” MSNBC, “CRIME 360” A&E, he co-created “SQUAD CAR CONFESSIONS” and “CUFF’D” for MTV. He won a TELLY Award for his first documentary “JOURNEYS TO REMEMBER” for the Travel Channel. Rob also covered the war in Afghanistan for MSNBC after 9/11 and was nominated for an Emmy for producing “SPORTS SCIENCE” for ESPN. Rob is responsible for making the ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP (UFC) a household name. Rob has an incredible eye for visual storytelling and he brings his deep love of filmmaking to every project.
Arlona Polywka.
ARLONA POLYWKA is a producer, writer, and manager. She has produced close to 100 hours of unscripted television for OXYGEN, FOX NATION, THE WEATHER CHANNEL, AND NBC UNIVERSAL.
Arlona has a long history in the entertainment industry, she grew up on movie sets with her mother who was a celebrity makeup artist. After graduating from Hunter College with a BA in English, she started her career at Artisan Entertainment during the Blair Witch era. From there she found her passion in developing scripts and acquiring talent. Arlona spent a decade working in the literary department of several Hollywood agencies; such as Don Buchwald Associates, Innovative Artists, Writers, and Artists and APA.
In addition to producing, Arlona has been developing content for television films and podcasts for over a decade and has a deep understanding of story and collaborative producing. Arlona has a killer instinct for finding material and attaching the right talent.
Although she lives in LA, Arlona is a Brooklyn Native and she takes that role very seriously.
