Our Core Team
River of Life Core Team Biographies
Sharon Metzger Neve is the visionary, co-founder and president of River of Life. Her roles include Producing and Directing the award-winning Betweentime youth TV series, in addition to overseeing Marketing and Distribution. Although one of her favorite aspects of her work involves the ministry elements of developing the River of Life and Betweentime platforms and initiatives.
Sharon’s heartbeat is to intimately know and walk with the Lord and help others do the same. Her vision is to “Create with the Creator” communicating God’s heart through media, ministry and the arts while collaborating with and raising up others – helping them to have their unique impact.
Sharon is a Business Administration/Marketing and Mass Communications major from the University of Denver. She began her media career with what is now Xfinity/Comcast Communications. Sharon has produced and directed well over 1000 hours of faith and family television content with Rocky Mountain Television, Trinity Broadcasting Network and Daystar Television Network among others. She has also attained her Bachelor of Theology from Beacon Institute of Ministry and worked in ministry overseeing congregational ministries, teaching, pastoring, discipling, counseling and team building.
Sharon is a fourth generation Colorado native. She and her husband Bob and their two children, Angela and Samuel, and the River of Life community, enjoy playing and working together in life, ministry and media.
Robert Neve is the co-founder of River of Life Media. His roles include being the Chief Financial Officer and VP of Engineering for the award-winning Betweentime youth TV series, in addition to helping oversee River of Life and Betweentime ministry work.
Bob enjoys seeing the Betweentime students develop their God given interests into viable skills that they can use throughout their lives. It is especially rewarding for Bob to help the students develop their ideas and see how that impacts them as well as others.
Bob graduated from the Colorado Institute of Technology with an Electronics degree. He has been a Large Systems Engineer for IBM for 36 years. He is brilliant ;)
Bob enjoys spending time with his family and church community, in addition to inventing and building things (like our home,) computers, animation and motion graphics, road trips and the out-of-doors.
Cassia Hendrickson is a Post-Production Director with River of Life Media’s Betweentime TV Series. One of the favorite lessons she has learned from working on Betweentime TV is how to creatively partner with the Holy Spirit, the Creative One to bring about unique and inspired video content for the younger generations. She enjoys having fun and teaching middle and high schoolers. She likes to help them to hone their talents, gifts and passions to tell uplifting stories through video to their peers, in addition to encouraging them in life and ministry.
Cassia is the co-owner of 5Penny Productions and works as a videographer, video editor and motion graphics designer. Some highlights in her career include working on a documentary, “Beauty Mark,” that is on Rocky Mountain PBS. Also Cassia, created two videos for “Free the Girls,” an organization that helps rescue women and children out of human trafficking. Over a period of two years, both videos assisted in raising 190K for the organization to help them in their important work.
Cassia graduated from University of Colorado at Denver with her degree in film & video with an emphasis in post-production in 2009.
In her free time she loves sports – including football, parkour, surfing and hiking. She loves spending time with close friends and learning more about how she can support people through their healing journeys – especially from early childhood abuse.
Juan Benavides has been a Film and Television Director-Producer for over 20 years. He loves to produce TV shows, TV commercials, short films, and wholesome family entertainment. He is passionate about communicating the gospel by means of compelling visual storytelling.
Juan obtained a Masters degree in Film and Television Production from Regent University, Virginia. While pursuing his Masters degree Juan received a Student Achievement Award from the National Religious Broadcasters, NRB. Later, he received a Regional Emmy Award and an Excellence in Media Award while teaming up with other producers and directors in various television and film projects.
He is the director and founder of Production and Consulting for Media International – PCM International, a television production and consulting company seeking to provide high quality, English/Spanish, film and television production and consulting. His stories for the 700 Club Latina America, “Vida Dura”, air in 24 countries. He leads a young professionals Bible study group at Comunidad Cristiana Church in El Salvador, seeking to help young professionals to grow in Christ and to get them involved in evangelism through their careers and talents.
Juan’s contributions with River of Life Media’s Betweentime TV Series, as a Post-Production Director, is highlighted by his work on the “Friend Matters” mini-movie and the popular “Animal Interviews,” including engineering the voice-over studio for the “Animal Interviews.”
Juan currently lives in El Salvador where he continues to direct PCM International, which has offices both in El Salvador and in the U.S.