Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Quidditas Factor

Brad Jones is the creator of the The Cinema Snob and The Bruno Mattei shows, which are popular on You Tube. His love for exploitation films led him to produce several exploitation films: "Midnight Heat", "Cheap", "Freak Out" and "Game Boys". The last three can be found on his website and the trailers for the rest of the movies can be also found there.

The Cinema Snob is a show inspired by the 1980s review of "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter" by Siskel and Ebert. In it, Siskel seemed to get on a soapbox and saw the movie for more than what it really was by calling it the be all, end all for teenage entertainment. And that " it does nothing but teach young people that life is not worth living because you'll just die in the end." In the end, Brad simply said it was just a slasher flick and decided to write and edit his own videos.

Brad also wrote two book, The class 86 and Batpussy books about the exploitation with a new twist.

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Andrea Leonelli was born and raised in Lakewood, Ohio. She did not have the perfect life at all. Despite of all the obstacles that she faced in her childhood including sexual abuse and then growing up with drug addiction, car accident, and cancer, she managed to build a multi-million dollar enterprise.

Now clean and sober for over 30 years, Leonelli tells her story with authentic power. She traces her drug dependency to being sexually abused as a child. She started using heroin at 14 and became a model at 17 in NYC.

She retired from modeling in 1996 but still a great beauty and currently living in Malibu.

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Robyn Drothler is with Advantage Speech Therapy Services. She is a mobile pediatric speech therapist that goes into the homes and daycares of the kids. She serves  the Milton, Alpharetta, Roswell, Johns Creek areas. 

Your child’s speech development is critical for their communication success. There are a lot of solutions. You may have experienced frustration with some of them. She's different. Her mission is to provide a warm and loving environment where children love to play and play to learn and where parents and caregivers learn strategies to carryover skills and enhance therapeutic progress.

Learning skills through play has been shown to be incredibly effective and brings a sense of confidence and eagerness to progress faster. Our approach brings more progress and achievement towards goals.

You can find her on social media at #advantagespeech or online at www.advantagespeech.com.

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Brian Elliott continues to demonstrate his versatile acting prowess, bringing a range of complex characters to life in his latest projects. From gritty film noir to heartfelt family dramas and compelling web series, Elliott's performances captivate audiences and critics alike.

For those interested in securing Brian Elliott's talent, please contact: The Happen Agency

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Frankie Pace is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Pace began his career in a Long Island comedy club called "The White House Inn", working alongside Eddie Murphy, Rob Bartlett, Jackie Martling, Bob Nelson, Bob Woods, Richie Minnervini, Rosie O'Donnell, Jim Myers and Don McHenry

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Jeff Oppenheim (Writer/Director/Producer) is a veteran of theater and film production. His live-theater credits include productions for Lincoln Center, the Film Society, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, and he has worked in partnership with The Acting Company, Woodie King, Jr.'s New Federal Theater, Bay Street Theater and others. Jeff also founded the non-profit literary organization Other Voices and served as the artistic director creating over 100 events, readings and performances throughout NYC. He produced numerous concerts, week-long festivals and international tours including an inaugural party in Washington, DC to commemorate the first-term inaugural of President Obama. He also produced STAT! For New York City's Public Hospitals!, a week-long, five-borough series of concerts to help raise public awareness and funds for NYC's public hospitals. Highlights of the series include: an all-star Tribute to the 'Godfather of Funk' George Clinton at the Apollo Theater, a night of Gospel and R&B with the Temptations, and a of Old School Hip Hop featuring Marley Marl, DJ Kool Herc, Doug E. Fresh, Roxanne Shante, Kangol Kid, and more. In 2012, Jeff produced OsKuduristas.com--an international tour that brought the African music and dance movement known as "Kuduro" to Stockholm, Amsterdam, Paris, New York and DC. As an added featured of the tour, he envisioned a pilot for an international music-focused exchange program between a public high school in Angola, Africa and a public high school in Brooklyn and Queens. Jeff is also a vetted filmmaker. His credits include: the feature film "Funny Valentine" with Anthony Michael Hall, Marlo Marron, and Lord Jamar distributed by Universal Pictures; and the documentary film "A Passion For Giving" that aired nationally on PBS. He served as a Producer for the live stream of Lincoln Center's Out of Door Festival and the Mostly Mozart: A Little Night Music Series. He recently completed a feature-length documentary titled "Real Fake--The Life, Art & Crimes of Elmyr de Hory".

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Brad Jones is the creator of the The Cinema Snob and The Bruno Mattei shows, which are popular on You Tube. His love for exploitation films led him to produce several exploitation films: "Midnight Heat", "Cheap", "Freak Out" and "Game Boys". The last three can be found on his website and the trailers for the rest of the movies can be also found there.

The Cinema Snob is a show inspired by the 1980s review of "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter" by Siskel and Ebert. In it, Siskel seemed to get on a soapbox and saw the movie for more than what it really was by calling it the be all, end all for teenage entertainment. And that " it does nothing but teach young people that life is not worth living because you'll just die in the end." In the end, Brad simply said it was just a slasher flick and decided to write and edit his own videos.

Brad also thought that just the very idea of very pretentious film snobs attempting to review any form of exploitation cinema was always very funny to him. So, being an exploitation fan, that's what he based the character on. Even though some films that are exploited, he likes.

Brad also produces a podcast called "Radiodrome" where he and his friend Jerrid Foiles talk about diverse exploitation-related subjects in an informal way.

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The last couple of years has been exciting for The Quidditas Factor! Some episodes enriched our lives while others helped us mentally recover from the traumatic pandemic years we’re all still trying to forget. Several episodes gave great advice on how to make it in the entertainment industry while other episodes helped us improve our relationships with those around us. We learned together from others’ experiences and we  overcame the weaknesses and imperfections that hold us back. 

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John D. Hancock is an American stage and film director, producer and writer. He is perhaps best known for his work on Bang the Drum Slowly, Weeds and Prancer.  Hancock's theatrical work includes direction of both classic and contemporary plays, from Shakespeare to Saul Bellow.  He also directed several films with his wife actress and screenwriter Dorothy Tristan.  Hancock worked closely with Tristan on a number of projects including the aborted first version of Jaws 2 in 1977 (which Tristan co-wrote with Howard Sackler) as well as California Dreaming, Weeds, A Piece of Eden, Suspended Animation and The Looking Glass. Dorothy Tristan passed away on  January 8th 2023.

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Lynda Riess entire career has been a 25 year master class in prep, production, finding rapid solutions to last minute requests and most importantly how to remain calm when the crap hits the fan. As a Property Master she was on set behind the camera for years, working with every department, developing character with actors, back story with directors, and adding texture and layering with Costume and Production design. She know who does what and what is possible.  

She  took this expereince and made two award winning short films. The first one, technically, was an exploration into visual detail, cinematography and timing.  Story wise it was exciting to be able to delve into the darker themes and find a way to make a story about death, age and loneliness entertaining. She made  audiences laugh cry and jump all in nine minutes. This short got her into the Sony Pictures Diverse Directors Program, and was also Oscar eligible in 2019. The second short was made to show she could direct television drama. More characters, larger in scope. 

Lynda would be bringing her years of experience working on shows like True Detective, Stranger Things.  She has done stuff, been places and seen things…..all this means she has a unique rich deep pool of life knowledge that she will bring to projects she will direct. 

Born in New York, raised in the UK she have the accent of one and the attitude of the other.  If you need a director with a lifetime of production experience, or just someone fun to be on set with in the rain at 3am, then please reach out to her.

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Claudia Myers was named one of "10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2015." by Independent Magazine. Most recently Claudia wrote and directed Above the Shadows, a supernatural drama starring Olivia Thirlby, Alan Ritchson, Jim Gaffigan and Megan Fox. The film opened the 2019 Brooklyn Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. Above the Shadows was released theatrically by Gravitas Ventures. Prior to this, Claudia wrote, directed and produced the dramatic feature Fort Blissstarring Michelle Monaghan and Ron Livingston. The film won several festival awards and top critics for The Washington Post and Philadelphia Inquirer both cited Fort Bliss among the best films of 2014. Claudia also wrote and directed Kettle of Fish starring Mathew Modine and Gina Gershon. The movie premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was released theatrically in 2007. She has directed two award-winning short films, including the Sundance short Buddy & Grace.

Outside of narrative fiction, Claudia has worked with veterans and active duty soldiers to make a number of films about the military community. She produced and directed the documentary The Long Road Back, about soldiers who were severely injured in Iraq. The film won two Telly Awards, an Aurora Award, and was nominated for a regional Emmy. In 2010, Claudia produced and directed Women At War, a documentary about the evolution of women’s roles in the military. She also wrote and directed the interactive role-playing feature, Outside the Wire for use by the U.S. Army, which won a Codie Award and a Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Award. The film pushes the boundaries of traditional narrative by melding fiction film, gaming, and educational training. Claudia subsequently wrote The War Inside another large-scale interactive, role-playing feature that deals with the psychological impact of war and aims to build resilience in soldiers.

As a screenwriter, Claudia has won numerous awards, was twice a finalist for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, and is an alumna of the Hamptons Screenwriters Lab. Andy Tennant directed her script Wild Oats, starring Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Lange and Demi Moore, which was released in 2016. Claudia is currently in development on a drama series about women in Special Operations.

Claudia studied literature at Yale then received her MFA in film at Columbia University. She is an associate professor in the Film & Media Arts division of American University’s School of Communication in Washington DC.

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Jim Meskimen is an accomplished actor, improviser and voice artist whose work is well-known to TV and film audiences. He appeared on the British series Whose Line Is It Anyway? several times, and was a recurring character onThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air  for two seasons. He has worked with director Ron Howard on five of his films, including The Paper, Apollo 13, Edtv, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Frost/Nixon. He has also worked in two films by director Paul Thomas Anderson.  A professional artist, Jim exhibits and sells his realist oil paintings. As a designer/cartoonist, he created dozens of characters, weapons and vehicles for the original "Thundercats" animated series. Jim continues to dazzle audiences with his improvisational skills and appears regularly on L.A. stages. Meskimen is married to actress Tamra Meskimen and they have a daughter, Taylor Meskimen. His mother is Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actress Marion Ross of Happy Days and the critically-acclaimed series, Brooklyn Bridge. 

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Keith Coogan was born Keith Eric Mitchell on January 13, 1970 in Palm Springs, California. The grandson of legendary character actor Jackie Coogan, Keith began his acting career doing TV commercials -- his first gig was as a stand-in in a McDonald's TV spot -- as well various TV shows and made-for-TV movies. Coogan did the voice of Young Tod for the charming animated Disney picture "The Fox and the Hound." His first on-screen role was the smitten Brad Anderson in the delightful teen comedy cult favorite "Adventures in Babysitting." Keith gave a very funny and engaging performance as Christina Applegate's stoner layabout brother Kenny in the equally enjoyable "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead" and was impressive as Jonathan "Snuffy" Bradberry in "Toy Soldiers." Among the television programs Coogan has made guest appearances on are "The Love Boat," "Eight Is Enough," "Mork & Mindy," "Knight Rider," "CHiPS," "Starman," "21 Jump Street," and "Tales from the Crypt." Keith graduated from Santa Monica High School and attended Santa Monica College, where he majored in Drama and minored in English Literature. He also attended Los Angeles City College, where he majored in Java Programming. Coogan resides in Los Angeles, California and continues to act with pleasing regularity. In his spare time he runs a couple of blogs.

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Bennett Yellin is a professional screenwriter, he has honed his skills at crafting a strong story and communicating it with precision and passion. His credits include both the original Dumb and Dumber (1994) as well as its official sequel, Dumb and Dumber To (2014.) Bennett is applying his expertise to the world of themed entertainment. Whether it's a feature film, a television show or an amusement park experience, everything begins with a strong story. Known for Dumb and Dumber (1994), Dumb and Dumber To (2014) and Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003). 

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Jeffrey Gurian is a “Renaissance Man”, because he’s involved in so many things. He’s a comedy writer, performer, director, author, producer, radio personality, motivational speaker and doctor, and not always in that order.   

 As a comedy writer he’s worked with and written for legends like Rodney Dangerfield, Joan Rivers, George Wallace, Phil Hartman, Richard Belzer, Jerry Lewis, and Andrew “Dice” Clay, among many others plus new superstars like Nick Kroll, and John Mulaney.  

 Jeffrey has performed stand-up comedy at most of the big clubs in NY and L.A. was a regular on Sirius XM radio for two years with Ron Bennington, and was 

Patrice O’Neal’s co-host  on The Black Phillip Show on XM radio.  

 As a comedy journalist he’s been covering the comedy scene since 1999,  and has also written for MTV, National Lampoon, Weekly World News, The Weekly Humorist and was the main writer for many Friars Roasts for 12 years. 

 His Comedy Matters TV, You Tube channel has over 500 A-list celebrity interviews and almost 2 ½ million views, with everyone from Jimmy Fallon, to Amy Schumer and Bill Burr, to Tracy Morgan and D.L. Hughley, and he’s produced shows starring Kevin Hart and Susie Essman.  According  to Paul Provenza, and Nick Kroll  Jeffrey is known by everyone in comedy. 

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Steven Adam Renkovish resides in Easley, South Carolina. He is the director of the short films, A Beautiful Silence, Fugue, and 401 Rogers. In 2021, his first feature film, The Awakening of Lilith, entered the festival circuit. Garnering much critical acclaim, the film has won several awards, including Best Feature Film and Best Actress.

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Laura Willoughby was born on October 9, 1963 in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA. She is a producer and casting director, known for 8-Bit Animal Playhouse with Jason Mewes(2013), Aliens vs Scarecrows vs Zombies and Pet Sematary (1989). She was previously married to Harry Lee Glaser and Robert Richard Gross.

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Nick Taber has an obsession with making the entire world healthy. He grew up with cerebral palsy issues and in the late 80s and 90s and a lot of folks counted him out and making him feel that he was limited in what he could do. With help he worked through 99% of the physical and emotional issues over the years. Nick became a certified personal trainer specializing in training children, teens and adults with reducing and getting rid of anxiety and depression through physical fitness. 

Nick is nationally certificated by National Association of Body Fitness (N.A.B.F.) He serves greater areas of Southcoast MA and RI.  He loves helping people overcome obstacles and get stronger. He wants everyone to reach their highest potential. He loves being married and loves American History and is a huge fan of Leonardo DaVinci and the band Postmodern Jukebox. Check out his podcasts Real Talk with Sensei Nick and Movie Theater Time Machine. 

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Ricardo Aviles was born, raised and educated in Puerto Rico who moved the mainland United States in 2008 to serve in the US Army. After his time in the military Ricardo began training Brazilian jiu jitsu under Brian Stuebner and continues to train. He has worked heavily in the interpreting world helping child trafficking survivors with his language skills that have earned him the nickname Language Ninja. With all his skills and love for others he started the Rico Podcast in 2021 with one of his best friends Eric McElroy. Rico loves cigars, anime, languages and family.

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Jeremy James Miller is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Ben Seaver on Growing Pains and its two reunion movies. He also was the voice of Linus in Happy New Year, Charlie Brown and Snoopy the Musical.

Miller was first cast in a McDonald's commercial and then began to land multiple guest roles in Charles in Charge, Different Strokes, Punky Brewster, and Pryor's Place. He was cast in the NBC mini series Deceptions with Barry Bostwick, Stephanie Powers, and Fairuza Balk before landing the role of Ben Seaver, the youngest son on Growing Pains. Miller was supposed to be a part of the cast of the PBS show Ghostwriter. The creator wanted to make him a mentor to the younger Ghostwriter members, but the producers decided it wasn't a good idea for the show to have an older ghostwriter team member and Miller was not invited back after shooting the pilot. As an actor, probably his most recognizable trademark is the "Ben Seaver Scream", which can be heard and seen in any number of Growing Pains episodes and during the closing credits of the movie Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.

After Growing Pains, Jeremy co starred as "Jake" in the TV movie Based on an Untrue Story with Morgan Fairchild, Robert Goulet, Rikki Lake, Dan Hedeya, Victoria Jackson, and Harvey Korman.

He then decided to take a break from acting and attended the University of Southern California for a year where he studied drama. Soon after he began to pursue his passion for cooking and enrolled in the Culinary Arts program at Le Cordon Bleu which he left just short of graduating. Jeremy started his own catering company called "No Small Affair" as well as freelanced as a chef for multiple LA based catering companies. He also teaches private cooking classes and group cooking parties. Jeremy continues to pursue acting and went to Shanghai (where he enjoys a huge popularity and following) to co star in the film Milk and Fashion, He starred in a commercial for McDonald's "Dollar Menunaires" promotion shot as a parody of the VH1 series Best Week Ever. He has also been spotted in Boys and Girls Guide To Getting Down. He can be seen in four movies in 2009: Ditching Party, Never Have I Ever, The Fish and Tar Beach. He will also be co-starring in the upcoming horror film Awakening as well as two new shows; One a recurring role in the comedy - The Comeback Kids and one as the lead in the Paranormal Suspense Drama - 3rd Eye.

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Marc Sheffler used to work as a stage actor for off-Broadway theater. His only film role is of the teenage Junior Stillo in the low-budget Last House on the Left (1972). Since then, Sheffler decided to pursue a career into television writing and production rather than acting.

His credits include episodes of "Sister, Sister", "Harry and the Hendersons", "Who's the Boss", and "Charles in Charge" to name but a few. He's also been involved with all kinds of pilots, made for TV movies, and television specials, including the failed "The Little Shop of Horrors" pilot, "The Happy Days Reunion Show" and "The Best of the Hollywood Palace" specials. He also worked with Mel Blanc, the voice of Warner Bros. cartoons, as the writer of How Bugs Bunny Won The West (1978).

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Kristina Klebe is an American actress, director, producer and writer who came to prominence for her portrayal of Lynda Van Der Klok in Rob Zombie's Halloween.  Her other film roles include Proxy, Neil Marshall's Hellboy, and Two Witches, the last of which she also co-wrote.

Tina Krause is an American film actress, producer, director, and model. Tina worked as an artist and graphic designer prior to embarking on an acting career after being discovered by director/producer Gary Whitson at a spring Chiller Theatre horror convention in New Jersey in 1994. Besides acting primarily in horror films, Krause has also worked as a model and continues to work as a graphic designer in between acting assignments. Tina directed her first movie in 2001. 

Joseph Zaso is an American actor and filmmaker. He is a b-movie regular and has been involved in the low budget science fiction and horror industry since 1990. Zaso, an avid bodybuilder, is usually cast as husky villains.

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Mary Sean Young was born in Louisville, Kentucky. She is the daughter of Lee Guthrie (née Mary Lee Kane), an Emmy-nominated producer, screenwriter, public relations executive, and journalist, and Donald Young, Jr., an Emmy award winning television news producer and journalist. She has Irish, English, and Swiss-German ancestry. She grew up with an older brother Donald Young III and a sister Cathleen Young in Cleveland, Ohio. She attended Cleveland Heights High School, and then transferred to and graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy. A trained dancer, she studied at the School of American Ballet in New York City, and did some modeling. Sean Young began a promising film career by acting in a Merchant-Ivory film Jane Austen in Manhattan, She followed that up in the comedy hit film Stripes. Soon, important directors were casting her in their films, such as Academy Award nominee David Lynch in Dune and Ridley Scott's film BladeRunner. Oliver Stone cast her in the hit film Wall Street. However, her other hit film No Way Out, which involved a famous steamy scene in the backseat of a limousine with Kevin Cosner, gave her star status. She was at the height of her fame, which led to her being cast as Vicky Vale in Batman. She had an accident while she was training for the film. As a result, she lost the role to Kim Basinger for what turned out to be the biggest hit of 1989. Young put on a brave face and gamely moved on to do comedies Fatal Instinct and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, the latter's box office success made Jim Carreya star, who immediately landed the role of the Riddler in the Batman sequel. Mary Sean Young is living in Austin, Texas. She created a new business venture called Austin Film Tours. It is Austin's first and only film location tour.

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Flynn is a native of Nashville, TN. At a young age he was enthralled with cartoons and acting. Growing up he acquired 8 years of concert, jazz & marching band experience. In 2007, Flynn became an Independent Professional Wrestler & Sports Entertainer, performing in 13 states and working for WWE, including appearing on Pay Per View in 2022. In 2014, he got married and started a family, and in 2018, took some time away from wrestling. However, upon returning in 2022, he immediately laid claim to the UCW Southern States Championship, along with starting a pursuit of the UCW Ultimate Championship. He also created the “I Know You Hear Me!” Title, to remind fans he’ll always be a champion. During his time away from wrestling in 2018, he still had the urge to continue performing and pursued voice acting. While following that dream, he got the chance to learn from so many of the voices of his childhood, developed a love for improv, and also got involved with Shakespeare and live performance (both on stage and on camera). In 2022, Flynn was asked to join the American Immersion Theater & he is also versed in 13 dialects including Southern “Tidewater,” Elevated British, Irish and several more. In August of 2021, he started the “I Know You Hear Me!” Podcast, which is available on iTunes, Spotify and many other platforms.

When Flynn isn’t acting, auditioning, or podcasting,  he loves spending time with his family – binge watching shows with his wife, watching his oldest play baseball, playing with his 2 rescue cats. He’s also big into exercise – he converted his garage into a home gym. Flynn is also involved in his church, helping out with security among other things.

Flynn’s bucket list projects include working in the Dragon Ball Franchise, Star Wars, South Park, and Archer.

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Steven Jay Rubin is the founder and president of Fast Carrier Pictures, Inc., a Los Angeles-based motion picture and television production company. He made his producing debut for Showtime in 2001 on the baseball comedy classic Bleacher Bums, starring Peter Riegert, Brad Garrett, Wayne Knight and Charles Durning. In 2002, for the Hallmark Channel, he produced the true World War II drama, Silent Night, starring Linda Hamilton, which was nominated for four Canadian television academy awards. 

Rubin was the executive producer of Archie’s Final Project, a teen dramedy which starred David Carradine, Mariel Hemingway, Joe Mantegna, Nora Dunn, Tony Hale, Harry Shearer and amazing newcomer, Gabriel Sunday – a film that won 19 Best Picture awards around the world, including the Crystal Bear for Best Picture in its class at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival. Additionally, Rubin wrote, produced and directed the feature documentary, East L.A. Marine: The Untold True Story of Guy Gabaldon (Virgil Films). 

His upcoming film projects include a number of comedies he wrote with top television writer Billy Riback (Home Improvement, The Suite Life of Zach and Cody), including The Line Kings, about a group of rabid Star Wars fans determined to be the first to see the latest film in the series. He’s also the executive producer of The Coolest Guy Movie Ever, a documentary produced and directed by Chris Espenen, that takes viewers to the locations where The Great Escape was shot in 1962, and which features one of the few interviews with Steve McQueen on record. 

Recognized around the world as an expert on the James Bond movies, Rubin previously wrote The James Bond Films: A Behind the Scenes History (Arlington House, 1981, Crown Publishers, 1983), and The Complete James Bond Movie Encyclopedia (Contemporary Books, 1990, 1995, McGraw Hill, 2003). His latest books include The Twilight Zone Encyclopedia (Chicago Review Press, 2017), and the upcoming children’s picture book, The Cat Who Lived With Anne Frank (Penguin/Philomel, 2019), which he co-authored with David Lee Miller. Rubin also frequently writes for CinemaRetro magazine, where his cover stories have included heavily-researched behind-the-scenes studies of Rocky and The Bridge at Remagen. He recently interviewed actor Kirk Douglas for a retrospective look at the actor’s favorite film, Lonely are the Brave. 

As a film historian, Rubin was nominated for Best Classic Commentary in 2004 by the DVD Exclusive Academy for his hosting work on the Special Edition DVD release of The Great Escape, a film he also covered in a documentary that debuted on Showtime in 1993. As a marketing executive, with a specialty in publicity and promotion, Rubin worked on the publicity campaigns for over 150 movies and television series. 

He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Elisa, daughter Jaymie and son Darren.

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John Bukowski has been a practicing veterinarian, a public health researcher, and a medical writer. But through it all has been his love of books. Like you, He has always loved to read. And like you his tastes have changed over time from Jules Verne and Tolkien to Hemingway, Steven King, and Michael Crichton. Likewise, his writing has changed from consumer handbooks and website content to fast-paced thriller novels, which are a lot more fun.  

Just as great chefs have distinctive styles, every good author has a distinguishing “voice” that both labels and defines their work. Read a couple of pages of Hemingway and you won’t have to be told that Papa cooked the bouillabaisse. His voice diverges a bit between novels and short stories. As a child of the Twilight Zone, his short fiction deals mostly with quirky situations and surprise endings, usually with a touch of humor to leaven the bread. His novels, on the other hand, start out with a thrilling roux of “what if,” then add two cups of violence, a tablespoon of humor, and a hefty dash of spicy sex. He hopes you like what he has been cooking up for you.

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Christen Stovall is an avid reader and lover of fantasy. She began storytelling at a young age but never considered writing until she was an adult.

 In 2008 Christen married her first love, Dustin. Sadly, just a year and a half later, Dustin ended his life. At 28 Christen was a widow, alone, and struggling to find meaning in her brief time as Dustin's wife. In her sorrow she turned to fantasy.

Five years later, Christen published her first novel, Soulbound, as a tribute to her late husband. Through the Song of Souls Trilogy Christen has found healing and purpose. Her greatest hope is that her books can provide a long lasting legacy for Dustin.

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Bruce Vilanch is a comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a two-time Emmy Award-winner. Vilanch is known for his acting roles in The Ice Pirates and You Don't Mess with the Zohan. However he is probably best known to the public for his four-year stint on Hollywood Square, as a celebrity participant; behind the scenes he was head writer for the show. In 2000, he performed off-Broadway in his self-penned one-man show, Bruce Vilanch: Almost Famous.

Vilanch was the head writer for the Oscars after being an Oscar program co-writer for the previous ten years. He is also a featured writer for the Tony, Grammys and Emmys. 

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Mark Christopher Lawrence is best known for his series regular role as Big Mike on the NBC TV series CHUCK. He recently completed production on the hit ADULT SWIM TV show BLACK JESUS and is recurring on The PureFlix Show Malibu Dan The Family Man. He can be seen on the Disney Channel’s original TV movie Life Is Ruff and guest appearances on Lab Rats, Good Luck Charlie, Heroes, Weeds, My Name Is Earl, Reba, Grounded for Life, Crossing Jordan, and Amazing America with Sarah Palin. MCL is in pre-production on several projects as a writer and/or producer and has just released on PureFlix.com his hilarious talk show Pure Comedy, which he also hosts. On video, you can watch MCL’s work in The Pursuit of Happyness, The Island, Garfield, Terminator II, Fear of a Black Hat, and Cooties to list a few.

As a producer Mark Christopher Lawrence has produced a six episode series for PureFlix  entitled Pure Comedy. He co-produced the first VR comedy special, Mark Christopher Lawrence Live from the Mad House Comedy Club. This work has received the DreamlandXR award for Best Director and has been a FireFox VR Pick of the Week as well as having been nominated for an Emmy award. He’s currently in pre-production on his one-man stage show and an album of hymns where he showcases his more than capable vocal prowess. 

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Dublin born Ciarán Sheehan is an acclaimed actor, singer, voice healer whose performances have been said to warm the heart and touch the soul. There is an amazing quality to his voice and his ability to capture an audience is nothing short of remarkable. Ciarán has many professional accomplishments to his credit, most notably playing the role of The Phantom in “The Phantom of The Opera” for over 1,000 performances on Broadway and in Toronto. But perhaps of more importance than his accomplishments is his sincere desire to use his incredible talents to inspire others to look within themselves to discover their own inner beauty.

His work as Billy in the Boston production of Carousel gained him multiple best actor nominations, and his work as Wolfe Tone in Peter Danish's The Final Days of Wolfe Tone in Nashville, Tennessee also received multiple best actor nominations. In film, he has won a best actor award from the NY International Film Festival for his role in The Waiting Room. He is due to be seen in the Deborah Markowitz film The Only Woman In The World  when it makes its world premiere.

Currently he is touring internationally with the group The Four Phantoms In Concert 

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Keith has been making people laugh in all fifty states—and all over the world—for more than a quarter of a century. He has appeared on Entertainment Tonight and  Hulu's Comedy Time. Apart from being a great comedian, Keith Ross is also a director, co-writer and star of Electives. He can be seen on Amazon Prime’s Not for Nothin’ which he co-writes, co-stars, and is executive producer.

He has appeared in hit independent movies like Mobsters and Mormons and The R.M. In 2011, Keith was featured in the Who's Who. There are articles on him in popular publications such as New York Weekly, L.A. Wire, U.S. News, Los Angeles Times, U.S. Reporter, Entertainment Monthly News, the Daily News, and many more. 

Keith is also a very talented athlete who held the Masters High Jump record in his age group for seven years (2000-2007). In 1998 he finished second in the Masters World Championships and he has won three National Championships in Masters High-Jumping. He was ranked #1 in 2000 for outdoor high-jumping and in 2006 for indoor high-jumping. He also has a third-degree black-belt in Kung-Fu and is working towards his fourth-degree.

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Loren-Paul Caplin has had a varied career in the literary and dramatic arts. His experience in film has involved him in writing and directing History of the World in Eight Minutes, producing Forbiddeb Zone, writing the original story for Lost Angels, and co-writing and co-producing Battle in the Erogenous Zone for Showtime.

His plays, "Sunday's Child", "Men In The Kitchen, "A Subject Of Childhood and "City Muzik" have been performed throughout the northeastern United States. "The Presidents", a play he co-wrote, has enjoyed a national tour and an appearance on PBS. His poetry has appeared in both the Paris Review and Rolling Stone. Caplin teaches screenwriting at Columbia University, Tisch School of Dramatic Writing at NYU, and the New School University. He lives in New York City with his wife, painter Jenne van Feghen.

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ACTING IN FILM AND TELEVISION SINCE 1964. Early Film roles included, "What's so Bad about Feeling Good," Opposite Mary Tyler Moore and "The Godfather," opposite James Caan.  After Lou's father's (The Notable Character Actor, Lou Martini) death in early 1971, Lou's mom decided it was best for him to take a break. It wasn't until  attending The University of Houston that Lou took up acting again.  Although, the "bug" for acting had been dormant it had never left.  After graduating with a BA in Communications, Lou landed a leading role in the smash off-broadway show "Tony and Tina's Wedding".  Since then Lou has consistently appeared on stage, in Television and Film. 

Lou's latest TV credits include Guest and Recurring Roles on such hit shows as, HBO"s "The Deuce" opposite James Franco, "Sneaky Pete," opposite Giovanni Ribisi, "Crashing", "Vinyl", "Orange is The New Black", and "Girls".   One of Lou's most recognizable  characters was the loveable eye glass doctor "Anthony Infante" on the last season of HBO"s "The Sopranos," which garnered the cast a SAG award nomination for best ensemble.  

Another notable TV credit was as host for one of the first network reality shows, "The Gastineau Girls."

Some of Lou's last film roles include, "Alto" opposite Annabella Sciorra, "West End," Opposite Eric Roberts, and "Redemption," opposite James Macaffery.  Lou won the prestigious best actor award  at Nation's 4th biggest film festival Houston World Fest, for his portrayal of a down on his luck theatre director...and devout nudist...in the dark comedy  "Suicide Notes." 

Lou is set to produce and star in 2 of his original screenplays, the first called  "Honor" sometime next spring - an 80's drama that centers around a family of cops driven by secrets, torn apart by lies, longing for a way out but bound by Honor. Ultimately a story that searches for redemption in the depths of our darkest secrets while finding ones true identity. The second, a dark comedy about a down and out Elvis Tribute Artist with an overbearing mother, and kooky girlfriend sidekick.

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Cris Graves is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker who has worked across platforms from film to television to online content. She has worked across the globe as a producer/director, filming in some of the harshest and most remote areas on our planet. Her credits include The Amazing Race, Whale Wars, and Living Undocumented. She is also an award-winning narrative filmmaker and has had her work shown in various film festivals including the Cannes Film Festival, Oaxaca Film Festival, and Hamilton Film Festival to name a few. Her feature film script Alone Girl, which Cris plans to direct, was a semi-finalist in three categories of the Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition 2019 as well as earning a spot on The Bitch List 2020. Most recently, she was chosen as one of 25 screenwriters to watch by the Austin Film Festival, which was announced in May of 2020.

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Bill Sorvino is an award winning actor and is a graduate of William Esper Studio. He is the founder of Golden Door International Film Festival based in his home town of Jersey City, NJ and is also co-founder of Brazen Giant Ensemble with Christian Keiber. Sorvino has directed and produced several films.

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A Hawaii transplant, Jeff moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to pursue acting and has appeared in numerous Features. In 2008 Jeff decided to take a step back from acting, and start to dabble in Casting. Jeff was mentored by numerous Casting Directors including, Sheila manning, Tracy 'Twinkie Byrd and Pam Bouvier.  

Immediately, Jeff became the Casting Director for the American Division of the largest international web series  "The Scary" ."

Also, in 2008, Jeff produced his first feature " Why Am I Doing This?" a multi-ethnic comedy which won the New Vision Film Award at San Jose Cinequest Film Festival in 2009 and Best Narrative Feature at Philadelphia's HBO Film Festival in 2009.

Recently, Jeff completed principal photography on a new dramady he is produced called We Are Family. He also produced an Urban Romantic Comedy, " Perfect Combination". 

Jeff is currently in development with Outlier Co., Producers Mark Morgan & E. Thompson of Twilight Franchise. They are working on a US remake of the Korean hit "200 Pound Beauty".

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Ari Taub is an American movie director, producer, and editor. Taub was born in New York City. Taub is best known for his movie The Fallen, a 2004 war film about the perspectives of Italian, German, and American soldiers during World War II. Taub's latest movie is '79 Parts, a comedy set in 1979, starring Eric Roberts.

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Johnny Solo is an actor and producer, known for Man on a Ledge, Newlyweds, The Fitzgerald Family Christmas and 79 Parts.

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Iliana Guibert, a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and trained at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute took a career detour spending her early years in the corporate sector gaining business skills she now applies to her work as an actress and expanding to writing, producing and directing.

Guibert proudly sits on the committee and board of several foundations committed to helping youth in need and chronically/terminally ill children.

She was married to her high school sweetheart, Thomas, until his death on September 11th while attending a meeting in the North Tower of the World Trade Center. According to The New York Times, his call to her was the last known outgoing call before the tower collapsed.

Guibert has appeared in several 9/11 documentaries and has been featured in various magazines and news segments for her humanitarian efforts, philanthropy and inspiration.

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Mr. Adams hails from the world of television news and entertainment having worked over the past 40 years as cameraman and producer for CNN, FOX TV, NBCUniversal, NHK Japan, Fuji-TV Japan and ARD German TV.

He has also produced and directed documentary and music entertainment projects for CCTV China, NHK Japanese Satellite TV, Sky PerfecTV (Japan), Sony Music Entertainment (USA/Japan) and a wide variety of prominent independent video and music production companies. Robin has worked with such notable music celebrities as James Taylor, Kiss, Christina Aguilera, Pink, The Roots, Keyon Harrold, Ron Carter, Phony PPL, Jamie Alexander, Mary J. Blige, Cuba Gooding, Sr. and James Brown to name a few.

Additionally, as producer and co-founder of WILLiFEST /The Williamsburg International Film Festival, Mr. Adams has been part of an eclectic team that has created a forum and marketplace for some of the most talented independent filmmakers in the world, and as founder of The Willifest Channel on FOOTPRINT Network, curates and manages content on two WILLiFEST Channels.

In 2015, along with former NBC colleague, Frank J. Fernandez, Adams co-founded FOOTPRINT Network, an OTT entertainment network and unit of tech company, Endavo Media in Atlanta. Endavo and FOOTPRINT were recently acquired by Ozzie Areu, the former president of Tyler Perry Studios and co-founder of Areu Bros. Studios in a partnership with his brother Will Areu and entertainment/music entrepreneur, Gloria Estefan.

FOOTPRINT digital network is a multi-platform video entertainment network utilizing the latest Over-The-Top (OTT) Video Distribution Automation technology to distribute entertaining video content to viewers on their connected devices, and enables content creators by providing production, programming, promotion, partner management, monetization, and audience development.

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Erika was raised in the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. She studied acting at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse, comedy at the Upright Citizen's Brigade and the Groundlings in Los Angeles and holds a BFA in Music from Hunter College. She acts and sings in film, television and theater and is a recording artist as well. Erika is mostly famous for her similar look as  Marilyn Monroe. She has acted in numbers of TV/ Movies.   Before The Dust Settles, Lady Peacock, and The Three Chris’s to name a few. 

Apart from acting she has also studied comedy and can be seen performing in various comedic roles. 

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Joey MHz is the Founder and CEO of MHz Media Group, a production company that has produced numerous projects. Born on Long Island, New York, Joey made his first attempt at directing movies as soon as he was old enough to use a video camera. Enrolling at Briarcliff College, Joey worked for Big Blue Computer Products and soon enough found himself taking on the name Joey MHz and creating his company MHz Media Group. Taking on the role of writing, producing, directing, and co-starring in his first film "The Adversary," which was picked up by York Entrainment, the success of his initial project motivated him to continue with a second film, "Tradition." 

"Tradition" caught the attention of producer Lee Caplin who praised Joey’s abilities as a writer, director and actor. Former Executive Vice President of Universal Studios Hollywood, Neal Lemlein stated “Joey’s an extraordinary filmmaker with fresh ideas. Joey is a natural talent. Along with a golden eye for directing. ” After meeting Lee, Joey was hired to produce and co-direct feature films in Japan and soon after Joey found himself filming in Dubai as well. 


Since then Joey MHz has also worked on several projects in the film industry and was nominated for a Stellar Award for best music video and a BET Music Award for best director of a music video.

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Maria Capp has served the arts community on Long Island, NY and in Los Angeles for over 20 years. Her multi-disciplinary expertise includes work as an award-winning writer, director, producer, entrepreneur, and acting coach. She has served as an advocate, speaker, committee and board member for such organizations as Women In Media, The Millie D'Agostino Scholarship Fund, Breaking into Hollywood, Youth Biz Alliance, NYSTEA, EdTA, BOCES - Arts in Education, and Kids for Kids Productions. Maria produced Cappricielli Production's first feature, Reach starring Garrett Clayton, Jordan Doww and Joey Bragg released in 10 of the top 20 major markets throughout the US and received a North American distribution deal with Entertainment Studio's Freestyle Digital Media, and MSC handles International Sales. 

 A lover of music and successful collaboration with her daughter Raffaela, the mother-daughter duo consistently creates award winning music and music videos including HURRICANE featuring Emmy award winning rapper Chris Redd (Saturday Night Live). After producing the successful world premiere of the one act play, Pizza & Whine at the Hudson Guild Theatres in New York and Los Angeles, Maria along with screenwriters Elliott Estrada and Raffaela Capp brought the two main characters, Jennifer and Natalyn to the screen in the soon to be released, A Pizza and Wine Christmas starring Teri Polo, Nicholas Turturro, Raffaela Capp and Robert Davi, Jared Sandler, and Natasha Capp making this feature Maria's directorial debut. Maria strives to be an example to others entering the entertainment industry specifically that age and gender DO NOT matter. As a woman over 40, and in partnership with the Cappricielli team, she continues to create content, writing, directing and producing while aligning with other like minded content creators taking projects from development through sales in film and television.

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Greg Paul is a writer, producer, actor and musician with multiple Film, Recording, Television, and Web credits. Currently a founding Producing partner in 2020 with Derek Mackay at No Brainz Productions [us]. They are an American/Canadian/Mexican Film and Television Production and Distribution Company. Greg was a successful Warner/Elektra/Asylum Recording Artist and a touring Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist working with several popular musical groups and/or solo artists as a Musician or Sound Engineer. Becoming a successful professional actor, he started in New England in 2008 and continued on to New York, appearing on popular network episodic television shows and as a go-to actor for the Discovery ID channel. Working in Voice Over for many years, he has been the man behind several national brand ad campaigns as well. He has a Masters in Screenwriting, is well versed in Finance and Distribution, and with a thorough understanding of all facets of the entertainment industry from Pre thru Post production, as well as Publicity and Advertising.

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Over the last ten years, Producer BD Gunnell has emerged as a leader in the world of independent feature filmmaking. From humble beginnings on micro-budget indie films, to her professional experience as a Line Producer; BD has developed a well-earned reputation. From completing films with rigorous timelines and severe constraints on budget; BD has developed an exceptional track record in the film industry of delivering films on time and on budget. At this current time, 85% of the movies completed have recouped their costs for investors. BD routinely produces independent films in the $2 million to $10 million-dollar range.

BD produced nine features in under a year for the likes of Lifetime, Hazy Mills, and other independent companies. Her features include Mob Town starring David Arquette, Jamie-Lynn Sigler; Lazy Susan starring Sean Hayes, Allison Janney; Tribeca Film Festival pick Almost Paris directed by Domenica Cameron-Scorsese; iMordecai starring Sean Astin, Judd Hirsch; Shriver starring Michael Shannon, Kate Hudson. BD has worked with other such notable talents as Richard Dreyfus, Zach Braff, Don Johnson, Ashley Green, Robert Davi, and Matthew Broderick, among others.

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In 1986 with the help of Iona's coach Harold Crocker, Donahue got a tryout with the New York Jets NFL Football team. He signed a free agent contract with the New York Jets to play nose tackle. He participated in mini-camp and summer training camp with the Jets. He was released in August 1986. In 1987, Donahue signed a free agent contract with the Green Back Packers to play nose tackle. During camp Donahue suffered a knee injury. He was released in August 1987. In 1989, he joined the Toronto Argonauts of the C.F.L. Donahue hurt his knee while with the Argonauts. He was released from his contract that same year.

After his football days were over he embarked on a professional wrestling career. He was known most notably as the "Dublin Destroyer" and Brian "The Basher." Donahue wrestled with Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) in 1991 and then with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) during 1991-1992. While training with former professional wrestler Mark Tendler, Tendler introduced Donahue to an acting agent. It was during this time that he began to fully pursue acting with full heart. Working his way up the ranks, taking classes, auditioning, and landing commercials, some TV roles, and eventually small roles in films.

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Al Diaz is best know for his collaboration with Jean Michel Basquiat on SAMO©, graffiti that appeared in lower Manhattan from 1977 to 1979. SAMO© initially became known because of its wit and sarcastic humor; but became a globally recognized graffito after Basquiat’s rise to fame.

A prolific and influential first-generation NYC subway graffiti artist, who later became a text-oriented street artist, Al Diaz’s career spans 5 decades. He currently works with WET PAINT signs used throughout the New York City subway system. After cutting out individual letters to create clever, surreal and sometimes poignant anagrams, he hangs the finished works in subways stations throughout New York City. His WET PAINT work was  featured in the 21st Precinct Street Art Event ( July,2014) , a solo show at “Outlaw Arts”  (March, 2015) and  will appear in the upcoming book, “Street Messages” by Nicholas Ganz.

He has been a featured speaker on a variety of panel discussions, including at The New School, The Museum of the City of New York, and NOLA Arts Festival in New Orleans.

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David Mack is the award-winning and The New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty-six novels and numerous short works of science-fiction, fantasy, and adventure, including the Star Trek Destiny and Cold Equations trilogies.

Mack’s writing credits span television (for episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), film, and comic books. His latest novels are The Shadow Commission, the final volume of his Dark Arts trilogy published by Tor books; and his long-postponed Star Trek novel More Beautiful Than Death.

His newest projects include the short story “Fiasco” in the pulp-homage anthology Thrilling Adventure Yarns 2021, and a new novel, Star Trek: Coda, Book III: Oblivion’s Gate, released on November 30, 2021.

He currently works as a consultant on the upcoming animated television series Star Trek: Prodigy.

Mack resides in New York City with his wife, Kara.

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Jeff Orlick is a resident and social entrepreneur in Jackson Heights, Queens. His events such as the Momo Crawl and Wox & Lox along with his Roosevelt Avenue Midnight Street Food Crawl and Queens Tastes of the World Tours have garnered attention from around the globe, centering on the area’s unmatched ability to share culture through food. You can follow Jeff on twitter @JeffOrlick.

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Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek both started writing their first plays at the age of about seven. Lauren fell in love with the magic of movies visiting her dad (visual effects supervisor Joel Hynek) on the set of Predator as a little kid. Elizabeth spent her tween years writing (badly formatted) fan fiction episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In high school, we joined forces while working at the same Shakespeare theater in the summers. We continued to work in classical theater together after college, producing plays on shoestring budgets and getting paid out of a passed hat. However, frustrated with the limited roles for women in Shakespeare’s work, we started to dream of creating our own stories — ones that featured strong women that our little girl selves could look up to. We let our imaginations run to tales that couldn’t be tackled on the stage, they demanded the big screen. After spending a few years teaching ourselves how to write (and properly format) a screenplay, we swung for the fences and wrote a live action Mulan on spec. Disney bought it and it’s due out in March of 2020. In the meantime, we’ve won a handful of writing contests, wrote a Lifetime movie Christmas Perfection, and were hired to adapt a NY Times bestseller into an hour-long drama series for Alcon Entertainment. Currently, we’re working on a biopic about computer pioneer GRACE HOPPER for Middleton Media as well as rewriting an action flick for a trio of companies. In our spare time, we strive to make the world a more equal place as co-chairs of the Committee of Women Writers at the WGAW.

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