Colin Campbell
Director
Colin Campbell is a writer and director for theater and film. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his short film, Seraglio. Seraglio also won Deauville’s Grand Prix and ran on HBO. His recent short film, Girl At The Door, played at numerous festivals, and has received write-ups on Dread Central (“Brilliant”) and Brutal As Hell (“excellent escalating sense of unease… Campbell shows real flair”), and was nominated for a 2013 Fright Meter Ward. He directed the feature film Guido, starring Alki David, Billy Zane, Armand Assante, Gary Busey and Lupe Ontiveros, which premiered on FilmOn.com. His production of “The Ballad of Ricardo Flores Magon” at the Ford Theater was filmed and broadcast by KCET. His production of his play, Golden Prospects was nominated for five LA Weekly awards and was Critic’s Pick in TimeOut NY, LA Times and LA Weekly. His supernatural horror screenplay, Harrow Lake was chosen for Film Independent’s Screenwriters Lab and was optioned by Paranormal Media. His supernatural horror screenplay, The Hive, was optioned by Dean Goodhill. Colin regularly writes and directs for Instant Films, where he’s won Best Writer, Best Director and numerous Best Film Awards. He has taught Theater and/or Filmmaking at Loyola Marymount University, Cal Poly Pomona University, Relativity Education, and to incarcerated youth through The Unusual Suspects.
Jory Weitz
Executive Producer
Jory Weitz is the executive producer of NAPOLEAN DYNAMITE, the winner of the best film award of the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. The film was also the winner of the Best Feature Award of the 2004 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival and the 2005 MTV Film Awards. Since then, the film has become one of the most successful independent films in history: grossing over $45 million in the domestic box office and $100 million in home video and television revenue to date. Mr. Weitz’s casting for the picture is the stuff of legend and turned unknown actor Jon Heder into a Hollywood superstar.
Prior to his producing career, Mr. Weitz was a distinguished casting director. He worked with such acclaimed directors as Francis Ford Coppola (DRACULA), Tim Burton (EDWARD SCISSORHANDS), Stephen Frears (THE GRIFTERS), Ron Shelton (WHITE MEN CAN’T JUMP), Kevin Costner (DANCES WITH WOLVES) and Stephen Norrington (BLADE).
In 2006, Weitz was the executive producer of the critically acclaimed documentary F*CK, a film about a word and its multitude of meanings produced by Rainstorm Entertainment and distributed by ThinkFilm/Showtime. The film featured interviews with many current socially influencial personalities including Bill Maher, Drew Carey, Ice-T, Janeane Garafolo, Alanis Morrisette, Kevin Smith, Billy Connolly, the late Hunter S. Thompson and many others.
In 2007, Weitz teamed up with the director of Napolean Dynamite once again for NACHO LIBRE, a Paramount picture starring Jack Black. Jory also produced and cast VISIONEERS, directed by Jared Drake, and starring comedian Zach Galifianakis; the lead of the runaway hit, THE HANGOVER. Weitz was responsible for giving Galifianakis his very first leading role which helped to launch is successful film career. VISIONEERS starred Judy Greer, Mia Maestro, Missi Pyle and James LeGros. The film premiered at the 2008 Seattle International Film Festival and went on to play such festivals as CineVegas (Audience Award Winner) and AFI.
Weitz cast the indie feature, CHRISTMAS EVE starring Patrick Stewart (X-Men), Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite), James Roday (TV's Pysch), Max Casella (Inside Llewyn Davis) and Gary Cole (Office Space).
Along with David Lynch, Weitz is executive producing Jennifer Lynch’s new thriller, A FALL FROM GRACE for Benaroya Pictures. To date, Weitz has cast Vincent D’Onofrio, Paz Vega and Willow Shields (The Hunger Games). Oscar winner and critically acclaimed composer Trent Reznor (GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO) is scoring the film.
Jory Weitz recently joined the on-line comedy channel, jash.com as their in-house casting director. The company was created by Jimmy Kimmel's producing partner, Daniel Kellison and the Jash team is Sarah Silverman, Michael Cera, duo Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, and rap-comic Reggie Watts. Weitz is casting the comedy content created by all the top flight industry professionals working with Jash. "Gregory Goes Boom", a short film that Weitz cast starring Michael Cera won the Short Film Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014.
Adding to Weitz’s accomplished Hollywood career, he is now a highly respected acting coach and has been able to exploit the full breadth of his prowess as a casting director and producer to the benefit and success of his clients. Weitz’s preternatural ability to discover and develop emerging talent is what sets him apart from the rest of the pack.
Rakefet Abergel
Executive Producer/Writer
A native of Los Angeles, Rakefet Abergel is an accomplished American/Israeli actress, writer/producer, and outspoken stand up comedian. One month after taking a stand up class, Rakefet won Best Comic and Best Overall Talent on the Tyra Banks Show. She appeared in the movie Superbad with Jonah Hill, and as Adam Sandler's sister in Just Go with It . She can also be seen in the films My Best Friend's Girl opposite Dane Cook, with Halle Berry in The Call, and alongside Eddie Murphy & Kerry Washington in the film, A Thousand Words. Rakefet regularly guest stars on TV shows including Showtime's Shameless, New Girl, My Name is Earl, Bella and the Bulldogs, and iCarly. For a laugh, check her out as the crazy lady who shoots up her own living room over a good deal, on the hilarious commercial for Kayak. She was also a series regular on two popular web series, Breaking Fat and Addicts Anonymous.
Rakefet has performed stand up comedy all over Los Angeles, including the World Famous Comedy Store and The Improv in Hollywood, as well as the University of Las Vegas and as a featured performer with Sweet, a women's travel company, in Mexico.
Recently, Rakefet wrote and starred in a dramatic short film called Jax in Love, which she co-produced with executive producer & casting director Jory Weitz (Napoleon Dynamite). The film, directed by Oscar-nominated director Colin Campbell, will be making the festival rounds this year.
She originated the role of "Brooke" in the hilarious and touching play, The Furniture, written by Marc Warren (Even Stevens, Full House) and directed by industry veteran Joel Zwick (Full House, My Big Fat Greek Wedding), that premiered at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts.
She teaches sixth grade religious school and Hebrew in Los Angeles and also works as an acting coach and mentor for kids and adults at Kid (F)Actor, a company she founded in 2010.
Jack Stiefel
Executive Producer
Jack Stiefel has spent the last 20 plus years crossing the gamut of manufacturing. From aluminum to indie films, Mr. Stiefel has manufactured it all. Mr. Stiefel graduated from Kent State University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration. For the last thirteen years, Mr. Stiefel has been president of Stiefel Aluminum, a secondary aluminum smelter and OEM and after market wheel manufacturer based out of Dade City, Florida.
Sixteen years ago, Mr. Stiefel branched out to explore his love of manufacturing entertainment. He co-founded The MIXX Radio Network, an Internet-based radio station in Tampa, Florida. Thousands of listeners tune into each day to thirteen channels of all kinds of music. The fourteenth channel, The MIXX Talk, has an extensive mixture of talk shows for everyone, being headlined by the MIXX's top rated show, "The Ginia Nightly Show" airing every Wednesday at 9pm. A SAG/AFTRA member, Mr. Stiefel began LuckyDoc Productions in 2014, producing indie films and TV shows.
In 1997, Mr. Stiefel started to manufacture his own family. He married the love of his life, Virginia Stiefel. Jack and Virginia have two wonderful children, John Robert and Isabelle. The family; based out of Tampa, Florida, rounds out with their dog, Lucy and cat, Artemis.
Ginia Stiefel
Executive Producer
Ginia Stiefel is a producer and actress, known for Bloody Island (2016), Monsters (2015), Don't Let the Light In (2015) and Breaking Fat (2014).
Gabi Ilioiu
Producer
Gabi has over 10 years of experience in various areas of Film, Television, and New Media productions, as well as in Marketing and Advertising.
In 2010, Gabi moved to Los Angeles to earn her Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Producing from New York Film Academy’s Hollywood campus. She has since been able to merge her passions and serve professionally as a 1st Assistant Director, UPM and Line Producer and on a number of films, music videos, and commercials.
Johnny Kearns
Director of Photography
Johnny Kearns was born, John Cleveland Kearns, Jr. and raised in the small town of Morehead City, North Carolina. As a child he spent most of his time playing with cameras and enjoyed making home movies with his family and friends. However, as Johnny got older, he developed a deep love for the entertainment industry.
After graduating from high school, Kearns attended Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia where he studied religion and cinema. After four years of higher education, he moved to Wilmington, North Carolina where he partnered with a group of like minded independent filmmakers and formed a production company, doing over 100 productions; ranging from features, to commercials, and two national cable TV shows from 2003 to 2008.
In 2009, Kearns moved to Los Angeles, California where he continues to work both behind the camera as a producer, director, cinematographer or in front of the camera on a multitude of various projects.
Ned Thorne
Editor, "Ben"
Ned Thorne was born in Seattle, Washington and grew up on nearby Bainbridge Island. He became involved in the performing arts as a child, acting in and later writing and directing numerous productions for school, college and community theatres. After graduating from Whitman College with degrees in English and Theatre, he relocated to New York City in 2006 to pursue a career in film and television. He has worked as an editor, assistant editor and director on a variety of projects. His released his first feature as writer and director, 419, on DVD and online in 2013. As of 2015 he is based in Los Angeles, where he continues to edit films and develop his own projects.
Robert Gates
Composer
Composer Robert Gates studied with Pulitzer and Oscar-winning composer John Corigliano at Juilliard. He has won multiple awards including the national BMI and ASCAP awards for young composers, and awards at Juilliard and other schools.
Recent work includes two short films by Oscar-nominated director Colin Campbell, and orchestration for the band Spinal Tap and Harry Shearer for a 2017 concert at the Sydney Opera House.
Recent commissions include a set of piano etudes for the premier new American piano music group Piano Spheres. Other commissions and performances include work with Zoom, The American Composers Orchestra, Elyrica, The Juilliard Drama Department, The Juilliard Orchestra, UCLA, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, and various theaters in New York and Los Angeles with Oscar-nominated directors Colin Campbell and Gail Lerner.
As an orchestrator he’s worked for Miguel Harth-Bedoya - conductor with the LA Phil, Hollywood Bowl, and NY Phil, and various pops concerts.
Hannah Thomas
Original Music
Hannah Thomas is bringing her own style of music to the roots rock world with a voice reminiscent of young Bonnie Raitt, grit and bravado that draws comparisons to Melissa Etheridge, and the southern rock soul of Chris Robinson.
The 26 year-old musician has been playing professionally for more than a decade, touring with Indigo Girls and opening for or sharing the stage with Pat Benatar, Melissa Etheridge, Kristian Bush (of Sugarland), Terri Clark, Lydia Loveless, Chely Wright, Michelle Chamuel, Capital Cities, Shawn Mullins, Michelle Malone, Randall Bramblett and more.
Born and raised in Covington, Georgia, Thomas grew up on classic rock and country music: "my dad introduced me to Aerosmith and Black Sabbath, and with my mom I would listen to a lot of Patsy Cline, Tina Turner and The Judds. Later on I discovered 90s alternative". Thomas (and those close to her) will admit that ever since she was able to walk and talk, she has never wanted to do anything except perform.
Thomas's various influences can be heard on her new album produced by Lester Nuby III (St. Paul and The Broken Bones) in Birmingham, Alabama. "Fault Line" is her first full-length LP since 2012, spanning the gap between Atlanta's eclectic roots rock revival and the soulful, classic rock sound of Muscle Shoals. Thomas is joined by an all-star band comprised of Brandon Bush on keys (Sugarland/Train), Sadler Vaden on guitar (Drivin N Cryin/Jason Isbell), Jimbo Hart on bass guitar (Jason Isbell) and Chad Gamble on drums (Jason Isbell). The LP includes a song co-written with Michelle Malone. Malone plays lead guitar on that single, alongside Gerry Hansen on drums (Chuck Leavell, Randall Bramblett, Shawn Mullins) and Michael C. Steel on bass (Randall Bramblett). The album also features guest vocals by Terri Clark and Amy Ray of Indigo Girls.