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1-19 of 19
- Producer
- Executive
Cheryl is co-founder of Orama Filmworks. Orama was created to bring the works of talented writers and directors together to raise awareness of important world and domestic health, cultural, historic and social issues. Cheryl's skills as a producer and intimate knowledge of the production and distribution of films enables effective and entertaining mediums to educate and inform citizens around the world.
The power of film has led to her involvement in a number of award winning documentaries. Cheryl is Executive Producer of the Emmy nominated documentary Toxic Beauty which premiered at Hot Docs 2019 and selected as one of the 5 Big Idea Films, Raindance Film Festival London. Toxic Beauty premiered in the United States at the 2019 Meet The Press Film Festival hosted by Chuck Todd and is now distributed by Demand Film and 1091 Media. You can find it on iTunes, Amazon, STARZ and HULU/STARZ.
Cheryl was also the Outreach/Impact Producer for the award winning documentary Someone You Love: The HPV Epidemic narrated by Vanessa Williams (Eraser). Cheryl was the Executive Producer of Lady Ganga: Nilza's Story. Someone You Love: The HPV Epidemic is the recipient of the "Power of Film Award" at the 2015 Beloit International Film Festival, and "Best in Fest Award" at the 2015 North Hollywood Film Festival. This powerful story received a "Best Documentary" nomination in 2014 from the Carmel International Film Festival and is being screened across the United States and Europe as an educational tool to inform and inspire. Lady Ganga: Nilza's Story is screening around the world to educate and inspire women in low and middle-income countries to attend cervical cancer screening camps. Lady Ganga: Nilza's Story is the recipient of the "Grand Prize - International Humanitarian Award" from the 2016 Rhode Island International Film Festival and was screened before the United Nations on World Cancer Day 2016.
Cheryl's talents go beyond documentaries and bridge to entertaining thrillers. She produced the award winning thriller, The Night, a foreign film starring Shahab Hosseini, also star of the Oscar winning picture, The Salesman and premiered at Santa Barbara Film Festival and selected as a Spot Light film at Cinequest. The Night was released in 2021 through IFC Midnight. Cheryl served as the Executive Producer of the horror/comedy The Night Watchmen starring James Remar (Django Unchained). In 2016 he film received numerous award including, "Best Feature" from the Buried Alive Film Festival, "Best Horror Feature Award" from the Phoenix Film Festival, "Best Horror Feature" from the Garden State Film Festival, "Best Feature" from the New Jersey Horror Con and Film Festival, and "Best Metro DC Audience Award" from the DC Independent Film Festival.
Cheryl is also Executive Producer of SXSW selection's, Don't Leave Home, which hit theaters in fall 2018 and is distributed through Good Deed and Shutter. She also produced Star Light, starring Scout Taylor-Compton (Halloween) which premiered at the 2019 Flickers' Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Film Festival and won Best Horror Feature Grand Prize. This was released in 2020 through 1091 Media.
Currently Cheryl is producing other projects including Frisco Bombers, a biographical urban drama written by Antwone Fisher and directed by Rockmond Dunbar (Sons of Anarchy) and documentary projects including the award winning film The Push Is On which is released through Gravitas Ventures, streaming on HULU and Netflix.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
A visionary storyteller from Detroit, multiple award-winning director Christine Swanson earned her MFA in Film from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, one of the nation's top-ranked graduate film programs.
Recognized early as a talented filmmaker, Christine was selected by NYU faculty as the Willard T.C. Johnson Fellow, the most prestigious fellowship given to the student who has achieved high standards in his or her work. CNN identified Christine as one of the most promising filmmakers to emerge from NYU's graduate film program since Martin Scorsese, Ang Lee, Oliver Stone and Spike Lee (Christine's NYU directing teacher).
Christine earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame, double majoring in Film Theory and Japanese. She was chosen by the Notre Dame Alumni Association as The Rev. Arthur S. Harvey Award recipient, acknowledging her achievements in the arts.
Christine has developed, written and/or directed entertainment projects for HBO Films, Lionsgate, Universal Television, Warner Bros. Television, CBS Television Studios, TV One, A&E Networks, BET Films, Starz and Faith Filmworks.
Christine's movie directing credits include the network and cable television records breaking The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel, starring Academy Award nominee Aunjanue Ellis. The film won "Best TV Movie" from the African American Film Critics Association and the Satellite TV Award for "Best Television Movie." The film was nominated for five NAACP Image Awards including "Outstanding Directing in a Television Motion Picture" for Christine and a Critics' Choice Awards Nomination for "Best Television Movie." Christine also directed Aunjanue Ellis in their powerful short film, Fannie, about the ground-breaking testimony of human, voting and civil rights icon, Fannie Lou Hamer, in front of the Democratic National Convention's Credentials Committee in 1964. Fannie earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for "Outstanding Short Form Film (Live Action)."
Christine has also directed All About You, All About Us, To Hell and Back, Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story (which broke network ratings as the most watched original movie in the network's history) and For the Love of Ruth, for which Christine earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for "Outstanding Directing in a Television Motion Picture." In addition to writing the above movies, Christine was a screenwriter for Woman Thou Art Loosed.
Some of Christine's television directing credits include episodes of Chicago P.D., P-Valley, All American, All American: Homecoming, Found, FBI, MacGyver and Roswell, New Mexico. Her memorable episode of Chicago P.D., entitled "Black and Blue," was rated "Best Episode" of Season 6 by Fansided.
Christine has served as a professor at the University of Georgia's MFA Screenwriting Program and is an advisor to the Film and Television department at the University of Notre Dame. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband of 28 years, studio executive and producer Michael Swanson, and their four children.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Cyris has acted in theater and film from a young age. He starred in the short film "I Am Because You Are", which premiered at the Hawai'i International Film Festival and won best short film at the Maui Film Festival. The film was broadcast on PBS as part of the Pacific Islanders in Communication series "Pacific Heartbeat". He's also had supporting roles in feature films such as "Aloha Surf Hotel" (2020) and "Kuleana/Maui" (2017). In 2021, he co-starred in an episode of "Magnum, P.I." Additionally, he's acted in Hawaiian Telcom commercials and recently landed the lead role in an anti-vaping campaign.
Cyris was born in Brooklyn, NY. At the age of five he moved to Hawai'i, where his mother grew up. He's trained as an actor at Maui Academy of Performing Arts and Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA.
He's represented by Bliss Models & Talent.- Editor
- Producer
- Editorial Department
David Holechek is a filmmaker and television editor from Los Angeles, CA. He has either produced, directed or edited six feature-length releases and over a dozen short films. His 2012 short film, 'A Finger, Two Dots Then Me' has screened at over 80 film festivals around the world and won over 35 awards including the CINE Master's Series Award and the Heartland Film Festival's Crystal Heart Award. He also produced and edited the feature film 'Ragamuffin' - based on the life of renowned singer/songwriter Rich Mullins which was released in 2014 through Millennium Entertainment. He has edited over 50 hours of broadcast television shows including Fox Sports' 'Replay', Lifetime's 'Killer Kids' and as lead editor of Animal Planet's 'Pit Bulls and Parolees'. He owns and operates Duality Filmworks with twin brother Daniel. Company editorial and VFX credits include 'The League' on FX, 'Family Tree' on HBO, 'Deadliest Warrior' on Spike TV and the return of the mock rock band Spinal Tap in the DVD release 'Spinal Tap: Back From The Dead'.- Director
- Producer
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
DuBois Nii-Armaah Ashong is a graduate of The American Film Institute Conservatory Directing Fellowship program who has been working as a writer, and director since 2010. DuBois blends his gritty style, with a large world view to create stories that speak to the plight of the under and unrepresented with a keen eye for breathing humanity into each frame.- Director
- Actor
- Writer
JC Regal, who also goes by the stage moniker Jayheru Setepenra, is a versatile Bahamian artist known for his work as a record producer, lyricist, emcee, actor, filmmaker, writer, director, and creative. Widely recognized as one of the best hip-hop producers, JC Regal seamlessly blends into his music: soul, funk, and jazz, frequently incorporating haunting horns, flutes, and global sounds, layered with vocal snippets and strings. His eclectic style fuses numerous genres into what's been called "Neo-Soul Jazz Hip-Hop." One signature is his skill at using obscure horn and wind elements to enrich his grooves. Another distinctive trait is his creative use of unconventional instruments, from air and water to everyday objects. Regal also made his mark as a rapper, sharing stages with renowned acts like Capleton, Maxi Priest, Patra, Born Jamericans, Naughty By Nature, Donnie McClurkin, and Phil Driscoll. Regal was arguably the first lyricist and emcee in his native country to have story raps, rapping with a narrative structure in his native dialect. In his storytelling, he used multi-voices to portray different characters. Under entertainment pioneer Linc Scavella's mentorship in the 1990s, he co-directed the ABAP performance association. Regal rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed BAP award-winning hip-hop group Misphytz, and additionally gained fame for his writing, production, and choreography for acts like Juvenile, and others, attracting the attention of Universal Music Group. Remarkably, he won coveted BAP Awards for Best Producer, Writer, Choreographer, Rap Artist, Rap Duo/Group, and Overall Act/Performer (c.1996). His recognition as co-director of the widely popular Dramatic Force drama group, and founder of the music/drama group HAVOC would see him well into the early 2000s with rave reception. Regal also gained fame writing and producing jingles and TV commercials, most notably for a local computer company where he appeared in comedic roles portraying multiple characters onscreen. During college, Regal started Radio COB to entertain students at the College of the Bahamas with sketches and comedic radio ads. As a Brand Cre8ive & Consultant he would later launch a branding and consulting firm, and go on to garner international awards for his work with several Fortune 500 and world-renowned companies, including Lloyds TSB, Pfizer, PriceWaterhouse, BMW and BTC, further demonstrating his multifaceted talents. In 2014, Regal wrote, directed, and produced the short film 'Breaking Point' for Bank of the Bahamas, adding to his cadre of notable achievements.
As a martial arts practitioner, JC Regal is proficient in several disciplines, including Muay Thai, Silat, and Kung Fu, which he began studying in his early youth. In the early 2000s, he trained at the Bai Sung Institute's "Four Winds of Kung Fu" under Sifus Cedric Miller and Lynden French, later developing his own unique style and techniques.
Humanitarianism is at his heart; Regal founded a private non-profit organization which, as of 2023, operates in seven countries. His other business ventures include philanthropic work in Africa and the diaspora. An avid learner and teacher, Regal incorporates his diverse interests - including Kemetic spirituality, science, philosophy, and the arts - into his music and films.
As of December 2023, JC Regal has several major projects in the works, including a series of sketches and shorts, music videos, his long-awaited debut album, and full-length feature films 'Volatile', and 'The Calling'.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Jandae Percem (Cande Percem), is a Turkish-American actress and producer.
Born in Izmir, Turkey, Jandae moved to the United States when she was a teen and currently resides in New York City. She speaks fluent English and Turkish. After having majored in Information Technology, she then pursued acting and studied at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in NYC. Additionally, she continued her acting education at Susan Batson Studio, and the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute.
She is in the process of acting in a new TV series with proven actors and filmmakers (expected to be released in 2021).- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Originally from Plainfield, NJ. Kareem N. Gray became interested in filmmaking at a very young age, developing a lifelong passion for creating stories and sharing them with audiences.
Because the foundation of every great film starts with the script, Gray began writing his stories visually through writing and drawing his own comic books. Kareem's first feature film, ZERO ONE not only displays his ability to produce a film on a modest budget, it also showcases his ability to tell an engaging story. Kareem's next film is the suspense / thriller, The White Room.- Editor
- Producer
- Director
Kyle Paige took interest into film in 2008. He began his self-taught journey of filmmaking in North New Jersey, by filming amateur music videos and events for friends and family.
Growing up Kyle was very active in art programs. A proud "Harlem School Of the Arts" alumni student, were his mother worked as a school counselor. With a very strong art background, Kyle soon evolved into a versatile artist with a passion to create vivid imagery.
After starting his production company "Old Soul Filmworks", Kyle invested into his career by enrolling to NJ Film School (2012), then 2 years later moved to Baltimore, Maryland and enrolled to Broadcasting Institute of Maryland where he was voted Operations Director of his class and landed a full-time job with FOX45 News in Baltimore.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Logan Fry, a graduate of Oberlin College, is a trashfilm director and actor located in Richfield, Ohio.
He was born William Logan Fry in Columbus, Ohio in September, 1944. The son of a Federal Administrative Law Judge and an elementary school teacher, he graduated from Oberlin in 1967 and Case Western University Law School in 1970, concurrently serving in Artillery, then Judge Advocate General, units of the United States Army Reserve. In addition to reserve duty, Logan earned his tuition by working on the family Christmas tree farm near Akron, Ohio, as a janitorial assistant in a rubber company research lab, a shipping and receiving clerk in a light fixture factory, a rake and shovel man for a landscaping company, a food runner in the college dining hall and a night bellman at the local Holiday Inn.
Directing and acting weren't his first career choices; after graduation from law school, he served as a law intern in the Law Department of the City of Cleveland (Carl B. Stokes Administration), then attorney in Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Goodyear Atomic Corporation (which operated the Piketon uranium enrichment plant) and private practice. He retired in 1987 to become a world-class weaver with work from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Cleveland Art Museum and the deYoung Museum in San Francisco; and an artist, writer and web designer. Logan has traveled the world, from active war zones in the Middle East to the brothels of Amsterdam, Knoxville, Tennessee and San Francisco.
Acting an opportunity that presented itself when Spider-Man 3 (2007) came to Cleveland, Ohio. Logan was hired on as a precision driver for scenes with Sandman attempting his escape from Spider-Man in an armored truck. Although he had no formal training, he was hooked. Since then, he has done background work in major studio films projects like I Am Legend (2007), Taking Chance (2009), Real Steel (2011), Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), Gotham (2014), Mr. Robot (2015), Billions (2016), White Boy Rick (2018), Judas and the Black Messiah (2021) and White Noise (2022); as well as event participant, soldier, zombie or undead in regional independent film. Background in major film built knowledge--the opportunity to see the greatest directors and actors at work; while featured work in indies like Death of the Dead (2011), 25 Hill (2011) and Revenge of the Spacemen (2014) provided experience in speaking roles.
More recently, Logan has undertaken the production and direction of his own film, with short and micro-short films such as Gimme Head: the Tale of the Cuyahoga Valley Bigfoot (2016), Ro-Boob: The Farting Robot Monster (2018) and The Last Man on Earth (2020), generally performing every role and task of the filmmaking process. Success has come swiftly, and his films have screened not only in his home state of Ohio, and venues from NYC to LA; but also Canada, Mexico, Panama, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Russia, Lithuania, Moldava, Romania, Slovenia, Portugal, Sweden, The Netherlands, Hungary, Belgium, Macedonia, Malta, Ukraine, Egypt, South Africa, Uganda, Turkey, UAE, Iraq, Iran, India, China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Israel, Bangladesh, Philippines, Nepal, Bhutan, Tawain, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, and Australia, altogether fifty-four countries on six continents. In fact, Logan has traveled to Sudbury, Canada; Mexico City, Mexico; Montevideo, Uruguay; Barcelona, Spain; Belgrade, Serbia; and Kassel, Germany to be with his fans. "I'm an international filmmaker and being with a live audience teaches me so much about my films and how to connect with my audience and fans." He continues: "Covid slowed me down in 2020, but I'll be back on the circuit soon."
Logan counts outsider and trashfilm directors such as Don Dohler as primary inspirations; proving that you don't need to be a film school graduate with Hollywood connections to make good films. "Just make them funny and weird!" he insists.- Cinematographer
- Writer
- Director
Mark Anthony grew up in Clay County and studied Economics at the University of Florida before heading north to New York City as a teenager. Once there, Galluzzo was awarded the prestigious Paulette Goddard Scholarship to attend New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he won numerous awards as a writer, director and cinematographer.
Professionally Mark Anthony cut his teeth as an assistant on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" before setting off for Hollywood. Once there, the semi-autobiographical drama, Trash (1999), was Mark Anthony's critically acclaimed directorial debut, about which Variety's Daniel M. Kimmel declared, "Low-budget drama about white trash scores a direct hit."
His follow up to Trash (1999) was Lions Gate Films' black comedy, R.S.V.P. (2002), which the LA Times declared to be "Diabolically Clever" and "An Art-House Scream." In addition to his features, MAG has sold or optioned ten screenplays over his career and directed several high profile music videos, including Dizzee Rascal's #1 hit, Dance Wiv Me. Galluzzo is now a dual UK/US citizen who makes his home in London with his wife and three children.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Melvin James was born in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He is a director and writer, known for his two time Cannes International Film short films, "Life After Her" as producer in 2017 and "While The Cats Away" as director in 2013. In addition Melvin has served as a director of "College Hill" on BET Networks (2004), Lions Gate Films' "A Miami Tail" (2003), Digital Doman's "Pause" (2012) and "Honeybee" starring the late James Avery, Netflix (2001).- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Michael Dailey is an award-winning Irish-American director, editor, and screenwriter best known for his short "The Backpack" and premier feature Turner Risk. Dailey filmed his first award-winning shorts at an early age: "Twister," about a tornado sweeping through a summer camp, and "Quietus," which focused on youth gangs during a small town religious conflict. Recently, while teaching film to future filmmakers, Dailey studied with screenwriting gurus Syd Field and William Goldman. Soon afterwards he began designing his first independent production, the short "The Backpack" (2012), in which two innocents inadvertently become involved in the fallout of a domestic terrorism attack. But Turner Risk (2019), his first feature, would prove to be the culmination of all his filmmaking experiences. In 2011 Dailey co-founded Phenomenon Filmworks - an independent film studio created by 2 actors, 2 screenwriters, and 2 directors - its mission to develop projects that embrace open, diverse casting and thoroughly original storylines showcasing intensive acting.- Additional Crew
- Producer
- Director
Emmy Award winner Michael Swanson is a Hollywood TV studio executive, film producer and theatre producer. He is also a visionary entrepreneur and president and CEO of the entertainment company, Faith Filmworks.
As senior vice president of production at Universal Studio Group, Michael is the studio executive responsible for the production of Universal Television's Parks and Recreation, Hacks, The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Good Girls, Never Have I Ever, Community and Master of None.
Throughout his distinguished career in entertainment, Michael has produced films to critical and audience acclaim including All About You, All About Us, For the Love of Ruth, To Hell and Back, Andraé Crouch: Making The Journey, Two Seasons, Notre Dame First Time Fans: Legacy, The Wayman Tisdale Story and Fannie.
On Broadway, Michael is involved with the Tony Award winning hit musical, Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations, the upcoming Hippest Trip - The Soul Train Musical and the first Broadway revival of Ntozake Shange's groundbreaking choreopoem, for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf. This celebrated work garnered 7 Tony Award nominations, including Best Revival of a Play. Michael is currently developing and producing the Broadway and West End bound musical, I'll Be There, about Motown's Four Tops.
After attending Princeton Theological Seminary, Michael joined NBC's "Must See TV" national primetime sales team in New York City that sold commercial space for top-rated NBC shows including Seinfeld, ER, Friends, Frasier and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. This sales team became the first in broadcast television to book over $2.2 billion in upfront advertising revenue.
Earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Film, Television and Theatre from the University of Notre Dame; Michael was chosen by the Notre Dame Alumni Association as The Rev. Arthur S. Harvey Award recipient, acknowledging his achievements in the arts.
Michael serves on the board of directors for Wedgwood Circle, FEAST, Success Through Education Program and is a member of Notre Dame's Performing Arts Advisory Council, the Coalition for Faith and Media and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. A South Side of Chicago native, Michael resides in Los Angeles with his wife, filmmaker Christine Swanson, and their four children.- Writer
- Producer
- Director
Neeraj Pandey (born 17 December 1973) is an acclaimed Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. In his first movie A Wednesday, his work was largely praised by audiences as well as the critics. A Wednesday also won many awards in different categories. His second film Special 26 (2013) was equally appreciated by the public and the critics. Not just a filmmaker but a writer too, Neeraj has written a novel named 'Ghalib Danger' in 2013. He also directed the movie Baby (2015) starring Akshay Kumar which received critical acclaim from the audience and was a huge success.The movie Rustom which was produced by Neeraj, was released on 12 August 2016 and received mixed reviews by critics but was a runaway commercial success. His last movie was a biopic on cricketer M.S.Dhoni titled M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story which was loved by the audience.. He aims at making more commercial content in the sports genre. Neeraj has carved a niche for himself in the film industry with his adept handling of different topics and is one of the most sought after Directors of his generation.
In 2016, his Production House Friday Filmworks and Reliance Entertainment entered into a joint venture and formed Plan C Studios.
He has also directed a Web Short 'Ouch' with Manoj Bajpayee and Pooja Chopra which is nominated for Filmfare Short Film Award 2017. As the co-producer, his recent blockbuster Toilet- Ek Prem Katha is getting critical appreciation from the film industry and the audience. His upcoming movie is Aiyaary which is set to release on 2018 starring Sidharth Malhotra and Manoj Bajpayee- Producer
- Actress
- Casting Director
Ruya recently co-directed, produced and starred in "Interference", which was selected out of more than 3,400 short films as one of the 15 semi-finalists at the 2018 NBC Universal Short Film Festival. Other screenings include the New Voices in Black Cinema Festival at BAM (New York City), March on Washington Film Festival (Washington D.C.), the Harlem International Film Festival (New York City) and Chelsea Film Festival (New York City). In 2016, she made her directorial debut with a short film that she wrote, directed and produced, "Reunion", which was an official selection at the 2017 ECU European Independent Film Festival (Paris, France) and the 2017 Chelsea Film Festival (New York City). She recently finished post-production for her new short film "Little Charlotte's Unannounced Visit".
Other producing credits include "Compatibility", "Mr. Richardson", "Najmia", "One Second Changes Everything", "Before We Lose", "The Poem of A Memory", "Convicted" and "Man-Babies". In 2016, Ruya produced and line produced several short films for director Slick Solvan Naim (The Get Down, Snowfall, The Blacklist, Blindspot, and Power).
Ruya appeared on "Gotham" as the D.C. Comics character "Mother" and has acted in numerous independent films. She is currently starring as the lead in the upcoming short thriller "Mourning Meal".- Producer
- Director
- Writer
"As a filmmaker...in everything I create visually, I attempt to bring a myriad of life experiences to the big and small screen. Through my eyes I allow people to bear witness to and take part in situations they may not ordinarily encounter in their everyday lives", says Brooklyn-born and raised writer/director Shawn Baker.
Founder of Lock City Filmworks, Mr. Baker got his start in the business by working as a production assistant for 40 Acres and a Mule Film Works co-founder Monty Ross, as he began working on his student film "For The Good Times". This cool piece introduces Chris Eric Williams (Streets is Watching) as a guy in search of red-light bump and grind parties, hot and steamy sex with beautiful women, and drugs to alleviate distress. This film was distributed domestically through Urban Entertainment and was licensed to BET.
While co-producing the Monty Ross directed documentary Morehouse 20 Years Later, he managed to write and direct a gritty urban-drama newly titled Deceptz formerly The Eddie Black Story about a Brooklyn street gang starring Fredro Starr and Chyna Layne. Also, he wrote and shot an interesting doc-drama featuring Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show) and Al Thompson (Love Don't Cost A Thing) entitled Conspiracy X, which reveals an in-depth examination of the judicial system incited by capital gain, empowerment and the New World Order.
Streaming on Netflix, he wrote and directed the high-spirited feature Supermodel, produced by Datari Turner, a drama that captures the journey of a young woman's rise to stardom in the high fashion world. It stars supermodel Sessilee Lopez, Roger Guenveur Smith, Tyson Bedford, Marc John Jeffries, Cassandra Freeman, Nichole Galicia, Tatyana Ali, Julito McCullum, Datari Turner and Angela Simmons.
Also, he is producing the award-winning, Asian inspired crime-drama TV series Mahjongg, a Chinese Sapranos meets The Wire set in Chinatown, starring Geoff Lee, Fredro Starr, Hassan Johnson, and Carlos Long, directed by Troy Antonio. Lastly, Shawn is developing and producing the docu-drama ONYX: The Story, the incredible journey of the iconic rap group ONYX and the highly anticipated ODB and the Rise of the Wu-Tang Clan with The Benford Company.- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Schaefer's films have premiered and won awards at festivals such as Berlin and SxSW, and have been successfully released theatrically and via outlets such as NetFlix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO, PBS and the Sundance Channel.
He has over fifteen feature film credits to his name as a writer, director and/or producer, among them "My Last Day Without You," Olaf Johannesson's "The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela," and "Arranged." On these and other projects he's worked with Academy Award winner Melissa Leo, Ali Larter, Zoe Lister-Jones, Nicole Beharie, Michael Imperioli, Ken Duken, David Harbour, and many more.
Schaefer has developed and sold TV shows to companies such as Sony Pictures TV, AMC, The Weinstein Company, Big Beach, and Mandeville. His documentary on Poet Laureate and environmental activist W.S. Merwin, entitled "Even Though The Whole World is Burning," aired nationally on PBS in April 2016.
Schaefer and his family split their time between Haiku, Maui and Brooklyn.- Editor
- Producer
- Cinematographer
Tanesha Chynna Littlejohn was born December 19, 1974 in Saddle Brook, NJ. Raised in Paterson, Chynna was always surrounded by the Arts. Her Grandfather use to sing locally with a group. Her Dad was a former singer with The Platters and her Mom was a singer and choir director in church. Growing up watching Fame, and taking dance classes at her grammar school, Chynna always wanted to be like Debbie Allen. Graduating from Rosa Parks School of Fine & Performing Arts in Paterson, NJ and then Rutgers University in Newark, NJ, film found her in a creative writing course with Professor George Davis and a Film Studies course with Dr. Hines. After meeting a few local indie filmmakers, Chynna has gone on to directed, edited, produced, write, and film several films, documentaries, a web-series, music videos, and commercials under her film company, GoldenGirl Studios.