BlacKkKlansman 2018 (NY) premiere
Monday July 30th, Brooklyn Academy of Music 30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
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- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
John David Washington is an American actor, producer, and former professional football player. He played college football at Morehouse College and signed with the St. Louis Rams as an Undrafted free agent in 2006. Professionally, Washington spent four years as the running back for the United Football League's Sacramento Mountain Lions. Washington shifted to an acting career like his father, Denzel Washington, and mother, Pauletta. He was part of the main cast of the HBO comedy series Ballers (2015-2019). His breakthrough came playing Ron Stallworth in Spike Lee's 2018 crime film BlacKkKlansman, for which he received both Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. In 2020, he starred in Christopher Nolan's science fiction action-thriller film Tenet, for which he won the Saturn Award for Best Actor.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Tiffany Sara Cornilia Haddish is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2018, and The Hollywood Reporter listed her among the 100 most powerful people in entertainment in both 2018 and 2019.
After guest-starring on several television series, Haddish gained prominence for her role as Nekeisha Williams on the NBC sitcom The Carmichael Show (2015-2017). Her breakthrough came in with a leading role in the comedy film Girls Trip (2017), which earned her several accolades, such as nominations for two Critics' Choice Awards. In 2021, Haddish's performance was included on The New Yorker's list of the best film performances of the 21st century. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for hosting a Saturday Night Live episode (2017) and published a memoir, The Last Black Unicorn (2017).
Haddish starred in the TBS series The Last O.G. (2018-2020) and executive produced and voiced Tuca in the Netflix/Adult Swim animated series Tuca & Bertie (2019-present). Haddish released the album Black Mitzvah in 2019, for which she won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album, making her the second African-American woman to win this prize after Whoopi Goldberg in 1986. In 2022, she was part of the main cast for the crime comedy series The Afterparty and is set to reprise her role in the show's second season.- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
David Rabinowitz is known for BlacKkKlansman (2018), The Shadow Guide: Prologue (2016) and Harmless (2012).- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Elise is known for playing 'Rachel' in Spike Lee's Netflix series, "She's Gotta Have It." She received her M.F.A. in Acting from Brown University/Trinity Repertory Company in 2015. Previously, she graduated from Boston College with degrees in Theatre Arts and Educational Psychology. A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Elise resides in New York and works in theatre, television, and film.- Damaris Lewis was born on 10 October 1990 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for BlacKkKlansman (2018), Pose (2018) and Titans (2018).
- Ron Stallworth is known for BlacKkKlansman (2018), Colorado Experience (2013) and Monday Morning Critic Podcast (2017).
- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
A world renowned trumpeter/composer/band leader and Blue Note recording artist, Terence Blanchard is the most prolific jazz musician to ever compose for motion pictures. Blanchard was born and raised in New Orleans where he studied with the Marsalis brothers at the famed New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts. In 1980, he won a scholarship to Rutgers University and immediately began performing in the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. Two years later, he succeeded Wynton Marsalis in the legendary Jazz Messengers before forming his own influential groups. Blanchard originally began performing on Spike Lee's soundtracks, including "Mo Better Blues" in which he ghosted the trumpet for Denzel Washington. Blanchard lives in New Orleans with his wife, Robin, and his four children.- Writer
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- Director
Kevin Willmott wrote and directed the critically acclaimed feature film C.S.A: Confederate States Of America, about America, had the South won the Civil War. After its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, IFC Films purchased the film for domestic theatrical distribution. CSA was released theatrically in the U.S. by IFC and was distributed in several foreign countries.
The Only Good Indian, 2009, starring Wes Studi (Avatar, Last of the Mohicans), J. Kenneth Campbell (Bulworth, Yulee's Gold) and newcomer Winter Fox Frank, premiered at The Sundance Film Festival. The Only Good Indian was written and produced by Thomas L. Carmody. PorchLight Entertainment has secured sales rights for foreign distribution. Domestically, the film is currently being seen on the Encore and Movieplex television networks, and can be streamed online at Netflix.
The Battle for Bunker Hill, 2008, starring NYPD Blue's James McDaniel, Saeed Jaffrey (Gandhi), Laura Kirk (Lisa Picard is Famous), Kevin Geer (American Gangster) and Blake Robbins (Oz, The Office). Willmott is producer and director of Bunker Hill, from a script he wrote with Greg Hurd.
Ninth Street, an independent feature film starring Martin Sheen and Isaac Hayes, was written, produced and co-directed by Willmott. He also played the role of "Huddie" one of the films main characters. Ninth Street was released by Ideal.
For television, Willmott co-wrote with Mitch Brian House Of Getty and The 70's, both mini-series for NBC. THE 70's aired on ABC in May of 2000. In 2005, he produced High-Tech Lincoln, a special which premiered on The History Channel.
As a screenwriter, Willmott co-wrote Shields Green And The Gospel Of John Brown with Mitch Brian. The script was purchased by Chris Columbus' 1492 Productions for 20th Century Fox. He has also co-wrote Civilized Tribes for producer Robert Lawrence and 20th Century Fox. Producer and director Oliver Stone hired him to co-write Little Brown Brothers, about the Philippine Insurrection and to adapt the book Marching To Valhalla by Michael Blake. Willmott also adapted The Watsons Go To Birmingham for CBS, Columbia Tri-Star and Executive Producer Whoopi Goldberg. Willmott recently adapted and directed a stage version of The Watsons Go To Birmingham in New York and at Kansas City's Coterie Theater.
The play T-Money And Wolf, written with Ric Averill, dealing with the holocaust and contemporary gang violence, was selected as part of the New Vision/New Voices series produced by the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The play is published by Dramatic Publishing.
Willmott directed the premiere performances of Now Let Me Fly, a new play by Marcia Cebulska commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision to segregate public schools. The performances featured actors James McDaniel (NYPD Blue), Roger Aaron Brown (The District) and Yolanda King, and musical performers Queen Bey and Kelley Hunt.
Willmott grew up in Junction City, Kansas and attended Marymount College receiving his BA in Drama. After graduation, he returned home, working as a peace and civil rights activist, fighting for the rights of the poor, creating two Catholic Worker shelters for the homeless and forcing the integration of several long standing segregated institutions. He attended graduate studies at New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, receiving several writing awards and his M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing.
Willmott is an Associate Professor in the Film Studies Department of the University of Kansas.- Laura Harrier is a Chicago-native who shortly after moving to New York for drama school was discovered by Steve McQueen for his HBO pilot. Harrier is best known for landing as the breakout role as 'Liz Allan' opposite Tom Holland in Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man: Homecoming." She is also seen in auteur filmmaker Spike Lee's award-winning film, "BlacKkKlansman." Starring opposite John David Washington and Adam Driver, the film earned six Academy Award nominations in 2019, including a Best Picture nomination. "BlacKkKlansman" was also honored with the coveted Grand Prix Award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Harrier has also garnered critical acclaim portraying Robin Givens alongside Trevante Rhodes as Mike Tyson in Hulu's eight-episode limited series "Mike." The series was executive produced by LuckyChap's Tom Ackerley and Margot Robbie. She also starred as 'Camille Washington,' a young black actress in the 1940s trying to make it as a leading lady in Hollywood with all the odds against her in the Ryan Murphy-created Netflix original series, "Hollywood."
Most recently, Harrier appeared alongside Jack Harlow in 20th Century Studios' remake of the iconic 1992 film "White Men Can't Jump." The film, directed by Kalmatic and produced by Kenya Barris , premiered on Hulu on May 19, 2023.
Harrier currently resides in Los Angeles. - Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Topher Grace was born Christopher John Grace in New York City, New York, to Pat, a schoolmaster's assistant, and John Grace, an executive. He was raised in Darien, Connecticut. He attended boarding school in New Hampshire for two years, where he began his acting career in such musicals as "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "The Pirates of Penzance." He also tried his first shot at directing with a choose-your-own-adventure-style movie starring his classmates. He hated being called Chris in school, so he changed it to Topher as time went on. He attended New Hampshire's Brewster Academy and the University of Southern California.
Grace dropped out of USC to start his show business career in That '70s Show (1998) at age 20. He was cast in that show because the show's creators, Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner, saw him act in a high-school play--their daughter attended same high school. Apart from school plays, Grace had absolutely no acting experience before landing the role of Eric Forman.- Actress
- Director
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Ashley Hinshaw was raised in LaPorte, Indiana and moved to New York at 16 to pursue a career in entertainment after appearing in multiple Abercrombie and Fitch ads shot by Bruce Weber. After appearing in Gossip Girl as herself, she moved to Los Angeles and was cast in the high school comedy, LOL, opposite Miley Cyrus. She led the film About Cherry alongside Dev Patel, James Franco, Heather Graham and Lily Taylor which premiered at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival. She has appeared in HBO's True Detective, True Blood and Enlightened. Hinshaw was cast as Adam Brody's love interest in the Crackle series StartUp and in the recurring role of Lisbeth in the E! drama series The Arrangement.
She married Topher Grace on May 29, 2016 and they welcomed their daughter, Mabel Jane Grace, in November 2017.
Ashley Grace (Hinshaw) made her directorial debut in 2018 with the short film Hunter Gatherer, which was shot in her home state of Indiana while she was 7 months pregnant. In addition to directing Grace also wrote, produced and stars in the short film based on her personal experience with the child-welfare system.
Ashley spends her free time advocating on behalf of children in need by speaking out about the importance of the organization CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children) and supporting the Art of Elysium charity.- Director
- Producer
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Spike Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee on March 20, 1957, in Atlanta, Georgia. At a very young age, he moved from pre-civil rights Georgia, to Brooklyn, New York. Lee came from artistic, education-grounded background; his father was a jazz musician, and his mother, a schoolteacher. He attended school in Morehouse College in Atlanta and developed his film making skills at Clark Atlanta University. After graduating from Morehouse, Lee attended the Tisch School of Arts graduate film program. He made a controversial short, The Answer (1980), a reworking of D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915), a ten-minute film. Lee went on to produce a 45-minute film Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983) which won a student Academy Award. In 1986, Spike Lee made the film, She's Gotta Have It (1986), a comedy about sexual relationships. The movie was made for $175,000, and earned $7 million at the box office, which launched his career and allowed him to found his own production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks. His next movie was School Daze (1988), which was set at a historically black school, focused mostly on the conflict between the school and the Fraternities, of which he was a strong critic, portraying them as materialistic, irresponsible, and uncaring. With his School Daze (1988) profits, Lee went on to make his landmark film, Do the Right Thing (1989), a movie based specifically his own neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. The movie portrayed the racial tensions that emerge in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood on one very hot day. The movie garnered Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay, for Danny Aiello for supporting actor, and sparked a debate on racial relations. Lee went on to produce and direct the jazz biopic Mo' Better Blues (1990), the first of many Spike Lee films to feature Denzel Washington, including the biography of Malcolm X (1992), in which Washington portrayed the civil rights leader. The movie was a success, and garnered an Oscar nomination for Washington. The pair would work together again on He Got Game (1998), an excursion into the collegiate world showing the darker side of college athletic recruiting, as well as the 2006 film Inside Man (2006). Spike Lee's role as a documentarian has expanded over the years, highlighted by his participation in Lumière and Company (1995), the Oscar-nominated 4 Little Girls (1997), to his Peabody Award-winning biographical adaptation of Black Panther leader in A Huey P. Newton Story (2001), through his 2005 Emmy Award-winning examination of post-Katrina New Orleans in When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts (2006) and its follow-up five years later If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise (2010). Through his production company 40 Acres and A Mule Filmworks, Lee continues to create and direct both independent films and projects for major studios, as well as working on story development, creating an internship program for aspiring filmmakers, releasing music, and community outreach and support. He is married to Tonya Lewis Lee, and they have two sons, Satchel and Jackson.- Actress
- Producer
- Make-Up Department
Zosia Russell Mamet is an American actress and musician who has appeared in television series including Mad Men, United States of Tara and Parenthood, and played the character Shoshanna Shapiro on the HBO original series Girls. She stars as Annie Mouradian in the HBO Max original series The Flight Attendant.- Actor
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- Producer
Highly talented, lightly built American actor who always looks unsettled and jumpy has become a favourite of cult/arthouse film aficionados with his compelling performances in a broad range of cinematic vehicles.
Turturro was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Italian-American parents, Katherine (Incerella), a jazz singer, and Nicholas Turturro, a construction worker and carpenter, who was born in Giovinazzo. His brother, also named Nicholas Turturro, is an actor, and actress Aida Turturro is his cousin.
Turturro has become a regular in the thought provoking films of Spike Lee and the off the wall comedies of Joel Coen & Ethan Coen. His wonderful performances include as the highly agitated "Pino" in Do the Right Thing (1989), as an intellectual playwright in Barton Fink (1991), a pedophile tenpin bowler in The Big Lebowski (1998), a confused boyfriend in Jungle Fever (1991) and as the voice of Harvey the dog in Summer of Sam (1999).
Turturro has continued to appeal to audiences despite his unconventional looks and the often annoying onscreen mannerisms of his characters which he used to great effect in films such as his blue collar tale of warring brothers in the construction business, Mac (1992), as the irate, dumped game show contestant, Herbie Stempel, in Robert Redford's dynamic Quiz Show (1994). One of modern American cinema's gems of acting, Turturro remains in strong demand for his high calibre thespian talents.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Composer
Maxwell was born on 23 May 1973 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Life (1999), Little Man (2006) and Girls Trip (2017).- Cleo Anthony is known for Divergent (2014), The Prey: Legend of Karnoctus (2022) and Transparent (2014).
- Music Artist
- Composer
- Actor
David Byrne is an Oscar winning composer, songwriter and singer, best known for being frontman of the New Wave/punk band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Born in Scotland but raised in the United States in Maryland, Byrne began performing musically in high school.
Byrne attended the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) between 1970 and '71. He dropped out to attend the Maryland Institute College of Art before dropping out for good in 1972. He returned to Providence and started a band in 1973 called The Artistics with Chris Frantz, whom he knew at RISD. The band broke up in May '74 and Byrne moved to New York, followed by Frantz and his girlfriend Tina Weymouth in September. The three started performing as Talking Heads in 1975. The band was one of the major acts of the punk and new wave scene of the 1970s.
Byrne won an Oscar and a Grammy Award for his soundtrack to the movie The Last Emperor (1987) in 1988, the same year Talking Heads ceased to function. Except for a brief reunion in 1991, the band stopped recording together in '88 as Byrne launched a solo career. Talking Heads were inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Danielle Brooks was born on 17 September 1989 in Augusta, Georgia, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Peacemaker (2022), Orange Is the New Black (2013) and Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia (2021). She has been married to Dennis Gelin since 13 January 2022. They have one child.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Critically heralded actress and singer/songwriter Pittsburgh native Margot Bingham most known for capturing hearts as sultry jazz chanteuse on HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," then went onto capturing criminals as a hard-driving detective in the ABC series "The Family," executive produced by Jenna Bans ("Scandal," "Grey's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives"). Adding comedy to the list, she locked up laughs with Ice Cube as a headstrong hairdresser in the 2016 spring comedy 'Barbershop 3.'
In the past year, Bingham lead her first Tribeca Film Festival feature-film role in, 'Saturday Church,' as well as attending for a second year in a row at the LA Film Festival in, 'Anything,' alongside of Matt Bomer, John Carroll Lynch, executive produced by Mark Ruffalo. The first year was with feature, 'Destined,' directed by the well respected Qasim Basir. She joins the New Orleans "Queen Sugar" cast for Season Two of the critically acclaimed show on the OWN Network. Bingham is very excited for her most recent Netflix debut in the Spike Lee reincarnation of "She's Gotta Have It." And if that wasn't enough, you can catch her piecing together NYC crimes with Donnie Wahlberg, in Season 8 of "Blue Bloods."
Bingham appeared in the off-Broadway revival of Rent, directed by original and Tony-nominated Michael Grief, and enjoys performing for audiences at the likes of Rockwood Music Hall, BAM and other venues where she made her home in NYC . She is active in a breadth of cause-driven organizations and events, including City Harvest, supporting LGBTQ youth, and the Orphaned Starfish Foundation.- Actress
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- Producer
Ashlie Atkinson is an award-winning theatre, film, and television actress. A 2003 graduate of the Neightborhood Playhouse, in 2005 she received the Theatre World Award for Breakthrough Performance for originating the role of Helen in Neil Labute's "Fat Pig"(opposite Jeremy Piven) - which also garnered her Outer Critics' Circle and Lucille Lortel nominations. She has graced screens both big and small in Denis Leary's critically-acclaimed Rescue Me, 3lbs, Spike Lee's Inside Man, Another Gay Movie, Sex and The City Movie, Margot at The Wedding, Law & Order, Law &Order: Criminal Intent, Puccini for Beginners, and Filthy Gorgeous. MTV fans may recognize Ashlie as her hip-hop alter ego, "Chunky Pam", a plus-size rap diva - and YouTube viral phenomenon. After appearing opposite Debra Jo Rupp in SecondStage's "Butcher of Baraboo", she returned to Broadway in 2007 to play Vivian Proclo in Terrence McNally's The Ritz (starring Rosie Perez). Ashlie is a proud member of both the Bridge Theatre Commpany and Gotham Girls Roller Derby (where she skates under the name Margaret Thrasher, Prime Minister of Your Demise). Ashlie toured the world in Sam Mendes' The Bridge Project and continues to work in film opposite actors such as Jessica Alba, Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Ricky Gervais and Julia Roberts.- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Isiah Whitlock Jr. was born on 13 September 1954 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Da 5 Bloods (2020), Cedar Rapids (2011) and BlacKkKlansman (2018).- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Ryan Eggold was born on August 10, 1984 in Lakewood, California. His father is of German descent and his mother is of half Croatian and half Austrian-Jewish ancestry. Ryan's maternal grandmother was born in Vienna.
Eggold attended Santa Margarita Catholic High School, where he participated in many school plays and graduated in 2002. He went on to study at USC's esteemed theatre department, graduating in 2006, then landed several recurring television roles on CBS, HBO, Cartoon Network, ABC, The CW, and FX right out of college. He made his professional television debut on "Related" and his professional film debut on "Con: The Corruption of Helm" in 2006.
Eggold's other television credits include the A&E miniseries "Sons of Liberty," FX's "Dirt" with Courteney Cox and HBO's "Entourage." Eggold also starred as Tom Keen in the spin-off series "The Blacklist: Redemption."
Eggold stepped behind the camera to write, direct, produce and compose the film "Literally Right Before Aaron," which premiered at Tribeca film festival and was originally based on Eggold's award-winning 2011 short of the same name. The film follows a young man who attends the wedding of his ex-girlfriend. Cobie Smulders, Justin Long, John Cho and Kristen Schaal star.
On the big screen, Eggold played a supporting role in Spike Lee's Academy Award winning "BlacKKKlansman." He can also be seen in Eliza Hittman's new drama "Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always;" Other film credits include So Yong Kim's "Lovesong," opposite Riley Keough and Jena Malone; Gabriele Muccino's "Fathers and Daughters," opposite Amanda Seyfried and Aaron Paul; Tyler Perry's "The Single Moms Club;" Megan Griffiths' "Lucky Them," opposite Toni Collette and Thomas Hayden Church; "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby," with Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy; and Chris Lowell's directorial debut "Beside Still Waters."
On stage, Eggold starred in a revival of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons," opposite Alec Baldwin and Laurie Metcalf, at the John Drew Theater at Guild Hall in East Hampton, N.Y.
Born and raised in Southern California, Eggold is a graduate of USC's theater program. When he's not acting, he plays in his a band as a musician and singer. He's looking to turn his attention to writing and directing more content in the near future.- Bobby is a certified and active New York State firefighter, currently captain of an engine. Burke is also active with foundation work including vet-hack, Leary Firefighter Foundation, FDNY Foundation, FDNY Fire Family Transport Foundation, Lt. Joseph DiBernardo Foundation for Fire Fighter Survival. Burke holds a second degree black belt in Matsubayashi, Shorin-ryu Okinawa karate.
- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Corey Hawkins was born on 22 October 1988 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Straight Outta Compton (2015), Kong: Skull Island (2017) and BlacKkKlansman (2018).- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Casting Department
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Ryan spent twelve years in Los Angeles working in film, television, and commercials. A student of theatre and improv comedy, Ryan studied at the famed Groundling's Theatre and Improv Olympic West in Hollywood.
Upon moving to New York City in 2009, he continued improv comedy at The Upright Citizens Brigade and The Peoples Improv Theatre. He also studied at The Stella Adler Theatre and The Barrow Group with a focus on film and television.
In his first live show in New York he worked as an improviser Off Broadway . After that show's run, he had several small roles on Saturday Night Live.
He also attended UCLA where he studied Political Science and Screenwriting.- Producer
- Additional Crew
- Writer
Academy Award/BAFTA/Golden Globe/PGA nominee Raymond Mansfield is a veteran producer, financier and a founding partner of QC Entertainment. Mansfield's passion for storytelling has led him to a nearly 25-year career dedicated to shepherding a diverse array of filmmaker-driven films. Mansfield has been integrally involved in all aspects of film production, from financing to development, packaging, on-set production, and sales and distribution.
Since launching in 2015, QC -- standing for Quality Control -- has quickly become a go-to company for producing and financing distinct director-driven films and television. QC Entertainment are the Academy Award nominated producers behind two of the most impactful films of the past decade - "Get Out" and "BlacKkKlansman." Involved in every aspect from development to production to release, both films led to back-to-back Academy Award Best Picture nominations and Academy Award winning screenplays for the company along with being critical and commercial successes.
Most recently, Mansfield is executive producing "Poacher" Richie Mehta's follow up to hit Netflix series "Delhi Crime." This true crime series premiered in the official Indie Episodic section of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. QC fully financed and produced the 8-episode first season of the show which follows Indian Forest Service officers, NGO workers, police constables and good samaritans who risk their lives investigating the largest ivory poaching ring in the history of India. Mansfield is also currently producing "It Lives Inside," a PG-13 horror/thriller written & directed by Bishal Dutta. Starring Megan Suri, Neeru Bajwa, Mohana Krishnan & Betty Gabriel the story follows an Indian-American teenager struggling with her cultural identity who unwittingly releases a demonic entity that grows stronger by feeding on her loneliness. NEON (Best Picture winning distributor behind "Parasite") will release. The film premiered at the 2023 SXSW Film & TV Festival where it won the Audience Award for the Midnighters section. Additionally, Mansfield is executive producing David Stassen's mockumentary "Maximum Truth," which he co-wrote alongside the film's star Ike Barinholtz. Co-starring is Dylan O'Brien with Max Minghella, Kiernan Shipka, Blake Anderson, Mark Proksh and Seth Rogan appearing. To be released by eOne/Momentum.
In 2020, Mansfield served as Producer on Lionsgate's social thriller "Antebellum." The film, starring Janelle Monaé, marked the feature directorial debut for Advocacy filmmakers Gerard Bush + Christopher Renz (Bush + Renz) - best known for their pioneering advertising work engaged in the fight for social justice. Marque Richardson, Eric Lange, Jack Huston, Kiersey Clemons, Tongayi Chirisa, Gabourey Sidibe, Rob Aramayo, Lily Cowles and Jena Malone co-star. Mansfield also served as Executive Producer on "The Wrong Missy," a broad comedy co-produced with Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions. Upon its May 2020 release, the film quickly became among the Top Netflix films of all time with over 59 million subscribers watching in the first 28 days of release.
Mansfield's prior producing credits include: "BlacKkKlansman" from visionary film director Spike Lee, which premiered in Official Competition at the Cannes International Film Festival and went on to win the 2018 Grand Prix, and was nominated for six Academy Awards (including Best Picture), four Golden Globe awards (including Best Motion Picture - Drama), and five BAFTA awards (including Best Film); Ike Barinholtz's feature directorial debut "The Oath" based on his original screenplay and starring Barinholtz, Tiffany Haddish, Carrie Brownstein, Billy Magnussen, Meredith Hagner, Jon Barinholtz, Nora Dunn, Chris Ellis and John Cho; and Andrew Bowler's "Time Freak" starring Asa Butterfield, Sophie Turner and Skyler Gisondo, which was adapted from Bowler's Academy Award nominated short film of the same name.
Mansfield served as Executive Producer on Jordan Peele's feature directorial debut "Get Out," which QC developed, produced & financed from the initial pitch through its successful release. The acclaimed film became a global box office smash, culminating with Peele winning an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, and Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor - Daniel Kaluuya; as well as Zoe Lister-Jones' directorial debut "Band Aid" starring Lister-Jones, Adam Pally and Fred Armisen. QC financed and produced the film which was made by an all-female production crew and premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section.
Prior to QC, Mansfield was Co-Founder & Co-President of Movie Package Company (MPC), a packaging/finance/production company with a focus on the business aspects of filmmaking; structuring risk mitigated investment opportunities for financiers interested in the field of entertainment. Over the course of his career, Mansfield has raised millions for film "packaging" - development, production and distribution financing - structured numerous finance models, and negotiated worldwide distribution deals, intellectual property deals, and above-the-line talent deals.
Mansfield's highlights prior to QC include: "The Messenger," directed by Academy Award nominee Oren Moverman and starring Academy Award nominee Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster, Steve Buscemi and Samantha Morton, which received multiple Academy Award nominations including Best Screenplay & Best Lead Actor; crime-thriller "Dog Eat Dog," written and directed by Academy Award, Golden Globe and Palme d'Or nominee Paul Schrader, and starring Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage and Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe, which closed the Cannes International Film Festival 2016 Director's Fortnight; "Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter," starring Academy Award nominee Rinko Kikuchi and co-produced with Academy Award winner Alexander Payne, which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section and went on to garner multiple Independent Spirit Award nominations; and "And So It Goes" directed by Academy Award nominee Rob Reiner and starring Academy Award winners Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton.
Early in his career, Mansfield spent several years working with Bernie Mac while with management/production company, 3 Arts Entertainment, where he played a role in 20th Century Fox's television series "The Bernie Mac Show."
Mansfield has been nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, BAFTA Award and the PGA's Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures. Films he has Produced, Executive Produced or been a production executive on have garnered twelve Academy Award nominations (incl. two wins), seven Golden Globe nominations (incl. one win), seven BAFTA nominations (incl. one win), two AFI Awards for Movie of the Year, a Grammy Award for "Best Instrumental Composition," and many other prestigious nominations and wins including from the DGA, WGA, SAG and PGA. Mansfield's films have also premiered and received awards at the world's leading film festivals including Cannes, Toronto, Sundance, Berlin and SXSW, amongst many others worldwide.
Mansfield graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Radio-Television-Film.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
The whole Turturro clan and their extended family seem to have gotten into the show biz act at one time or another. The youngest of three boys, including famous older brother (by five years) John Turturro, Nicholas Turturro was born on January 29, 1962, in Queens, New York, and grew up in its Rosedale section. He is the son of Italian-American parents, Katherine (Incerella), a jazz singer, and Nicholas Turturro, a construction worker and carpenter, who was born in Giovinazzo.
After attending various Catholic schools, he graduated and majored in theater at Adelphi University for two years, but left to marry Jami Biunno and help raise their child, Erica. The couple later divorced. While working as a doorman at the St. Moritz Hotel in New York City, Nick managed to find a job as both an extra and voice-over artist in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing (1989) after brother John introduced Nick to Spike. Spike took an immediate interest in the rough-edged Nick and wrote a featured role for him in his next film Mo' Better Blues (1990) in which John and Nick played repugnant Jewish brothers and co-owners of a club. Both the brothers went on to appear together again in Lee's Jungle Fever (1991) and Nick also appeared in Lee's Malcolm X (1992).
Nick branched out on his own after this and earned parts in the movies Federal Hill (1994) and Excess Baggage (1997), and garnered serious TV attention as rookie detective "James Martinez" on NYPD Blue (1993) earning a couple of Emmy nominations in the process. His character was originally created as a foil to David Caruso star character, but he lost momentum after Caruso's early departure from the show. Still, he managed to hang around for seven seasons.
Very dark in tone and complexion, the compact-framed Nick certainly has had a wealth of experience in mob drama, playing a young Al Capone in one guest appearance, and assorted mobster types in other TV-movies. Plenty of guest-starring roles have also come his way with episodes of Law & Order (1990), L.A. Law (1986) and The Twilight Zone (1985) and a recurring role on Third Watch (1999). He has lightened up on a rare occasion in such comedies as The Drew Carey Show (1995) and in a couple of failed pilots.
Into the millennium, Nicholas continues to work steadily including the comedies The Shipment (2001) and The Biz (2002); played the title role of Angelo Buono in the crime drama The Hillside Strangler (2004) and then turned around to play a good guy officer in First Sunday (2008); appeared in the sports comedy remake of The Longest Yard (2005) starring Adam Sandler; starred as the title TV producer nobody recalls in Remembering Phil (2008); co-starred in the gangster movie Street Boss (2009); as well as the low level comedy The Deported (2009); supported comic actor Kevin James in both Zookeeper (2011) and Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2015); appeared as part of the kidnapped ensemble in the crime comedy The Wretched (2020); had parts in a couple of biographical dramas including A Chance in the World (2017) and the Oscar-winning BlacKkKlansman (2018); as well as the action thrillers Las Vegas Vietnam: The Movie (2019) and Shooting Heroin (2020).
On stage, Nick has appeared in "Wild Goose", "The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui" (with John) "Lusting After Popino's Wife" and "Siddown: Conversations With the Mob". Nick's never strayed too far from the family fold. He's appeared in a number of John's projects over the years that have also occasionally featured cousin Aida Turturro (from The Sopranos (1999) fame). His mother has also appeared in a few films, as has John's wife and sons. Nick remarried a number of years ago.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Jasper Pääkkönen is an actor, fly fisherman, environmentalist and an entrepreneur. His most recent work include the role of Felix in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman and Halfdan the Black in the hit TV series Vikings. In his home country Finland, according to newspaper Ilta Sanomat, he is "the most profitable film actor in Finland" for having starred in many of Finland's biggest box office hits during his career. For his role Harri in Dome Karukoski's Heart of a Lion (Leijonasydän) he won the Finnish Jussi award (local Oscar). Many of Pääkkönen's films have made #1 in the Finnish B.O., including Pahat Pojat (Bad Boys - a true story), Matti, Frozen Land and Lapland Odyssey. Apart from his work in film, he is know as the cult outdoor brand Patagonia's ambassador. The architectural spa Löyly, which he built and owns in Helsinki, was named one of World's 100 Greatest Places by Time Magazine. In his free time he travels the world fly fishing as the cult outdoor brand Patagonia's brand ambassador.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ken Garito was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for BlacKkKlansman (2018), Crash (2004) and Summer of Sam (1999).- Producer
- Executive
Emmy award winning producer, Jason Blum is the founder and CEO of Blumhouse Productions, a multi-media production company that has pioneered a new model of studio filmmaking- producing high-quality micro-budget films. Blumhouse has a first-look deal with Universal Pictures and has produced the highly-profitable Paranormal Activity, The Purge, Insidious, and Sinister franchises which have grossed more than $1.2 billion worldwide on combined budgets under $40 million. Blumhouse's model began with the original Paranormal Activity, which was made for $15,000 and grossed close to $200 million worldwide, making it the most profitable film in Hollywood history.
Blumhouse's award-winning projects include The Normal Heart and Whiplash. BH Tilt is a new label from the company dedicated to movies from Blumhouse and other filmmakers that will be released across multiple-platforms taking advantage of new distribution strategies.
In television, Blum won an Emmy for producing HBO's The Normal Heart. Blumhouse's shows include Ascension (Syfy), Eye Candy (MTV), and South of Hell (WEtv) and the division's development slate includes Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects with eOne and an un-scripted show with Mike Darnell. In addition to The Normal Heart, Blumhouse previously executive produced Stranded for Syfy and The River for ABC.
Blumhouse has also produced a variety of live-events including The Blumhouse of Horrors, haunted house experience in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, The Purge: Fear the Night, a live-event inspired by the backstory to the feature film and The Purge: Breakout, an immersive escape game experience.
Before Blumhouse, Blum served as co-head of the Acquisitions and Co-Productions department at Miramax Films in New York. At Miramax, he was instrumental in acquiring over 50 films including The Others, Smoke Signals, A Walk On the Moon and The House of Yes.
Blum has produced over 75 films and TV series throughout his career. His credits also include: The Reader, for which Kate Winslet won an Academy Award; Hysterical Blindness, starring Uma Thurman, which aired on HBO and garnered Thurman a Golden Globe Award; and Hamlet starring Ethan Hawke, Bill Murray, Sam Shepard and Kyle MacLachlan.
Blum began his career as the producing director of the Malaparte theater company, which was founded by Ethan Hawke.- Aurora James had her first internship at the age 15 at Next Models in Toronto. After high-school, she studied fashion for a year at Ryerson University before switching her major to journalism and taking a job with Jeanne Beker at Fashion Television. The experience of watching the passion and candidness that Jeanne Beker was able to get out of her interviews and off-the-record moments affirmed James' desire to express herself as a designer.
James first traveled to Morocco in 2011 and spent two years working with numerous artisans and experimenting with local materials. James founded Brother Vellies in 2013 with two specific goals in mind: to introduce her favorite traditional African footwear to the rest of the world and to create and sustain artisans in Africa.
Handmade in South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Morocco, Brother Vellies shoes maintain the spirit and durability of their ancestral counterparts. While the company offers a variety of styles-including boots and sandals-it was built on the enthusiastic reception of its first model, the velskoen. Relatively unknown outside of Africa, traditional velskoen (pronounced "fell-skoon," and known colloquially as "vellies") paved the way for the modern-day desert boot.
James launched her first collection in the spring of 2014 while working with shoemakers in South Africa. Later that same year, she expanded to working in Kenya and Morocco, and by the fall of 2014 James was able to open her first retail store and office in Manhattan. In the spring of 2015, James partnered with the United Nations as part of the Ethical Fashion Initiative, which helped her secure living wages and streamlined productions facilities for her artisans in Kenya.
At the company's workshop in Kenya, a small group of men and women assemble a few dozen pairs of shoes a day by hand, using techniques refined over multiple generations. All of the Brother Vellies workshops are open spaces that welcome artisans of all genders, sexual orientation, backgrounds, and tribes.
James now finds herself traveling throughout Africa every couple of months to work with the local artisans, experience the diverse culture of the continent, and unearth new inspirations to further develop her brand. - Producer
- Additional Crew
Former literary and packaging agent at iconic top global talent agencies, WME and ICM, and now feature film and series Producer, Shaun Redick has developed and produced several recent movies including "Get Out", which premiered at Sundance and went on to become one of Hollywood's most profitable movies of all time. "Get Out" was nominated for 4 Academy-Awards® and won an Oscar® for Best Screenplay. Subsequently, Redick produced the Cannes Grand Prix Winner, "BlacKkKlansman" which received 6 Academy-Award® nominations and won an Oscar® for Best Adapted Screenplay. Both movies won the coveted AFI Award for Top Ten Movies of the year. Before partnering with Shaun, Mexican-American Producer and successful Actress, Yvette Yates Redick, started in stand-up comedy and produced groundbreaking comedy specials showcasing diverse veteran and upcoming BIPOC comedians. Yvette also starred in hit movies such as Paul Thomas Anderson's 2x Academy-Award® nominated "Inherent Vice", and the action thriller "El Gringo", amongst others. The Redick duo has a combined box office of over $1.5 billion worldwide and their movies have garnered 12 Academy-Award® nominations. They recently produced the upcoming "Day Shift" movie franchise at Netflix starring Academy-Award® winner Jamie Foxx, and recently closed deals for new groundbreaking features and series. Their focus is on socially relevant commercial content and creating, developing, financing, and producing feature films and series content for a wide audience in North America and across the globe.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Frederick Weller was born on 18 April 1966 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He is an actor and director, known for In Plain Sight (2008), BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Mosaic (2018).- Actress
Ali Marsh was born in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Bull (2016), In Plain Sight (2008) and Girls (2012). She has been married to Frederick Weller since 6 September 2003. They have one child.- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Writer
- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Tonya Lewis Lee was born on 15 March 1966 in the USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Aftershock (2022), Mistress of Modernism and The Watsons Go to Birmingham (2013). She has been married to Spike Lee since 2 October 1993. They have two children.- Additional Crew
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actress
Satchel Lee is known for Harold and Ruby Take a Trip to Grandma's (2015), Chi-Raq (2015) and Lumière and Company (1995).- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Dyllon Burnside was born on 27 January 1989 in Miami, Florida, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Pose (2018), High Maintenance (2012) and Peter Pan Live! (2014).- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Raised in Jamaica, Queens and East New York, Brooklyn the rising star is commonly referred to as a young Diahann Carroll. Born to a Jamaican father and Filipina mother, this JamaicanAsian sensation breaks all of the rules and pursues acting strictly for the love and art.
A professional actor since adolescence, Chyna Layne has done over 30 independent films, two national commercials and makes her HBO debut in the made-for-television movie, Life Support, directed by George Nelson and executive produced by Jamie Foxx and Queen Latifah.
As a child, it was through her late Uncle Neville that she was first introduced to her true love: acting. Whether it was a story from back home in Jamaica or an impersonation of Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind, his skill of storytelling, was a gift that, out of all his nieces and nephews, he would only pass on to Chyna. Indeed, it was love at first sight.
The starlet first began her professional training with the CityKids Repertory Company where she has performed with and for the biggest names in Hollywood including Robin Williams, Jasmine Guy, Salt n Pepa and Demi Moore - to name a few. She then went on to receive a full scholarship at the Black Spectrum Theatre where she led the company in an Audelco Award win for Best Ensemble in the musical, A Trip to Nowhere. Chyna further honed her craft with the African American Theater of Harlem, Negro Ensemble Company under the late O.L. Duke and the Atlantic Acting School.
Known for her fearlessness and raw, uninhibited style, each character she embodies is different, unique and unforgettable. Well respected and extremely professional on set, her work ethic is intense. Whether the camera is on her or not, this actress is available, prepared and works hard for her scene partners. She is, in fact and inarguably, an actor's actor.
Two of her most familiar works are the hilarious national commercials for Dr. Miracle hair relaxer. She gained nationwide recognition when she competed in TNT's Dramatic Auditions Competition. Thousands of actors from across the US competed.
Skilled in martial arts, the Asian temptation studies a form of her native land's martial arts, eskrima, also known as Filipino stick fighting. She also studies the Chinese martial arts form, wushu. Solidifying her status as an action star, she has flexed her muscles and performed her own stunts in four action features: Shaolyn Jones, The Black Pearl, Brooklyn Knights and The Chyna Layne Chronicles. With her acting partner, Rayan Lawrence, Chyna recently formed Lawrence Layne Productions. The romantic feature, A Deeper Love, directed and executive produced by Darrell Smith will be the first film released in association. Lawrence Layne Productions' first sole project to be released is the thriller short, Blue Mountain Lake, in which she will make her screenwriting debut and Rayan Lawrence will make his directorial debut.
A leader, Chyna takes the obstacles facing our youth very seriously. She has volunteered in her community and comes from a family that is very devoted to empowering the community to get involved by voting, volunteering, educating and taking action. In addition to being a role model to the kids in her East New York neighborhood, she organized and operated a dance team at the Brownsville Recreation Center called NSC (No Self Control) for the young girls in the community. Not only was this group a competitive dance troupe but also a sisterhood. With this extremely talented and beautiful group of precocious girls, the teacher often became the student. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of her life. Her ultimate dream is to build a full, high-tech community center in East New York that would be free to the community and provide jobs, childcare, education and a safe place for kids to hang.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Michael Pfleger was born on 22 May 1949 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for Chi-Raq (2015), Soul Food (2000) and Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and the NRA (2016).- Composer
- Actress
- Producer
Valerie Simpson was born on 26 August 1945 in The Bronx, New York, USA. She is a composer and actress, known for The Bodyguard (1992), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018). She was previously married to Nick Ashford.- Ilfenesh Hadera (born December 1, 1985) is an American actress. Ilfenesh was born in Harlem, New York City and is of Ethiopian and European ethnicity. Her father Asfaha Hadera, an Ethiopian refugee, is the founder and Co-Executive Director of African Services Committee, a Harlem based NGO which seeks to aid African immigrants. Her mother, Kim Nichols has served as Co-Executive Director of ASC since 1984. Hadera's love for the theatre began during her time at Harlem School of the Arts, she accredits HSA with preparing her for entry to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Hadera went on to receive an MFA in Text and Performance studies from RADA/King's College London. In 2010, Hadera made her acting debut in the film 1/20. A frequent collaborator with Spike Lee, she has also appeared in Da Brick, The Blacklist, Oldboy, Show Me a Hero, Chi-Raq, Chicago Fire, The Punisher, and She's Gotta Have It. She co-starred as Stephanie Holden in the 2017 film Baywatch and as of 2018 is starring as Kay Daniels in the TV series Deception. She has a recurring role in the Showtime Series Billions, playing as Bobby Axelrod's secretary Deb Kawi.
- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Charlie Wachtel is known for BlacKkKlansman (2018) and The Oscars (2019).- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Camera and Electrical Department
De'Adre Aziza was born on 14 June 1977 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She is an actress, known for She's Gotta Have It (2017), Passing Strange (2009) and The Fire Inside (2024).- Kennedy Yanko is known for She's Gotta Have It (2017) and CBS Saturday Morning (2012).
- Actor
- Producer
- Director
Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. was born on December 28, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York. He is the middle of three children of a beautician mother, Lennis, from Georgia, and a Pentecostal minister father, Denzel Washington, Sr., from Virginia. After graduating from high school, Denzel enrolled at Fordham University, intent on a career in journalism. However, he caught the acting bug while appearing in student drama productions and, upon graduation, he moved to San Francisco and enrolled at the American Conservatory Theater. He left A.C.T. after only one year to seek work as an actor. His first paid acting role was in a summer stock theater stage production in St. Mary's City, Maryland. The play was "Wings of the Morning", which is about the founding of the colony of Maryland (now the state of Maryland) and the early days of the Maryland colonial assembly (a legislative body). He played the part of a real historical character, Mathias Da Sousa, although much of the dialogue was created. Afterwards he began to pursue screen roles in earnest. With his acting versatility and powerful presence, he had no difficulty finding work in numerous television productions.
He made his first big screen appearance in Carbon Copy (1981) with George Segal. Through the 1980s, he worked in both movies and television and was chosen for the plum role of Dr. Philip Chandler in NBC's hit medical series St. Elsewhere (1982), a role that he would play for six years. In 1989, his film career began to take precedence when he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Tripp, the runaway slave in Edward Zwick's powerful historical masterpiece Glory (1989).
Washington has received much critical acclaim for his film work since the 1990s, including his portrayals of real-life figures such as South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko in Cry Freedom (1987), Muslim minister and human rights activist Malcolm X in Malcolm X (1992), boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter in The Hurricane (1999), football coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans (2000), poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson in The Great Debaters (2007), and drug kingpin Frank Lucas in American Gangster (2007). Malcolm X and The Hurricane garnered him Oscar nominations for Best Actor, before he finally won that statuette in 2002 for his lead role in Training Day (2001).
Through the 1990s, Denzel also co-starred in such big budget productions as The Pelican Brief (1993), Philadelphia (1993), Crimson Tide (1995), The Preacher's Wife (1996), and Courage Under Fire (1996), a role for which he was paid $10 million. He continued to define his onscreen persona as the tough, no-nonsense hero through the 2000s in films like Out of Time (2003), Man on Fire (2004), Inside Man (2006), and The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009). Cerebral and meticulous in his film work, he made his debut as a director with Antwone Fisher (2002); he also directed The Great Debaters (2007) and Fences (2016).
In 2010, Washington headlined The Book of Eli (2010), a post-Apocalyptic drama. Later that year, he starred as a veteran railroad engineer in the action film Unstoppable (2010), about an unmanned, half-mile-long runaway freight train carrying dangerous cargo. The film was his fifth and final collaboration with director Tony Scott, following Crimson Tide (1995), Man on Fire (2004), Déjà Vu (2006) and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. He has also been a featured actor in the films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and has been a frequent collaborator of director Spike Lee.
In 2012, Washington starred in Flight (2012), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He co-starred with Ryan Reynolds in Safe House (2012), and prepared for his role by subjecting himself to a torture session that included waterboarding. In 2013, Washington starred in 2 Guns (2013), alongside Mark Wahlberg. In 2014, he starred in The Equalizer (2014), an action thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Richard Wenk, based on the television series of same name starring Edward Woodward. During this time period, he also took on the role of producer for some of his films, including The Book of Eli and Safe House.
In 2016, he was selected as the recipient for the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards.
He lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, Pauletta Washington, and their four children.- Producer
- Actress
- Writer
Elaine Welteroth is known for Grown-ish (2018), Insecure (2016) and Black-ish (2014). She has been married to Jonathan Singletary since May 2020.- Actress
- Producer
Yvette Yates (El Gringo, Without Men) continues to make strides joining the cast as LUZ of multi-Academy Award Nominated Director Paul Thomas Anderson whose Warner Bros. feature, INHERENT VICE, was released Dec.12, 2014, and nationwide Jan.9, 2015. With its myriad of recognitions, it has also received 2 Academy Award nominations (2015), Golden Globe Best Actor nomination (2015), 4 Critics Choice nominations (2015) and has won the National Board of Review: Best Adapted Screenplay, Los Angeles Film Critics: Best Music Score and lastly, the Director, Casting Director, and Cast were honored with the Robert Altman Award during the 2015 Film Independent Spirit Awards. The Thomas Pynchon adaptation includes the sprawling lineup Joaquin Phoenix, Benicio Del Toro, Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterson, Josh Brolin, Martin Short, Maya Rudolph, Jena Malone and many more.
Moreover, Yates stars as Zabeth in the comedy vampire feature, BLOODSUCKING BASTARDS, opposite Fran Kranz (The Cabin in the Woods), Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones), Joey Kern (Cabin Fever), and Joel Murray (Mad Men) and written by Dr. G-d Comedy Troupe. The film's World Premiere was at the Slamdance Film Festival Opening Night on Jan.23, 2015 and was nabbed by Shout! Factory. In addition, Anchor Bay films in association with Twentieth Century Fox theatrically released the action thriller, IN THE BLOOD. Yvette can be seen as Leta with a prominent cast: MMA fighter-turned-actress Gina Carano (Haywire), Cam Gigandet (Twilight), Danny Trejo (Machete) , Stephen Lang (Avatar), Luis Guzman (How To Make it in America), and Amaury Nolasco (Transformers). In the vein of Taken, In The Blood is set in motion with a husband disappearing while vacationing in the Caribbean with his wife (Carano) who sets out in a relentless pursuit of the men whom she believes kidnapped and killed him. John Stockwell (Into the Blue, Turistas) directs from a script by Bennett Yellin and James Robert Johnston.
Notably, she starred as the female lead in the theatrically released action film, El Gringo, opposite Scott Adkins (The Expendables 2) & Christian Slater as part of Joel Silver's Castle Home Entertainment and After Dark Films called AFTER DARK ACTION. Receiving rave reviews from The New York Times "were it not for a bartender played with verve by Yvette Yates. Her appealing insolence and tasteful love scene provide relief..." Yvette's credits include the comedy Without Men, starring opposite Eva Longoria, Kate Del Castillo & Christian Slater. She can also be seen in the films: Free Ride alongside Academy Award winner Anna Paquin; Water & Power based on Mark Taper play; and Sorority Party Massacre. Yvette's other body of works include Rockstar's popular videogame Red Dead Redemption and Comedy Central's The Nick Show Kroll.
Chiefly, Yvette was honored by the Mayor & City Council of El Paso with a Proclamation as a Community Ambassador naming September 26, 2012 as "YVETTE YATES DAY". In 2008, Yvette was nominated for Best Actress in Film and Best Short at the 23rd Annual Imagen Awards and Malibu International Film Festival for her role as Lucena in the film "Niña Quebrada".
Yvette was born in El Paso, Texas. Being from a border town, she grew up both there and in Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua. She came to Los Angeles and attended U.C.L.A., receiving a B.S. in Physiological Science and published in the Journal of Molecular Immunology.
Community Outreach With a strong commitment to giving back, Yvette dedicates her time in between work to her hometown of El Paso, TX/Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua where she participates in discussions and panels in high schools, synagogues,churches, theatre groups, the El Paso film commission, community colleges, UTEP to the Plaza Classic Film Festival.
*In May 2014 at the National Museum of Mexican Art's "Gala de Art" - themed "Suenos y Esperanzos" ("Dreams and Hopes") - was a dream come true, shattering fundraising records and bolstering the museum's exhibitions and educational programs with more than 700 black-tie-clad guests. Serving as Co-Emcees of the evening were Actress Yvette Yates and host of ABC News Primetime"What Would You Do?" John Quiñones. Such notables included Mayor Rahm Emanuel, actors Billy Zane and and former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. A live and silent auction helped the big-ticket night raise the largest to date, more than $600,000, to support the museum's immersive collections of Mexican, Latino and Chicano art.
*She has served continuously on the judging committee for the local Boyle Heights' Film Festival "Reel Rasquache Film and Art Festival".
*In August of 2014, Yvette partook as Mistress of Ceremony for Congregation B'nai Zion's Eleventh Annual Sephardic Anusim Conference and CEREMONY for the dedication of The Sephardic Anusim Cultural Heritage Center in the Holocaust Museum in El Paso, TX.- Writer
- Producer
Lauren Schuker Blum is known for Dumb Money (2023), Orange Is the New Black (2013) and The Premonition.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
After graduating college with high honors, Lyriq Bent originally began his career as a Computer Graphic Technician. Bent's plans, however, were short-lived as he decided to take up acting on a dare. Since then, his career has gained considerable momentum with numerous film and television appearances already under his belt. Bent's eclectic mix of roles and rising popularity has earned kudos in both his native Canada and the U.S.
In addition to landing a co-starring role on Lifetime's drama series "Angela's Eyes" from the producers of Crash, Bent guest starred on the CBS series "CSI: Miami" opposite David Caruso, the UPN series "Kevin Hill" opposite Taye Diggs and USA Network's "Kojak" opposite Ving Rhames. Additionally, the versatile actor has had recurring roles on the CBS/Zoetrope series "Platinum", the ESPN/Disney series "Playmakers" and the hit E1/ABC series "Rookie Blue". Bent also appeared in Robert Townsend's multi-award winning television movie "10,000 Black Men Named George" and the CBC mini-series "Guns", winner of five Geminis, alongside Elisha Cuthbert and Colm Feore.
Bent's success in film has also been burgeoning. His film credits include starring opposite Mark Wahlberg and Andrè 3000 in the John Singleton film "Four Brothers" and "Take the Lead" with Antonio Banderas and Alfre Woodard. Bent also co-starred in the smash horror films "Saw II" and "Saw III" and as the lead character in "Saw IV", which opened at #1 in the box office, grossing over $100 million worldwide. He has also appeared in "Mother's Day" with Rebecca De Mornay, Shawn Ashmore and Jaime King, "Honey" alongside Jessica Alba, "Crime Spree" with Gerard Depardieu and "A Day Late and a Dollar Short" based on the New York Times Bestseller by Terry McMillan, starring Whoopi Goldberg, Ving Rhames and Mekhi Phifer. Furthermore, Bent starred in director Michael Mabbott's critically acclaimed debut feature film, "The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico," which premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, winning the award for Best First Canadian Feature Film. Most recently, Bent co-starred in "Home Again", the Official Selection of the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and winner of the festival choice award by the British Academy of Film and Television Art's Festival.
Most recently, Bent completed filming the BET/CBC mini-series "Book of Negroes" based on Lawrence Hill's best-selling novel, opposite Louis Gosset Jr., Cuba Gooding Jr., and Aunjanue Ellis. The project from Conquering Pictures, Out of Africa Entertainment and Entertainment One Television will air on BET Networks in the U.S. and CBC in Canada.
Bent is also as passionate about sports as he is about acting. He is an avid golfer and enjoys playing basketball, baseball, and soccer, and is no stranger to his kitchen.- Producer
- Actor
- Writer
Al Roker was born on 20 August 1954 in Queens, New York, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Robots (2005), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and The Big Year (2011). He has been married to Deborah Roberts since 16 September 1995. They have two children. He was previously married to Alice Bell.- Editorial Department
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Deborah Roberts was born on 20 September 1960 in Perry, Georgia, USA. She is an actress, known for The Wayne & Shuster Comedy Special (1967), One from the Heart (1981) and The Man Who Loved Women (1983). She has been married to Al Roker since 16 September 1995. They have two children.- Actress
- Director
- Soundtrack
Bresha Webb was born on 6 May 1984 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Run the World (2021), A Fall from Grace (2020) and Meet the Blacks (2016). She has been married to Nick Jones Jr. since 4 February 2023.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
George Wolfe was raised in the state capital of Kentucky, Frankfort. As a member of the Frankfort High School Senior class of 1972, he was one of the leading lights of the drama club and a writer for the literary magazine. George left Frankfort in 1972, but returned many years later as a favored son. After years of hard work and determination, Mr. Wolfe became an honored Broadway producer, director, and writer, working with Joseph Papp, and now on his own. Mr. Wolfe was one of those responsible for the hit Broadway show, "Jelly's Last Jam", and won a Tony for his work on "Angels in America". He is now considered one of Broadway's most respected producers and directors.- Music Artist
- Actor
- Producer
Harold George Belafonte was born on March 1, 1927 in New York City. He was educated at the New York Dramatic Workshop. He grew up in Jamaica, British West Indies, and did folk-singing in nightclubs and theaters, and on television and records. His debut was at the Village Vanguard in New York. Also, he appeared in the Broadway revues "John Murray Anderson's Almanac" and "Three for Tonight". He owns his own music publishing firm and film production company. He won a Tony Award in 1953, a Donaldson Award in 1953-1954, a Show Business Award in 1954, a Diners' Club Award in 1955-1956, and an Emmy Award for "Tonight with Belafonte". He has made many records. Joining the ASCAP in 1960, his popular-music compositions include "Turn Around", "Shake That Little Foot" and "Glory Manger".- Dao Yi Chow is known for his role on The Fashion Fund, during which he competed with his brand, Public School. Founded by the legendary Anna Wintour, The Fashion Fund is a documentary-style TV show featuring behind-the-scenes action from the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the Vogue Competition for young designers.
- Maxwell Osborne is known for Public School NYC Spring Summer Runway Show (2015).
- Kim Director is an American actress best known for her work in films from director Spike Lee, including Inside Man and the Netflix series She's Gotta Have It. Kim played the character Shay on HBO's The Deuce from David Simon & George Pelecanos. The Deuce stared James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhall. Kim was raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and went on to attend Carnegie Mellon University as an Acting/ Music Theater major.