V.K. Shah - Director
V.K. Shah developed a love for the arts and media growing up in New Orleans. He moved to Los Angeles to attend the University Of Southern California School Of Cinematic Arts. Upon graduation, he achieved success as an award-winning film and television editor. Years later, he chose to quit his job as an accomplished editor to pursue his passion for directing films. V.K.’s short films, The Cheapest Man In The Room and Welcome To Shady Pines, have been traveling the film festival circuit and garnering much acclaim. V.K. is also in development of a hilarious comedy, Run Louisiana Run, along with a feature version of The Cheapest Man In The Room. Recently, he collaborated with Miranda Kwok to complete the new feature screenplay Bless You Boys, which will tell the story of New Orleans through the people who love it most.
V.K. has an immense appreciation for film as an art because true art speaks to the audience in unique ways, no matter the genre or style. He loves the energy of independent films, the community they bring together, and the fresh stories they bring to cinema.
Miceal Og O'Donnell - Writer
Miceal Og O’Donnell received his BA at St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA in Fine Arts. He has worked as a studio assistant under Ronald Klein, an internationally acclaimed sculptor, for several years. He studied writing under Pulitzer Prize winning author Stephen Dunn. He served in the United States Coast Guard from 2000-2004, with the primary responsibilities including Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement, Boat Coxswain, Training Petty Officer, and supervisor of Deck Department. He has earned the Achievement Medal, and multiple other medals and awards during his service. Has taken screenwriting workshops in Portland, OR, and has taken many film classes at UNO. He has written more than fifteen feature length scripts and dozens of short scripts. He has produced numerous shorts, and a $25,000 feature. He also wrote and directed numerous shorts. He has won second place audience award, best special F/X, and in Berlin won best actress ensemble at the Berlin 48 Hour Film Festival. He has taught a film production class at NOVAC, and has recently produced and directed a feature film with many quality actors, and named actors such as Dan Deluca, Jennifer Coolidge, Marc Macaulay, and Lance Nichols.
April Wade - Katie
Nearly immediately after attending Chapman University to obtain a BFA in Theatre/Film, April Wade quickly opened her own acting studio in Los Angeles: Actors Creative Workshop. (www.actorscreativeworkshop.com) Finding her way in independent cinema, April Wade has reached film festival screens and video shelves within a few short years. (www.aprilwade.com) After starring in numerous projects, she has turned her attention towards producing and acting. Creating Women on Top Productions, April's first major project, Junction, a quirky independent film that was completed in January 2008 and recently picked up by Around the Scenes Releasing. (www.junctionmovie.com, www.aroundthescenes.com) It premiered at the 11th Annual Dances with Films festival in July 2008. (www.danceswithfilms.com)The next two features that she line produced, Arsenal and Punching the Clown, are in the later stages of post-production.
She is currently in the advanced stages of post production on April Showers, which stars Tom Arnold, Illeana Douglas, Daryl Sabara (Spy Kids), Kelly Blatz (Prom Night) and Janel Parrish (Bratz) in a gripping drama based largely on the Columbine High School shooting, through the eyes of a real-life survivor. (www.aprilshowersmovie.com) Wade is thrilled to be working with this team on The Playground (www.theplaygroundmovie.com), and truly feels that this story, this cause, is her life's purpose to bring to the screen.
Sigmund Watkins - Jack
Born and raised in Boston Mass, Sigmund began his acting career on stage in high school. It was in his teen years that he developed his love for acting. After High School he graduated from Boston College with a BA in Communications and a minor is theatre. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles in late 2006 Sigmund began to get his first taste of Hollywood with background work on films such as “Rush Hour 3”. Within a year Sigmund had begun working with multiple agencies and managers for both acting and fitness modeling. Sigmund has had appearances on shows such as CSI:NY, the comedy sketch show Frank TV, and has hosted the Style Network’s Hot guys who Cook. With a strong passion and dedication to television and film Sigmund is sure to continue make strides in Hollywood.
Kevin Schwebel - Homeless Man
Holly Amber Church - Composer
Holly Amber Church had a love of film music from a very early age. She would sit in front of her grandmother’s old record player and listen to James Horner’s score for An American Tail over and over, marveling that all the magnificent sounds she heard were made up of many individual instruments in an orchestra. When asked on a paper in the 2nd grade what her favorite type of music was, Holly wrote “movie background music”. She began composing pieces for the piano at a very young age and wrote her first orchestral composition at age 16. It was after hearing that first piece played by a live orchestra that she realized she was hooked and composition was what she wanted to do.
Holly has been a finalist in the Turner Classic Movies National Young Film Composers Competition twice and took home the award for “Best Score” at the 2006 Shockerfest Film Festival for her orchestral, epic score for Berserker. Holly was noted in an article in the Hollywood Reporter about the next generation of film composers and has been fortunate to work with some of Hollywood's great film composers including Christopher Young (Spiderman 3, Ghost Rider, The Grudge) and Stewart Copeland (Dead Like Me, Wall Street, drummer of The Police). Holly studied film scoring at USC and music theory and composition at Pepperdine University.
Holly is currently working on the psychological drama Dragon Slayer, the feature film Adios Mi Amigo (by award-winning director, Kalpna Singh-Chitnis), an orchestral concert work commissioned by the Las Vegas Fine Arts Academy and has just completed the dramatic thriller The Nice Girl. Last year she completed the independent comedies Welcome to Shady Pines and The Cheapest Man in the Room with director V.K. Shah. Holly has written the musical scores for several other films including the documentary entitled The Restorationists, the teen comedy feature Gettin' It (distributed by Starz Media) and the romantic comedy Bill the Intern.
Credits
Producers
V.K. Shah
Curtis Croft
Director of Photography
Sam Rosenthal
Original Music
Holly Amber Church
Re-Recording Mixer
Josh Eckberg
Production Sound
Chris Kanchanan
Camera Assistants
Seth Burke
Keith Schwebel
Production Assistants
Sergio Pelaez
Kevin Schwebel
Keith Schwebel
Set Photographer
Hasan Patterson
Casting Associates
Denise Glass
Josh Polizzi
Kevin Wehlen
Post Production Services
Creative Post - Venice, CA
Supervising Sound Editor
Josh Eckberg
Foley Mixer
Roberto Dominguez
Mercury Sound - Glendale, CA
Foley Artist
Eric Hoeschen
Creative Consultants
Jonathan Moore
Marcy Patterson
Keith Schwebel
Chris Seaton
Special Thanks
Club 103
CAZT Casting Studio
Actors Creative Workshop
Barbara Croft
Screen Actors Guild
