CREATIVE TEAM
STEVE ANDERSON - Director
Steve Anderson earned his MFA in Acting from the Professional Theatre Training Program at Brandeis University in 1991 and performed off-Broadway and in Regional Theatre. He directed the multi-award winning short film The Secret Lives of Teachers, which played 23 festivals. Steve's first feature, Lucky U Ranch, is distributed by Random Media. After 25 years of coaching and directing, Steve was inspired to audition for The Wall (2022), starring Vicky Krieps of Phantom Thread as Jessica Comley. Steve plays Adam Comley, her father.
KC GARDINER-JOHNSON - Assistant Director
KC is an accomplished director who studied at UCLA and the Scottsdale School of Film+Theatre. She has worked with Charlie Baker (Breaking Bad), Krista Allen (Liar Liar) , Ric Maddox (The American West) and Shawn Parsons (Containment).
KATE CANNON - Script Supervisor
Kate Cannon discovered her interest in script supervision at a UCLA film camp in 2009 where she worked with director John Pasquin (The Santa Claus). Kate graduated with a BFA in Theatrical Production from the University of Arizona and has worked on over 25 film projects as an actress, writer, and producer.
CAROL GIBSON - Props Master/Asst. Script Supervisor
Carol has been involved in the performing arts since grade school. After minoring in Theatre Arts at ASU, she began a succssful career as a high school English teacher and Assistant Drama Coach. She was honored as the AZ High School English Teacher of the Year in 1987, and in 1999 was selected by the English-Speaking Union to be their “English Scholar of the Year.” Carol served on the ariZoni Theatre Awards of Excellence Board for several years and continues as an adjudicator while also serving as the Children’s Education Director for the Phoenix Film Festival.
BYRON WERNER - Director of Photography
Byron Werner is an L.A.-based Director of Photography who has shot a massive collection of work over his 20 years of filmmaking in feature films, short films, music videos, and commercials. Byron’s cinematography is showcased in Todd Robinson’s Phantom starring Ed Harris and David Duchovny and The Last Full Measure starring Samuel L. Jackson, William Hurt, Sebastian Stan and many others. In 2019 Blumhouse released his work in Culture Shock through their Into the Dark Series on Hulu. Byron’s work in music videos has him sought after by many of today’s leading musicians including Coldplay, David Grohl/FooFighters, Bruno Mars, The 1975, ELO, Pharrell, The Killers and more. His Coldplay “Orphans” music video won the MTV VMA for Best Rock Video in 2020. Byron is represented by Agency for the Performing Arts (APA).
DAVID ICELY - 1st Assistant Camera
David Icely started his filmmaking career as a child filming bike stunt videos on a camcorder with friends. He learned the craft of the cinematic arts first as a Production Assistant, and went on to earn a Film Degree from the University of Arizona. David’s thesis film, Tommy T-Bone, screened at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con Film Festival. He worked as cinematographer on the Amazon film Eddie Mummy: A Love Story; and was Camera Operator on the award-winning film Rightfooted, directed by Emmy Award winning filmmaker Nick Spark.
ZACH LOVVORN - 2nd Assistant Camera
From making home movies with his friends to graduating film school, Zach has always had a fascination with storytelling through film. A jack-of-all-trades by nature, Zach has interest in many aspects of production, including but not limited to cameras, lighting, screenwriting, and directing. Zach has won a number of awards for his senior thesis short film IRIS, including the Pollution Studios Award for Excellence in Screenwriting as well as being accepted into the Phoenix Film Festival and the Brooklyn Sci-Fi Film Festival.
MARK BRAUN - Gaffer
Mark Braun has worked in the film production industry since 1984. He often describes the process of cinematography as painting with light. Mark has worked on a wide range of productions, from feature films to music videos, from documentaries to TV commercials. Some of his credits include the feature film Can't Buy Me Love and the television series Closer To Truth. Collaborating with other creatives in the storytelling process continues to fuel his passion. With old school experience shooting on film merging with new school experience shooting on digital video, he brings a wide range of skills to any project.
COSMO BRUSA ZAPELLINI - Best Boy Electric
Cosmo is a first-year BFA student in the film program at the University of Arizona. He has been a filmmaker most of his young life. One of his own projects, a documentary titled Turning Trash into Treasure, was nominated for a regional Emmy in 2021. Cosmo was also a member of Teen Street Films for several years where he co-wrote and performed in several original short film projects.
BEN ICELY - Lighting
Ben became hooked on filmmaking after being assigned to make a music video in high school. He has collaborated on numerous video productions from filming airplanes on Red cameras to filming for Ruptly at the border. Ben filmed the Venus transit for the NASA archives, and has contributed camera work on Sports video productions for Wipeout.
JUDITH EISENBERG - Writer/Producer
Judith is a multiple award-winning actor, screenwriter, and producer. She most recently wrote, produced, and starred in The Secret Lives of Teachers, a short film that was featured in over two dozen festivals and received nine honors and awards. Other completed films: Deflated (Best Comedy Short), Life is a Party, and Kerry and Angie. A working actor, Judith has appeared in film, television, stage, national commercials, and print.
AARON SEEVER - Producer
Aaron is an actor and producer known for many award-winning shorts, including The Secret Lives of Teachers; Temporary; Penelope Fortesque: Romance Novelist; and, most recently, Finally, You (for which he served as writer, actor, and producer.)
SCOTT LEADER - Composer
Scott Leader's began his professional career at studios in Austin and Los Angeles, honing his skills as a producer for many genres of music including folk, rock, religious, and classical. He has traveled across the world performing and leading workshops. Scott has won several songwriting awards, and his music has been featured on national compilation albums, on Sirius/XM Radio, and on five albums of original music. Scott is part of the award-winning trio Sababa, a contemporary Jewish music rock band. Scott teaches Music Production at Arizona State and owns Brick Road Studio in Scottsdale.
MICHAEL CLARK - Sound Mixer
Michael Clark is a production sound mixer and post production sound editor with over 15 years of experience in sound and filmmaking. He has worked on projects ranging from feature films to commercial spots, including some that have gone on to win Emmys and other accolades. Most recently, Michael wrapped post sound on a series of commercials for Grand Canyon University that, since release, have netted over five million views. Michael’s motto for film sound is the 6 P’s as he likes to call them: Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Many people say that Michael is a kind, funny and resourceful guy and a pleasure to work with on set and after wrap as well.
BILL WEBER - Graphic, Prop, and Communication Design
An award-winning graphic, publication, and product designer, Bill has designed for Broadway, film, television, and publishing. His Broadway credits include the musicals Smile, Jean Seberg, and That’s Not Tango. For film, Bill designed for I’ll Be Next Door for Christmas, Avocado, The Happy Side, Between the Cracks, and other independent films. For TV, Bill was Executive Producer for Music City Tonight’s Salute to Children’s Entertainment and has developed a number of family media concepts. Bill managed, designed, and launched magazines in the parenting, entertainment, and advertising industries.
KELLEY STEPHENSON - Costumer
Colorado-based costumer Kelley Stephenson has been designing for over 40 years. Active in the pop culture convention scene, Ms. Stephenson's work has been featured in local, national, and internet publications. Over the years she has crafted looks for stage, film, and fashion magazines.
MONI BARRETT - Make-Up
Moni Barrett is a professional hair and makeup artist, certified in SFX. Her work includes film, print, runway, high fashion, horror, and fantasy. Moni's recent credits include Jessica Frost (2021), Instant Karma (2021) Noxious 2: Cold Case (2021), and Anti Corona Virus (2020).
ALEX MILEY - Set Dresser
Alex Miley is a production designer and filmmaker located in Mesa, Arizona. He has worked on several short films and specializes in set dressing. Some of his credits include Unscrewed 2, The Shepherd Knocks, and Valora.
KIRT SHINEMAN - Playwright
Kirt Shineman wrote the original short play, 42 Seconds, produced by Theatre Artists Studio, which inspired this film. An accomplished writer, dramaturg, and educator, his work has won awards and acclaim throughout the United States, most notably by the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Much of Kirt's work is published on the NPX/New Play Exchange. Kirk is a Dramatist Guild and LMDA member.