Setting Your Goals High, and Stopping Till You Get There with Marc Sheffler.

John D. Hancock is an American stage and film director, producer and writer. He is perhaps best known for his work on Bang the Drum Slowly, Weeds and Prancer.  Hancock's theatrical work includes direction of both classic and contemporary plays, from Shakespeare to Saul Bellow.  He also directed several films with his wife actress and screenwriter Dorothy Tristan.  Hancock worked closely with Tristan on a number of projects including the aborted first version of Jaws 2 in 1977 (which Tristan co-wrote with Howard Sackler) as well as California Dreaming, Weeds, A Piece of Eden, Suspended Animation and The Looking Glass. Dorothy Tristan passed away on  January 8th 2023.

Lynda Riess entire career has been a 25 year master class in prep, production, finding rapid solutions to last minute requests and most importantly how to remain calm when the crap hits the fan. As a Property Master she was on set behind the camera for years, working with every department, developing character with actors, back story with directors, and adding texture and layering with Costume and Production design. She know who does what and what is possible.  

She  took this expereince and made two award winning short films. The first one, technically, was an exploration into visual detail, cinematography and timing.  Story wise it was exciting to be able to delve into the darker themes and find a way to make a story about death, age and loneliness entertaining. She made  audiences laugh cry and jump all in nine minutes. This short got her into the Sony Pictures Diverse Directors Program, and was also Oscar eligible in 2019. The second short was made to show she could direct television drama. More characters, larger in scope. 

Lynda would be bringing her years of experience working on shows like True Detective, Stranger Things.  She has done stuff, been places and seen things…..all this means she has a unique rich deep pool of life knowledge that she will bring to projects she will direct. 

Born in New York, raised in the UK she have the accent of one and the attitude of the other.  If you need a director with a lifetime of production experience, or just someone fun to be on set with in the rain at 3am, then please reach out to her.

Claudia Myers was named one of "10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2015." by Independent Magazine. Most recently Claudia wrote and directed Above the Shadows, a supernatural drama starring Olivia Thirlby, Alan Ritchson, Jim Gaffigan and Megan Fox. The film opened the 2019 Brooklyn Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. Above the Shadows was released theatrically by Gravitas Ventures. Prior to this, Claudia wrote, directed and produced the dramatic feature Fort Blissstarring Michelle Monaghan and Ron Livingston. The film won several festival awards and top critics for The Washington Post and Philadelphia Inquirer both cited Fort Bliss among the best films of 2014. Claudia also wrote and directed Kettle of Fish starring Mathew Modine and Gina Gershon. The movie premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and was released theatrically in 2007. She has directed two award-winning short films, including the Sundance short Buddy & Grace.

Outside of narrative fiction, Claudia has worked with veterans and active duty soldiers to make a number of films about the military community. She produced and directed the documentary The Long Road Back, about soldiers who were severely injured in Iraq. The film won two Telly Awards, an Aurora Award, and was nominated for a regional Emmy. In 2010, Claudia produced and directed Women At War, a documentary about the evolution of women’s roles in the military. She also wrote and directed the interactive role-playing feature, Outside the Wire for use by the U.S. Army, which won a Codie Award and a Brandon Hall Excellence in Learning Award. The film pushes the boundaries of traditional narrative by melding fiction film, gaming, and educational training. Claudia subsequently wrote The War Inside another large-scale interactive, role-playing feature that deals with the psychological impact of war and aims to build resilience in soldiers.

As a screenwriter, Claudia has won numerous awards, was twice a finalist for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab, and is an alumna of the Hamptons Screenwriters Lab. Andy Tennant directed her script Wild Oats, starring Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Lange and Demi Moore, which was released in 2016. Claudia is currently in development on a drama series about women in Special Operations.

Claudia studied literature at Yale then received her MFA in film at Columbia University. She is an associate professor in the Film & Media Arts division of American University’s School of Communication in Washington DC.

Jim Meskimen is an accomplished actor, improviser and voice artist whose work is well-known to TV and film audiences. He appeared on the British series Whose Line Is It Anyway? several times, and was a recurring character onThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air  for two seasons. He has worked with director Ron Howard on five of his films, including The Paper, Apollo 13, Edtv, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Frost/Nixon. He has also worked in two films by director Paul Thomas Anderson.  A professional artist, Jim exhibits and sells his realist oil paintings. As a designer/cartoonist, he created dozens of characters, weapons and vehicles for the original "Thundercats" animated series. Jim continues to dazzle audiences with his improvisational skills and appears regularly on L.A. stages. Meskimen is married to actress Tamra Meskimen and they have a daughter, Taylor Meskimen. His mother is Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actress Marion Ross of Happy Days and the critically-acclaimed series, Brooklyn Bridge. 

Keith Coogan was born Keith Eric Mitchell on January 13, 1970 in Palm Springs, California. The grandson of legendary character actor Jackie Coogan, Keith began his acting career doing TV commercials -- his first gig was as a stand-in in a McDonald's TV spot -- as well various TV shows and made-for-TV movies. Coogan did the voice of Young Tod for the charming animated Disney picture "The Fox and the Hound." His first on-screen role was the smitten Brad Anderson in the delightful teen comedy cult favorite "Adventures in Babysitting." Keith gave a very funny and engaging performance as Christina Applegate's stoner layabout brother Kenny in the equally enjoyable "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead" and was impressive as Jonathan "Snuffy" Bradberry in "Toy Soldiers." Among the television programs Coogan has made guest appearances on are "The Love Boat," "Eight Is Enough," "Mork & Mindy," "Knight Rider," "CHiPS," "Starman," "21 Jump Street," and "Tales from the Crypt." Keith graduated from Santa Monica High School and attended Santa Monica College, where he majored in Drama and minored in English Literature. He also attended Los Angeles City College, where he majored in Java Programming. Coogan resides in Los Angeles, California and continues to act with pleasing regularity. In his spare time he runs a couple of blogs.

Bennett Yellin is a professional screenwriter, he has honed his skills at crafting a strong story and communicating it with precision and passion. His credits include both the original Dumb and Dumber (1994) as well as its official sequel, Dumb and Dumber To (2014.) Bennett is applying his expertise to the world of themed entertainment. Whether it's a feature film, a television show or an amusement park experience, everything begins with a strong story. Known for Dumb and Dumber (1994), Dumb and Dumber To (2014) and Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003). 

Jeffrey Gurian is a “Renaissance Man”, because he’s involved in so many things. He’s a comedy writer, performer, director, author, producer, radio personality, motivational speaker and doctor, and not always in that order.   

 As a comedy writer he’s worked with and written for legends like Rodney Dangerfield, Joan Rivers, George Wallace, Phil Hartman, Richard Belzer, Jerry Lewis, and Andrew “Dice” Clay, among many others plus new superstars like Nick Kroll, and John Mulaney.  

 Jeffrey has performed stand-up comedy at most of the big clubs in NY and L.A. was a regular on Sirius XM radio for two years with Ron Bennington, and was 

Patrice O’Neal’s co-host  on The Black Phillip Show on XM radio.  

 As a comedy journalist he’s been covering the comedy scene since 1999,  and has also written for MTV, National Lampoon, Weekly World News, The Weekly Humorist and was the main writer for many Friars Roasts for 12 years. 

 His Comedy Matters TV, You Tube channel has over 500 A-list celebrity interviews and almost 2 ½ million views, with everyone from Jimmy Fallon, to Amy Schumer and Bill Burr, to Tracy Morgan and D.L. Hughley, and he’s produced shows starring Kevin Hart and Susie Essman.  According  to Paul Provenza, and Nick Kroll  Jeffrey is known by everyone in comedy. 

Steven Adam Renkovish resides in Easley, South Carolina. He is the director of the short films, A Beautiful Silence, Fugue, and 401 Rogers. In 2021, his first feature film, The Awakening of Lilith, entered the festival circuit. Garnering much critical acclaim, the film has won several awards, including Best Feature Film and Best Actress.

Laura Willoughby was born on October 9, 1963 in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA. She is a producer and casting director, known for 8-Bit Animal Playhouse with Jason Mewes(2013), Aliens vs Scarecrows vs Zombies and Pet Sematary (1989). She was previously married to Harry Lee Glaser and Robert Richard Gross.

Nick Taber has an obsession with making the entire world healthy. He grew up with cerebral palsy issues and in the late 80s and 90s and a lot of folks counted him out and making him feel that he was limited in what he could do. With help he worked through 99% of the physical and emotional issues over the years. Nick became a certified personal trainer specializing in training children, teens and adults with reducing and getting rid of anxiety and depression through physical fitness. 

Nick is nationally certificated by National Association of Body Fitness (N.A.B.F.) He serves greater areas of Southcoast MA and RI.  He loves helping people overcome obstacles and get stronger. He wants everyone to reach their highest potential. He loves being married and loves American History and is a huge fan of Leonardo DaVinci and the band Postmodern Jukebox. Check out his podcasts Real Talk with Sensei Nick and Movie Theater Time Machine.