Nick Demos/Director & Producer - Nick Demos is an award winning director and producer. From 2000 to 2008 he was the Artistic Director of Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma where he was honored as a "Living Treasure of the State" for his contribution to the arts.  Currently he is developing and directing the pre-Broadway workshops and productions of:  Makeover - a musical freely inspired by the lives of Estee Lauder and Mary Kay, The First Gentleman and the plays Jet Back to Glamour and Julia Cameron’s Animal in The Trees.

His company Demos Bizar Entertainment is currently producing the London West End production of Memphis. Previous productions include:  Memphis on Broadway (2010 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critic's Circle Awards), its 1st National Tour, Make Me a Song- Off-Broadway (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Nominations) and on London's West End, Vanities- Off Broadway, and the 1st National Tour of The Drowsy Chaperone.

Other NYC directing credits include Not As Cute As Picture (GLAAD Media nomination), Spring Alive at Dixon Place, Rainbow Around the Sun at the New York Musical Theater Festival, Kids in America at the Triad Theater and the Broadway Cares Easter Bonnet Competition at the Minskoff Theater.  Regional credits include Debbie Gibson in Chicago, Sally Struthers in Hello Dolly, Kelli O'Hara and Will Chase in Oklahoma!, and The Drowsy Chaperone (B. Iden Payne and Austin Critics' Awards for Best Direction).  

Gio Messale/Producer -Most recently Gio Messale was part of the producing team for AT&T Love is Changing History film’s Jenny directed by Pauley Perrette and Tale of Two Dads directed by Lance Bass. His first two features, Love or Whatever starring Kate Flannery, Tyler Poelle, and Jennifer Elise Cox and Real Heroes will be released in 2014.

Before taking the leap into independent producing, Mr. Messale worked in the production department at Paramount Pictures where he received the 2005 Viacom Visionary Award.  During his tenure, films included: J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek, Indiana Jones: Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, Mission Impossible: 3, and Shutter Island directed by Martin Scorsese.

A former New Yorker, Mr. Messale worked in theatre and produced the Off-Off Broadway productions of Just Us Boys and  A Media Harvest. His directorial credits include Into The Woods and Little Shop of Horrors. As a Stage Manager, Mr. Messale worked on the Los Angeles Company of The Lion King, National Tour of Titanic, The Public Theatre's pre-Broadway productions of Arthur Millers’ The Ride Down Mt. Morgan starring Patrick Stewart and Francis Conroy as well as The Wild Party starring Mandy Patinkin, Vanessa Williams and Earth Kitt. One of Mr. Messale’s most amazing credits is the all-star concert of Sweet Charity at Avery Fisher Hall, starring Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, Debbie Allen, Bebe Neuwirth and Donna McKechnie.

Mr. Messale is making his way back to Broadway working on the pre-Broadway production of Makeover- A New Musical.   When Mr. Messale is not producing he can be seen as a guest on the “Spicy Girl Talk” couch on the talk show web series  Go Curvy.

Doug Bost/Writer -Doug  Bost collaborated on the screenplay adaptation of Diminished Capacity with the novel’s author, Sherwood Kiraly. An official selection to Sundance 2008 the film stars Matthew Broderick, Alan Alda, and Virginia Madsen. Mr. Bost co-wrote Kubuku Rides, a short film produced by Steppenwolf Films (a division of Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater) and was shown at the 2006 IFP Film Festival in New York, The Los Angeles Int’l Film Festival, and the London Film Festival.  Mr. Bost’s plays and one-acts including The Honeymoon Story, Inappropriate Behavior, Turpentine Twist and Victoria’s Other Secret, among others, have been presented at theaters from New York to Los Angeles.

Currently, Mr. Bost is developing a screenplay with actors Bobby Cannavale, and Famke Janssen attached to star; and in coordination with the Jack Kerouac Estate.

Michael Pessah/Director of Photography - Raised in New York, award-winning cinematographer Michael Marius Pessah began his career working with top commercial DPs at Curious Pictures. Later he earned a B.A. at Hampshire College, was the recipient of a Kodak Cinematography Scholarship award, and received an M.F.A. in Cinematography at the AFI.

Mr. Pessah was recently named an Outfest 'Five in Focus' emerging talent for his cinematography in 'Joshua Tree, 1951', the first cinematographer to receive the recognition. He has shot campaigns for global brands such as AT&T, Pfizer, Red Bull and Anheuser-Busch. He lensed the documentary 'Viva la Causa', which was shortlisted for an Academy Award. Mr. Pessah’s narrative work has been shown theatrically worldwide as well as on HBO, MTV, BET, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, PAX , BBC, USA Network, Current TV, and Canal +.  His most recent narrative work can be seen on Sundance Chanel’s TV series Loredana, Esq.

Vicente Perez/Editor -Vicente Perez was born in Spain and attended the University of Navarre, where he majored in Audiovisual Journalism with an emphasis in film. He started his career as a trailer editor, working on campaigns for both independent and major studio releases. In 2004, he earned a Certificate in Film from UCLA, and has been based in Los Angeles since then.

As an editor, Vicente has had a very diverse career, which includes features, TV, commercials and documentaries. He was awarded the prestigious INJUVE Scholarship, given by the Spanish Ministry of Culture, and chosen as one of the top young filmmakers at the 54th Valladolid International Film Festival (Seminci).

Kim D. Sherman/Composer - Kim  Sherman’s music covers the spectrum of genres from opera to chamber and orchestral to musical theater and film. “Invocation” (for soprano and chamber orchestra), “The Songbird and the Eagle,” (two sopranos, narrator, chorus and chamber orchestra) were recently performed by the San José Chamber Orchestra.  “Graveside,” (a cappella chorus) was recorded by Musica Sacra and has been performed by choral groups throughout the world.  On Broadway, she wrote incidental music for I Hate Hamlet. Other works include The Happiest and Unhappiest of Men (chorus and orchestra, commissioned by The Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia,) “Karner Blue,” (flute and piano, commissioned by The Pappoutsakis Foundation,) “Love’s Comedy” (an opera based on the play by Henrik Ibsen,) and many musical theatre works including O Pioneers!, Honor Song for Crazy Horse, The Two Orphans, HeartLand, Makeover.

Currently in-the-works is Ada, an opera about Ada Lovelace. Ms. Sherman has a Bachelor of Music from Lawrence University, and studied composition with Thea Musgrave.

Cindi Rush/Casting Director - Cindi Rush’s credits include: Film: The Woman (Sundance 2012), Ghoul, Theresa is a Mother, Jugface (Slamdance 2013), In The Family (Independent Spirit 2012), The Grief of Others.  NY Theatre: Under My Skin, Silence! Anthem, Homo, Legacy, Falls, Mother Wife, God’s Country, Bonnie and Clyde, Foreverman , My Mother’s Jewish, Lesbian Wiccan Wedding, Rooms, Jacques Brel, Urinetown, Upcoming: Academia Nuts, Disenchanted, Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, Serrano, Freed, Madam, Galactic Cigarettes.  Many Regional Theaters including Triad Stage, Hudson Stage Company, Penguin Rep, Pittsburgh Public, Charleston Stage Co. Cindy is also Consultant for NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program.

Alex Cirilo/Co-Producer - Alex Cirillo is the Co-Founder of Big Vision Empty Wallet which provides tools and opportunities to independent producers and content creators.  She is a Producer who specializes in helping filmmakers with minimal resources make a living creating content, primarily through audience building and working across multiple platforms, and is grateful to have had the opportunity to speak on these topics at festivals nationwide, including Sundance.  Ms. Cirillo got her start at Washington Square Arts & Films where she produced TV pilots and commercials, and contributed to feature films including JC Chandor's Margin Call and All Is Lost.  She is currently in pre-production for Jenna Laurenzo's feature film, Lez Bomb, which won the BVEW 2013 Screenwriting Fellowship.  Ms. Cirillo serves on the Board of Directors for Mythic Bridge, a non-profit organization that provides hands-on, narrative filmmaking education to disadvantaged youth in NYC who are dealing with financial, emotional, physical, and/or situational hardships.