2017 Faculty

Jimmy Duke

Producer, Executive Director, Act One

James Duke is an accomplished filmmaker, pastor, educator, and communicator. As an independent filmmaker, James has almost twenty years experience in film, television, and video production. His credits include writing, producing and directing over a hundred award-winning short films, documentaries, and theatrical productions.  He has produced several feature films including The Least of These starring Isaiah Washington and Robert Loggia, and Ragamuffin about the life of Christian singer/songwriter Rich Mullins. James’ passion for developing filmmakers led him to found the Inspiration Film Fest as well as serve as the executive director of the Damah Film Festival.

Recently, he served as the president and CEO of Updog Studios, a production company in Florida that seeks to create provocative, thought-provoking entertainment and commercial cinema. James is a successful team builder with strong leadership skills and who enjoys collaborating with other creatives.

As a pastor, James served on staff at his church, Mosaic LA, for 10 years where he oversaw several ministries including film, live production, and family ministries. He’s also served as pastor in communities of faith in Tennessee and Florida.

As an educator, James’ passion for investing in and mentoring the next generation of filmmakers and storytellers has led him to create high school and collegiate-level curriculum taught and fully accredited in schools both in California and Florida.

As a communicator, James has been privileged to speak to thousands of people around the world on the topics of film, faith and culture.

James received his B.A. in Communications from Union University in Jackson, TN. He is also a graduate of the Los Angeles Film Studies Center, and the Act One writing program.

Thom Parham

Screenwriter, Chair & Professor, Azusa Pacific University, Dept. of Cinematic Arts

Thomas Parham is chair and professor of the Department of Cinematic Arts at Azusa Pacific University. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and spent seven years on active duty, during which he qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer. Parham left the Navy to complete a Ph.D. in Communication Studies at Regent University. He is a member of the Writers Guild of America and has written for the long-running CBS’ drama JAG and the Family Channel sitcom Big Brother Jake, and he also served as the on-location writers’ assistant for the third season of Touched by an Angel.

Parham has contributed chapters to the American Chemical Society’s anthology Hollywood Chemistry: When Science Met Entertainment; Doing Good, Departing from Evil: Research Findings in the Twenty-First Century; The Gospel According to Super-Heroes: Religion and Popular Culture; and Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film, and Culture. In its review of that book, Publishers Weekly cited Parham’s essay “Why Do Heathens Make the Best Christian Films?” as a “standout.” Parham is listed in the 2014 edition of Who’s Who in America, the 2002, 2004, and 2005 editions of Who’s Who among America’s Teachers, and he received APU’s 2013 Undergraduate Scholarly Achievement Award.

Bill Marsilii

Screenwriter

Bill Marsilii co-wrote (with his friend Terry Rossio) the romantic time-travel spec DEJA VU, which sold to Jerry Bruckheimer and Touchstone Pictures in June 2004 for $5 million in a pre-emptive bid. Starring Denzel Washington and directed by Tony Scott, the film opened Thanksgiving 2006 and went on to gross over $180 million worldwide.

An accomplished comedy writer/performer, Bill was in the original Off-Broadway cast of “Tony ‘n Tina’s Wedding,” and has been featured at Caroline’s on Broadway, Catch a Rising Star and numerous other theatrical venues. His television work includes writing and starring in two comedy pilots for the Hallmark Channel, as well as several episodes of “The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss” and “Courage the Cowardly Dog,” all of which only serve to confuse people. He has also written feature scripts for The Samuel Goldwyn Company, TriStar, Warner Bros., and Paramount Pictures.

Most recently, Bill has written Walt Disney Pictures’ 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA: CAPTAIN NEMO, which he sold to the company on a pitch in 2006. Slated for release in 2010, the film will be directed by McG. Bill is currently writing two other specs with Terry Rossio.

Barbara Nicolosi

Screenwriter, Lecturer, Professor, Founder, Act One

Originally from Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Barbara Nicolosi is the Founder and Chair Emeritus of Act One, Inc., a nonprofit program to train and mentor Christians for careers as Hollywood writers and executives. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the new Galileo Studio at Azusa Pacific University, an on-line think tank that utilizes 3D video technology.

Barbara is a member of the Writers Guild of America-West and has written screenplays for several Hollywood production companies. Her most recent credit is as a co-writer with Benedict Fitzgerald on the 2013 Lionsgate release, Mary, Mother of the Christ. She also completed Polosuasion, a contemporary resetting of Jane Austen’s Persuasion for IMMI Pictures of Beverly Hills. She wrote Fatima: Message and Miracle about the events that that took place in Fatima, Portugal in 1917, for Origin Entertainment of Manhattan Beach, CA, and is currently working on Theotokos, a story of the early Church for Panaghia Productions of Marseilles, France. Barbara also Executive Produced the 2010 Origin Entertainment 3D documentary Cosmic Origins, a broadcast standard hour-length documentary about the beginning of the universe.

Barbara has a Masters in Film and Television from Northwestern University, and a B.A. from the Great Books program at Magdalen College in Warner, NH. She has done further studies in documentary production and animation at UCLA. She has been a script analyst, production company executive, and consultant on scores of entertainment projects including the features The Passion of the Christ and That Evening Sun, and TV shows Joan of Arcadia (CBS) and Saving Grace (TNT).

A highly experienced public speaker on art, culture, media and spirituality, Barbara has delivered hundreds of addresses at universities, conferences and assemblies all over the world. Most notably, she was a featured speaker at a Vatican conference on media in 2001 and gave the keynote address at the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars National Conference in 2002.

Barbara has been a grants panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, and a reader for the Humanitas Prize which has been called the Pulitzer of screenwriting. For ten years, she has been on the Blue Ribbon jury of the Angelus Awards Student Film Festival, which is the top student film competition in the world. Barbara has appeared as a cultural commentator on ABC, NBC, CBS, NPR and in the pages of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Premiere magazine, among many others. She has produced several award-winning plays at the Actors Co-op Theater in Hollywood, and is currently working on a play based on the life of the poet Emily Dickinson.

Barbara is an adjunct professor of cinema at Pepperdine University and Azusa Pacific University and is a guest lecturer at the Los Angeles Film Study Center, the Catholic University of Valencia, in Spain, and the Catholic University of Milan. She won Catholic Press Awards in 2001 and 2002 for her contributions to various Catholic magazines. She is the co-editor with Spencer Lewerenz of the Baker Books 2006 release, Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith and Culture. She has been a contributor to several other books including: the 2012 Our Sunday Visitor release, Style, Sex and Substance, the 2010 Baker Books release, For the Beauty of the Church, the 2001 Augustinian Press release, Back to the Drawing Board: The Future of the Pro-Life Movement, and Loyola Press’ The Best Catholic Writing of 2005.

Barbara has received several awards for her work in media and culture. In 2004, she was selected as the Lay Apostle of the Year by the Legatus International Association. She won the 2006 Spirit Award from the Windrider Forum at the Sundance Film Festival. Most recently, she received the Gravitas Award for Cultural Impact from the Diocese of Trenton for her work in media in the spirit of Blessed Pope John Paul the Second.

Barbara serves as a consultant to the Board of Directors of the Magis Institute, a non-profit to promote authentic Catholic culture and spirituality. She is also on the board of New Ethos, an effort to foster dialogue and cooperation between the Christian community and Hollywood. In conjunction with Family Theater in Hollywood, she teaches theology to converts to Christianity from the entertainment industry.

Andrea Nafell

Screenwriter

Andrea Nasfell is an award-winning screenwriter whose most recently produced film is the family comedy MOMS’ NIGHT OUT directed by the Erwin Brothers for Sony AFFIRM/Provident Films. It recently won a Dove award for Inspirational Film of the Year. She also wrote the Christmas movies SILVER BELLS and CHRISTMAS ANGEL, the most-watched movie on UP TV in 2012. Her movies CHRISTMAS WITH A CAPITAL C and WHAT IF… were both nominated for Epiphany Prizes in TV and film. WHAT IF… was selected by Movieguide as one of 2010’s “Ten Best Films for Family Audiences” and CHRISTMAS WITH A CAPITAL C won their Faith & Freedom Award.  As a graduate of Act One: Writing for Hollywood, Andrea frequently serves as a script consultant and screenwriting lecturer. She is a graduate of Asbury University and earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University.

Jim Krueger

Author, Graphic Novelist, Screenwriter

New York Times best-selling author Jim Krueger is a graduate of Marquette University, an award-winning filmmaker, story/script doctor, copy-writer, video game developer and comic book writer best known for his epic works and ability to adapt the mythologies/characters of DC, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse and other companies. He’s worked on everything from the X-Men to Batman and Superman to the Avengers, Star Wars, and the Justice League of America.

Krueger also launched two new comic book formats, both which were later utilized by DC and Marvel. He is a former Creative Director at Marvel Entertainment Group.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• The Runner (DRAMA/THRILLER about a man on the run from Death for 80 years) has a first/last-look deal with FOX. Graphic novel coming out this year.
• Jack ‘N’ Ape development deal with Disney as well as other undisclosed development projects for Disney
• Wrote Earth X trilogy for Marvel – Best series of the year award from Wizard Magazine. Brought him to the attention of Marvel Studios.
• Wrote Justice for DC – Most famous collaboration with Alex Ross — won the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Novel of the Year. Gem award for Best Comic Of The year.
• Writer on the Satellite Award-winning videogame – Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks (Best Video Game of the year). Also nominated by GAME PLAY as The Most Surprigly good game of the year. Also developed REMNANT KNIGHTS for Funimation.

NEW PROJECTS: Old Leaf, The Wicked Witch Of The Midwest, and the Golem

Nathan Scoggins

Screenwriter

Award-winning writer and director of various features, short films, commercials and music videos; three of his commercials aired in the 2010, 2012 and 2013 Super Bowls as part of the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl competition. “Sling Baby” (creative team) won $1M and was Nielsen’s most-remembered ad of the game; 2013’s “Fashionista Daddy” (producer/co-director) won the contest and aired throughout 2013. His first film as a writer/director, THE LEAST OF THESE, an independent feature starring Isaiah Washington (“Grey’s Anatomy”) and executive-produced by Ralph Winter (“X-Men,” “Wolverine”), was released by Universal on DVD in 2011. “The Perfect Summer,” which Scoggins co-wrote, aired on UP throughout 2013 and was released on DVD in 2015; REDLINE, which Scoggins produced, was released on DVD in 2013. Scoggins has written and developed projects for producers including John Rickard (HORRIBLE BOSSES), Andrew Panay (WEDDING CRASHERS), and Scott Bernstein (STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON); several of his award-winning short films have been released on DVD by Lionsgate as part of the “Crave” anthology. He is repped by Jeff Portnoy at Bellevue Productions and Tanya Cohen at WME.

Butch Hartman

Creator and Executive Producer

Michigan native Butch Hartman remembers wanting to create cartoons as far back as kindergarten. “I drew a picture of my teacher and she kept raving about it. I realized art was a good way to get attention and I was hooked,” said Hartman. He has been with Nickelodeon for 18 years, spearheading four successful series including: The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, T.U.F.F. Puppy and upcoming Bunsen is a Beast.

Hartman pursued drawing through high school and then attended Cal Arts to study animation. Hartman decided on animation as a career after working freelance as an assistant animator for Don Bluth on “An American Tail” during his junior year at Cal Arts. Upon graduation, he worked as a character designer and storyboard artist for Marvel Productions, and later, Ruby Spears Productions.

Soon after, he earned a job working on Family Dog for Amblin Television before joining Hanna-Barbera in 1991. Hartman worked at Hanna-Barbera for six years doing storyboard work, directing cartoons and creating his own shorts for What A Cartoon! He also wrote and directed episodes of Dexter’s Laboratory, Cow & Chicken and Johnny Bravo before churning out three shorts – Pfish & Chip, Hillbilly Blue and Gramps.
Following his stint at Hanna-Barbera, Hartman began working on Nickelodeon’s Oh Yeah, Cartoons! where he created a new short, The Fairly OddParents. The short was then developed into an animated series and became a mega-hit for the network when it launched in 2001. The Fairly OddParents ranks as Nickelodeon’s third longest running animated series, behind SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer. In 2011, Nickelodeon commemorated the 10th anniversary of the animated series with the live-action/CG animated TV movie A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner! The series came to life once again in the original TV movie, A Fairly Odd Christmas in 2012 and A Fairly OddSummer in 2014.

The Fairly OddParents was nominated for an Emmy in 2002 in the Outstanding Music and Lyrics category for an original song co-written by Hartman entitled, “I Wish Every Day Could Be Christmas.” The series garnered two additional Emmy nominations the following year in the same category for original songs co-written by the creator entitled, “What Girls Love” and “It’s Great to be a Guy,” and in 2004 for “Wish Come True!.” The Fairly OddParents received two BMI Cable Awards for Outstanding Theme Song and Underscore in 2002 and 2003. In 2010, The Fairly OddParents earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing. The successful animated series has also earned several Annie Award nominations.

In 2004, Hartman created Danny Phantom, an animated comedy series featuring a teenage boy endowed with ghost-like superpowers, and in 2010, he created the Nickelodeon animated series, T.U.F.F. Puppy, which follows a gung-ho, dim-witted dog named Dudley Puppy who is thrust into the role of “hero” when recruited by the super secret crime fighting organization T.U.F.F. (Turbo Undercover Fighting Force).

In 2015 Nickelodeon announced the 20-episode greenlight for Hartman’s fourth series with the network, Bunsen is a Beast, following the adventures of Bunsen, the first beast ever to attend a human grade school, and his human best friend Mikey.

Hartman also launched his own online kid’s destination called “THE NOOG NETWORK”. An interactive app featuring cartoons, live-action shows and games for kids.

In 2005, Hartman and his wife, Julieann, founded Hartman House, a non-profit foundation whose mission is to help underprivileged children all around the world. Since its formation, Hartman House has helped support numerous global child-based charities, including The Angola Girls Project, a shelter for adolescent girls in Angola, Africa. Hartman House has also spearheaded aid projects in orphanages in Uganda, Africa and Haiti. In Los Angeles, Hartman House has funded school scholarships for inner city children and sponsored a complete home renovation for a family in need. More information regarding the non-profit foundation is available at www.hartmanhousefoundation.org.

Hartman lives in Bell Canyon, Calif. with his wife, two daughters, four dogs and one cat.

Leo Partible

Screenwriter, Graphic Novelist, Musician, Consultant, Producer, Director

Leo Partible is a versatile storyteller. He tells stories of fantastic worlds, emotional journeys, and explorations of truth through his screenwriting, comic books, music, and filmmaking. He began in the entertainment industry as a storyboard artist, mentored by legendary comic book and animation artist Nestor Redondo. In the film industry, Leo was a film executive for various production companies, developing comic books into feature films. He is also a writer for film and comic books and contributed to several books including Behind the Screen: Insiders on Faith, Film and Culture, The Gospel According to Superheroes: Religion and Pop Culture (with a Forward by Stan Lee), the Forward to Who Needs a Superhero, Filipinas: A to Z and co-wrote the story for the comic book series Killer Stunts, Inc. He has also written for InfuzeMag.com, IESB.net online and Risen Magazine in print.

His public speaking includes panels and lectures at U.C. Berkeley, Azusa Pacific University, Palm Beach Atlantic University, and Biola University, as well as pop culture gatherings such as the Damah Film Festival, Sunscreen Film Festival, Stan Lee’s Comickaze, Hollywood Black Film Festival and the San Diego Comic-Con. Leo has been interviewed by NPR, The Atlantic Monthly, Publisher’s Weekly, World Magazine, The Washington Post, Fanboy Radio, and many other outlets. His album “Parallel Worlds and the Eucatastrophe” will be released on iTunes. He is a screenwriting consultant and also teaches screenwriting online at Act One.

His brother Van created the popular Cartoon Network animated series Johnny Bravo.

Specialties: Film and Script consulting, Writing, Comic Book Artist, Screenwriting, Singer-songwriter, Film Marketing, Animation

Chris Dalton

Writer, Director, Act One Writing Program

Chris is a writer and corporate communications director with over twenty years of experience. He has written and designed for Fortune 500 companies like Eli Lilly and Lockheed Martin, as well as non-profits, small businesses, and entrepreneurs.

Chris’ first novel under his own imprint label is The Legends of Saint Nicholas, the origin story of the Santa Claus myths. The book is available from The Story Haus and sold wherever fine books can be found.

Chris is currently writing two novels: The Sounds of Fury and The Adventures of Lewis & Clark, as well as their companion feature film scripts.

He is also in development on a web series titled Red Lips, and the feature film Great, Once.

A published author, his articles have appeared in Group Magazine, Relevant Magazine, and other online journals.

Chris is married to Carissa, an actress, and they have three sons. All reside in Los Angeles, California.

Michael Warren

Screenwriter

Michael Warren spent 30 years writing and producing television shows.

In addition to writing for HAPPY DAYS, WHAT’S HAPPENING and producing THE LOVE BOAT, Michael was the executive producer on the ABC series PERFECT STRANGERS for seven seasons.

During this time he co-created and executive produced two of the longest running shows on ABC: STEP BY STEP, for seven seasons. (Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers with a blended family) and FAMILY MATTERS for nine seasons. (Steve Urkel and his love for Laura Winslow).

While at Warner Bros. he also executive produced HANGIN WITH MR. COOPER, and developed KIRK (with Kirk Cameron) for the WB, and TWO OF A KIND (with the Olson Twins) for ABC. He co-wrote and/or produced 24 pilots and over 800 episodes of prime-time network television shows.

He received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from BIOLA University for his contributions to value based entertainment.

He served on the Board of Elders at Calvary Community Church for 18 years.

Michael is married and has two adult children and four grandchildren.

Sheryl Anderson

Screenwriter

Sheryl J. Anderson has worked as a writer-producer for both half-hour (including Parker Lewis Can’t Lose and Dave’s World) and hour television (including Charmed, Flash Gordon, and When Calls the Heart). She has sold pilots to Disney Channel, SyFy, and Lifetime and written several television movies, and was a creative consultant for Canada’s What’s Up, Warthogs!. She and her husband are the authors of the Molly Forrester mystery novels, published by St. Martin’s Press. Her essay “What Would Jesus Write?” appears in the book Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film, and Culture. Sheryl is an adjunct faculty member in Pepperdine University’s MFA in Screenwriting program, previously taught in UCLA’s Writer’s Extension program, and is a frequent guest lecturer at Regent University and Azusa Pacific University. She is a graduate of the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and lives in Westchester, California, with her husband of twenty-eight years, Mark Parrott. They have two children, Sara and Sean.

Tom Provost

Screenwriter, Editor, Director, Actor

Tom Provost, an award winning writer/director/editor living in Los Angeles.

After graduating from The University of Texas at Austin’s prestigious Plan II Honors program, with emphases in both English Literature and Film, he moved to Los Angeles where he has worked steadily writing, directing, editing and acting. (And, for while at least, waiting tables.) He was hired to adapt a script for Academy Award Winner Morgan Freeman’s production company, Revelations, a screenplay made into the film Under Suspicion starring Freeman and Academy Award Winner Gene Hackman. The screenplay was nominated for an Edgar Award.

Provost’s feature directorial debut was The Presence. He also wrote the film and is one of the producers. The genre-twisting ghost story stars Academy Award-winning actress Mira Sorvino, Shane West, Golden Globe Nominee Justin Kirk, and Tony Curran. After winning numerous awards on the festival circuit including Best Picture and Best Director, Lionsgate picked up the movie which was released in Fall 2011.

A graduate screenwriting professor at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Provost works steadily as a script doctor and consultant.

He also teaches the popular series of classes on filmmaking called Cinema Language: The Art Of Storytelling, both in Los Angeles and around the country, often in conjunction with Mark Stolaroff’s No Budget Film School.

You can find some of his writing at onfoodandfilm.com

Howard Kazanjian

Producer

Howard G. Kazanjian (born July 26, 1942) is an American film producer known for Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi. Kazanjian is also a former 8-year Vice President of Lucasfilm, Ltd., and a published non-fiction author.

As Lucasfilm’s Vice President of Production, Howard Kazanjian was intimately involved in the day-to-day strategic and practical operations of Lucasfilm during the times immediately after the 1977 release of Star Wars until approximately 1984 or 1985.

Kazanjian graduated from the University of Southern California. While there he first met a young George Lucas, and they became not only Delta Kappa Alpha cinema fraternity brothers but also long standing friends. They were members of a clique of filmmakers known to the Hollywood system and the university circuit as The Dirty Dozen. During those college years, Kazanjian and Lucas both met their respective future wives, and the couples would often double date.

Kazanjian’s early credits include being First Assistant Director on Alfred Hitchcock‘s Family Plot and Second Assistant Director on Sam Peckinpah‘s Wild Bunch. He later worked with director Robert Wise on his production of The Hindenburg.

Kazanjian moved into film production rather than directorial work at Hitchcock’s suggestion and is most notable for having served as executive producer on Raiders of the Lost Ark and producer on Return of the Jedi, two of the biggest films of all time. For Jedi he came up with the idea of shooting the production under a fake name, Blue Harvest, in order to forestall any attempts at price gouging by suppliers. Blue Harvest was purported to be a horror film with the tag line “horror beyond imagination”. Hats and T-shirts were printed up for the crew to wear and to further add to the authenticity of the ruse.

Kazanjian is also recognized as an uncredited producer on The Empire Strikes Back, replacing producer Gary Kurtz midway through the production.

Kazanjian has authored books with Chris Enss. In 2004, they collaborated on The Cowboy and the Senorita: A Biography of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans ISBN 0-7627-3053-6 and Happy Trails: A Pictorial Celebration of the Lives of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans ISBN 0-7627-3089-7; In 2006, The Young Duke: The Early Life of John Wayne ISBN 0-7627-3898-7; in 2009, Thunder over the Prairie: The True Story of a Murder and a Manhunt by the Greatest Posse of All Time ISBN 0-7627-4493-6.

Kazanjian has been an instructor at “Act One”, a group designed to train Christians entering into film and television,^[1] and was named by Beliefnet as one of the twelve most powerful Christians in Hollywood.^[2]

On June 8, 2009, Howard Kazanjian was deputized as an Honorary Marshal of Dodge City, Kansas.

Of Armenian descent, Kazanjian is an active member of the Armenian charity and cultural community, and a USC alumnus.

Since 1998 Kazanjian has been Co-Chairman and 50% shareholder of Tricor Entertainment, Inc, an independent production company, which owns and operates a 19,000+ seat theater chain in Southeast Asia and a film distribution company.

Kazanjian lives and works in the community of San Marino, California with his wife Carol, and three children, Peter, Noah, and Andrew. Fellow filmmaker BWL Norton, with whom he worked on More American Graffiti, jokingly described Kazanjian as being “like, from Mars” in a 1980 interview.

As of 2016, Kazanjian and George Lucas remain close friends.

Bobette Buster

Story Guru

Bobette Buster hails from small-town America, a region renowned for their storytellers. Traveling all over the US to listen to the last of the great “folk storytellers,” she recorded their “oral history” in a collection now stored at the Kentucky Museum. She then moved onto Hollywood, to learn the business of storytelling and script development, and now writes, produces and lectures at the major studios, and in top film programs, all over the globe on how to create great stories well told.

Bobette was a Disney Fellows Finalist, 2007. She worked with Tony Scott for seven years, as his creative development executive (Revenge, starring Kevin Costner), and was a Production Consultant with Larry Gelbart (Weapons of Mass Distraction and Barbarians At The Gate).

She was the production co-ordinator on the PBS Special, In Search of Excellence and was script consultant and screenwriter on Siberian Education, (2013 Focus Features / Universal release), directed by Gabriele Salvatores and starring John Malkevich.

Bobette is currently producing the feature documentary, Making Waves: The Power of Sound in Cinema, with Karen Johnson and director, Midge Costin (Chair of the USC Sound Department).

obette is both a graduate of and Adj. Professor in the University of Southern California Peter Stark Producing Program, where she created the first MFA curriculum for Feature Film and Television Development, The Art and Craft of Cinematic Storytelling.

Now, her international lecture series, Deconstructing Master Filmmakers, has positioned her on the Guest Faculty of Pixar, Disney Animation, Disney Channel, Sony Animation, Twentieth Century Fox, the University of Milan, La Fėmis (Paris), Screen Training Ireland, North By Northwest (Denmark), The Sundance Institute Latin American Lab (Oaxaca) and Media Business School (Spain).

She is frequently requested to create guest lectures for diverse groups on such subjects as Story Physics, The History of Hollywood Economics, Hard-Wired for Wonder, The Uses of Enchantment, Violence in Entertainment, The Purpose of Happily Ever After, Hollywood Economics 101, Epiphany, and The Ten Stages of Transformation.

She is the author of DO STORY: How To Tell Your Story So The World Listens (Do Book Co., 2013).

Leo Partible

Screenwriter, Graphic Novelist, Musician, Consultant, Producer, Director

Leo Partible is a versatile storyteller. He tells stories of fantastic worlds, emotional journeys, and explorations of truth through his screenwriting, comic books, music, and filmmaking. He began in the entertainment industry as a storyboard artist, mentored by legendary comic book and animation artist Nestor Redondo. In the film industry, Leo was a film executive for various production companies, developing comic books into feature films. He is also a writer for film and comic books and contributed to several books including Behind the Screen: Insiders on Faith, Film and Culture, The Gospel According to Superheroes: Religion and Pop Culture (with a Forward by Stan Lee), the Forward to Who Needs a Superhero, Filipinas: A to Z and co-wrote the story for the comic book series Killer Stunts, Inc. He has also written for InfuzeMag.com, IESB.net online and Risen Magazine in print.

His public speaking includes panels and lectures at U.C. Berkeley, Azusa Pacific University, Palm Beach Atlantic University, and Biola University, as well as pop culture gatherings such as the Damah Film Festival, Sunscreen Film Festival, Stan Lee’s Comickaze, Hollywood Black Film Festival and the San Diego Comic-Con. Leo has been interviewed by NPR, The Atlantic Monthly, Publisher’s Weekly, World Magazine, The Washington Post, Fanboy Radio, and many other outlets. His album “Parallel Worlds and the Eucatastrophe” will be released on iTunes. He is a screenwriting consultant and also teaches screenwriting online at Act One.

His brother Van created the popular Cartoon Network animated series Johnny Bravo.

Specialties: Film and Script consulting, Writing, Comic Book Artist, Screenwriting, Singer-songwriter, Film Marketing, Animation

Scott Reynolds

Screenwriter

Scott Reynolds is a television writer who has written for the Fox series The Following, The Showtime series Dexter and the Bruckheimer television series E-Ring. He is a consulting producer on The Following and was a supervising producer on Dexter. Scott was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for best dramatic series for his work on the third and fourth seasons of Dexter. He has also created/written the comic book UTF (Undead Task Force) with Tone Rodriguez for APE comics. He also has hosted popular podcasts for both Dexter and The Following. His work on Dexter earned him both WGA and PGA award nominations. Scott is currently a Co-EP on the upcoming Marvel/Netflix show, Jessica Jones, the Marvel/Netflix show, Iron Fist, and the ABC/Marvel show, InHumans.

Dean Batali

Screenwriter

Dean Batali worked as a writer on That 70s Show for seven years, serving as an executive producer for the show’s final season. He wrote for the initial two seasons of Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, and has written for Duckman, Kick Buttowski, and The Adventures of Pete and Pete. He was the executive producer for two seasons of the Canadian series What’s Up, Warthogs!, for which he was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award, and was the head writer on the animated Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch. His essay “Changing the Channels” appears in the book Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film, and Culture, and his experiences as a Christian in Hollywood were featured in the book Faith in the Halls of Power. He was also profiled on NBC’s Nightly News with Brian Williams. Dean is a graduate of the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and lives in La Crescenta, California, with his wife of twenty-seven years, Beth. They have two daughters, Erin and Katharine.

Chris Dalton

Writer, Director, Act One Writing Program

Chris is a writer and corporate communications director with over twenty years of experience. He has written and designed for Fortune 500 companies like Eli Lilly and Lockheed Martin, as well as non-profits, small businesses, and entrepreneurs.

Chris’ first novel under his own imprint label is The Legends of Saint Nicholas, the origin story of the Santa Claus myths. The book is available from The Story Haus and sold wherever fine books can be found.

Chris is currently writing two novels: The Sounds of Fury and The Adventures of Lewis & Clark, as well as their companion feature film scripts.

He is also in development on a web series titled Red Lips, and the feature film Great, Once.

A published author, his articles have appeared in Group Magazine, Relevant Magazine, and other online journals.

Chris is married to Carissa, an actress, and they have three sons. All reside in Los Angeles, California.

Steve Storm

Screenwriter

Steve is a graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and a veteran story consultant who has spent over 15 years helping clients build tightly crafted entertainment experiences across a variety of platforms. His clients include writers and producers working at Showtime, CBS, Warner Bros., Fox Searchlight, Lionsgate and 20th Century Fox, among others.

Steve’s experience on set and in the agency world informs his insights with real-world practicality, enabling him to anticipate and solve problems in the development process long before they become costly mistakes in financing, production and post. In addition, he spent six years on the core leadership team of a diverse inner-city congregation that helped to transform and enrich the personal stories of hundreds of people. Serving on the Act One faculty gives him a unique opportunity to combine those gifts for relational and spiritual nurturing with his extensive story training to equip our students to excel in the many challenges of a creative career. He lives in Redondo Beach with his awesome wife (conveniently located in the adjacent bio), spending what little free time he has chasing after their two energetic boys.

Leo Partible

Screenwriter, Graphic Novelist, Musician, Consultant, Producer, Director

Leo Partible is a versatile storyteller. He tells stories of fantastic worlds, emotional journeys, and explorations of truth through his screenwriting, comic books, music, and filmmaking. He began in the entertainment industry as a storyboard artist, mentored by legendary comic book and animation artist Nestor Redondo. In the film industry, Leo was a film executive for various production companies, developing comic books into feature films. He is also a writer for film and comic books and contributed to several books including Behind the Screen: Insiders on Faith, Film and Culture, The Gospel According to Superheroes: Religion and Pop Culture (with a Forward by Stan Lee), the Forward to Who Needs a Superhero, Filipinas: A to Z and co-wrote the story for the comic book series Killer Stunts, Inc. He has also written for InfuzeMag.com, IESB.net online and Risen Magazine in print.

His public speaking includes panels and lectures at U.C. Berkeley, Azusa Pacific University, Palm Beach Atlantic University, and Biola University, as well as pop culture gatherings such as the Damah Film Festival, Sunscreen Film Festival, Stan Lee’s Comickaze, Hollywood Black Film Festival and the San Diego Comic-Con. Leo has been interviewed by NPR, The Atlantic Monthly, Publisher’s Weekly, World Magazine, The Washington Post, Fanboy Radio, and many other outlets. His album “Parallel Worlds and the Eucatastrophe” will be released on iTunes. He is a screenwriting consultant and also teaches screenwriting online at Act One.

His brother Van created the popular Cartoon Network animated series Johnny Bravo.

Specialties: Film and Script consulting, Writing, Comic Book Artist, Screenwriting, Singer-songwriter, Film Marketing, Animation

Sunday Boling

Casting Agent

Sunday “Sunny” Boling began working in the Feature Casting office of 20th Century Fox, on a variety of films, including Ice Age, Dude, Where’s My Car?, From Hell, One Hour Photo, Unfaithful, Behind Enemy Lines and Big Momma’s House. She opened her own shingle in late 2004 with Megan Morman.

Credits include the award winning films Hello, My Name is Doris (starring Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Stephen Root, Tyne Daly), Natural Selection (starring Rachael Harris, Matt O’Leary and Jon Gries), I Believe in Unicorns (starring Peter Vack and Natalia Dyer), Take Me Home (starring Sam Jaeger, Victor Garber and Lin Shaye), Dear Lemon Lima (starring Melissa Leo, Beth Grant, Elaine Hendrix, Meaghan Jette Martin and Vanessa Marano), Magic Valley (starring Scott Glenn, Kyle Gallner, Alison Elliott, Brad William Henke, Johnny Lewis and Will Estes), and Mississippi Damned (starring Malcolm Goodwin, Tessa Thompson, DB Woodside and Malcolm David Kelley). Meg and Sunny also cast the hugely successful feature Waitress (starring Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Jeremy Sisto, Cheryl Hines and Andy Griffith), which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. In addition, Steal Me and Me & You & Everyone We Know were both official selections of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival; Me & You & Everyone We Know also went on to win the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision as well as the Golden Camera Award at Cannes.

She is a proud members of the Casting Society of America.

Sunny serves as the Casting Consultants for the Film Independent’s Directing Lab.

Andrea Nasfell

Screenwriter

Andrea Nasfell is an award-winning screenwriter whose most recently produced film is the family comedy MOMS’ NIGHT OUT directed by the Erwin Brothers for Sony AFFIRM/Provident Films. It recently won a Dove award for Inspirational Film of the Year. She also wrote the Christmas movies SILVER BELLS and CHRISTMAS ANGEL, the most-watched movie on UP TV in 2012. Her movies CHRISTMAS WITH A CAPITAL C and WHAT IF… were both nominated for Epiphany Prizes in TV and film. WHAT IF… was selected by Movieguide as one of 2010’s “Ten Best Films for Family Audiences” and CHRISTMAS WITH A CAPITAL C won their Faith & Freedom Award.  As a graduate of Act One: Writing for Hollywood, Andrea frequently serves as a script consultant and screenwriting lecturer. She is a graduate of Asbury University and earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University.

Andrew Klavan

Author, Screenwriter

Award winning author, screenwriter and media commentator Andrew Klavan is the author of such internationally bestselling novels as True Crime, filmed by Clint Eastwood, and Don’t Say A Word, filmed starring Michael Douglas. Andrew has been nominated for the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award five times and has won twice. His books have been translated around the world. His latest novel for adults, The Identity Man, has been praised by Nelson Demille as “fast paced, intelligent and thought-provoking; a great read!” Television and radio host Glenn Beck says “Andrew Klavan never disappoints…one of the best illustrations of the power of redemption that I’ve ever read.” His last novel Empire of Lies was about media bias in the age of terror, and topped Amazon.com’s thriller list. Andrew has also published a series of thrillers for young adults, The Homelanders, which follows a patriotic teenager’s battle against jihadists. The books have been optioned to be made into movies by Summit Entertainment, the team behind the mega-successful Twilight film series.

Andrew is a contributing editor to City Journal, the magazine of the Manhattan Institute. His essays and op-eds on politics, religion, movies and literature have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, The Washington Post, the LA Times, and elsewhere. His video feature, “Klavan on the Culture,” can be found at PJTV.com. Andrew is a frequent media guest on television and radio stations from coast to coast, where he is known for his quick wit, humor and commentary on politics and entertainment.

As a screenwriter, Andrew wrote the screenplay to 1990’s A Shock to the System, which starred Michael Caine, and to 2008’s One Missed Call, which stars Ed Burns and Shannyn Sossamon. He lives in Southern California.

Karen Covell

Producer

Karen is a producer, co-owner of Joint Effort – a film production company, and co-owner with her husband Jim, of JC Productions – a music production company.

Karen has had extensive experience producing TV specials, documentaries and children’s programming; such as Coordinating Producer for the PAX special Changed Lives: Miracles of the Passion, as Associate Producer for Headliners & Legends with Matt Lauer, as Co-Producer for the television special America’s Throwaway Children, starring Dennis Franz and Danny Glover and as Post-Production Producer for the animation company TMS Entertainment, Inc.. She has also produced documentaries DVDs for HPN entitled The Hollywood Crisis, The Hollywood Tribe and The Hollywood Community and directed a short doc. for “Go Public.” She has written episodes of the TV Series The Incurables, created and produced the rock gospel music show pilot Good News Rock, and was Associate Producer with Shari Lewis for two of her Home Video series, One Minute Bedtime Stories and One Minute Bible Stories. Karen also has the honor of producing her sons’ short films. She is currently in development with the feature film “Charley Parkhurst”.

As Head of Development at Penthouse Presentations, a TV production company (not affiliated with the magazine), Karen created and developed both television movies and series concepts. She was the assistant to the Executive Producer for a CBS-TV movie The Two Lives of Carol Letner, and was co-writer and assistant editor for Players or Pawns, a sports documentary and winner of best documentary at the San Francisco Film Festival.

Karen was also the producing director of the 8 th Annual Women in Film Festival in Los Angeles. Prior to that event she was one of the founders of Kino Women International (KIWI), an international women’s film federation at the Moscow Film Festival and in Georgia, Soviet Union. She has also been booking producer for TV specials and fundraisers, booking celebrities and interviewees for the American Heart Association, the American Lung Cancer Association and World Vision International. She also served as the interim Theatre Manager for the Mark Taper Forum for six months.

As Founding Director of the Hollywood Prayer Network, Karen also speaks and teaches around the country to people of faith, encouraging them to not hate Hollywood or boycott its products, but instead to pray for the people in the entertainment industry.   She is also a published co-author of two books with her husband Jim and their writing partner Victorya Rogers, entitled, “How To Talk About Jesus Without Freaking Out” (or the young people’s version, “The J Bomb”) and “The Day I Met God,” all available at Barnesandnoble.com, Thrillinglife.com and at Amazon.com.

Karen is a member of the Producers Guild of America, a founding member of PREMISE, and a board member of the Biola University Media Task Force. She is a graduate of USC with a BA in Producing. Karen is married to a film and TV composer and her best Pal Jim. They are the proud parents of their two Wonder Boys – Chapman University, Dodge Film School graduate, Christopher, and USC Film School Freshman, Cameron.

James Covell

Composer

James Covell began his career writing music immediately after graduating in music composition from USC. He has been working ever since scoring, songwriting, conducting and arranging in every medium. James has written scores for many feature films, including DENACE THE MENACE CHRISTMAS, THE LIST and LEFT BEHIND, recorded with the London Symphony. That Soundtrack CD, and twelve other soundtracks are available on his website at www.JamesCovell.com. Along with his work in film, James has worked for all four of the major networks scoring Pilots, TV Movies, Specials and Series. Currently running is “Last Shot With Judge Gunn” on syndication and recent scores are his themes on the new Veria Health Network and two TLC series, U.S. MARSHALS and THE HUNT FOR AMAZING TREASURES, along with his score on the TV Special CHANGED LIVES: MIRACLES OF THE PASSION. James has also written a full-scale musical play entitled A HOUSE DIVIDED and an Orchestral Trumpet Concerto. His other commissioned Orchestral works premiered with great success by the Denver Symphony.

Karen and Jim spend quite a bit of time in ministry in Hollywood and they speak, both as a team and individually, around the country to churches, colleges and private functions across the country on their three favorite topics; “How to Talk About Jesus Without Freaking Out” and “The Power of Prayer” and “Hollywood: The World’s Most Influential Mission Field.” They are on the forefront of spreading the unique vision that Christians around the world should pray for the “Hollywood tribe,” as a key to transforming the world’s most influential mission field.

Jim and Karen are two of the three co-authors of two books, “How to Talk About Jesus Without Freaking Out”, the new young version entitled “The J Bomb” and “The Day I Met God” all published by ThrillingLife Publishers. They are still planning to someday write their third book about marriage called “To Have and To Hold On.”

Jim’s non-musical passion are Mrs. Fields cookies, his girlfriend Karen (who he’s been married to for 29+ years) and their two Wonder Boys Christopher (age 22) and Cameron (age 18).

Christina Lee Storm

 Producer / Production Executive, DreamWorks Animation / Producers Guild of America Treasurer

Christina Lee Storm is an award-winning international independent producer who has collaborated with filmmakers from around the world. While living in Hong Kong she was Head of Creative Development and Vice President of International Production while producing for legendary Hong Kong director Johnnie To on films including Running Out of Time, The Mission, and Second Time Around.  A pioneer in bridging the East and the West through film, Christina worked closely with local screenwriters and directors to develop international films that carried a broad appeal for Asian and North American audiences. Some of Christina’s U.S. producing credits include The Least of These, To Save A Life, Flesh: Bought & Sold in the U.S., and Life After Pi.

Christina was Production Supervisor for 2012 Oscar-winning film The Artist. She has worked as line producer, UPM, production manager, and production coordinator on over a dozen film projects giving her insight and expertise in feature film production.

Christina was Manager of Digital Production at Rhythm & Hues Studios where she worked with all in-house feature film productions to hire, staff, schedule, and build strategic and efficient teams related to the Lighting pipeline including key supervisors, leads, and digital artists. While at Rhythm & Hues Studios, Christina worked on over a dozen films including Life of Pi (which won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects), The Hunger Games, The Chronicle of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Moneyball, R.I.P.D., Snow White and the Huntsman, and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters to name a few.

Her latest producing project, Life After Pi, is a short documentary about the award-winning, visual effects studio Rhythm & Hues which won the Academy Award for its ground breaking visual effects work on Life of Pi, two weeks after declaring bankruptcy. The documentary won the Best Documentary Short Film Award at both the 2015 Santa Barbara

International Film Festival and the 2016 Oscar qualifying Cleveland International Film Festival. Life After Pi has also been selected for competition at the 2015 Nashville Film Festival, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, and St. Louis International Film Festival.

Christina is a Production Executive at DreamWorks Animation where she is a part of senior leadership for studio-wide initiatives and helps lead the Production Strategy Team for the studio. She is the former President of Act One where she provided leadership and vision for the 18 year faith-based, innovative training and incubator for writers and producers in film, television, and digital media. Act One teaches writers and producers to be Creators and Innovators with unique voices. She is Founder/Executive Producer for the Act One Digital Lab and Fellowship that combines science, story, and technology to develop and create the most engaging and impactful original online stories for youth 14-18 years old.

Christina has spoken at numerous Universities including University of Southern California, Pepperdine University, Loyola Marymount University, UCLA Extension, and Azusa Pacific University as well as speaking on Panels and at Conferences and Festivals on film, culture, pre-production, physical production, visual effects, and technology in storytelling.

Christina’s current projects in development include a faith-based adventure based on the book “Blind Courage,” a teen-comedy, an animated children’s feature, and a documentary “prequel” to Life After Pi.

Christina has a passion for making films with profound themes. She is an alumnus of Act One: Writing for Hollywood program, served on its Advisory Board for the Producing and Entertainment Executive Program, and currently serves on its Board of Directors.

She is an active member of the Producers Guild of America and has served on the guild’s National Board of Directors for 6 years. She is Chair and Mentor for the PGA’s Diversity Workshop, a member of the PGA’s China Task Force, Women’s Impact Network, and PGA’s Digital VIP Award Committee which determines the top visionaries, innovators, and producers in the digital space. Christina received the AP Council Commitment Award, the highest award given by the AP Council of the PGA, and is currently the re-elected Treasurer of the Producers Guild of America.

She balances being a Mom of two rambunctious children, wife to Story Consultant and Screenwriter Steve Storm, and a passionate producer of films.