DAISY VON SCHERLER MAYER, DIRECTOR
Daisy von Scherler Mayer wrote and directed her debut film, PARTY GIRL, starring Parker Posey, which premiered at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival and was an instant indie hit that remains a cult classic today. The film’s success led to a FOX television series. Since then Daisy has directed the successful children’s classic MADELINE for Columbia Pictures starring Oscar winners Frances McDormand and Nigel Hawthorne and based on Ludwig Bemelmans’ famed books. For Working Title Films and Universal Pictures Daisy directed the Bollywood influenced comedy, THE GURU starring Heather Graham, Jimi Mistry and Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei. She has also directed two television movies, MORE OF ME for the Lifetime Network, and FRENEMIES for the Disney Channel. Daisy has written for television including the pilot PRICELESS for executive producer Lisa Kudrow and Warner Bros. Television. As a director of episodic television, Daisy has worked on a number of critically acclaimed series including, MAD MEN, NURSE JACKIE and SHAMELESS. Before her work in film and television, Daisy was a New York theater director and comedy improv performer. Prior to that, she studied both film and theater at Wesleyan University. Daisy also trained at The Circle in the Square, Williamstown Theater Festival and Atlantic Theater Company, where she went on to work as a director. Daisy lives in Los Angeles with her husband, film composer David Carbonara, and two daughters, Ava and Colette.
NEIL LABUTE, WRITER
Neil LaBute received his Master of Fine Arts degree in Dramatic Writing from New York University and was the recipient of a literary fellowship to study at the Royal Court Theatre, London, and also attended the Sundance Institute’s Playwrights’ Lab. His films include IN THE COMPANY OF MEN (New York Critics’ Circle Award for Best First Feature and the Filmmaker Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival), YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, NURSE BETTY, POSSESSION, THE SHAPE OF THINGS (a film adaptation of his play by the same title), THE WICKER MAN, LAKEVIEW TERRACE, DEATH AT A FUNERAL, SOME VELVET MORNING. His short films include TUMBLE, AFTER-SCHOOL SPECIAL, SEXTING, DENISE, DOUBLE OR NOTHING, BENCH SEAT, SWEET NOTHINGS and BFF. His TV credits include BASH: LATTER-DAY PLAYS (an adaptation of his play by the same title) for Showtime. LaBute’s plays include Bash: Latter-Day Plays; The Shape of Things; The Distance from Here; The Mercy Seat; Filthy Talk for Troubled Times; Fat Pig (Olivier nomination for Best Comedy), Autobahn; Some Girl(s); This is How it Goes; Land of the Dead/Helter Skelter; Wrecks; In a Dark Dark House; The Break of Noon; In a Forest, Dark and Deep; The Heart of the Matter; Things We Said Today; The Furies/The New Testament/Romance; The Great War; Taming of the Shrew - additional scenes (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Short Ends; The Money Shot; Lovely Head; In the Beginning; Miss Julie - adaptation (The Geffen Playhouse); Woyzeck - adaptation; and Reasons to be Pretty (Tony Award nomination for Best Play). LaBute is also the author of Seconds of Pleasure, a collection of short fiction which was published by Grove Atlantic.
PATTY WEST, PRODUCER
Patty holds a B.S. from Northwestern University and a M.F.A. in Producing from the American Film Institute Conservatory. Patty’s short films have premiered at AFI FEST, been a New York Times Critics’ Pick, screened at OutFest and aired on the Showtime Networks. Two of her commercials have won Gold and Silver for Best Use of Humor at the Summit Creative Awards. Patty cut her teeth working in freelance production and then in development working for producer Carol Baum (FATHER OF THE BRIDE, THE GOOD GIRL) as a Creative Executive. She then went on to work for the AFI Conservatory and the Directing Workshop for Women managing programs and the distribution of their films. She programs the renowned Harold Lloyd Master Seminars where she has brought such guests as David Cronenberg, Rian Johnson and Sam Mendes to the campus. Patty has taught producing workshops at the University of New Orleans and at the Athena Film Festival. She helped found the AFI Alumni Mentor Program where she serves as Co-Chair.
CHRIS SCHWARTZ, PRODUCER
Chris started in the business working for producers Kathleen Kennedy (SCHINDLER’S LIST, JURASSIC PARK) and Frank Marshall (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, THE BOURNE IDENTITY). In his six years with Kennedy and Marshall, Chris worked directly on the productions of CONGO and THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD, and on the pre-production of THE SIXTH SENSE. In 2000, Chris began working at AFI as the Manager of the AFI Conservatory and National Workshops. As program manager, he has overseen approximately 80 short films over the course of his working with the Directing Workshop for Women. With Patty, Chris programs the Harold Lloyd Master Seminars and Sloan Seminars where he recently brought Andy Serkis to campus. As a director, his short film, DINNER WITH KIP, won second place in Nintendo’s Short Film contest and has aired repeatedly on the Independent Film Channel, HBO and various other cable channels. Chris also produces and stars in an ongoing web series. With Patty, Chris formed Leeden Media in 2011. SOME GIRL(S) is their first film.
ANDREW CARLBERG, PRODUCER
A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Andrew Carlberg worked with Executive Producer Laurie Zaks on the hit ABC series CASTLE (starring Nathan Fillion) for its first four seasons, under an ABC development deal. On screen, Andrew has produced several shorts and music videos, including, DOUBLE OR NOTHING (written by Neil LaBute; starring Adam Brody and Keith David), AFTER-SCHOOL SPECIAL (written by Neil LaBute; starring Sarah Paulson and Wes Bentley) and I HAVE IT (starring Larisa Oleynik and Devon Gummersall). Andrew founded The 4th Wall: Geffen Playhouse Arts Alliance, a theater initiative in partnership with the world-renown theater and The Piece Project, a celebrity-based theater ensemble and reading series. On stage at the Geffen, Andrew produced the Los Angeles premiere of 110 Stories (starring Katharine McPhee, John Hawkes, Ed Asner, Sharon Lawrence, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and others). Other theater credits include the World Premiere of Rob Mersola’s Dirty Filthy Love Story, the World Premiere of Steve Yockey’s The Fisherman’s Wife, the critically acclaimed intimate theater premiere of The Color Purple: The Musical at Celebration Theatre (LA Times, Backstage and LA Weekly Critics’ Pick), the Los Angeles premiere of Neil LaBute’s The Mercy Seat, the West Coast premiere of Edward Anthony’s Wish I Had a Sylvia Plath and the World Premiere of David Dean Bottrell Makes Love. In addition to working in the entertainment industry, Andrew is an active volunteer and mentor through the I Have a Dream Foundation and serves on the Emerging Leaders Council for Outfest, the Board of Directors for Celebration Theatre and the Steering Committee for the Los Angeles Public Library’s Young Literati.
RACHEL MORRISON, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Rachel Morrison holds an M.F.A. from the American Film Institute Conservatory and is emerging as one of the refreshing young talents at the forefront of independent cinema. She lensed four films that premiered at Sundance in the past two years, the most recent of which, FRUITVALE, won both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize. This past year, Rachel saw two films open theatrically - SOUND OF MY VOICE starring Brit Marling and ANY DAY NOW starring Alan Cumming. Rachel has also shot for most TV networks, and was nominated for an Emmy in cinematography for her contribution to RIKER’S HIGH, a documentary about a high school within the Riker’s Island prison system. Morrison is represented by Dattner Dispoto and Associates.
MAYA SIGEL, PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Maya Sigel is a Production Designer with experience in feature films, commercials, music videos, and web content. She holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature and Film Studies from Brandeis University and completed her M.F.A. in Production Design from the American Film Institute Conservatory in 2007. Her feature film credits include Tribeca Film Festival favorites TiMER (2009) and BEWARE THE GONZO (2010). In 2011, GUN HILL ROAD was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival and was released in theaters across the country. That same year, Maya designed five commercials for a Google campaign that won the Gold Prize at the Cannes Lions International Festival. She just completed principal photography on her fourth feature film of 2012. Maya works frequently in New York and Los Angeles and currently resides in Brooklyn.
NANCY CEO, COSTUME DESIGNER
Nancea Ceo is a Costume Designer and Stylist with experience in feature films, TV, commercials, and print. She holds a BA from RISD, Rhode Island School of Design in Fashion Design with a minor in painting. Her feature film credits include SOME GIRL(S), MOVIE 43, and JACKS OR BETTER. Assistant designer credits on such films as the Academy Award winning film CRAZY HEART. Also winner of the Costume Designers Guild Award. And LOVE RANCH. TV pilot and series credits include; MTV’s “HARD TIMES OF RJ BERGER, winner of Teen choice award, AWKWARD. winner of Peoples Choice award, and ZACK STONE IS GONNA BE FAMOUS. She just completed the pilot, SOCIO renamed TWISTED for ABC family and currently is getting ready to costume design the TWISTED TV series, which the story takes place in NYC. Commercials include MTV promos for her designed series. Nancea is based in Los Angeles and has worked throughout the USA, Eastern Europe and Caribbean.
DAVID CARBONARA, COMPOSER
David Carbonara is the composer of the critically acclaimed series MAD MEN, winner of multiple awards including three Golden Globes and four consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series. Carbonara’s winning mix of contemporary score and period jazz has inspired a number of MAD MEN soundtracks. He also produced the MAD MEN REVUE, a live show starring cast members which was performed to packed houses in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. He expands his successful collaboration with Matthew Weiner scoring the upcoming film, YOU ARE
HERE (starring Owen Wilson and Zach Galifinakis) and written and directed by Weiner. Other films David Carbonara has scored include Working Title’s British comedy hit, THE GURU (starring Heather Graham and Marisa Tomei.) Also internationally, he scored two French produced films for director Amos Kolleck, QUEENIE IN LOVE and FAST FOOD, FAST WOMEN, which premiered at Cannes, as well as Brazilian director Ana Carolina’s Amélia. Other U.S. credits include David O. Russell’s SPANKING THE MONKEY, Nick Smith’s MONUMENTAL and James Ryan’s award-winning, THE YOUNG GIRL AND THE
MONSOON. He is currently scoring the CBS show, VEGAS starring Dennis Quaid and Michael Chicklis for producer James Mangold. Carbonara has also composed music for theater, scoring productions at the Atlantic Theater Company and Playwright’s Horizon and The American Repertory Theatre. A former touring trombonist, Carbonara has a bachelor degree in film scoring from the Berklee College of Music.
MICHAEL DARROW, EDITOR
Michael Darrow, a New Jersey native, graduated from the American Film Institute in 2006 earning a Master of Arts in Editing. While attending he won the prestigious ACE editing award. Since graduating Michael has Edited over twelve feature length films, several music vidoes, an award winning web series, and other forms of media. His most recent work, Breaking the Girl, will be released by IFC films later in 2013.
