DIRECTOR
Director Tony Zierra has been fascinated by the power of storytelling and cinema since he was a child. When time and money permitted he took film classes at NYU and later at Texas A & M and UCLA. His first documentary, Carving Out Our Name, follows the lives of four actors hoping to find success in Hollywood. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to much acclaim. Shortly after, Zierra went on the road to capture America’s reaction to the attacks of September 11th. The film that emerged, titled USA, explores the cyclical nature of violence and retaliation. Zierra's recent award-winning documentary, My Big Break, is a cautionary tale about the darker side of celebrity and the consequences of fame that also includes his struggle to make his first film. Zierra is working on several projects including a piece about 9/11 that looks back at America in that historic, troubled time.
PRODUCER
Elizabeth Yoffe is head of the production company True Studio Media. She received a B.A. in Theater Arts from Bennington College and an M.A. in Education from Antioch University, Seattle. She worked as a Seattle based casting director for many film and television projects including Waiting For The Light starring Shirley MacLaine, Dogfight starring River Phoenix and David Lynch’s classic series, Twin Peaks. In Los Angeles she served as president of Cinewomen L.A., a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the role of women in film. She is the producer of USA and the award-winning documentary My Big Break. She also produced the award-winning Independent Film Channel favorite Brightness starring Eric Idle and co-produced the Toronto International Film Festival official selection Carving Out Our Name. She is currently producing several projects including a documentary about 9/11. Yoffe’s work as a freelance writer has appeared in Slate, The Week, Natural Health, Healing Journal and The New York Times.
WES BENTLEY
Wes Bentley attended Juilliard for a year before leaving to pursue a career in film. He burst on the scene with a riveting performance as Ricky Fitts, the drug-dealing videographer in the Oscar winning movie American Beauty and quickly became one of the most sought after young actors in Hollywood. Bentley went on to star as Dalglish in Michael Winterbottom’s The Claim and co-starred with Heath Ledger and Kate Hudson in The Four Feathers directed by Shekhar Kapur. As shown in My Big Break, after a meteoric rise Bentley withdrew from the spotlight for almost a decade, appearing only occasionally in films. In a 2010 interview with The New York Times, Bentley revealed that not long after his initial success he sank into severe drug and alcohol addiction. After a long struggle, Bentley is now sober and his career is back on track. He recently starred in There Be Dragons directed by Roland Joffe´and will be seen as Seneca Crane in the film version of the wildly popular young adult novel The Hunger Games.
CHAD LINDBERG
Chad Lindberg moved to Hollywood shortly after high school and soon impressed film industry insiders with his work in the independent film Black Circle Boys. He was cast as a guest star on ER, The X-Files, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and 413 Hope Street. Lindberg is well known for his role as Jesse, the whiz kid car mechanic, in The Fast and the Furious. Other film roles include O'Dell in October Sky, the deaf transvestite, Kid Joey in The Velocity of Gary, an aspiring baseball player in The Rookie with Dennis Quaid, and a hillbilly in The White River Kid starring Antonio Banderas. Lindberg has been featured in recurring roles on CSI: NY and as fan favorite Ash (aka Dr. Badass) in the hit show Supernatural. Recently he appeared on the popular shows NCIS and Criminal Minds and starred in the films Push, opposite Chazz Palminteri, Punk Love, Once Fallen with Ed Harris, and as Matthew in I Spit On Your Grave.
GREG FAWCETT
Greg Fawcett received a B.A. in Theater from The University of Southern California. He went on to study acting with a variety of well known coaches in Los Angeles including Ivana Chubbuck. Fawcett was cast in recurring roles in the television shows Sunset Beach and The New Adventures of Robin Hood and has appeared in a number of independent films. He wrote, directed and starred in the short film Jack Woody that was screened at the film festival CineVegas. His most recent part was as Harry Panker in the Lifetime movie He Loves Me starring Heather Locklear.
BRAD ROWE
Brad Rowe was working in the mailroom of a talent agency when he caught the attention of an agent who suggested he try acting. Rowe quickly landed the role of Gabriel, the object of desire, in the romantic comedy Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss and became a sensation at The Sundance Film Festival. He was soon labeled “The Next Big Thing" by the Hollywood media and appeared on the cover of US magazine alongside such luminaries as Al Pacino, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt. Rowe was cast in a recurring role on the popular TV sitcom NewsRadio starring his idol Phil Hartman. He has gone on to appear in numerous films such as Body Shots, Nailed, Stonebrook, Lucky Seven, Christina's House and the hit indie film, Shelter. His television work includes Kevin Williamson's Wasteland, The 70's, Ghost Whisperer, CSI Miami, The Mentalist, Cold Case and General Hospital where he played movie star Murphy Sinclair. Rowe is currently the host of the online talk show MIPtalk.