CINDY FANG
co-writer/director/producer
A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Cindy Fang graduated from UC San Diego with a BA in Interactive Media and later earned her MFA in Film Production from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Through a joint grant from Visual Communications and ABC Entertainment, Cindy wrote, directed and produced a short mockumentary entitled, HOW TO BE A HONG KONG SUPERSTAR, which played on television and enjoyed a successful festival run.

Cindy also produced the independent feature comedy, MR. SADMAN, about a Saddam Hussein lookalike who moves to Los Angeles to start a new life. It was an official selection of the 2008 IFP Narrative Rough Cut Labs and a finalist for the inaugural $50,000 IFP Finishing Grant. MR. SADMAN is set to make its make its debut later this year.

Cindy was a fellow in Film Independent's Project: Involve program for emerging filmmakers. Through this fellowship she produced STEPS, a short film sponsored by Vanity Fair and Banana Republic. She is also being mentored by Heather Rae, who produced the Oscar-nominated FROZEN RIVER starring Melissa Leo.

ALICE KIM
co-writer/producer
Before moving out west, Alice Kim received her BA and MA from the University of Chicago. Currently, Alice works in Los Angeles as a project manager for a center for innovation and research in military social work. In addition to her social service career, however, Alice wears many hats, including but not limited to screenwriting, editing, grant writing, freelance writing, producing, and toddler wrangling.

Alice produced HOW TO BE A HONG KONG SUPERSTAR, a short mockumentary; and co-wrote and co-produced THE ORCHARD, a University of Southern California MFA thesis film, which premiered at the 2009 Newport Beach Film Festival.

PATRICK EPINO
producer
Patrick was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and started making narrative and experimental short films during his undergraduate years at the University of Chicago. He later received his MFA in Cinema from San Francisco State University where he wrote and directed several shorts including the film, SPUNK, which was distributed through Microcinema's Blackchair Collection.

Visual Communications in conjunction with ABC Entertainment awarded Patrick with the Armed With a Camera Grant. Through this sponsorship he produced the short film, VOID, which screened internationally and was distributed by Cinequest, Inc. The following year, he took part in Film Independent's Project:Involve, a fellowship and mentorship program for emerging filmmakers.

Recently, Patrick wrote, directed and produced the independent feature comedy, MR. SADMAN, which was an official selection of the 2008 IFP Narrative Rough Cut Labs and a finalist for the inaugural $50,000 IFP Finishing Grant. Patrick was selected by the film magazine, The Independent, as one of its “10 Filmmakers to Watch in 2009”.

HELEN SAM
producer
Helen is currently a freelance producer/production consultant in Los Angeles. She recently finished work on a newly launched lifestyle website for Lexus. Prior to freelancing, she worked as the Associate Producer on the Emmy Award winning PBS series, Independent Lens, where she had the opportunity to closely work with many well-known documentary filmmakers and their films (THE WORLD ACCORDING TO SESAME STREET, THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND, and A LION IN THE HOUSE). Prior to ITVS, Helen worked at the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), a nonprofit media arts organization in San Francisco.

Helen has participated in the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Festival as a feature film programmer, the San Francisco International Film Festival’s Golden Gate Awards as the panel chair for the Documentary Feature and Television Documentary competition, and the United Nations Film Festival screening panel. She has mentored emerging documentary filmmakers at film festivals such as SXSW and AFI Fest. Helen was also a 2009-10 Fellow of Film Independent’s Project: Involve program.

KEVIN RÉMON THOMPSON
producer
Born and raised in Evanston, IL, Kevin currently resides in Los Angeles, where he attended the USC School of Cinematic Arts. In 2005 he was awarded the Fotokem Grant for his thesis film, THE ORCHARD, and in 2007 was invited to teach at the Royal Film Commission’s Digital Filmmaking Workshop in Amman, Jordan. In 2009, THE ORCHARD premiered at the Newport Beach film festival. Recently, Kevin has worked on numerous film projects in various capacities, including as line producer on the USC video tribute to outgoing President Steven Sample, editor for the USC 2010 Alumni Awards videos, and sound editor for the feature film MR SADMAN and the feature documentary MY McDIET. Kevin has also directed several music videos, including GHOSTS by Christopher Dallman, which was broadcast on Fuse TV as well as LOGO.

JAY VISIT
cinematographer
Raised in Austin, Texas, Jay Visit is an award winning cinematographer who shoots narratives, music videos and commercial projects. His recent credits include OUR NECK OF THE WOODS, an official selection of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, JAY AND SETH VS. THE APOCALYPSE starring Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel, and the "Make Me Over" music video for Lighthouse. His other collaborations have went on to win awards at the BAFTA, the Aspen Shortsfest, the Tribeca Film Festival and the South by Southwest Film Festival to name a few. Jay holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin and an MFA in Film Production from the University of Southern California. He is also an alum of Film Independent's Project: Involve. Jay currently resides in Los Angeles.

MICHELE YU
production designer
Michele Yu is a Los Angeles-based production designer and art director. With a background in fine arts, photography and illustration, her freelance designs and photographs have appeared in Blender, Skratch and Sci Fi Magazine. She has worked with many talented young filmmakers on everything from music videos and student films to indie shorts and features. Most recently she completed work on the upcoming independent feature ONE TOO MANY MORNINGS, and the comedic short OH BABY, I LOVE YOU! for Magdalene Films. She previously worked with the director and producers of A CROSSROAD TO MANZANAR on the feature comedy MR. SADMAN.

Born and raised in Southern California, Michele received degrees in Studio Art and Cultural Anthropology from UC San Diego. In addition to production design, she also currently works in LA as the operations manager for the non-profit arts organization Machine Project.

SALVADOR PANIAGUA
assistant director
Salvador Paniagua is an award winning filmmaker whose work has been recognized by Ford Motor Company and Disney. He was a finalist for the 2008 Walt Disney Studios Feature Writing Fellowship Program. In 2006, he received a grant from the Mercury Latino Lens Challenge to shoot LOS TAMALES, a comedic and warm-hearted story about a seven year-old boy's trek across the neighborhood to run an errand for his mother. Paniagua recently participated in Film Independent's Project:Involve Writer/Director fellowship. He was also a participant in the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) Latino Writers Lab, where he developed his feature film STEALING DREAMS with mentor Chip Diggins (SEX AND BREAKFAST).

Paniagua also worked as a Director's Apprentice on Alan Jacob's film POR VIDA, featuring Danny Glover, Elizabeth Pena, Derek Luke, and Snoop Dog, and which recently premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. Paniagua has also worked as a production coordinator on music videos that aired on MTV and BET. In addition to film production, Paniagua edited the first ever American Spanish Language Hip-Hop magazine before becoming managing editor of Rap Pages Magazine – an internationally distributed Hip-Hop lifestyle magazine.

CINDY CHAO
art director
Born and bred in Los Angeles, Cindy Chao has performed various roles in Hollywood for the last five years including: production assistant, actress, editor, Catherine Hardwicke's intern, and film/tv international distribution assistant. Currently, she is an art department junkie whose work varies from shorts to music videos and most recently as a Co-Production Designer on the indie feature ONE TOO MANY MORNINGS, which made its debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Cindy holds two BAs from UC San Diego in Communications and Visual Arts, with a concentration in Film/Video, and is currently pursuing a Professional Degree in Visual Design at FIDM.

LYNN OLLIE
costume designer
A native of Washington, D.C., Lynn Ollie is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design with a B.F.A. in Apparel Design. From Rhode Island, Lynn traveled to New York City working as a clothing designer for such companies as Old Navy, DDC Lab and Macy’s INC. While in New York, Lynn began her transition from clothing design to costumes designing films such as FEAR OF FICTION starring Melissa Leo. In 2002 she moved to Los Angeles where she continues working in costumes for film, television and commercials. Lynn's most recent credits include working as a costumer for the award winning television show MAD MEN. She also designed the costumes for MIDNIGHT RIDE, one of the Project Involve City Stories films made in cooperation with Banana Republic and Vanity Fair.