The Creative Team
Writer/Creator
LARRY POWELL
Larry Powell is a writer, actor, director and producer born and raised in South Central LA. As an actor he’s originated and premiered roles in some of the most exciting new plays in America including The Christians by Lucas Hnath, The Legend of Georgia McBride by Matthew Lopez, Father Comes Home From The Wars by Suzan Lori Parks opposite Sterling K. Brown, Brokeology by Nathan Louis Jackson, and While I Yet Live by Billy Porter (playing the lead role based on Billy Porter). He is a two-time Ovation Award nominee, three-time NAACP Theatre Award Nominee, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Award Nominee, two-time LA Drama Critics Circle Award Winner, as well as an Audelco and Audie award nominee. Stars as Lawrence in the movie The Browsing Effect (Now Streaming). Larry is also a published playwright and professional screenwriter. He most recently finished as screenwriter on an upcoming feature film which wrapped in NYC spring 2019. He has three plays that will receive world premieres over the next two years. He is a core playwright at the Lark Play Development Center. As a director he has worked with several contemporary playwrights on exciting new works directing fancy staged readings and workshops. As well as his own feature film project Mother’s Milk. He has been mentored by the likes of Michele Shay, Robert O’Hara, Elizabeth Van Dyke and Phylicia Rashad (Assistant Director; Center Theatre Group’s production of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom). Larry is an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts MFA Acting program. Larry is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama and the Founder/Creative Director of The Powell Academy of the Performing Arts, an arts organization providing high-performance training and resources to historically marginalized artists on the rise in the mainstream entertainment industry.
Directors
JOANNA STRAPP
Director Ep. 101 - Welcome to Evergreen
Credits include: Velvet Buzzsaw, Agent Carter, Modern Family
LARRY POWELL
Director Ep. 102 -All Skinfolk Ain’t Kinfolk
Director Ep. 111 - It Explodes
Director Ep. 112 - Burn it Down!
Credits include: The Christians by Lucas Hnath, The Legend of Georgia McBride by Matthew Lopez, Father Comes Home From The Wars by Suzan Lori Parks opposite Sterling K. Brown, Brokeology by Nathan Louis Jackson, and While I Yet Live by Billy Porter.
ZHAILON LEVINGSTON
Director Ep. 103 - First Day of School
Resident Director at Tina the Tina Turner Musical on Broadway and a Board member and organizer for the Broadway Advocacy Coalition.
SATYA BHABHA
Director Ep. 104 - Mahogany Diana Ross
Credits include: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Fair Game, Sense8, Cover Up
REGINALD L. DOUGLAS
Director Ep. 105 - Same Zoom, Different Experiences
Associate Artistic Director at Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C.
AMBER A. HARRIS
Director Ep. 106 -Black Gaze
Credits include: Boarding House, Drones Don’t Fly when the Sky is Grey, What’s in my Trunk, Winter
JONATHAN MCCRORY
Director Ep. 107 - Man Up
Artistic Director at National Black Theater in NY, NY
BIANCA LAVERNE JONES
Director Ep. 108 - Take A Note
Director Ep. 109 - BabyBoo’s Grip
Bianca LaVerne Jones is a New York based multi-hyphenated artist. During quarantine 2020 Bianca has directed via Zoom; THE GAZE (a film quilt) by Larry Powell, DON’T CALL ME BROTHER by Jeanette Hill, OTHELLO (Opera): 5 Aspects for Bass and Chamber Orchestra produced and performed by Kevin Mayor and composed by Richard Thompson, UHURU by Gloria Majule (Yale MFA ’21) produced by AYE DEFY, WHILE WE BREATHE Associate Director: THOUGHTS OF A COLORED MAN ; A SMALL OAK TREE RUNS RED Assistant Director: BLKS ; THE FIRST NOEL. Film: MOTHER’S MILK by Larry Powell; UNDERCOVER SIDECHICK by Cherie Danielle, STORKERS by Cyril Nri Training: NCSA (diploma), SUNY Purchase (BFA-Acting), Yale, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (MA-Directing).
LELUND DUROND THOMPSON
Director Ep. 110 - Buddy Pass
Credits include: Doom Patrol, Respect, The 40 Year Old Version, 224
Producers
ANGELICA ROBINSON
Producer / Executive Producer
ANGELICA ROBINSON is a Creative Producer committed to creating engaging content that embraces diverse images of the multicultural human experience. After 15 years at major studios including NBC Universal, ITV Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment, Ms. Robinson formed Tell Me A Story Productions, which develops and produces premium content for Film, Television and digital media, highlighting the African American experience and diversity at the center of each story. Recently, she produced Season 2 of comedy web-series Gym Life, and the multimedia feature drama, Mother’s Milk. She currently has two projects in development that are finalists at the 2020 National Playwrights Conference at the O’Neill Theater Center and another in development with Kronicle Media.
SPENCER WILLIAMS
Producer / Executive Producer
SPENCER WILLIAMS is the Creative Director for Walk the Night an immersive/experiential production company. Ongoing works include Tales By Candlelight, (HERE Festival featured entertainment; pending appearance in Overlook Film Festival); The Guest & The Host: Make Music and the upcoming Homemade Arcade. Other Immersive producing / performance / consultation credits include Kaidan: Walls Grow Thin with Rogue Artists’ Ensemble (Ovation Award Winner), and activations at San Diego Comic Con, for Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hasbro / Dungeons & Dragons. He is an Education Committee/Program managing member of The League of Experiential and Immersive Artists (LEIA).
MATT LUBETICH
Producer / Executive Producer
MATT LUBETICH is a multifaceted producer recognized for his expertise with international studio leadership (Bigfoot Entertainment), marketing & communications (Microsoft), and original programming (3 Needles; Lucy Liu & Stockard Channing). In 2009, Matt launched Evening Sea Entertainment to develop content with family, action and strong Asian themes. In 2019, Matt produced multi-awarded horror short LANE 9, with Co-Directors Richard and Jessica Valentine. Recently finding inspiration from breakout writer/director Larry Powell's MOTHER'S MILK, Matt joined the Key Creative team of The Gaze …No Homo.
ZHAILON LEVINGSTON
Executive Producer / Director / Co-Writer
ZHAILON LEVINGSTON is a Louisiana raised director, writer and producer. He is the current Resident Director at Tina the Tina Turner Musical on Broadway and a Board member and organizer for the Broadway Advocacy Coalition. Original works include: “The Hole” and “A Burning Church” a New Musical.
DEVERE ROGERS
Executive Producer / Co-Writer
DEVERE ROGERS is an actor, playwright, screenwriter, producer, and director. Born and raised in Atlanta, GA and a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts. As an actor, he has performed in plays, musicals, and workshops on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally, as well as having roles on such TV shows like Grey's Anatomy, Crazy ExGirlfriend, and Will & Grace. Most recently, he starred in the NBC pilot Friends-In-Law, is recurring on IFC’s Sherman’s Showcase, and co-starring in the action comedy My Spy with Dave Bautista and Ken Jeong on Amazon Prime this summer. As a writer, he wrote the critically acclaimed short film Ying & Yang as well as having an OffBroadway workshop production of his play Excuse Me Ladies and Gentlemen. He is currently developing a TV show with Paul Feig’s PowderKeg and Fox 21 in addition to writing and developing several film and TV projects.
JOHN MACDONALD
Executive Producer / Director of Photography
John Macdonald is a producer / director. Casper Telly is his digital production house. He used to work at Billboard Magazine. His short films have screened at Raindance, Nashville, Athens, DeadCenter, and Serving The People. He was an artist-in-residence at the Incubator Arts Project and Space on White.
The Team
HALEY RAWSON
Co-Producer / 1st AD
Haley is an actor, writer and producer best known for recurring roles on THE DEUCE (HBO) and THE SLAP (NBC). Other acting credits include: Steven Spielberg's BRIDGE OF SPIES; Sam Hoffman's HUMOR ME; Donal Ward's WE ONLY KNOW SO MUCH; BROAD CITY (Comedy Central); THE AFFAIR (Showtime); and BULL (CBS). As a writer and producer, Haley's short films DRIVE-THRU, DAYKWON, and JULY have screened at 13 film festivals including the Woodstock FF, Tallgrass FF, Hollyshorts FF, Miami Short FF and the Bushwick FF. She also produced independent pilot GUAP (Chris Myers) and digital series SNAFU (Chloe Sanders). Haley is currently writing a feature film with Patrick Letterii, which she will star in and co-direct. She also owns the commercial/corporate video production company GOLDCAT (thisisgoldcat.com).
JOEY SCOMA
Editor
Joey Scoma is an Editor / Director. He studied grassroots organizing and social justice movements at UC Santa Cruz, where he made documentary films to raise awareness on issues within the community and around the world. Since moving to L.A. in 2011, he’s continued to edit documentary films professionally. Joey has also taught filmmaking techniques online for RocketJump Film School, where his lessons continue to be shared in high schools and colleges world wide. Joey edited on Larry Powell’s first film, Mother’s Milk, and is thrilled to be collaborating with him again on this new series, The Gaze. He believes that both projects have proved to be a special hybrid of art and activism that will continue to raise awareness, continue the conversation, and continue to inspire.
SHIRA INGRAM
Additional Editor
Shira Ingram is a Detroit native, living in Los Angeles. She currently works in television and film as an Assistant Editor.
ADDIE JOHNSON TALBOTT
Script Consultant
Addie Johnson Talbott works as an executive producer with Rising Phoenix Rep, piece by piece/Weathervane, and Rattlestick, most recently on The Convent and Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, America, Kuwait in New York, and Slipping and Thieves in Los Angeles. She served as associate producer for CTG’s 50th Anniversary, Development Director of the Ojai Playwrights Conference for two seasons, and headed the Echo Theater Writers Lab. Author of fourteen nonfiction books, her most recent scripts include pilot Grace in the Clutch, feature A Kinder Sea (with Ale Mesa and Daniel Talbott), and a short called He Was Here, which is a finalist for the Oxford Film Festival and Nevada City Film Festival. She is an artistic associate of Rising Phoenix Rep and the associate theater editor of The Brooklyn Rail.
REGINA BANALI
Intimacy Coordinator
Regina Banali has over 25 years of on-set experience as an actress, producer, director and Intimacy Coordinator. As an actress she has appeared in nude and simulated love scenes in over 40 films and television shows and brings that experience along with deep study of concent to her on set work. Mrs. Banali also studied acting, cold reading and scene study. She stepped behind the camera in 2008, producing and directing before training and becoming an intimacy coordinator. She is a feminist, progressive, #MeToo and #TimesUp advocate and is the founder of Intimacy Coordinators Alliance for Film and Television. ICAFT.org trains and qualifies Intimacy Coordinators.
ROBERT REVELL
Composer
Credits include: Gotham, Nikita, The Tomorrow People. Born in Australia and now living in, Los Angeles, Revell attended California Institute of the Arts. His mentors include Graeme Revell and John Rusnak.
SAMIA ZAIDI
Branding and Graphic Design Artist
Samia Zaidi is a queer South Asian-American artist and filmmaker who firmly believes in the art of well-packaged stories. Her design career began at the age of twelve while working at her dad’s print shop in the suburbs of the East Bay Area. After cutting her teeth in filmmaking while finishing her Anthropology degree at UCLA, she started Pitch, Please, a design and consulting firm for directors' treatments, moodboards, and pitch decks for motion content, still photography, and experiential design. Through Pitch, Please, Samia has assisted an array of award-winning directors and photographers pitch to over 300 companies across diverse industries including ACLU, Audi, Ferrari, Google, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Kenzo, Lady Gaga, Louis XIII, Netflix, Porsche, and Warner Brothers.
NICK DUCASSI
Website Designer
Nick is a Cuban-American producer, writer, actor, flamingo, and digital content manager with over a decade of experience in films, commercials, social media, and branded content for clients including HBO, The Plantain, The Avocado, The Brooklyn Salsa Company, and Proxima Designs.
EMILY MCGILL
PR & Communications Consultant
Emily McGill is a storytelling strategist who amplifies unheard voices, offers platforms for open dialogue, and creates meaningful experiences while cultivating community. She is founder of The Pink Tank and co-founder of S.N.O.B., a monthly Broadway industry dance party. Emily represented the Tony Award-winning productions of A Raisin in the Sun starring Denzel Washington, Memphis, Billy Elliot, and Disney's The Lion King, plus Aladdin, School of Rock, CATS, Allegiance, This Is Our Youth, Rock of Ages, Ghost, Elf, and First Date. Her experience also covers music, film/TV/streaming, and digital, with clients from Disney, HBO, and Amazon, to boutique agencies, startups, non-profits, string quartets, and male strippers. Yes, male strippers. Emily also reads tarot and loves plants & cooking.
KALYN RIVERS
Production Assistant
Kalyn Rivers is a Chicago native who graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has performed on numerous stages and been seen in multiple commercials/ad campaigns. Currently you can catch her advocating for mental health in the Black community and actively doing the best she can in this zany world. Take care of you, there is only one.
NIA SHIMA-FRANKLIN
Nia Shima-Franklin is a strategist and copywriter based in the Bay Area. She has an innate curiosity for what makes people tik. Her meandering took her to Portland, OR where she worked with grassroots organizations, Prosper Portland, Portland African American Leadership Forum, and Imagine Black. When she isn't working on projects, she enjoys reading poetry, periodic naps, and quarantining with her cat, Boo Radley.