RUSSELL COSTANZO (Writer/Director)
RUSSELL COSTANZO (Writer/Director) attended Monmouth University and New York University where he Wrote and Directed a number of short films including the award-winning telemarkerting comedy "Cold Call". After working at VH1, he Wrote and Directed the hilarious short film entitled "The Wedding Bout", starring ESPN's Max Kellerman, which made its debut at the Palm Beach International Film Festival...He's also worked as a Script Reader for USA Films (now Focus Features) and Lions Gate Films. He has written several screenplays, one, entitled "Crashers", was optioned.
His next film was the urban drama short "The Tested", which took home Top Prize at the prestigious Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, making it eligible for an Academy Award nomination. "The Tested" also made its television broadcast debut on BET last year. Russell's most recent short film "jeffrey" garnered Best Short Film and Best Short Screenplay awards at the respective Big Apple Film Festival in New York City and Kent Film Festival in Connecticut. He shot The Tested feature in the summer of 2008 and is excited to have been invited to participate in the prestigious 2009 IFP Narrative Filmmaker Lab.
He is currently in development on the feature film "The Strange Effect of Everett Singer" starring Brandon Routh ("Superman Returns") and John Mahoney (NBC's "Frasier", "Say Anything").
MELISSA B. MILLER (Producer)
MELISSA B. MILLER (Producer) is an independent producer with a wide range of entertainment experience. She started her career at 3 Arts Entertainment. She then had the opportunity to work with Ellen Lewis, one of the top casting directors in Hollywood. She went on to do publicity for New Line Cinema and has worked in development for both Universal Pictures and Julia Roberts' production company Shoelace Productions. After working with James Gandolfini, she joined the production team at GreeneStreet Films. She has worked on numerous independent films including the 2009 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Precious, as well as festival favorites Choke, and Brief Interviews With Hideous Men.
She then co-wrote and produced the short film entitled "The Wedding Bout", starring ESPN's Max Kellerman, and recently produced the urban drama short "The Tested", which took home Top Prize at the prestigious Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, which made it eligible for an Academy Award nomination. "The Tested" also made its television broadcast debut on BET last year. She shot The Tested feature in the summer of 2008 and is excited to have been invited to participate in the prestigious 2009 IFP Narrative Filmmaker Lab. She is currently in development on the feature film "The Strange Effect of Everett Singer" starring Brandon Routh ("Superman Returns") and John Mahoney (NBC's "Frasier", "Say Anything").
W. MICHAEL WEINSTEIN (Executive Producer) is an enthusiastic investor in Shoebox Pictures' first two feature films, "The Tested", and "The Strange Effect of Everett Singer". He is currently a Portfolio Manager for Witter, LLC specializing in Energy and Utilities and has been working in the securities industry since 1997 at Goldman Sachs, Allegheny Energy, and Zimmer Lucas Partners, LLC. Prior to this, Michael served as a naval officer for seven years after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1988 and is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm from 1991-1993.
RAYMOND K. JAVDAN, ESQ. (Legal Counsel/Executive Producer) For the past year, Ray has run his own boutique legal practice, the javdan firm pllc, representing independent filmmakers and production companies in all aspects of film production and distribution; writers and bloggers; actors/talent; fashion designers; graphic artists, and musicians in personal services contracts and intellectual property licensing matters; investors in motion pictures; and numerous web-based businesses ranging from social networking to comedy content production to financial publishing and legal technology.
He spent 7 years associated with the international law firm of Hughes Hubbard and Reed LLP, where he represented a mostly Fortune 100 client base in a diverse array of matters from "bet the company" litigations to advising media companies, artists and non-profits on information technology, intellectual property, data preservation and licensing matters. After leaving Hughes Hubbard and prior to starting the javdan firm, Ray served Of Counsel to Freud Communications US, where he advised the CEO on legal issues facing a public relations firm representing media/entertainment companies and high profile individuals including many prominent names in film, television, and publishing.
Ray is a member of the New York County, New York City, and NY State Bar Associations (Sections on Art, Entertainment & Sports Law; Commercial and Federal Litigation; Media and Communications Law), and the Copyright Society USA. Ray has performed pro-bono legal work with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, has served on the Board of a successful international theater company, and is active in numerous charities and community events.
STEVEN PRIGGE (Executive Producer) started his career working on the ABC hit "Spin City" starring Michael J. Fox. Shortly after working there his screenplay "Crashers" was optioned. Steven continued writing, eventually authoring numerous published books including "Movie Moguls Speak", which gave readers insight into making major motion pictures through interviews with some of Hollywood's most prolific producers including: Dave Brown ("Jaws", "A Few Good Men"), Paula Wagner ("Mission Impossible", "Vanilla Sky"), Christine Vachon ("Far From Heaven", "Kids"), and Dino De Laurentiis ("Hannibal", "Red Dragon").
The book was extremely well received and was featured on the coveted Yale University Recommended Film Studies Reading List. He went on to write a number of other books such as, "Created By: Inside the Minds of TV's Top Show Creators", "Shut Up and Eat", and "A Guy's Guide to Being a Man's Man" written with Sopranos' cast members and being published by Penguin Putnam. Publisher's Weekly praised "Shut Up" by saying, Fans of "The Godfather" and "The Sopranos" will love the actors endearing anecdotes. The New York Times praised "A Guy's Guide" by saying, "Steven Prigge succeeds at liberally dispensing choice words of wisdom."
In September 2008 principle photography commenced on "The Tested", and independent film in which Steven served as Executive Producer. Steven writes for such popular industry magazines as MovieMaker, Script, and Written By (the official magazine of the Writer's Guild of America). He also writes a monthly entertainment article for BlackBook Magazine.
FRANK VINCENT (Co-Producer) "Go home and get your f*ckin' shine box." So spoke Frank Vincent as the electrifying Billy Batts in Martin Scorsese's masterpiece "Goodfellas". And one of the most quotable lines in modern movie history was born. Frank's film career started in 1975 in Ralph DeVito's "Death Collector" with his good friend and fellow actor Joe Pesci. When Scorsese saw his work he knew he was right for the role of Salvi in the 1980 Academy Award nominated film of the decade, "Raging Bull". From that point until the present day, Frank has appeared in numerous television shows, music videos and over fifty films.
He has demonstrated the ultimate degree of a character actor in films like "Do the Right Thing", "Casino", and "Jungle Fever". And has worked with some of the greatest directors of our time: Scorsese, Brian DePalma, Spike Lee, John Sayles, and Sydney Lumet. He has acted with such greats as Robert DeNiro, Bruce Willis, James Gandolfini, Richard Dreyfuss, Samuel L. Jackson, Sharon Stone, Adrien Brody and Sylvester Stallone among others.
Vincent subsequently appeared in the drama "Grind" in support of Adrienne Shelley and Billy Crudup and in Edward Burns' romantic comedy "She's the One" (both 1996). He would continue to surface in crime-drama fare such as "Night Falls On Manhattan", "Copland", "Made Men" (all 1997) and as comedic variations of his tough-guy persona in "Gunshy" and "The Crew" (both 2000). He had a rare, non-gangster-from-the-neighborhood role in the 2000 biopic of author Jaqueline Susann "Isn't She Great" playing Greek tycoon Aristotle Onansis.
Of all Frank's accomplishments, it's his on-screen relationship with nemesis Pesci that has brought so much joy to film fans across the globe. After suffering two beat downs by Pesci in "Raging Bull" and "Goodfellas", Frank finally got his revenge when he killed off Pesci's character in grueling fashion in the stylish "Casino". But the actor's seminal role has to be his seemingly long-overdue addition to the supporting cast of the hit HBO mob drama "The Sopranos" in 2004 as the menacing Phil Leotardo, whose simmering vendetta against Tony Soprano's crew brought exhilarating excitement to millions of viewers week-after-week.
RODNEY C. PARNTHER (Consulting Producer) is an NYC-based CPA and long-time creative contributor to, and investor in, the motion picture arts. Over the years, he's developed a well-deserved reputation for sponsoring and helping to nurture young filmmaking talent. He was intimately involved in supervising the production of the feature film "Straight Outta Brooklyn" (Jury Prize, 1991 Sundance Film Festival).
As a co-founder and chairman of Clarendon Entertainment, Inc. ("CEI"), Mr. Parnther negotiated key distribution agreements for CEI's content including its long-term DVD output deal with Ryko Distribtuion, a unit of the Warner Music Group, television license deals with HBO, BET-J and MTV and digital broadband service deals with Limelight Networks.
He arranged the financing for and executive produced "The Date" (2001 Urbanworld Film Festival, aired on HBO), "Gully" (2002 Palm Springs International Festiva, acting debut of supermodel Tyson Beckford), "The Tested" (short) (winner, Best of Fest 2006 Los Angeles International Short Film Festival), "Testify" (now airing on MTV's Logo Network), and "Midway" (2007 Palm Springs International Festival, now airing on HBO).
Since 1994, he served in the corporate finance group at News Corporation. While there Mr. Parnther oversaw the distribution of the animated movies "Thumbelina", "A Troll in Central Park", and "The Pebble and the Penguin" under deals with Warner Bros., Inc. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. that grossed over $150 million in total revenues to date. Mr. Parnther was also involved with News Corp.'s successful raising of over $20 billion in debt and equity financing.
MICHAEL TAYLOR (co - editor) has edited more than a dozen features, including Julia Loktev's award-winning "Day Night Day Night", which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and George LaVoo's "A Dog Year", an HBO Films production starring Jeff Bridges and Lauren Ambrose. Documentary credits include Margaret Brown's films "Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt," and "The Order of Myths", which recently took home the Truer than Fiction award at 2009 Film Independen Spirit Awards.
Michael's narrative credits also include Adam Rapp's "Blackbird," Peter Callahan's "Against the Current" starring Joseph Fiennes and Mary Tyler Moore. His current Documentary "Youth Knows no Pain" will premiere at the end of the month as a part of Independent night at Lincoln Center/Walter Reade Theater
CHRIS SCARAFILE (Director of Photography) was the Director of Photography for the Grand Jury Prize winning short film "Gowanus, Brooklyn" at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, as well as dozens of others shorts, documentaries, and features. He has won several awards for his camera work, including Best Cinematography for the films "Black Days", "Cycle", and the Academy Award Eligible "The Tested" (short). His reel can be found at www.chrisfilm.com.
ALEX BROOK LYNN (Production Designer) is a native New Yorker, accomplished artist and still photographer. She has worked in the Art Department in a variety of ways such as a Set Dresser, Art Director, and Production Designer on such films as "Day Zero" (starring Elijah Wood, Ally Sheedy, and Ginnifer Goodwin), "Superheroes"(Dash Mihok), "El Camino"(Leo Fitzpatrick, Elizabetth Moss), and "Gigantic" (Zooey Deschanel, John Goodman, Ed Asner).
REBECCA MUH (Costume Designer) completed a B.F.A. in Film and Television Production at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. She has been working in the field of wardrobe and costume designing for several years ranging from the BBC in London, to independent features films, to several operas. She is currently employed by the Metropolitan Opera.
ANDREW MELNYK (Production Sound Mixer) and EVAN MANNERS (boom operator) teamed up for the indie feature "The Tested." Andrew began working in the field several years ago on docs, commercials and several shorts, where he met Chris Scarafile. Since then Andrew and Chris have worked together on several projects here and abroad. Currently Andrew is working on "Law & Order: SVU" as a Sound Utility. Evan is a talented musician, sound designer and boom operator living and working in NYC. When not working on set, you can find Evan in a studio mixing and making music for a large variety of NYC musicians and film makers.
EVE BATTAGLIA (Casting Director) has had films premiere at every major film festival on the planet, including Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and Tribeca. She has been working in casting for over 20 years, and has worked with such talents as: Academy Award nominees Felicity Huffman ("Transamerica"), Mary Tyler Moore ("Labor Pains"), and Marcia Gay Harden ("Home") - Golden Globe winner Kyra Sedgwick ("Labor Pains") - Anthony LaPaglia and Eric Stoltz ("Happy Hour"), Robin Wright-Penn and Sandra Oh ("Sorry, Haters"). Some of her most awarded films have been "Transamerica" (Best Actress - Academy Award), "Gypsy 83" (Best Actor OUTFEST!), "Sorry, Haters" (Best Actress Independent Spirit Award). And she was nominated in 2006 by the Casting Society of America (of which she's a member) for "Best Independent Feature Film Casting". She is currently the Casting Director for the prestigious Sundance Labs.