KEVIN MEAD
DIRECTOR/WRITER
After receiving a BA in English & Creative Writing and Dramatic Literature from the George Washington University, Kevin moved back to his home state of NY to write and direct stuff. That stuff included the pilot STARTUPS (finalist 2012 Comedy Central Pilot Competition), the reality show CELEBRITIES SOLVING CRIMES (winner 2012 NYTVF Pitch Competition, optioned for development with Channel 4), and numerous Sketches, Short Films, and Web Commercials with his Production Company, Melge Media. He also co-wrote the plays EDISON/TESLA/BRIAN/DAVE (winner 2012 Off-Off-Broadway Play Festival) and SEASONAL ALLERGIES, both of which are published by Samuel French. His other work includes the short films CHARLIE ON PAROLE starring TJ Miller, HOT AS FU*K, and a handful of rap videos (Yes. Don't google it). Also, he held a day job as an Associate Producer at Sesame Street. He is currently a Directing Fellow at AFI and really needs you to donate to his movie.
CHRISTINA STRAIN
WRITER
Born and raised outside an Army base in Seoul, South Korea, Christina moved to the U.S. at 18. After receiving a BFA (Graphic Design) from LSU she started coloring the comic book Runaways for Marvel Comics and went on to work with them for 10 years on titles like: Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, Thor, World War Hulk, and S.H.I.E.L.D. Shortly after creating the Shuster Award winning webcomic The Fox Sister, Christina was accepted into AFI's screenwriting program and she's been there ever since. Please send cookies.
CONSTANZA CASTRO
PRODUCER
Constanza Castro was born in Mexico City. She graduated with a BA in Film from UNLV, where she became the first Latin UNLV film student to produce a feature-length film, and was honored to be the first recipient of the Johnny Brenden Filmmaker’s Award for $25,000. Currently, she attends the prestigious American Film Institute Conservatory as a Producing Fellow where she was awarded a $10,000 scholarship in her first year, and the Jeffrey Katzenberg Fellowship Award for $54,345, a full year scholarship. She has produced numerous award-winning shorts and worked on over twenty short films and music videos. Her feature film, Liars, Fires and Bears, premiered at Dances With Films Film Festival at the Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, the Austin Film Festival, and numerous other film fests in the country. Currently she has five projects going through the festival venue, is in post on 2 shorts and a music video for Springtime Carnivore, and has music videos for Black Boots premiered on MTV.com and Billboard.com and for The Orwells on Vice.com, which was a Vimeo Staff Pick.
SHADY CHABAAN
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Growing up in the midst of cultural opposites, Shadi developed an appetite to discover the wideness of the world at an early age, a fascination that has shaped his identity as a human being and filmmaker. Instilled with this sense of curiosity, he has discovered that opinions and perceptions do not constitute an absolute truth. He believes that storytelling is not only confined to the frame you define through your lens, but rather everything you experience through life. He received a BA in Visual Arts from IESAV - Beirut, and from there went on to gain years of experience working as a Cinematographer, Assistant Camera, and a MILO motion control junior operator on narrative films and commercials. He is currently enrolled in the Cinematography masters program at the American Film Institute.
YURI CHERNYKH
EDITOR
After moving from Moscow, Russia to Baltimore and being adopted by an American family, Yuri found his passion for storytelling through film editing. He proved his skills at his local community college by not only co-founding the school’s now-annual student film showcase, but also cutting 3 short films, all of which garnered praise for his achievements in editing. His most recent short, Thomas, screened at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth in Seattle, where he won the “Best New Talent” award. In 2012, Yuri graduated from Towson University earning a B.S. in Electronic Media and Film. The following year, Yuri was fortunate enough to be accepted into the American Film Institute Conservatory to pursue a Master's Degree in the Editing Discipline. Now, as he prepares to begin the final chapter of his AFI career, Yuri looks forward to putting all of his education into practice.