Cast + Crew
Meet the women-led team
We are a female writer/director/producer team exploring themes of existence and gender roles -- specifically societal constructs deeply ingrained in American culture and unraveled in a rural setting. We love character-driven stories, road films, and a strong female anti-hero or outsider. This is a proof of concept short based on the feature screenplay.
Writer, Producer, B.
Emily Somers
Emily is a Los Angeles based writer/actress who enjoys character-driven stories that wrestle with the human condition, spirituality, and gender roles. She optioned the rights to Ruth Galm's novel Into the Valley and has adapted it into a screenplay. Her Short Proof of Concept script based on the same material was a quarter-finalist in WeScreenplay's Short's Contest 2021 and made The Short List, Barnstorm Fest 2021. Emily has worked as a story analyst for companies including Paradigm and Alcon Entertainment, and as the assistant to Breakdown & U-571 Writer/Director Jonathan Mostow. Her first short Bingo! was selected as a finalist in the Dances With Films 2-Minute 2-Step competition. Emily grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she attended A.C.T.'s Summer Training Congress. She later studied at British American Drama Academy’s Midsummer in Oxford program at Oxford University to supplement her training at the University of California, Davis, where she graduated with honors in Dramatic Art and highest honors in American Studies. In 2022 she appeared as a Recurring Guest Star (Lindsay) on HBO's Westworld, and this year she will recur as Belle Watts-Thompson on AppleTV+/Hello Sunshine's The Last Thing He Told Me. Additional acting credits include starring opposite Jean Smart as Beth in Awaken the Shadowman, Dawn in Gabriele Muccino's film Playing for Keeps, and Stat in the popular indie thriller Reboot. Emily was also nominated for Best Actress in a Short Film at the Madrid International Film Festival for her role in Soulmate. Emily is managed by Rothman Andrés Entertainment and represented theatrically by Stone Talent Agency (Los Angeles) and Cast Images (Northern California).
Director, Producer, Editor
Emily Sandifer
Emily Sandifer is a filmmaker, photographer, and actor. She owns Loft 1923, a 4100 SQ FT production space in Downtown Los Angeles. Emily’s love for imagery began with 35mm film. Her childhood on a 1,000 acre ranch in Idaho, and an ex-Navy father and novelist mother who loved road trips across America, instilled a deep connection to the land. After working on several projects with LA Film School, Emily worked as a production assistant on “LA Noire,” a Rockstar Games produced video game. Her directorial debut “Finding Sky” won Best Director and Best Actress at the American International Film Festival. The feature also won the Sir Edmund Hillary Award at the Mountain Film Festival. Emily continues to write, produce, and direct films with various festival premieres, including Edinburgh Fringe. “Salton” won Best Short Film at the Borrego Film Festival. Emily also directs editorial and commercial content. She is a board member of ASMP-LA, and member of APA-LA, Women in Film, and SAG-AFTRA. She has a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Boise State University. Acting credits include Judd Apatow’s “Love" and sharing the screen with Laura Dern in “The Tale.” She trains at Warner Loughlin and is represented by AEFH, Artistic Talent, and Bohemia Group. She lives in a cabin outside of LA with her partner TJ Dalrymple. They are in post-production on a film they produced in Scotland.
Novelist, Associate Producer
Ruth Galm
Ruth Galm’s debut novel Into the Valley, published by Soho Press in 2015, earned starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist, and was hailed by ELLE magazine as “[m]esmerizing . . . a subtle and complicated exploration of what it means to be a woman and, more specifically, what it means to be a woman without a man.” Her writing has appeared in the Kenyon Review Online, Indiana Review, and Joyland. Her story “New Mexico, 1957” received special mention in Best American Short Stories 2016. Galm holds an MFA from Columbia University and has been a resident of the Ucross and Brush Creek foundations in Wyoming. She was born and raised in San José, California, spent time in Boston, New York City, and San Francisco, and now lives in Oakland. She is at work on a second novel.
First Assistant Director
Sydney Stephenson
Sydney Stephenson has been working in the film industry for 20 years, both in front of and behind the camera. As a teenager, she started her film career on the set of Veronica Mars in San Diego CA. Her first job, as a stand in and photo double for Kristen Bell, was enough to get her a SAG card and lifetime career path. After moving to LA to pursue acting, she more and more often found herself behind the camera, collaborating with the crew about the projects she worked on. This led Sydney to the business, production and direction aspects of the industry and after many years and projects in California, she left Los Angeles for Oklahoma City to be closer to family and continue her work in Oklahoma’s booming film industry. She has worked as creative producer and 1st Assistant Director on countless projects and continues to create and pursue new projects. Sydney has also worked extensively as a photographer which is how she came to know Emily Sandifer. A huge fan of Emily's work, Sydney arranged to assist and shadow Emily in order to enhance her own photography skills. The two became fast friends and Sydney and Emily have continued to work together.
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Cinematographer
Jon Pears
Coming from the UK means that talking about myself doesn't come all that naturally.... ...but i will try my best to share a little background. I started shooting actions sports just as YouTube was becoming a thing, quickly graduating to more 'pro sports' for TV, and also a lot of documentary. All of which saw me travel all over the world with a camera - from Mt. Everest to Montego Bay. It led me to many irreplaceable experiences, with amazing irreplaceable people, and even got to jump out of planes over a thousand times along the way. After selling a film I had made in 2013 to a LA based studio, I moved to LA and focused my attention towards commercial and narrative work. In addition to client work, I shoot a lot of my own projects, constantly intrigued by the exploration of images and storytelling. Just like my weekly searches for new music, I am constantly searching for those who I can connect and create with. Living and working in the US with UK eyes and ears, has been quite the adventure, and even with everything i have done, the cliche line of 'I'm Just Getting Started' is appropriate. Thanks for checking out my work!
Composer
David Boman
DAVID BOMAN IS AN AMERICAN COMPOSER, PRODUCER, SONGWRITER AND MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST BASED IN LOS ANGELES. DAVID HAS SCORED TWO FEATURE FILMS, WYRM (2019) WHICH WON THE NEXT WAVE SPECIAL JURY AWARD AT FANTASTIC FEST AND THE AUDIENCE AWARD AT FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL AND MOONSHOT, WHICH PREMIERED ON HBO MAX IN MARCH OF 2022. HE HAS ALSO SCORED AWARD WINNING SHORT FILMS INCLUDING PLEASE HOLD, WHICH WAS NOMINATED FOR AN ACADEMY AWARD IN 2022 AND RECEIVED THE GRAND JURY PRIZE AT BOTH THE FLORIDA AND NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVALS, AND WYRM (2017) WHICH PREMIERED AT SUNDANCE IN 2018.
Wardrobe Designer
Kat Yeh
Kat Yeh has decades of experience in the world of fashion. As a global merchandiser at Levi’s she styled celebrities and musicians, ranging from Karen O and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to Pharrell, Josh Homme, The Kills, Perry Farrell and Erykah Badu. Kat herself has a world class closet of her own yet still sees room for improvement. Always. StyleKouncil was born from a culmination of everything that she loved. As a personal and professional stylist, Kat has worked with everyone from high powered execs to musicians to busy parents who just need a little style inspiration. Kat prides herself with a unique ability to work with all budgets, styles and individual needs. She is sincerely driven to help people find their true style while guiding them through an often chaotic shopping world. Beyond personal styling, Kat has ventured into creating looks for film, print, music video, virtual reality gaming and store sets. Her extensive portfolio of wardrobe styling across a wide range of medium and genres is limitless. You can check out her work on her website.
Production Designer
Hugo Martínez
Born and raised in Stockton California, as well as Jalisco México, Hugo Francisco Martínez grew up as the energetic kid with an infectious personality. A graduate of The L.A. Film School with a focus in production design and art direction, as well as the California Institute of the Arts’ Technical Theatre Design and Actors Studio Program, Hugo has spent the last 10 years working in theatre and film productions including Los Angeles Broadway, Disney, Netflix, Hulu, Broadway Sacramento, A&E, Discovery Familia, HGTV, Google, Germany’s Next Top Model and more! He has dedicated his life as a designer, storyteller, and filmmaker to find ways to bring a better understanding of Chicano culture to the stage, screen, as well as behind the camera.
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Cast, The Girl
Monique Ward Lonergan
Monique Lonergan is ecstatic to join the cast of “Into The Valley”. She was born and raised in Sacramento and has been working in theatre, television, and film since the age of seven. She has had the privilege of working with many amazing artists and theatres including The Geffen Playhouse, Music Circus, and being mentored by Ed Claudio of Actor’s Workshop. Some highlights include playing Luisa in “The Fantasticks”, Mary Warren in “The Crucible”, and Miranda in “The Tempest”. Now Monique is a rising senior at The Boston Conservatory and pursuing a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre. During her time at the conservatory, she has performed as Ashleigh in “Horse Girls” and The Third Witch in “Macbeth”.
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Cast, Daughtry
Sam Gipson
Sam Gipson is an American actor known for his roles on 90210, Just Jordan, Nip/Tuck, and D-Day alongside Martin Kove and Chuck Liddell. In addition to traditional theater training, he trained with Robert Carnegie and Jeff Goldblum of Playhouse West, Groundlings Improv and most notably, the great Ivana Chubbuck. In 2011, he won "Best Actor in a Leading Role" at the Burbank International Film festival for his portrayal of "Jason" in Insides of a Lamb. Hailing from rural Washington State now residing in Los Angeles, Sam has found his home in acting and art. In August, Gipson's "Black Rock Bijou" art installation will be making its sixth appearance at the infamous Burning Man event in Nevada.
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Cast, Chris The Bartender
Bob Greene
Bob Greene hails from the birthplace of baseball and Frank Sinatra, Hoboken NJ. After studying acting at Rutgers University, Bob started his career in NYC. Bob moved to San Francisco in the nineties and joined San Francisco Shakespeare in the Park and later California Shakespeare Theater. Bob has appeared on stages throughout the Bay Area in his 30 year career. Bob is proud to have worked and survived in his dream job. In films, Bob was blessed to work alongside Holly Hunter and Sigourney Weaver in “Copycat”, Robin Willams in”Flubber” and Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happyness” Television audiences may have seen Bob in one of his many guest appearances on “Nash Bridges”.
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Art Director
Feleicia Martin
Feleicia began her career in Film after getting her degree in Costume Design. With over a decade of experience in Film and Theater, combined with an avid interest in the human condition, Feleicia excels in character and story development while having a keen eye for environmental design. Her line of work ranges from music videos, Indi feature films, commercials, documentaries, corporate projects, and short films. Working with both local and major brands Feleicia has worked with Smosh, NBC, ITV, Toyota, Shriners Hospital, Goo Goo Dolls, SNL’s Melissa Villasenor and more. She has a love for stories that encompass the human experience.
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Assistant Camera
Robert Rodrquez
Robert Rodriquez is a Cinematographer and Director based in Los Angeles and working everywhere. Born and raised in Southern California, Robert is deeply in tune with the culture and aesthetics of Los Angeles. Coming from humble Chicano family beginnings, Robert seeks to make cultural change in the world through his work one shoot at a time.
Supervising Sound Editor/Re-Recording Mixer
Nick Ainsworth
Edendale Sound is a creative sound collaboration led by Nick Ainsworth that offers an array of post-production sound and music services for film, television, commercials, and music. NICK AINSWORTH, MPSE Nick Ainsworth is a sound designer, re-recording mixer, and music mixer with over 15 years of experience and three Emmy nominations. He created the sound design behind the Oscar-nominated "Sister," the Emmy-winning Netflix series "Ask the StoryBots," and the Oscar finalist "In a Heartbeat" in addition to many other movies, television shows, commercials, and shorts. Nick is certified in Dolby Atmos, and has mixed over 150 songs in the format for Warner Records, Netflix, and Sony Music. His music mixing credits include: Cardi B, Bella Poarch, and K.Flay to name a few. He works in LA out of his studio and Electric Ear Studio for Dolby Atmos projects.
Cast, Bank Teller
Lilia Harlin
Born and raised in California’s North Bay, Lilia has been acting and modeling since 2018. As an actress and model, Lilia’s work has been featured in both local and national campaigns, commercials, and films. She has taken classes at San Francisco’s A.C.T, the SF Acting Academy, Second City Chicago, and the Dodge School of Film at Chapman University. A lover of the visual arts, Lilia is currently a student at the University of California, Davis, where she will obtain her B.A. in Design next year. She is represented by Cast Images in Sacramento, CA.
Cast, Bank Manager
Gene Mocsy
Gene Mocsy (Bank Manager) played the father in the YA film Hold Still and the journalist Hobie Hill in the webseries Bubbleproof. He was an oversharing bank manager in season 8 of I (Almost) Got Away With It. A longtime Bay Area resident, he grew up in San Jose and received a BFA in Theater Arts from UC Berkeley. He later trained at Berkeley Rep, A.C.T., and Upright Citizens Brigade. He's represented by the heroines at Cast Images.
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Cast, Laundromat Woman
Chesi Ho
Chesi Ho (Laundromat Woman) is an actress from Oakland, California and received her training from Studio A.C.T. at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Her recent roles include the energetic mother Candice Jing in the independent film ‘Sorry We're Dead’ and the gatekeeper secretary Kimberly in the television pilot ‘Track Shack’. She also played various roles in regional and national commercials. She is represented by Cast Images Talent Agency (@castimageslifestyle) in Northern California and DDO Artist Agency (@ddoartists) - Commercial Division in Los Angeles.
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Cast, Laundromat Mother
Alison Hanson
Alison Hanson is an actress, writer and producer. Classically trained with a theater degree from UC Irvine, Alison spent ten years working in New York City with the Holderness Theater Company, before returning to California. With extensive experience in Shakespeare, she has trained with renowned masters such as Steve Wangh, Walton Wilson, & Katherine Fitzmaurice. Alison’s theater highlights include Much Ado About Nothing & The Rover at the Lincoln Center Theater, Einstein's Dreams at The Culture Project, and Hamlet performed on the island of Alcatraz. As producer, Alison's award-winning films include the documentary Back to Bosnia (Amnesty International & AFI Fest), Apparition (LA Shorts, Miami Shorts, and Mexico International - winner of the Bronze Palm). Her first feature narrative, Knowing Nothing Cold, premiered at the Defy Film Festival in Nashville, and screened at multiple festivals around the country, garnering awards for Best Ensemble and Best Narrative Feature. Alison is a breast cancer survivor.
Stunt Driver, Associate Producer
T.J. Dalrymple
Alison Hanson is an actress, writer and producer. Classically trained with a theater degree from UC Irvine, Alison spent ten years working in New York City with the Holderness Theater Company, before returning to California. With extensive experience in Shakespeare, she has trained with renowned masters such as Steve Wangh, Walton Wilson, & Katherine Fitzmaurice. Alison’s theater highlights include Much Ado About Nothing & The Rover at the Lincoln Center Theater, Einstein's Dreams at The Culture Project, and Hamlet performed on the island of Alcatraz. As producer, Alison's award-winning films include the documentary Back to Bosnia (Amnesty International & AFI Fest), Apparition (LA Shorts, Miami Shorts, and Mexico International - winner of the Bronze Palm). Her first feature narrative, Knowing Nothing Cold, premiered at the Defy Film Festival in Nashville, and screened at multiple festivals around the country, garnering awards for Best Ensemble and Best Narrative Feature. Alison is a breast cancer survivor.
Assistant Unit Production Manager
Geordie Robinson
Geordie Robinson is an Australian television, film and theatre actor known for his roles on the television series Underbelly: Badness and Winter. Robinson's theatre roles include Green Cyc's production of The Taming of the Shrew (2008), as well as starring as Laertes in the Q Theatre production of Hamlet, Sydney (2011). In 2011, Robinson was cast in the Australian premiere of the play The Birthday Boys at The National Institute of Dramatic Art. In 2012, Robinson was cast in the television series Underbelly: Badness as Craig "Schiz" Bottin, Drug Cook and Decker's associate.[1] In 2014 Robinson acted opposite Rebecca Gibney in the TV series Winter. Robinson previous guest roles included the Australian medical drama All Saints and the pilot Could Gone Pro, along with a small role in the Australian film A Few Best Men. Robinson appeared in the Australian short film The Pear and the upcoming American drama series Girls Like Magic, directed by Mad Men actor Kit Williamson.[2] Robinson appeared in the lead role of Blackrock by Nick Enright in the Australian Theatre Company in Los Angeles (2015).[3] In 2016, Robinson played the role of Liam in the Funny or Die and Go90 partnered series.
Production Sound Mixer
Jon Gerdemann
Jon has been a lifelong audiophile, starting with his first turntable and Beatles records. He began playing the guitar at 13, and immediately started learning how to make demos. That interest grew into making demo recordings for his friends bands, and he eventually ended up going to an audio school, which introduced him to audio for many disciplines, including film. After working in recording studios, Jon found himself doing audio restoration and surround mixing for films and TV shows. But he wanted to get out from in front of the computer, and started taking jobs on film sets as a Production Sound Mixer. Fifteen years later, he’s still at it. Jon has worked on some 40+ feature films, countless shorts and TV shows, as well as commercials, documentaries, and corporate videos.
Location Manager
Stan Bautista
A northern California native and thirty-year veteran of the entertainment industry, Stan joined the ranks of professional filmmakers in 2015. Thanks to scores of commercial, industrial & film credits along with a 2018 COLA Location Manager of the Year nomination, Stan is one of Sacramento’s most experienced and called on location specialists.
Production Assistant/ Medic
Gauri Vats
Gauri is an actor and writer. She was born and raised in California and has worked in film, television and commercials. She has a deep love for storytelling which is greatly influenced by her experience as the daughter of immigrants. She seeks projects that explore cultural duality in all its forms. Her work experience ranges from acting to casting to producing. Gauri is currently represented by Cast Images in Sacramento.
Hair
Candace Marie Lynn
Candace Marie Lynn is an American Hairstylist and entrepreneur. She launched her career in 2000 as a hairstylist and she traveled the globe as a respected artist and educator. Her passion evolved into becoming a creative advisor for various hair brands such as Schwarzkopf, Aloxxi, and OYA, leading the launch of avant-garde trends and products. Her work has been seen in magazines such as In Style, Vogue, Allure, and many others. She also worked closely with chemists and brands to develop new hair products for the industry. Her desire to share her creative direction motivated Candace to sign with Exclusive Artists Management in 2016 where she styled looks on the red carpet and editorials. Candace continues to work behind the chair because she feels the symbiosis between the client and the hairstylist is extremely valuable. She continues to educate and elevate hairstylists and graciously give back the knowledge she has learned in the industry.
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Makeup
Tahni Smith
Tahni Smith is a California-born makeup artist and lifelong rock and roll enthusiast. Her experience in the field spans more than 20 years and covers just about any situation that involves makeup application; from television and film to advertising, catalogue, editorial, special events, sports and the corporate world. She approaches every project with kindness, enthusiasm and a passion for collaboration. Upon completing her BA in Italian from San Francisco State University, Tahni moved to Rome, Italy, where she discovered that her creative side could no longer be ignored. She enrolled in a makeup course at Studio 13 in Rome, and got her first paying gig in 2003 at the television network La Sette. Returning to the United States after 6 years, she became an artist for the Japanese makeup line, She Uemura, until eventually breaking into the advertising scene in San Francisco, working with clients such as Banana Republic, Old Navy, Stitch Fix, Apple, Salesforce and Levi’s. Her most memorable and favorite moment in her career was a day in 2014 when she received a phone call for a last minute gig “grooming 2 male subjects”. One of those “subjects” ended up being Sammy Hagar for his show “Rock and Roll Road Trip” on AXSTV. She has been Sammy’s makeup artist ever since, and continues to work with AXSTV in Los Angeles, where she now resides. Tahni has recently completed various makeup effects courses with Legends Makeup Academy, taught by the one and only Ve Neill, and she is also studying the art of ventilation (wig/facial hair making), continuously adding to her skill set.