Boaz Dror
An award-winning screenwriter, Boaz has scripted dialogue for Japanese television shows on the Anime Network, written sketches for Second City LA, and independently produced and launched a sci-fi/horror graphic novel titled NIGHT OF THE MULLETS. His most recent project, an animated detective show set on Noah’s Ark, was developed by CBS with Jack Black’s Electric Dynamite, but ended up in turnaround as a result of the pandemic. After a brief sabbatical to pursue an MFA from UC Riverside and be full-time daddy to his baby daughter, he now hopes to resurrect and relaunch ARK CITY JAZZ as a feature, with the help of the Jewish Writers Institute.
Brian Ash
Bronx raised and Yeshiva educated, Brian Ash is a producer and writer specializing in adult animation, comic books and feature films. Brian’s TV credits include Adult Swim’s “The Boondocks”, “Black Dynamite”, “The Jellies” and “Lazor Wulf”. He is the co-creator of the “Alef Blessed” collectible card game.
Yael Levy
Yael Levy is an author, illustrator, and screenwriter who loves creating Jewish-themed projects for kids. A Literary Associate for Olswanger Literary Agency, Yael currently writes graphic novels, and scripts for animated TV shows. She enjoys reading, hiking, and her husband’s perfect potato kugel.
Josh Burstein
Josh Burstein is a standup comedian and journalist. A digital strategist who produced content for the Obama Administration and Biden campaigns, Josh works at the intersection of impact, education, and entertainment.
Chari Pere
Chari Pere has worked as a creative director and illustrator/storyboard artist on projects for Red Bull, Jockey, Disney, Comedy Central, and Bud Light. She has created content for The Washington Post’s The Lily and Mad Magazine, and has collaborated with NYT bestselling author Gretchen Rubin and actress Mayim Bialik. Chari launched the “Unspoken” Cartoon series as part of the 2024 Jewish Writers’ Initiative Digital Storytellers Lab Fellowship and was named the 2024 JewCE Artist of the Year.
Alex Salsberg
Alex Salsberg is an independent animation director who loves telling stories through funny, weird and heartfelt cartoons. Alex has directed videos for Billy Ray Cyrus and Utkarsh Ambudkar, and has worked on projects for MTV, Nickelodeon and WGBH. He is also co-writer and director of the award-winning comedy short “Class of 84,” about a Jewish family facing anxiety and mortality, and host of “I Loved This Conversation,” a podcast about people living creative lives.
Jeremy Shuback
Jeremy Shuback is a video journalist whose work appears on channels ranging from the Wall Street Journal to Johnny Harris. As a writer, editor, and director, he’s helped create hundreds of videos, many with millions of views. Somewhere along the way he got obsessed with history, and now spends his free time making YouTube videos about esoteric minutiae from hundreds of years ago.