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.
Chelsea London Lloyd
Chelsea London Lloyd is an actor and comedian who appears as Emma Foster on Shifting Gears (ABC) as Tim Allen + Kat Denning’s grief counselor. TV credits include Ballard (MGM,) (HBO, Dir. Bill Hader) and Schooled (ABC) as well as national commercials with Mekanism, KC5, PrettyBird, etc., most notably in her 3-part Wayfair campaign with Kelly Clarkson. When she is not performing, you will find her volunteering as a grief counselor, DJ’ing Bat Mitzvahs and hosting her comedic grief podcast, Dying of Laughter. Because #YODO, you only die once. Lloyd holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Southern California.
Michelle Miriam
Michelle Miriam is a filmmaker, songwriter, and digital storyteller. A creative force behind multiple YouTube channels, she’s grown audiences of over 8 million subscribers and 2 billion views across platforms. Michelle’s work lives at the intersection of film, music, and internet culture; blending emotional storytelling with viral strategy.
Sam Barnett
After graduating from the University of Michigan’s Screen Arts and Cultures program with a screenwriting concentration, Sam Barnett grew tired of his home state of Michigan and relocated to the ancient homeland of his parent: New York. In addition to his writing, he has served as a longtime story analyst for Lionsgate, and has worked on feature films and documentaries at production companies such as Big Beach, Ideal Partners and Keshet Studios. His work has been featured on websites such as The A.V. Club.
Samuel Franco
Samuel Franco graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Writing and Producing for Film. Shortly afterwards, he secured an apprenticeship as a researcher under investigative journalist Mike Wallace at CBS News’ 60 Minutes, and six months later he joined The Charlie Rose Show as a research writer. A year later Samuel was recruited to work for The Howard Stern Show, where he focused on marketing, strategic sales and branding, creating Howard’s first-ever ad campaign: Stern Warning.
Samuel then went on to work for Infinity Broadcasting (CBS Radio), Paramount Pictures, and CBS Daytime Television, before moving to Los Angeles to focus on writing and producing. His credits include writing the feature scripts: Keeper of the Diary (Fox Searchlight) and Mayday 109 (Thunder Road Productions), and TV shows: The Fall of the House of FIFA (FX Networks), and Camelot (NBCUni’s Peacock), alongside writing partner Evan Kilgore. On the producing end, Samuel is executive producing a documentary about the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum art heist titled Ghosts of the Isabella (Ample Entertainment), and producing a feature film, which he is also co-writing, about heavyweight boxer Rocky Marciano titled Unbeaten (Impossible Dream Entertainment). Samuel lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.
Arnon Shorr
Arnon is a filmmaker, screenwriter and author of comics and graphic novels. He is known for crafting tales that blend Jewish characters, stories and themes with the tropes of popular and fantastical storytelling. He gained widespread attention with José and the Pirate Captain Toledano, a swashbuckling graphic novel about Jewish pirates in the 16th-century Caribbean, which expanded on his award-winning short film, The Pirate Captain Toledano. Shorr’s creative work frequently delves into Jewish identity, blending action-packed narratives with deep reflections on heritage. His talents have earned him a 2024 Fellowship with the JWI Screenwriters Lab and a 2024-25 Fellowship with the PJ Library Sephardic Stories Initiative. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, three children, a goofy dog, and the ghost of a dead, grumpy cat.
Adam Epstein
Agnostic Jewish American private investigator Allen Sobel is sent to Israel by a rabbi to find the true Messiah that he thinks is being held in a mental ward that treats individuals suffering from Jerusalem Syndrome, a psychological condition that afflicts people that go to the Holy City which causes them to believe that they […]
Sophie Greenbaum
Sophie Greenbaum is a songwriter, Torah educator and the mother of two young kids. She has written songs for the likes of Britney Spears, Kesha, and many other pop artists. She currently studies full-time in the Beit Midrash program of Maharat.
Micah O’Konis + Marnina Schon
Micah O’Konis (they/he) and Marnina Schon (she/her) are a real-life couple who create sketch comedy together as Couplet and #NotARabbi. They wrote and performed the award-winning musical comedy More Guns! which ran for two years at Second City and toured to San Francisco. Marnina has also performed as an actor on stage with South Coast Rep, Center Theater Group, Berkeley Rep, and Story Pirates, as well as on screen in the upcoming series Chanshi with Henry Winkler, while Micah writes sketches at Upright Citizen’s Brigade, scores films, and releases music as Lookalike (feat. Marnina on violin and vocals).
Kate Mishkin
Kate Mishkin is a podcast producer and writer whose reporting has taken her from from the Allegheny Mountains in West Virginia, to the beaches in San Onofre, California. Her work has appeared in ProPublica, The Guardian, and the LA Times.