Bios
Steve Desmond (Writer/Director) & Michael Sherman (Writer/Producer) – Steve and Michael are a filmmaking team united by a shared love of high concept stories that can be told in economically feasible ways. Steve directs, Michael produces, and they write together.
Since graduating from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Steve and Michael have cemented their voice and style, and others are noticing. Their most recent feature screenplay, Orb, made the 2016 Black List, Hit List, and was voted #1 on the Blood List. Twisted Avenue earned a spot on the 2015 Hit List and has Steve attached to direct and Michael attached to produce. The project is being shopped alongside their short film, Monsters, which they made as a proof of concept. Monsters has gone on to screen at 100 film festivals around the world, winning 40 awards including Best Short Film at the Comic-Con International Film Festival, along with being named a Vimeo Staff Pick.
Currently, Steve and Michael are adapting the Image Comics series Planetoid into a TV show for IM Global, and adapting a Hugo Award winning short story. Over the years, they’ve worked on film and television projects with Gran Via Productions, Davis Entertainment, Treehouse Pictures, Lost City, Haven, Imperative, and Imagine Entertainment, among others.
For more on Steve and Michael, visit DreamingAnts.com
Aaron Billet (Producer) – Aaron is an award-winning producer of countless independent feature films, music videos, short films, and web series. Over the years, he’s successfully ascended from a production assistant to a producer, working his way up through the art department on films likeMission Impossible 3 and The Number 23. He’s done everything from stunts to props to assistant directing, giving him a broad understanding of every aspect of the filmmaking process. He currently has two feature films in active development.
Ryan Lewis (Producer) – Ryan Lewis has spent the last decade working for companies such as NBC, Spyglass Entertainment, Jerry Bruckheimer Films and the Paradigm talent agency. His first feature, “Autopsy,” was released as part of After Dark’s “8 Films to Die For” series. In 2010, his comedy “High School” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically in 2012 by Anchor Bay.
As an independent producer, Ryan has also developed a number of projects for television, optioned various book series, and worked with prestigious talent, producers and agents to bring feature films to life. Ryan’s first fully independent feature film was an adaptation of the acclaimed novel, “Fat Kid Rules the World,” which won the audience award at the 2012 SXSW festival. Additionally, Ryan co-created and executive produced the acclaimed series, “Chosen,” for Sony and Crackle.com. Starring Milo Ventimiglia, Chad Michael Murray and Rose McGowan, the award-winning show is Crackle’s most-watched original scripted program.
Joe Russo (Producer) – Award-Winning filmmaker, Joe Russo, has seen his short films featured in festivals worldwide, garnering praise from top film critics. His years of production experience include work on commercials, web-series, television and feature films, for such companies as Nike, Fox, SyFy, A/E, Lionsgate Films and Universal Studios.
Curtis Sherman (Cinematographer) – For the past several years, Curtis has worked on shows like Extant, starring Halle Berry, along with United States of Tara, Twisted, Rob, Friend Me, and Happily Divorced. Additionally, he has worked on countless independent feature films, commercial and music video shoots. As a cinematographer, Curtis has shot numerous short films and music videos, including “Kemo Sabe,” which won Best Short Film at the USA Film Festival. Curtis has a Master of Fine Arts in Cinematography from the American Film Institute and a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Film and Video from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He also has a pet bunny rabbit.
J.R. Arinaga (Editor) – Growing up in Santa Ana, CA, J.R. was the first person from his family to ever go to college. After graduating from USC Film School, he made an immediate impact on the industry with his dynamic and explosive editing style, earning his company the moniker “Sick Cuts.” He’s the man behind the trailers for numerous major movies and TV shows like Batman Begins, The Hangover, Horrible Bosses, and Entourage. He was also one of the main editors on hit TV shows like Hell’s Kitchen and The Biggest Loser. When he’s not rocking the cuts, J.R. is also pursuing his own directing career, having directed commercials for major national brands along with short form content for HBO.
Ryan Stevens Harris (Concept Artist) – Ryan Stevens Harris is an award-winning filmmaker and exhibited artist. He grew up in North Carolina and Ohio, never far from the red glow of his mother’s dark room, sketching on his drawing board and inventing stories. Like his films, Harris’ artwork employs controlled organic energy – intricate combinations of paint, charcoal and collage, creating a tactile, layered effect. Harris currently lives in Los Angeles, developing film projects, stretching canvases and harboring thoughts about the modern state of affairs. For more on Ryan, check out his site: http://www.rste