The Filmmakers
VANESSA NEWELL - writer/director
Vanessa is an Academic and an independent filmmaker. Is that a deal breaker? She teaches film production and film studies (gender in media) at Loyola Marymount University and makes independent films.
She has been writing, directing, editing and producing films since she graduated USC film school in 1999. She has edited numerous documentaries that have aired on network and cable television as well as independent features and many short films. As writer/director, her short films have won awards and screened at film festivals across North America and Europe, including Palm Springs, Los Angeles, Cinequest, Toronto, Barcelona, Berlin, and Warsaw.
In 2012 she won the $25,000 grand prize at the DirecTV n3D Invitational for her short 3D film HAZELWOOD, a horror/comedy about a genetically altered lab rat that escapes from its cage - starring Richard Moll of Night Court. “It was so cute…then something went horribly wrong!”
The horror/comedy/monster movie Wulfric, will be her feature directorial debut. She’s excited about this project because it involves mad scientists and werewolves! She plans to direct it in the summer 2018.
BRENNAN PETERS - writer
A writer and a lifelong fan of movies, Brennan prefers his flicks to come with monsters and mayhem, preferably brought to life by practical effects…but if CGI need be added, it better look good.
He graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2009 and wrote scripts while puttering around retail hell for a few years and finally made the long-delayed move to the so-called “city” of Los Angeles in 2014 where he is currently navigating the mythologized industry of film.
He lives with his pet plastic Velociraptor hatchling, Mongobi.
DAVID WITZ - producer
David has been a upm/line producer on dozens of top-grossing Hollywood films. His credits include, Dunkirk, Ghostbusters (2016), Gone GIrl, Star Trek, Mission Impossible III, and Moneyball. He’s worked with an impressive roster of directors: John Carpenter, Steven Speilberg, David Fincher, Chrisopher Nolan, JJ Abrams, Chris Columbus and Paul Feig to name a few.
CLARENCE MA - producer
Clarence was born into a conservative Chinese family, and had career expectations of a Doctor, Lawyer, or Accountant. But since the age of 8, he dreamt of becoming a filmmaker. Clarence received a Business Degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and worked full time as a Financial Analyst in Investments at Central Pacific Bank. He finally got the opportunity to chase his dream of becoming a Filmmaker in 2010 as a Graduate Student in the Film & Television Production program at Loyola Marymount University. He is a talented filmmaker and producer and has produced numerous short films and several independent features.
