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 | Alyson Yester Shelton
Producer/Writer/Director
Alyson Yester Shelton realized that she wanted to work in arts while in high school in Boulder, Colorado. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Theatre from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL as well as Certificate in Creative Writing for the Media. While at Northwestern University, Shelton acted, danced, choreographed, wrote and directed. After college, she spent a year in Seattle, Washington, watching films, auditioning, writing and figuring out what she really wanted to do the rest of her life. The answer. Make movies. She spent a summer at New York University, making short films and beginning her education in the art of cinema. Next up, University of Southern California's MFA program in Cinema/TV Production. While there, Shelton worked on a number of short films, including In Search Of… which she wrote and directed. Since film school Shelton served as an assistant to the President of Gracie films, before moving on to produce shows for Fine Living Network and Food Television. Eve of Understanding is her feature film directing debut.
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Jen Kelleher Prince
Producer
Jen Prince grew up in south Texas, where her love for music, theatre, movies and tableside guacamole began. She received her BFA in Acting and a BA in Liberal Arts in the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin. Jen directed theatre in Austin, including her award-winning one-woman show, Voice of the Swan. Jen moved to LA - not to pursue acting, but to get behind the camera. She wrote and directed winded as her thesis film for the graduate film production program at the University of Southern California, earning her MFA. Winded gained distribution through the MindIgnite Australian television series, won a Judges' Award at the Miami International Short Film Festival and was nominated for two awards at the MethodFest. Additionally it was an official selection at over 10 festivals including the Boston Film Festival, Female Eye Film Festival in Toronto, and the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. She has also taught directing and acting for the New York Film Academy at Universal Studios. Jen worked in television for the Emmy Awards and The Amazing Race before moving on to form Open Plan Films.
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Elizabeth Santoro
Director of Photography
Elizabeth Santoro has photographed many independent projects ranging from 35mm to digital video. Her work has been screened at numerous festivals across the country. Most recently Liz shot the feature Living With the Rents. Liz could be found on the set of Jon Favreau's Zathura, working for the DP with a new technology for on-set color correction review. Prior to that she worked as Martin Scorcese's on-set assistant on The Aviator and as an assistant on Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. Elizabeth earned her MFA in Film Production at USC, where she concentrated in cinematography and shot numerous graduate thesis films, including Jen Prince's winded. A native of Connecticut, Liz has always had a love for photography and started taking classes at American University where she earned her BS. She worked in Boston and Washington DC on commercials and events prior to making the trek to LA.
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Cody Shelton
Co-Producer/Editor
Cody Shelton left his native state of Texas to pursue an MFA in Cinema-Television from the University of Southern California. While there he worked on many short films including, In Sight, which he wrote and directed. Since graduation he's been working his way up the ladder of reality television. He worked on Emmy winner, R.J. Cutler's Freshmen Diaries (Showtime),which followed 12 University of Texas at Austin freshman from their first days of the school year, to the moment they depart for summer, an exciting debut project for Cody because UT Austin is his undergraduate alma mater. Then he moved on to work on 2 seasons of ratings winner, The Bachelor (ABC), where he was promoted to story editor, spending his days and many nights watching hundreds of hours of tape and figuring out what story to tell and how. Since then he's worked as a story editor on The Benefactor (ABC), starring Mark Cuban, The Rebel Billionaire (FOX) starring Richard Branson and The Scholar (ABC). Most recently he worked on Bound for Glory (ESPN) as an episode producer.
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Peter Senchuk
Composer
Peter Senchuk has scored over twenty five films since relocating to Los Angeles in 1999. Born in Canada, he began musical studies on violin at the age of five. Peter studied composition and jazz studies at Wayne State University (Detroit, MI), where he was granted the Lefevre Award ('96), the Eisenbury Composition Prize ('97) and The Detroit Music Society Excellence Award ('98). He attended the University of Southern California's Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television advanced degree program in 2000. A jazz trombonist, Peter writes for both film and the concert hall, with recent commissions for pieces ranging from solo trombone to flute trio to symphony orchestra. Recent projects include Myles Sorenson's The Arsonist (which was accepted to the Venice International Film Festival), Greg Stechman's Michael and Claire (Burninground Pictures), and Brian Mix's The Five Stages of Beer (which was awarded a Gold Medal for the score at the Park City Music Film Festival). Peter is represented by Bleu Jean Management. Peter has scored short films for Jen Prince and Alyson Shelton and is glad to be collaborating with them again on Eve of Understanding.
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Brenda Hinesley
Costume Designer
Brenda Hinesley has developed an enviable reputation for herself on the Los Angeles independent film scene as a talented costume designer with experience on an eclectic range of film, television and theater projects. Her wide variety of work includes the feature film Wait Means Never,over a dozen USC short thesis films including the westerns Gunslingers and Spikedriver, the LA Shriek Fest winning horror film Black Gulch, the contemporary dramas Winded, Code, and Shelter and comedies: the Cannes screened Nebraska, and Warriors of the 14th Fairway. Other projects include the multi award-winning LA Film School thesis film Stealing Innocence as well as the Sandler, Inc. TV pilot Edge and Episode 3 of the National Geographic series Microkillers. Hinesley's upcoming projects include the feature film, Wreckage. Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Hinesley currently lives in Riverside, California. She has a BA in Business and Economics from Vanderbilt University and received her Juris Doctor from Samford University. She also served as a JAG Officer in the United States Air Force. Hinesley holds a Professional Designation Certificate in Costuming for Film and TV from California State University, Long Beach.
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Gordon Prince
Co-Producer
Gordon Prince co-produced Cody Shelton's short film, In Sight, and has served as a technical and business adviser on a number of low-budget projects. Currently he is the Manager of Systems, Technical Operations at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, CA, where he has managed projects regarding media assets and studio-wide databases, at times taking him to the UK. Gordon received his BFA in Acting from the University of Texas at Austin where he performed in several mainstage productions and film projects. He has been a professional magician for twelve years, performing his own brand of close-up slight-of-hand for corporate clients. Gordon's hometown, Katy, Texas served as a backdrop for Eve of Understanding.
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Mark Reeb
Associate Producer
Mark Reeb is a filmmaker based in Austin and co-founder of Birdnose Productions. He recently produced and starred in Birdnose's feature debut, Graduation Day, which won the Audience Award at the Had to Be Made film festival. Mark is currently producing the follow-up effort, The Roadside of Town, also written and directed by his producing partner, Matt Cade. Mark earned his MFA in acting from the prestigious NYU Tisch program, and splits his time between Austin and New York. Mark received his BFA in Acting from the University of Texas at Austin, where he first creatively collaborated with Cody, Jen, and Gordon.
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Will Underwood
Associate Producer
Will Underwood comes to Open Plan Films as videographer, in co-production of our Behind the Scenes DVD with his company, Soaring Productions. Based out of San Antonio, Will has spent the past six years building his experience through freelance videography and non-linear editing in Texas and New York. Currently he is a Producer of Television Production Services and Educational Media Resources for The University of Texas Health Science Center of San Antonio. Will is a UT Austin alum as well, having first crossed creative paths with Open Plan founders in the theatre department there
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Rachel Queen
Webdesigner
Rachel Queen is based in England. She is a freelance webdesigner and has designed websites for a wide variety of projects - from bands to Primary Schools. You can find two examples of her work on these sites: ballboy ; money can't buy music.
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