April 2020 Writers
Marina Shron
A Russian born New York-based writer/filmmaker, Marina studied film and theatre at New York University Tisch School of the Arts. Her plays have been produced nationally and internationally and she received awards and funding for her work from Foundation for Contemporary Art, New York Foundation for the Arts, as well as from Jerome and Fulbright foundations. Marina’s short films including her directorial debut Lullaby for Ray (2011), as well as Christina and Nikki, (2010) and The Silent Love of the Fish (2004) have screened at film festivals around the world and won awards including Best Short Film in Hamptons and Toronto and Creative Spirit Award for Originality/Creativity. Her feature films as a writer include Buddha’s Little Finger (Rohfilm, Germany – Telefilm, Canada) scheduled for release in 2015), X-Tina (Rising Star in Screenwriting Award, Canada International Film Festival, and The Fruit of Our Womb, in development.
Devin Klos
A writer, director and performer based in NY, Devin has been captivated by storytelling his entire life. With a firm belief that you can only tell great stories if you live a full life, he has tried to immerse himself in the world at large and dabbled in everything from news coverage to sports journalism alongside creative gigs. His recent work as writer and director have included the award winning film “Idol Worship” which is streaming on Amazon, the comedy short “BnB” which has been screening in festivals all across the US and several scripts including a Civil Rights era historical drama called “Crossing The Ocean” which was a Sundance Labs Semifinalist in 2018. In these troubled times, look to those who find the goodness in others and are open with empathy. They will guide us to calmer days ahead.
Trish Dotson
Conditioned by the small town she grew up in, Trish believed there was nothing outside her Oklahoma barbed wire fences. After marrying an Air Force pilot and living around the world for 28 years, her view of the world became limitless. In 2009 she wanted to tell the story of the courageous military spouse. A story of a collective people who tirelessly give to a cause greater than themselves. She sat down at the computer, with no idea what she was doing, and her screenplay REVOLUTIONARY HEART was born. This script has garnered a finalist spot in the 2020 LA International Screenplay competition, was a Semi-finalist in the 2020 Writers Lab, and is currently an official nomination for the 2020 Austin Revolution Film Festival. Her Script GIVING UP GROUND was awarded top 3 in the 2020 New Media Film Festival. Her writing focuses on inspirational stories with a touch of romance and patriotism. She believes everyone is capable of greatness. She creates stories which are powerful, touching and relevant in today’s trying times. Trish is represented by Momentum Talent Agency in Burbank, California.
Alexandra Lexton
Alexandra Lexton graduated from Whitman College and completed her MFA in writing at Goddard College in Vermont. Her roles in the film industry have included Producer, Writer, Production Executive, Development Director, marketing and acting, among other related titles.
As a filmmaker, Alex has produced three feature length films. The latest, a documentary she wrote, produced, and directed is entitled, THE LURE OF THIS LAND, which had it’s world premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival 2019. Since 1998, Alex has been developing film projects, as well as writing, film festival judge and panel presenter, speaking and teaching engagements, conducting film-related workshops, creating The Pacific Filmmakers’ Forum (www.pacificfilmforum.com) and pursuing opportunities for LEX Productions. She lives surrounded by green, in Marin County, California.
Jill A. Hargrave
Jill A. Hargrave is a documentary producer and fundraiser. She majored in Journalism at Pace University’s White Plains campus and started her career in broadcasting as a member of the acclaimed documentary team at WCBS-TV’s “Eye On New York.” Hargrave moved to California and worked for NBC’s daytime variety show “Fantasy” as its script supervisor. Then she returned to the NY/NJ area. Hargrave worked as a news writer for ABC NewsOne for two years before taking a documentary producer position with New Jersey Network Public Television (NJN). For over 18 years, Hargrave produced many regional Emmy-nominated documentaries for NJN, including “Myths of Aging,” “The Candidates” and “Cutting Edge New Jersey.” Then Hargrave joined the NJN Foundation in 2005 and raised funds that enabled other NJN producers to make documentaries. Hargrave is a member of the Writers Guild of America, East.
Since Governor Chris Christie and the State of New Jersey closed down NJN Public Television in June 2011, Hargrave moved to Florida. She continues to raise funds and produce projects as founder of EagleVision Productions, Inc. – a nonprofit production company. EagleVision Productions, Inc. has just finished its sixth and final season for NJTV’s “On the Record with Michael Aron” called “Governors’ Perspectives with Kent Manahan.”
Hargrave is currently in the research, development and fundraising stage for a documentary project that will tell the story of the formative years of the American Revolution (1776/1777) in readiness for the 250th Anniversary of this nation in 2026. She also is working on several screenplays to hone her writing skills as a screenwriter. The Big Apple Film Festival Screenplay Competition – 2019 Summer Edition named one of her screenplays a semi-finalist.
Alanah Rafferty
Alanah Rafferty is an NYC based actor and filmmaker. Her last film, Mutiny, was a Quarter Finalist in the ScreenCraft Film Fund 2017, and was nominated for Best Writing For A Short at the Nightmares Film Festival in 2019. She’s currently working on multiple screenplays that blend genres and offer a unique perspective on the world we live in.
Frances De Larminat
Born in Argentina, Frances grew up in Patagonia, Oaxaca, France, and Los Angeles. She started training in dance professionally with former NDT Creative Director, Glenn Edgerton, at The Colburn Institute in Los Angeles. At the age of 17, she moved to NYC to study as a four-time fellowship recipient at The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Alongside performing, Frances experimented with photography and film, studying Culture and Media at The New School, and graduated from the Creative Practice Program at The International Center of Photography/Bard College. In 2019, Frances received her MFA in Film from The Vermont College of Fine Art and an MA in Screenwriting from Screen Academy Scotland in the UK.
Her work primarily focuses on the human relationship to nature while experimenting with dance-related approaches to cinematic storytelling. Her screenplays and films have been selected by festivals such as Hollyshorts Film Festival, The UK Film Festival, Revelation Perth Film Festival, The San Fransisco Independent Film Festival, and The Houston International Film Festival.
Kevin Anthony Ryan
Recently an excerpt from Ryan’s stage adaptation of FRANKENSTEIN was chosen and performed as one of the Orange County Arts Council’s Ten Minute Play Festival. In addition, Ryan wrote, directed and produced [for the stage] THE STATIONS OF GEORGE REEVES’ CROSS, in Warwick, NY in 2015. This “return to theatre” was inspired by the teachings of William Hickey, Herbert Berghof, Janet Frank, Earle Hyman, and William Packard.
Other Playwriting/Production credits include WEDDING DAZE, SCENES FROM A NIGHT’S DREAM and HAVEN OF THE MIND at various theaters in Manhattan. Ryan also directed THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VAN KANT and BREMEN FREEDOM at the Theatre Studio during their Rainer Werner Fassbinder marathon. Ryan is currently a professional clown running “Okey Dokey Entertainment LLC” performing as the beloved Okey Dokey Clown character [more info at okeydokeyentertainment.com]. In 2014, Ryan made his film debut appearing in IT FELT LIKE LOVE by Eliza Hittman. Richard Brody of THE NEW YORKER reviewed the film: “Lila’s relationship with her father [Ryan] is one of the wisest I have seen on screen in a while.”
Danielle Stratton
Danielle was raised among the cacti and creosote in the dusty desert of Tucson. She is deeply inspired by her unique upbringing in Arizona, as well as an undying fascination with complicated relationships. Danielle holds an MFA from UCLA’s prestigious School of Theater, Film and Television. While working toward her graduate degree, she taught introductory sections in Screenwriting, Art and Technique of Filmmaking, and Nordic Cinema. Danielle’s screen and teleplays have placed or been finalists in several contests including the Austin Film Festival, Page Awards, and Cinestory among others. Her family crime drama, PARADISE VALLEY, was recently named as a Top 50 Pilot of 2019 in the industry esteemed Launch Pad Pilot Competition. The short film that she wrote and directed, GOODNIGHT NOT GOODBYE, about a couple in the throes of divorce after the tragic death of their young daughter, is currently in post production with plans to make the rounds in next year’s festival circuit. Danielle lives in West Hollywood and considers herself a proud Angeleno – on a sunny day you’ll find her alongside other “painfully LA” hikers atop Runyon Canyon with her rescue pup, Oliver.