Marianna Palka

director

Multi award-winning Palka was born and brought up in Glasgow and moved to New York City at age 17 to study at the Atlantic Theater Company. She wrote, directed and starred in the amazingly reviewed Good Dick which played in Dramatic Competition at Sundance Film Festival 2008. Palka received the Directing Award from Sean Connery for the film. The film explores what intimacy truly can be for someone who has been sexually abused in their childhood. Critics have related it to Hitchcock's Marnie for its vulnerable and strong, masculine and feminine characters. It has never not been top 5 streaming on Hulu.

Palka wrote her Sundance 2017 critically acclaimed feature film BITCH over a weekend in Lake Tahoe because she was inspired by Maya Angelou's habit of writing in hotels. The film was produced by Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah, and Josh Waller whose company Spector Vision developed the film. BITCH was picked up for international distribution at Cannes in 2017. It stars Palka, Jason Ritter, Jaime King, Rio Mangini, Brighton Sharbino, Jason Maybalm and Kingston Foster and is based on the true story of a mother becoming a dog after a psychotic break. As an actress, Palka also recently starred on the Netflix show GLOW.

Joanna Kerns

executive producer

Joanna Kerns, perhaps best known as an actress for her role as Maggie Seaver on the beloved sitcom GROWING PAINS, is also an accomplished writer, director, and producer. Her more than 60 directing credits include episodes of THIS IS US, THE GOOD DOCTOR, GREY’S ANATOMY, CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND, and JANE THE VIRGIN.  She is the co-writer, director, and producer of the short comedy GOLD LUNCH and the associate producer on the dramatic documentary UNREST.  In 2016, Kerns was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram.  Following two lumpectomies, she made the choice to undergo a preventative double mastectomy to avoid the chance of the cancer returning and so that she would not risk the side effects of radiation.  Since that surgery, she has been given an “all clear” – the best possible news.

Robin Conly

producer

Robin’s career has spanned from Texas to Los Angeles, where she’s produced several internationally distributed films that can be seen on networks including HBO, Hallmark, Showtime, Hulu, and Netflix. Recently, she worked with a former Disney Imagineer to produce multiple segments of a 4D IMAX attraction for the Mall of America; helmed research and development for a documentary production company; and produced an award-winning web-series. A few highlights of Robin’s journey thus far include screenings at the NBC Universal Short Film Showcase and Austin Film Festival, joining The PGA & Film Fatales, and traveling to Sydney as a special guest filmmaker for the Women Media Arts and Film Festival.

Devin Sidell

co-writer/producer/actress playing danielle

A Los Angeles native, Devin Sidell received her B.A. from Princeton University and immediately moved back to L.A. to pursue a career in film and television, appearing on such acclaimed shows as MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, THE O.C., and NUMB3RS while simultaneously feeding her love for the stage.  She won an L.A. Weekly Award for her performance in LAND OF THE TIGERS at Sacred Fools Theatre and was nominated for both LADCC and Ovation Awards for THE BEHAVIOR OF BROADUS, co-produced by Center Theatre Group.  Devin has appeared in shows at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as well as on The Broad Stage opposite Josh Gad and Bryce Dallas Howard.

In addition to recent appearances on RAY DONOVAN opposite Liev Schreiber, the viral singing criminals scene in BROOKLYN NINE-NINE, NCIS, and CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND," Devin appears in Rob Zombie’s horror film 31 (Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival) and recurs as a sketch performer on JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!  A carrier of the BRCA-1 gene mutation with a family history of ovarian and breast cancers, Devin decided in 2017 to undergo both a preventative double mastectomy and a preventative hysterectomy/oophorectomy, earning her the label of "previvor."  She is a proud member of the Television Academy.  www.devinsidell.com

Amy Byer Shainman

PRODUCER

Amy Byer Shainman, also known as the BRCA Responder, is a patient advocate who provides support and education surrounding BRCA and other hereditary cancer syndromes. She's the executive producer of the award-winning documentary Pink & Blue: Colors of Hereditary Cancer. She is a BRCA1 gene mutation carrier. In 2010, she had two prophylactic surgeries to drastically reduce her cancer risk; a nipple sparing, skin-sparing mastectomy with reconstruction and oophorectomy with a hysterectomy.

Shainman has been featured in Cure Magazine, The Jewish Journal, and The Palm Beach Post. As a digital ambassador for the National Society of Genetic Counselors gene pool, she is considered one of fifteen influencers who have unique perspectives and knowledge in the fields of genetics and genetic counseling. Her articles have been published in The American Journal of Managed Care, Jupiter Magazine, and Oncology Nursing News.

Learn more about her BRCA memoir, "Resurrection Lily - the BRCA gene, hereditary cancer, & lifesaving whispers from the grandmother I never knew,” here: http://brcaresponder.com/resurrection-lily-book/.

Ani Avetyan

casting director

Ani Avetyan was the Casting Associate for 58 episodes of the TNT drama THE CLOSER as well as 85 episodes of that show’s spin-off series, MAJOR CRIMES.  Other shows she has cast include The CW’s HELLCATS, about the world of competitive college cheerleading.  She recently cast the short films FOR THE LOVE OF HATE and 37:24. Ani teaches acting classes in all genres in the Los Angeles area.