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Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an African-American R&B singer and actress from Glen Cove, New York. She acted in films and shows such as The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Resident Evil: Extinction, Coach Carter, John Tucker Must Die, Bride and Prejudice, Malcolm X and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She has released six albums.

A 25-year veteran in the Hollywood exploitation field, writer/producer/director Jim Wynorski is responsible for over 150 varied motion pictures in a myriad of genres. Leaving behind a successful commercial business in New York, Wynorski relocated to California in 1980 and soon found himself on the doorstep of his childhood idol, B-film king Roger Corman. "The rest was destiny," recounts Wynorski, who soon found himself hired by the renowned movie mogul to cut "coming attractions" for all of the company's new action and horror films. "It was like grasshopper learning from the kung-fu master," says Wynorski, who claims his six-months internship with Corman taught him more than four years at film school.

"It wasn't long after that Corman offered me the first of many writing/directing assignments. Some distributor wanted a flick about a killer in a shopping mall," recalls Wynorski, "and Roger trusted me enough to say 'come up with something good, and you can direct it." Well, a couple days later, the director walked in with the first treatment to a film called Chopping Mall (1986), and the rest was history. From then on, Jim Wynorski turned out an average of three to five films a year as a director, and even more as a producer/writer. Throughout the 1980s came a steady stream of wild exploitation titles like Big Bad Mama II (1987) with Angie Dickinson, Not of This Earth (1988) with Traci Lords and The Return of Swamp Thing (1989) with Heather Locklear. On into the 1990s, Wynorski continued to climb to the top of the B-Film mountain with flicks like Hard Bounty (1995) starring Kelly LeBrock, Point of Seduction: Body Chemistry III (1994) & Body Chemistry 4: Full Exposure (1995) with Shannon Tweed and Morgan Fairchild and Munchie (1992), which featured the first film appearance of the then-unknown 12-year-old child actress Jennifer Love Hewitt.

As the years peeled by and tastes changed, Jim Wynorski kept hip by innovating new special effects techniques that landed the director no less than seven world premieres on the Sci-Fi Channel. His credits there include films like Gargoyle (2004), The Curse of the Komodo (2004), Project Viper and Cry of the Winged Serpent (2007).

As for the future, the 59-year-old Wynorski feels the audience for alternative cinema made away from the studio system will continue to grow thanks to new advances in Internet and Cable technologies. In fact, he is in post-production on another thriller, Vampire in Vegas (2009). "And you can bet I'll be there," he offers with a big smile, "with some really fun stuff." Jim has a huge following in the MidWest and is beloved in Franklin, Indiana, Home of The B Movie Celebration.

David Strickland was born in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, on October 14, 1969. Raised in Princeton, New Jersey, he never thought about an acting career until moving to the LA suburb of Pacific Palisades while in high school. Instead of going to college, he joined a theater company and began performing comedy sketches that he wrote along with a friend. To gain some acting experience, Strickland also participated in 64 student films. His stage credits include Biloxi Bluesues, Bye Birdie, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Pizza Man, and I Won't Dance. He went on to earn guest-starring roles on Roseanne (1988) and Dave's World (1993), as well as recurring roles on Sister, Sister (1994) and Mad About You (1992) (as Paul Reiser's backstabbing co-worker at the Explorer Channel). When not acting, his pastimes included golf, making fruit smoothies, and playing "a mean game of paddle-tennis." He will best be remembered by TV fans for his co-starring role of Todd, the magazine's music critic, on the NBC sitcom Suddenly Susan (1996) (which stars Brooke Shields). Recent movie achievements, before his untimely death, included a lead role in the independent film Delivered (1998) (a dark comedy directed by Guy Ferland) and the role of 'Steve' in the hit movie Forces of Nature (1999).

Laurie Bird was a cute and charming actress who appeared in only three pictures during her regrettably short-lived career. Bird was born on September 26, 1953 in Long Island, New York. Laurie was working as a model when she was chosen by director Monte Hellman, from nearly 500 women, to portray "The Girl" in Two-Lane Blacktop (1971). Bird gave a fine and impressively natural performance in her film debut as the chatty and rootless hippie wanderer, "The Girl", in Hellman's extraordinary road movie masterpiece. She was likewise excellent as Harry Dean Stanton's snippy young wife, "Dody Burke White", in Hellman's bleakly fascinating character study Cockfighter (1974). Following her small role as Paul Simon's L.A. girlfriend in Woody Allen's Annie Hall (1977), Laurie quit acting, altogether, and became a photographer. Bird committed suicide in boyfriend Art Garfunkel's Manhattan penthouse, at the tragically young age of 25, on June 15, 1979. Garfunkel dedicated his album, "Scissors Cut", to Laurie. The album features a partial photograph of Laurie Bird on its back cover.

American character actor who became a casting director following an accident, then returned to acting years later. The son of a New York policeman, Remsen lived a colorful life before turning to acting. He made his film debut in 1959 and was busy before the cameras in both film and television. Five years later, however, a collapsing crane on the set of the TV series No Time for Sergeants (1964) broke his back and nearly killed him. He recuperated for months and was able to walk again with crutches, but he believed his acting career was ended. He became a casting director, eventually heading the casting department of Lorimar Productions. While casting the film Brewster McCloud (1970), he was given a role by director Robert Altman. Though he continued to work in casting with his wife and partner Barbara Dodd, he resumed his acting career, working in scores of films and television episodes, most of the time requiring only a cane to walk. He appeared in many of Altman's films and was a popular figure in the film industry for his generosity and his vivid story-telling. He died in his sleep at age 74 in 1999.

Perky actress and producer Ellie Cornell was born in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA. After graduating from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida in 1986, Cornell had a small guest appearance in a 1988 episode of Thirtysomething (1987). The same year, she played an assertive reporter in the Oscar-nominated comedy movie Married to the Mob (1988).

Cornell's best-known role also came about in 1988 when she auditioned for parts in two horror films: lead girl Alice Johnson in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) and Rachel Carruthers, foster sister of Jamie Lloyd, in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988), winning the latter. Halloween 4 grossed over three times its budget and Cornell reprised her role as Rachel in its sequel, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989). After appearing in episodes of TV shows ABC Afterschool Specials (1972) and Gabriel's Fire (1990), as well as the made-for-television movie Chips, the War Dog (1989), Cornell was set to appear in the comedy A League of Their Own (1992), but had to drop out after finding out she was pregnant.

After an eight-year break from the film industry, Cornell returned to executive produce and act in Free Enterprise (1998) and The Specials (2000). She played tough cop Jordan Casper in the critically-panned, video game-based zombie movie House of the Dead (2003) and its sequel, House of the Dead 2 (2005), and appeared in five more horror films in 2005 and 2006. Moreover, Cornell was in the pilot episode of The Event (2010) and played a detective in four episodes of the short-lived Femme Fatales (2011); she also tried a hand at directing Prank (2008) with Halloween 4 and 5 co-star Danielle Harris and horror actress Heather Langenkamp, which fell through, and was interviewed in the documentary Halloween: 25 Years of Terror (2006).

She and her husband also founded production company Mindfire Entertainment and own Ship's Inn, a restaurant in Massachusetts, together.

Thomas Pynchon was born on 8 May 1937 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA. He is a writer and actor, known for Inherent Vice (2014), Prüfstand VII (2002) and Thomas Pynchon: A Journey Into the Mind of P. (2002). He has been married to Melanie Jackson since 1991. They have one child.

Every so often, a prodigy is born of immeasurable talent and potential... Kasan Butcher doesn't really fall into this category, but he's a nice guy nonetheless. His tireless journey began 32 years ago in Glen Cove, New York on April 7, 1973. His childhood was, well, uneventful due in large part to his being an introvert. Most parents have trouble keeping tabs on their kids' whereabouts. They wonder and worry if their children are safe when they are not at home. Kasan's parents did not have this problem; in fact, they used to beg him to leave the house. They often used the phrase, `Why don't you go somewhere!' It seemed hopeless. Although Kasan was about as shy as one person can get, he was a clown and loved entertaining his friends and family. His mother would always tell him that she was going to put him on TV to make her some money. This got him to thinking. After graduating high school, Kasan slowly began to break out of his shell and surprised everyone by announcing that, he wanted to pursue an acting career. One day he went to an open call audition at a casting agency and it changed his life. Soon after the open call he booked his first commercial, it was only background work, but it was a commercial nonetheless. As with everything in nature with good comes bad, doing the commercial costs Kasan his day job. Conundrum: does he risk losing every job he holds until he can support himself with just acting (which could take forever), or bank on faith? Somehow, he combined the two, did several commercials and countless student films in New York, before deciding to take on Hollywood. He arrived in Los Angeles with a group of aspiring actors and was supposed to stay a week, seven years later he is still plugging away. Kasan's battle for success in the early stages was rough. He tried his best to shake it off and keep going, but rejection is never easy. Finding comfort in the little things made life bearable. Unhappy at work, homesick and loneliness started to take its toll. As we, all know success may be elusive, but it is out there. After a heart to heart with a very wise and close friend, Kasan proceeded to book his first national commercial, then his second. He worked on a USC short film that won him an award for "Best actor in a short" at a well-known film festival. He followed that up with appearances on shows like "The Parent'Hood", "Any Day Now", "Boston Public" and "Sabrina". Reuniting with actor/writer/director/producer Robert Townsend, Kasan helped make history by becoming a member of the first family of black superheroes in "Disney Channel's Up, Up, and Away". On returning from Vancouver, he earned a spot on "Malcolm in the Middle" and was recurring for the entire second season. Kasan's most challenging role and to some his best performance came on "MTV's Undressed" where he played a character who starts out gay, but turns straight. Achieving a personal milestone, he books his first guest-starring role on "One on One". Kasan supported a talented cast in the low budget horror film "Drive-In", and followed that up with his first starring role in the feature "Tapped Out". Pilot season is not always kind, but he managed to get a piece of the pie by booking "ACES". Warner Bros. passed on the pilot, but booking "Jeepers Creepers II" brought back that infectious smile of his. Returning to the short film circuit landed him in "Instinct vs. Reason", yet again playing a superhero. Lightning striking twice? His most recent endeavor finds him mercilessly harassing the President's daughter on "Commander in Chief". All of these experiences are what prepared him for, in his opinion, his greatest accomplishment. Writing, producing, financing (which he's still hurting from), and starring in "El Mariachi Negro". A black Mariachi who can't sing, play an instrument or speak Spanish. Semi-autobiographical, it holds a special place in his heart, and, as stated earlier, his wallet. He has not figured out yet if it is luck or talent that has gotten him this far, but whatever it is Kasan Butcher is thankful for each and every one of his blessings.

Scott Goldberg is a cinematographer, director, producer, and writer from New York dedicated to visual storytelling.

His latest film release is The Forest Hills, featuring Shelley Duvall (The Shining), Edward Furlong (Terminator 2: Judgment Day), Stacey Nelkin (Halloween III: Season of the Witch), Marianne Hagan (Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), and Dee Wallace (The Howling).

Brian Myers was born on 19 April 1985 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA. He is an actor, known for WWE Smackdown! (1999), GTS Wrestling (2015) and WWE Saturday Morning Slam (2012). He has been married to Lizzie Karcher since 9 October 2015. They have one child.

Larry Kemp was born on 12 April 1950 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA. He is an editor, known for The Day After Tomorrow (2004), The Last of the Mohicans (1992) and The Revenant (2015).

Lee Ranaldo was born on 3 February 1956 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA. He is a composer and actor, known for The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), Never Back Down (2008) and I'm Not There (2007).

Richard Gonzalez is an actor, director, and producer on The Big Island of Hawaii. Richard co-writes, directs and acts in his own action-adventure stories that are produced entirely on the Big Island. Growing up on Long Island, in the seventies, Richard became involved with "Television production" classes and became inspired to produce his own films for school projects. Utilizing local talent, and incorporating the island's diverse beauty, Richard's films are featured in local theaters for the sole purpose of entertaining Big island audiences. Richard's target audience is the general public, ages 8 to 80, encouraging movie goers to come out and support Big Island artists and local businesses. Richard uses his own money to produce his films, and receives assistance from local businesses. This symbiotic relationship between filmmaker and the business community offers promotional credit in exchange for reduced material rates and access to locations that feature and showcase popular island activities. The cast and crew for Richard's films includes local performing artists, as well as local business people who have a passion for acting, and who are willing to donate their time to be a part of the creative process. Many of the roles created by Richard have created opportunities for local actors to find additional work within their field. Richard's goal is to produce a product with a local theme, and quality feel that leaves viewers believing it was done on a larger scale budget. The price of admission is generally lower than mainstream movies, in order to draw audiences out to the theater. In an age where DVD's, and the internet are an easy, cheaper entertainment alternative, keeping ticket prices affordable encourages families to get off the couch and support their local theater. GIFilms gives back to the community by donating ticket sales to various organizations on the island such as the Aloha Performing Arts Company, and the continuing renovation of The Hilo Palace Theater in Hilo Hawaii, which is one of the oldest theaters in the state. Promoting the arts is an investment for future generations of moviegoers and movie makers in the state of Hawaii.

Tim Fitzgerald was born on 12 December 1972 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA. He is an assistant director and actor, known for Collateral Damage (2002), Taxi (2004) and xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017).

Marylee Picciano was born on 5 January 1979 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for The Plight of Clownana (2004).

Vanessa Gould was born on 30 January 1974 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA. She is a director and producer, known for Between the Folds (2008), Obit. (2016) and Independent Lens (1999).

Leah Gillingwater was born on 21 August 1980 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA. She is a production manager, known for Kurbaan (2009), The Hungry Ghosts (2009) and Santa Live (2016).

Christine Quinn was born on 25 July 1966 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA. She has been married to Kim Catullo since 19 May 2012.

Lee Hubbard Crowe was born on 22 March 1950 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA. Lee Hubbard was a producer, known for The Art of the Doll Maker (1999). Lee Hubbard died on 20 January 2021 in Santa Monica, California, USA.

Penelope Grover was born on 11 April 1953 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Technoburger, Broken Bird and Nobody Wants to Be Here, Nobody Wants to Leave.

Nick Markakis was born on 17 November 1983 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA.

Jonathan Farbowitz was born on 27 January 1983 in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, USA. He is a cinematographer, known for The Good Shepherd (2006), The Warriors (2005) and Waterborne (2005).