BRIDGET STOKES, WRITER/DIRECTOR

Bridget Stokes’ masterful direction won her an Emmy for HBO’s, A Black Lady Sketch Show, making her the first woman to win in the category. In addition to her win, Bridget has received four Emmy nominations for her directing work on Apple’s Hello Jack and producing work on A Black Lady Sketch Show. Stokes received an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Directing on ABLSS and won the award for producing. 

As a feature director Stokes’ second feature, Boy Genius, starring Rita Wilson and Miles Brown was an award winner at Bentonville and Newport Film Festivals before being acquired for domestic theatrical distribution and streaming as well as selling internationally in Africa, Asia and South America. Stokes has directed two feature films and 30 episodes of television in addition to helming the award-winning short film, Think Fast.

As a producer, Stokes has co-executive produced seasons 1 & 2 of Hello Jack and seasons 3 & 4 of A Black Lady Sketch Show, as well as six feature films, including Netflix’s The Lost Husband and documentary, The Rachel Divide.

ERIN OWENS, PRODUCER

Erin Owens is a seasoned producer with credits that span across a multitude of comedic genres in both TV and film. Whether it be scripted television in A24s Moon Base 8 and Comedy Central's Another Period, sketch comedy with History of the World Part 2, HBO’s Black Lady Sketch Show and Kroll Show or live television with Pod Save America: Four State Tour during the 2018 midterms, Erin’s career is steeped in any and all things comedy.

Additionally, Erin has ventured into short-form content and branded comedy with her involvement in several Quibi, Adult Swim, and College Humor productions, as well as commercials for brands like Adidas, Visa, Chevy.

KATIE TAYLOR, PRODUCER

KATIE TAYLOR is an Executive Producer at The Corner Shop in Los Angeles.

Prior to joining The Corner Shop, Katie Taylor has had a 20-year career in film, television and commercial production.  Having graduated from Auburn University as a 24-time All-American and a 2-time International gold medalist for swimming, she began her career at Fox Sports where she earned an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement: Television Program Series as a segment producer for SEC-TV.  

Taylor was most recently a part of the producer team on the feature film Dark Asset staring Byron Mann.  As an EP at The Corner Shop, Taylor is fortunate to work alongside powerhouse directors such as Peter Thwaites, Ellen Kuras, Malik Vitthal, Bridget Stokes and many of the award winning emerging young talent such as Varun Chopra, Luigi Calabrese, RELTA and BAFTA winning Sindha Agha.

Working across television commercials, branded content, scripted film and TV and documentary, Taylor’s experience and understanding of different mediums and ability to work with budgets, big and small is her superpower.

She is a member of the Television Academy and the Producers Guild of America.

IVA MARQUES, PRODUCER

Hello, I’m Iva. (pronounced Eva in English) 

Bridging gaps and connecting humans encompass my essence. I was born and raised in majestic Mozambique where community connection and support laid my foundation. Being raised in an immensely diverse environment (multicultural, socio-economic) allowed me at a young age to have a multitude of experiences that would set forth to what I now describe as worldly cultural awareness. Alot was learnt by observing and dancing through the revolving colorful and musical environment around me. Those experiences have become part of my daily gratitude acknowledgment and I carry them as my cherished gems. 

My professional path has been just as colorful. Having completed my Business Management & HR Bachelor’s Degree in South Africa, I ventured to Mexico where I became a part of the then Mercedes-Benz/Freightliner marketing team. I don’t know who was the most curious, me landing in a country that I could not speak the language or them finally meeting someone from the continent of Africa. It was love at first sight for both. My work team became my family and my Latino safe ground for 3.5 years. 

I returned to South Africa and joined the incredible Modern Museum Advertising Agency team as a Producer. Creatively working around the clock and putting together advertising campaigns was absolute food to my soul. I thrived at every minute and at every campaign. This was the point when I started to discover the professional path that fulfilled me. By 2005 I arrived in Los Angeles and worked my way at becoming a Key Costumer in the Film/TV industry. Landing my first job in America as American Idol Stylist’s Assistance I felt nothing but gratitude. Since then, I have been working on various projects which has allowed me the opportunity and insight to learn and understand in more detail the spectrum of a larger-scale production. 

PIPAS FORJAZ, PRODUCER

Antonio Forjaz, better know by his nick name Pipas, is an Irish/Mozambican filmmaker that was born in 1970. Pipas got his BA in film from Columbia College Chicago in 1994. He has been working in the field in Mozambique since then, having shot, directed, edited and produced tv commercials, documentaries, music videos and tv series. He and Mickey Fonseca founded Mahla Filmes in 2010, and produced the first Mozambican feature film “Resgate-Redemption” that was sold to Netflix. The film is currently in Amazon Prime.

MICKEY FONSECA, PRODUCER

Mickey Fonseca, born in Mozambique, has worked in film for over 20 years, starting as an office production assistant in Cape Town (South Africa). Soon enough, he was deeply engaged in writing, directing and producing films, doccies and commercials.


In 2009 he co-founded  the production company Mahla Filmes with Pipas Forjaz, and has since then directed, scripted and produced a number of projects. His feature, “Resgate” was sold to Netflix and is now streaming on Amazon.

KATHERINE LAVEAUX, PRODUCER

Katherine LaVeaux is a Los Angeles based performance artist and writer. She can most recently be seen featured in Hulu's HISTORY OF THE WORLD PART II and just wrapped on her first short film YOU TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, which she wrote, produced and starred in and was directed by Emmy-award winning Bridget Stokes.  

KEVIN ATKINSON, CINEMATOGRAPHER

NARRATIVE FEATURES/TELEVISION:

History of the World Part II: Hulu – Mel Brooks – Dir. Alice Mathias, David Stassen, Nick Kroll – 2023
A Black Lady Sketch Show: HBO – Robin Thede/Jax Media – Dir. by Bridget Stokes – 2022/2023
Murderville: Netflix – Abominable Pictures – Dir. by Iain Morris, Brennan Shroff – 2022
Family Squares: Amazon – Unbounded Media – Dir. by Stephanie Laing – 2022
Bless This Mess: Hulu/ABC/Fox – Elizabeth Meriwether Pictures/Lake Bell – 2020
Dollface: Hulu/ABC Signature Studios – LuckyChap Intertainment/Clubhouse pictures – 2019
A Stupid and Futile Gesture: NetFlix/Abominable Pictures – Dir. by David Wain – 2018
Alone Together: The Lonely Island/Freeform – Various Directors – 20 episodes - 2018
Detroiters: Comedy Central/Broadway Video – Various Directors – 10 episodes – 2018
The Bust Down: Hulu/Broadway Video – Directed by Richie Keen – Pilot – 2018
Patriot Act: Netflix - Directed by Danny Jelinek – additional photography - 2018
Wet Hot American Summer, Ten Years Later: NetFlix – Dir. by David Wain – 8 episodes – 2017
Loosely Exactly Nicole: Facebook/3 Arts Entertainment– Various Directors – 10 episodes – 2017
Fox Late Night, Party Over Here: Produced by The Lonely Island – Dir. by Danny Jelinek – 2016
Nobodies: Jax Media – Directed by Ben Falcone/Melissa McCarthy – pilot episode - 2016
Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal: The Movie Funny or Die – Dir. by Jeremy Konner – 2016
Over Analyzers: Comedy Central/Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment – Dir. by Brian Poyser – 2015
Wet Hot American Summer, First Day of Camp: NetFlix – Dir. by David Wain – 8 episodes – 2015
Neighbors: Good Universe – Dir. by Nicholas Stoller – additional photography – 2014
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Civil Forfeiture: HBO – Police seziers – Dir. by Alex Fernie – 2014
Other Space: Yahoo – Dir. by Paul Feig and various directors – 8 episodes – 2014
Checked Out: Comedy Central – Pilot - Directed Matt & Oz – 2014
Saturday Night Live: NBC/Universal – Directed by Matt & Oz – E- Meth segment– 2013
Childrens Hospital Seasons 5,6: Abominable Pictures – 16 episodes - various directors – 2013
NTSF:SD:SUV: Season 3: Abominable Pictures – 13 episodes - various directors – 2013

RECOGNITION:

American Society of Cinematographers: Finalist Robert Surtees Heritage Award
Ralf Bode Eastman Kodak Award for Cinematography: Los Angeles, California
Best Cinematography: True Jazz - Exposure 2000

ERICA A. HART, CASTING

ERICA A HART, has appeared in The Hollywood Reporter as a featured rising artist and has cast films that have screened at Tribeca Film Festival, SXSW, Outfest, Cinequest, and the Cannes Film Festival. THE SURROGATE (a film she cast as well as associate produced) was in INDIEWIRE's Best Movies Eligible for a 2021 Oscar, was a VARIETY CRITICS PICK, and earned Erica her first Artios nomination and win in 2021. She has cast commercials for high-end brands such as Maybelline, Gillette, Hasbro, and Delta, to name a few, and cast H.E.R's music video for FIGHT FOR YOU which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Her television/streaming Casting Director credits include both seasons of THAT DAMN MICHAEL CHE (HBOMAX), JODIE produced by Tracee Ellis Ross and Grace Edwards, BLACK MIRROR (NETFLIX S6 US CASTING), BLACK DON'T CRACK (pilot for ABC), BUST DOWN (PEACOCK), THE GIRLS ON THE BUS (HBOMAX), and A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW (HBOMAX S4). In 2021 she made her Broadway debut casting two Broadway plays: CHICKEN & BISCUITS and PASS OVER. In 2022, she co cast the Broadway revival of DEATH OF A SALESMAN and co cast MTC's Broadway production of JAJA'S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING. She has cast theatrical productions for THE NATIONAL BLACK THEATRE and THE DRAMA LEAGUE. Erica was the Casting Associate for shows like RAY DONOVAN (SHOWTIME), THE BOLD TYPE (FREEFORM), DEFENDING JACOB (APPLE+), and GODFATHER OF HARLEM (EPIX). She is on the Board of Governors for Casting Society (CSA) and a member of the Television Academy. She also teaches TV auditioning techniques at colleges and universities around the country including Harvard University and NYU's Grad Acting Program. Outside of casting, she has received grants and awards from the Puffin Foundation, New York Television Festival and The Digital Bolex, and has developed series for BET and WeTV.

MAEJOR, COMPOSER

Grammy-award nominated, Maejor is an American record producer, songwriter, and singer, known for having produced and written songs for prominent music industry artists, including Justin Bieber. Maejor is one half of the EDM duo Area21, which he formed with Dutch DJ Martin Garrix. As an R&B recording artist, Maejor has released singles “Trouble” (featuring J. Cole, “Lights Down Low” (featuring Wacka Flock Flame) and “Lolly” (featuring Juicy J and Justin Bieber). Maejor’s debut studio album, Vol. 1: Frequencies explores healing frequencies through music.  

In addition to producing music for national campaigns including Pepsi and the Boston Celtics, Maejor has contributed to multiple film soundtracks including Bratz: The Movie, The Princess and the Frog and Think Like a Man as well as video game music for NBA 2K and FIFA.