Leanna Bonamici, Creator, Producer, Writer, and Director of shorts Showcase.

Leanna is President and CEO of Casablanca Studios Entertainment, Inc..  Casablanca Studios is a state-of-the-art, full-service 5,600 square foot sound stage and production facility with complete editing capabilities for film, television, commercial, infomercial, music videos, webisodes, corporate projects and still photography located in the Palm Springs area.

 

In 1998, Leanna founded her own production company, now Casablanca Studio Productions, which also serves as in-house production for Casablanca Studios. Under the CSP banner, Leanna has produced numerous corporate projects. A sampling of clients include: Tony Robbins, Gilda's Club of The Desert, Angel View, the Desert Managers Group – Desert Tortoise Outreach, Path of the Bighorn, Animal Samaritans, The Coachella Valley International Latino Film Festival. Other projects Leanna produced include: "Desert Hot Springs: Home of the Healing Waters" (with director and co-producer Maggie Abbott), a half-hour television show all about restaurants called "Two Forks Up" and a variety of other product for KCET, including Producing and Directing 6 half-hour cooking shows.  Currently, she has just wrapped production on a full length Feature Film titled “Shakespeare’s Cat” on which she was Producer and 1^st AD.

 

Leanna is extremely active in the Coachella Valley's cultural and community affairs. In 2001, she founded the Palm Springs chapter of Women in Film and Television. Women In Film is an international nonprofit organization founded in Los Angeles in 1973 to empower, promote, nurture and mentor women and men in the entertainment, communications and media industries. Today, Palm Springs Women in Film and Television is the 38th Chapter of Women in Film and Television International, which connects to over 10,000 members worldwide.

 

Her many civic activities include: Media Mavens, Pegasus Riding Academy of the Desert; The Desert Women's Council, NATAS – PSC (the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences). Her many awards and honors include receiving the 2007 Women of Distinction in the Arts Award from the National League of American Pen Women. In 2009, the City of Indian Wells bestowed her with their highest honor, naming her an ATHENA Award winner for Professional Excellence.

Brandon Worswick, Director, Editor, and Host of Shorts Showcase.

Brandon is a dynamic, up and coming producer/director with a forward-thinking, multi-platform approach to television/film development and production. With a wealth of experience, relative to his years in the entertainment business, Brandon is a uniquely talented filmmaker whose approach to material from both the creative and commercial perspectives has proven to be an invaluable asset in today's highly competitive entertainment market.

A graduate of the renowned Art Institue of Technology with a degree in Film and Television Science & Technology, Brandon spent most of his early years in Los Angeles working on various television and film sets as both a Production Assistant and an Assistant Director before enrolling in the Graduate Program at UCLA's prestigious School of Film & Television. While attending UCLA, Brandon was a Development Intern at companies such as Arnold Kopelson's, Kopelson Entertainment and began focusing his career on "storytelling," by producing and directing for the screen.

While primarily interested in both the creative and commercial sides of entertainment, Brandon also believes it is important to assist other filmmakers/storytellers in finding their "voices" and, as such, he has spent a great deal of time and energy working with children and younger students at Festivals and Summer Camps in Southern California. For him, collaboration and the sharing of ideas is at the heart of all great production.

Gaining both technical experience and exposure to the creative process were important steps in Brandon's education and training, and to this end, he worked at MTV for Viacom for over two years in the Post Production arm of their operation as both an Editor and a Camera Operator. These years proved quite fruitful, as Brandon was recruited by Casablanca Studios of Desert Hot Springs to run their Editing Department and, eventually take on the title of Head of Post Production.

During his time at Casablanca Studios, Brandon has been instrumental in a wide variety of productions including television series and pilots, feature films, commercials and industrial videos, serving not only as Head of Post Production, but often as Director and Producer. He has also worked closely with a wonderfully diverse group of individuals and organizations in this role, and is currently at work on a live-action pilot on which he directed.

Drew Mandinach, Associate Producer, and Webmaster of Shorts Showcase.

Drew is a graduate of Palm Springs High School, and is currently at the University of California, San Diego studying film as a Visual Arts media major.

Recently joining the crew at Casablanca Studios, Drew helped as an intern on set of the feature film, "Shakespeare's Cat" as well as taken on the role of webmaster for shorts showcase.

Stephen's a bit of an enigma (i.e., wears many hats). Stephen's passions and skills were once rooted in voice and music education; today, his focus is split between Graphic Design and Nutrition.

Many print art production jobs under his belt, Stephen earned a 1st Place in a juried art show (Emmanuel Gallery, Denver, CO, 2003) and continues the creativity here in Coachella Valley. (www.EvolveDesign.biz)

When Mr. Perkins returned to LA to weight-train in earnest, he also developed his helpful website and books for HIV and bodybuilding nutrition (www.TheMuscleKitchen.com) and won three physique medals in the interim.

Free-lancing now to select clientele, Stephen proudly includes Shorts Showcase among his graphic design and web projects.