The Filmmakers
Cicada Song
Michael is an award winning Writer/Director with a background as a Registered Nurse. He has worked in several Intensive Care Units in Los Angeles and across the United States specializing in Neurotrauma, burns, thoracic and open-heart recovery.
Michael’s original feature scripts have been recognized by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowship screenplay competition, he co-wrote DON QUIXOTE, THE INGENIOUS GENTLEMAN OF LA MANCHA for James Franco’s Rabbit Bandini production company (Netflix & Amazon Prime), garnered praise for his psychological horror short, I’M SO HAPPY I FOUND YOU at several National film festivals, won a first place Silver Telly Award for his Anti-Domestic Violence PSA and Best Director for a web series, A BRIEF HISTORY OF DICK MOVES, at the 2018 Glendale International Film Festival.
Recently his Writer-Directorial debut CICADA SONG has won Best Feature/Best Of Fest Awards for Catalina Film Festival, Highland Park Independent Film Festival as well as Best In Fest, Best Actress (Lyndsey Lantz) and Best Cinematography (Ryan Griswold) at the Glendale International Film Festival. CICADA SONG has recently been acquired by Indie Rights Movies for platform streaming on several major platforms including AMAZON, APPLE TV, GOOGLE PLAY, VUDU, TUBI, YouTube and a Home Theater release NOW AVAILABLE at major online retailers.
Before pivoting to feature films, Tom Bellos had been writing and producing top-rated television series for NBC, FOX, CBS, VH1, Discovery, E!, History and more for over 15 years. His TV production credits in nonfiction and documentary series include The Apprentice, Dr. Phil, E! True Hollywood Story, Monster House, On The Lot, VH1 News Presents, and The History of the Joke, among others. He also produced online content for mobile platforms, including scripted web series and new media projects for clients including MySpace, FOX Interactive and E! Online. He then segued into the narrative feature film world with the release of three award-winning indies: Ricky, Zugzwang, and D-Love. Bellos is a graduate from the University of Missouri and is an active member of the Producers Guild of America.
John Kellogg was born in Glendale, California, USA. His love of films throughout his adolescent years led him to pursue a career in film production starting in high school and college. He now works in production management on feature films and television as well as producing independent features.
Ryan Griswold is an award winning Los Angeles based cinematographer with an MFA in Film and Television Production from USC School of Cinematic Arts. Ryan is known as a bit of a techie and he uses every ounce of his technical knowledge when shooting to create a visual structure that marries his artistic flair with the practicalities of the shoot.
Jennifer Bail
Editor
After completing her education as an art therapist, Jennifer decided to apply her interest in psychology and visual storytelling to her first love, movies. She found her way into the business as a production assistant and gained experience behind the camera and in the editing bay.
Her love of both on-set and post-production grows with each collaboration. Since 2016, Jennifer has worked as a full time editor on short films, commercials, documentaries, and music videos. Recently, Jennifer edited her first feature, CICADA SONG.
In her free time, Jennifer plays drums in her band, enjoys a good comic book, and continuously hunts for movies on VHS to add to her epic collection in the Bay area.
Alex Williamson
Composer
Alex Williamson is a composer, producer, and arranger for film, advertising, TV, and games. He recently scored the multi-continent political documentary Freedom for the Wolf and the Docsville series How the World Went Mad. His work for advertising has been featured in campaigns for Coca-Cola, Ford, Bud Light, and Blue Apron, as well as in a Super Bowl spot for LG. In collaboration with Grammy-award winning composer Christopher Tin, he has composed and arranged for a variety of films and games, including the blockbuster Civilization VI.