Rex Sikes' Movie Beat

Jill Jones, director, graduated Emerson College in film production, studied at the School of Visual Arts & the Boston University Summer Theatre Institute. Nanug is a live action/animated short film.

Jill completed production internships at Iowa Public Television & the Massachusetts Film Office. Her short film Sara's Portraits won Best Student Short Film at the 2009 Wild Rose Film Festival. Jill is a student alumni & previous staff member of the Telluride Film Festival.

Her previous short films include Soap Opera: Abridged, Bail Me out, & Stick Man. Jill created a feature-length documentary called A Ghost of a Chance: The Making of Haunting Villisca. The documentary is distributed through Digital Shadow Films with the film Haunting Villisca.

After graduation, Jill earned a certificate in Makeup Artistry from the Bobbi Brown Program in Makeup Artistry. Since moving to LA, Jill has worked as a freelance makeup artist & completed an apprenticeship at American Makeup & Effects. There, she learned the techniques utilized in Nanuq for applying bald caps.

Jill worked for Film Garden Entertainment as a production assistant on the new show called Wedding Day Makeover on TLC.

With a background in children’s theatre at the Des Moines Playhouse, Jill loves stories about children facing the big ideas of existence.

Her frequent childhood battle with medical issues, included cancer-related surgery, has inspired material for Nanuq. The story is also based on the strength of Dillion, Jill’s cousin who passed away from brain cancer at the age of six.

After Nanuq, Jill will create a documentary related to autism issues. She is now working as an Activity Coordinator at a non-profit company for people with disabilities. JIll is inspired by the people she works with every day.

Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at http://www.rexsikes.com

Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead, Super, Cliffhanger, Jumper, Slither) & much much more) was born in 1955 in Jasper, Alabama. When he was 13 his parents divorced and he went with his mother to live in Chicago. He caught the acting bug while attending college, and began appearing in local stage productions. On first breaking into film, his intensity and “don’t-mess-with-me” good looks were highlighted to chilling effect as the title character in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), filmed in 1986 but, due to its controversial nature, not released until 1990. Since that widely noticed and highly praised performance, much of his career has been spent playing brutes, villains and psychopaths. His occasional turns as a “good guy”, however, are always well-acted and a welcome change for a talented actor too often typecast. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at http://www.rexsikes.com

Producer Brad Wyman & Director Adam Rifkin unite for a special discussion with Rex about their collaborations.

Brad Wyman is one of the most prolific & successful producers of independent films in Hollywood. With over 40 features to his credit, Wyman has worked with an impressive roster of A-list talent. His 25-year career boasts the indie blockbuster, Monster, the Patty Jenkins film that earned Charlize Theron an Academy Award, Freeway starring Reese Witherspoon & Kiefer Sutherland, Trees Lounge, starring, written & directed by Steve Buscemi, The Chase starring Charlie Sheen, the cult classic The Dark Backward starring Bill Paxton, Judd Nelson & Wayne Newton;

Wyman & Barry Schuler produced the film LOOK (written & directed by Adam Rifkin). He produced the film “Blitz,” starring Jason Statham, which shot in London. He just finished producing the first season of “Kid Pitch,” a baseball talk show hosted by kids on Fox Sports Net. He is currently launching WyTV an online network of live streaming shows.

Adam Rifkin is a writer/director/producer/actor whose eclectic career ranges from broad family comedies to cult classics to dark & gritty urban dramas. Rifkin earned cult status when his film THE DARK BACKWARD, which he wrote & directed, was named one of the top ten films of its year by The New York Post.

He would then be immortalized as the director responsible for New Line Cinema’s DETROIT ROCK CITY, a bona fide cult classic that introduced a whole new generation of fans to the “hottest band in the world…KISS!!!”

Rifkin, Wyman & Schuler co-produced all 11 episodes of LOOK the series for Showtime. Based on his critically acclaimed and award winning film of the same name, LOOK is a controversial drama that takes us into the foreboding world of hidden cameras.

Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at http://www.rexsikes.com

Brad Wyman producer is one of the most prolific & successful producers of independent films in Hollywood. With over 40 features to his credit, Wyman has worked with an impressive roster of A-list talent, from Reese Witherspoon & Charlize Theron to Matthew McConaughey & Rob Schneider. His impressive 25-year career boasts the indie blockbuster, Monster, the Patty Jenkins film that earned Charlize Theron an Academy Award for Best Actress. A six time alum of The Sundance Film Festival, Wyman's other career highlights include Freeway starring Reese Witherspoon & Kiefer Sutherland & Executive Produced by Oliver Stone, Trees Lounge, starring, written & directed by Steve Buscemi, The Chase starring Charlie Sheen, the cult classic The Dark Backward starring Bill Paxton, Judd Nelson & Wayne Newton & Love and Sex starring Famke Janssen & Jon Favreau. In 2005 Wyman he Executive Produced the hit reality TV series Tommy Lee Goes to College for NBC. Brad produced three new features – Homo Erectus, a caveman comedy starring Ali Larter & David Carradine, the teen-drama Price to Pay, & Hard Luck, directed by Mario Van Peebles starring Wesley Snipes. Following that, Brad produced his most topical film to date, Look, which took home the Grand Jury Prize at the 2007 CineVegas Film Festival. Wyman co-produced Look with Internet pioneer Barry Schuler & the critically acclaimed film was written & directed by Adam Rifkin. In 2010 Wyman produced a television series based on the film LOOK for Showtime. He also produced the film “Blitz,” starring Jason Statham, which shot in London. He just finished producing the first season of “Kid Pitch,” a baseball talk show hosted by kids on Fox Sports Net. He is currently launching WyTV an online network of live streaming shows. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at http://www.rexsikes.com

Paul Weber Casting Director C.S.A. is presently the in house casting director for MGM Worldwide Television & the MGM feature casting consultant, a well as an independent casting director. MGM Features in development or release include “Fame”, ”Hot Tub Time Machine” starring John Cusack, Joss Whedon’s “Cabin In The Woods-3D”, & “The Hobbit” directed by Peter Jackson. His MGM Television credits include “Dead Like Me”, for Showtime, & the immensely popular “Stargate” franchise for the SyFy network. Recent MGM Home Entertainment movies include “Picture This”, starring Ashley Tisdale, “Legally Blondes”, “War Games II” & “Into The Blue 2”, plus “The Initiation of Sarah” & “Cutting Edge ” for ABC Family. Lifetime credits include “The Haunting On Sorority Row” starring Leighton Meester, the pilot “Flashpoint” for CBS & ‘Spartacus: Gods Of The Arena” for Starz. Mr. Weber also casts 3-5 independent films a year. He is currently casting “Beulah” starring Dakota Fanning & Ryan Phillippe. Credits include “Table For Three” starring Sophia Bush & (Superman) Brandon Routh, & “Lazarus Child” starring Andy Garcia & Angela Bassett, his producer credits include “Hollywood North” starring Sir Alan Bates, Matthew Modine, &Jennifer Tilly, he is also a U.S. casting consultant for the Canadian Broadcast Company. He is also a member the Writers Guild of America. Mr. Weber conducts cold reading/scene study workshops worldwide. His intensives are designed for actors 10 & older. His workshop focuses on the personal direction & guidance that will give the actor insight into the cold reading process, help the actor develop audition & marketing skills, & prepare the actor for a successful career in the industry. As an instructor he taught the popular class “The Working Actor, Get The Audition, Book The Job” at UCLA. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at http://www.rexsikes.com