Javier Chapa was born and raised on a ranch in South Texas. After graduating from law school, he chose to follow his passion of filmmaking. Since then, he has produced four independent feature films, two of which he wrote and directed: Harvest of Redemption about migrant farm workers, which he made for $25,000 and won Best Foreign Drama at the 2007 International Family Film Festival; and Pepe & Santo vs. America, a comedy that premiered at the 2009 New York HBO Latino Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the 2010 Pasadena Latino Film Festival. In addition to making his own films, Javier also gained experience working as an assistant to director Ed Harris on his last film, Appaloosa, starring Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen and Renée Zellweger.

Chil Kong has been directing in theater for over 20 years and transitioned to film and television in 2005 with a pilot presentation titled Screening Party, based on the book by novelist Dennis Hensley.  Chil has held Artistic Director positions at theatre companies in Boston, Seattle and Los Angeles, directing productions such as West Side Story and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  He has directed four independent pilots and his feature film, The Mikado Project, is currently screening at film festivals.  Another feature, QWERTY, is in post-production.  Chil is a graduate of the Coro Southern Leadership Program in San Diego, a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab West, and a graduate of Virginia Tech and The Boston Conservatory.

Jaffar Mahmood was born and raised in Toms River, New Jersey.  He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Tufts University and his Master of Fine Arts degree from The Peter Stark Producing Program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.  The issues Jaffar faced growing up bi-racial (with a French-Canadian mother and a Pakistani father) became the inspiration for his feature directorial debut, Shades of Ray.  The independent film starring Zachary Levi (Chuck) landed awards at festivals around the world and aired repeatedly on PBS.  Asia Pacific Arts listed Shades of Ray as the #4 Asian American film of 2009.  In addition to directing, Jaffar participated in the The NAACP/CBS Master Writing Fellowship and recently won the 2010 New Writers Award given by the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment.

Nicki Micheaux developed a passion for directing early in her career, but the talented artist first studied directing from the perspective of acting.  Having actors such as Halle Berry, Kathy Bates and Michael Chiklis work with her as a performer only fueled her decision to pursue episodic directing.  Most recently, Nicki portrayed the strong-willed matriarch of the Sutton family on ABC Family’s award-winning series Lincoln Heights.  She also has several recurring credits, including roles on The Shield, Six Feet Under and Soul Food.  Her guest star credits include shows such as Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters.  As a director, Nicki has directed several local theatre productions as well as the short film, A Violent End, and her upcoming project, The Veil Effect, starring Richard Roundtree.

As an actor, Tony Plana has starred in many television series, including Ugly Betty and Resurrection Boulevard, as well as more than 60 feature films.   As a director, Tony’s credits include television, film and theatre.  His television episodic directorial debut was on the family drama Resurrection Boulevard.  His episode garnered critical acclaim, receiving a GLAAD Award for best dramatic episode of the year.  The movie The Princess and the Barrio Boy marked Tony’s debut as a solo film director.  Prior to that, he co-directed and co-produced the film A Million to Juan with actor/comedian Paul Rodriguez.  As a co-founder and executive artistic director of the East L.A. Classic Theatre, Tony has adapted and directed musical versions of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, and Much Ado About Nothing.  He has also directed many original plays, including The Pain of the Macho for the HBO New Writer’s Festival, and The Seductions of Johnny Diego and A Heart’s Eye for the Mark Taper Forum.

A native of Chicago, Rondell Sheridan’s diverse career encompasses acting, directing and stand-up comedy. For almost 30 years as a working comedian he has headlined in Vegas, cruise ships and major clubs across the country.  Additionally, he has made appearances on such late-night staples as The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.  Rondell is a working actor who has appeared in more than 200 half hour episodes of television.  He is perhaps best known for playing the father to Raven Symone’s title character in Disney Channel’s That’s So Raven. On the directing front, he first launched his career behind the lens with multiple episodes of That’s So Raven.  Rondell then went on to direct other Disney Channel series such as Cory in the House and Hannah Montana.  In 2009, he co-directed the comedic short film The Hollywood Housesitter.   Rondell received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and later studied acting at New York’s Circle in the Square Theatre School.

Born into a film business family, former military officer and graduate of Tel Aviv University film school, Rena Sternfeld has worked as a script supervisor and director working in diverse locations around the world, including Kenya, Poland, Italy, South Africa and Alaska.  She has worked alongside and learned from esteemed directors such as David Lynch (Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive) and Michael Cimino (The Deer Hunter, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot).  A member of the DGA, Rena’s directing credits include Dream On and Arli$$.  Her true passion lies in drama, human relationships and telling stories that illuminate the human condition and make audiences think.

Stacy Title graduated cum laude from Brown University and has worked as a screenwriter and writer for television with her partner Jonathan Penner. Her directorial debut, Down on the Waterfront, was nominated for a 1993 Academy Award®.  Two of her features – The Last Supper and Let the Devil Wear Black–won the Grand Prize at The Cognac Film Festival and the screenwriting award at the Avignon Film Festival, respectively. As a director, she has worked with actors Mary-Louise Parker, Cameron Diaz, Jacqueline Bisset, Bill Paxton, Jason Alexander, Mark Harmon and Snoop Dogg.