CO- CREATORS, WRITERS,

PRODUCERS

  • Cassidy is an actor, writer and director. In 2022 she won the Jeff Best Actor Award for her work in The Luckiest at Raven Theatre. Her acting career in Chicago includes performing at the Goodman and Steppenwolf Theatres, as well as in television and film. Recent television credits include Chicago Fire, Mixtape and Easy. She writes for both theater and film with productions and short films produced in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. 

  • Poppy is an actor, writer, artist and member of the I.A.T.S.E. union. Her most recent credits include assisting in props on The Bear S2 for FX. Her acting credits include Chicago Fire and Chicago PD. She grew up in Northern California acting in community theater, film and commercials. She has a diverse background working in scenic design and painting in theater and television. Along with Cassidy she is a founding member of One Year Chekhov. 

In 2021 Cassidy and Poppy wrote the pilot for a television show that would become the short film Rabbit Rabbit: a dark surreal comedy about women in their 30s, friendship, abortion and its aftermath. On June 24, 2022 the supreme court ruled on the Dobb’s Decision, which effectively overturned Roe v. Wade and changed the landscape of reproductive rights. This ruling served as a pivotal moment for the project — the urgency of the dire ruling helped to define the main characters and story around the themes of feminism, reproductive health, and building small utopias within your community . This short film is intended as both a stand alone short and as a proof of concept for a larger show.

PRODUCERS

THANK YOU BABY PRODUCTIONS

Thank You Baby Productions was founded by Los Angeles based sisters Alexis and Meghan Schaetzle. Born from their love of visual art, written word, and the wild, messy, beautiful power of female storytelling, Thank You Baby aspires to center and empower the nuances of womanhood through film, television and theater.

  • Alexis is a playwright, film/television writer and producer from Los Angeles. After many years in NYC working as a playwright, her plays have had productions all over the country. She studied playwriting with Jennifer Schlueter ( for/word company) at the University of Oregon, and subsequently with Academy Award nominated writer José Rivera in New York (Noor Theatre, Torn/Page, NYC). Alexis co-wrote and produced Seasons 1 and 2 of the comedy series, “FAIRWOOD” which premiered on Crackle TV, and has a third season currently in develoment. She is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Writer’s Guild of America.

  • Meghan Schaetzle is a television producer and photographer from Los Angeles.

    Her work in the editorial and commercial photography space has been featured in high profile publications such as The New York Times, The Singapore Times, HyperAllergic, and AM New York.

    With a background in Fine Art, she has helped produce both solo and group exhibitions for renowned galleries, including Latchkey Gallery NY, Lehmann Maupin NY, and C24 Gallery NY. Her collaborations include prominent artists like David LaChapelle, Wynnie Mynerva, Derrick Adams, Emmanuel Torres, Nari Ward at The Bowery Museum, Do Ho Suh, Catherine Opie, Mandy El-Sayegh, Liza Lou, Christian Vincent, Tommy Hartung, Carole Feurman, Mike Dargas, and Brian Tolle.

    In television, Meghan most recently produced seasons one and two of the comedy series FAIRWOOD, which premiered on Crackle TV and is currently in development for a third season.

DIRECTOR

  • Kristina Valada-Viars (KVV/she/they) is an independent artist working in theatre and film to foster artist-led community exchange. Her self-produced mini-short, A Different Time, was a selection for WickedQueer (2021, Boston). Selections from her in-progress passion project, an experimental short film collection exploring themes of Home through a Black and Queer Liberation lens, co-created with her partner, actor/filmmaker Echaka Agba, have been official selections for Afrikana (US Premiere) and NewFest (New York Premiere). The first two films in the collection, The Root (Coordinate 1) and The Bloom (Coordinate 2), were shared in Rome, Italy at the historic Nuovo Cinema Aquilla as part of LOGOS FEST (2021), a community-based multidisciplinary festival supporting the green space and natural monument Lago Bullicante in collaboration with Marco G Ferrari and the Virginio Ferrari Foundation (Rome, Italy). www.wherecouldwegoseries.com

    She served as performance director for Reach+You, an interactive app-based serial performance created by Katrina and Jonah Goldsaito (Tribeca Festival Immersive Main Competition, 2022). 

     She is a co-creator and  member of a seven-person multi-disciplinary writing team for Make Believe Association’s Webby Nominated (2023) narrative podcast, Lake Song, (Tribeca Audio Premieres 2022) and was commissioned by the company for her original narrative podcast teleplay, Jane: 1891, exploring themes around racial, ethnic, and sexual identity assimilation set in Jane Addams’ historic Hull House.  Her first feature screenplay, Magnificat has been developed and advised through Sundance Collab and Gotham Writers Workshop.

    Awards and honors: Princess Grace Award and Fellowship (Theatre, 2017) for acting and directing in residence with Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Best Actress in a Feature: Iris International Film Festival in Cardiff, Wales, for the independent feature Molly's Girl.

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

  • Christopher Rejano was born and raised in the shadows of Detroit and versed in early MTV, skateboard videos, and American independent cinema. Now based in Chicago, Christopher Rejano has forged a career in feature film, commercials, and television. A mentorship under Laszlo Kovacs, ASC made a major impact on Rejano and solidified his aims toward being the best person for every job. Rejano’s approach to aesthetic is one influenced by the necessity of proper storytelling and not by the pitfalls of following the latest trends.  Often cited for a hearty midwestern work ethic has resulted in his work being featured at the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW Film Festival, Berlinale, and Tribeca Film Festival among others. Credits include the feature films Knives and Skin and Night's End as well as Second Unit photography on Candyman (2021) and the HBO series Lovecraft Country. Rejano is a member of International Cinematographers Guild Local 600.

PRODUCTION DESIGNER

  • Paul Scudder is an artist, designer, fabricator and producer in Chicago. He works in film and live performance. Past credits include the "Mood Ring" and "Dog Days" music videos for Dehd, the "Haircut" music video for Finom, Grelley Duvall's two online specials (In My Home, In My Prime and grelley.), the David Bowie inspired revue Floor Show and The Grelley Duvall Show.

COSTUME DESIGNER

  • Gurtie Hansell is a multimedia artist, instructor, entrepreneur, as well as wardrobe and set designer working out of their home studio and backyard in Chicago. They draw on fashion, printmaking, and graphic design to outfit their community for pageantry, protest, and pleasure. Their wearables are deeply inspired by decades in queer nightlife, camp craft, and generally being loud in public. Gurtie owns a gender-expansive streetwear brand called Kangmankey which they've run since 2015, and co-operates a production and costume design company called MotherTwin Productions. 

1st Assistant Director…………….CATHERINE KUDULIS

Casting Director…………………….………….…AJ LINKS

Editor/Post Production Supervisor.DAVE DONNELLY

Trailer Editor…………..…………..ASHLEY THOMPSON

Production Coordinator…………..……DREW HARTLEY

Property Master………………….….…..KEITH KOLECKI

Art Swing……………….……………..KATE FERNANDEZ

Art Assistant………………..BRYCE PARSON TWESTON

Head Makeup………………….….HANNAH ANDRUSS

Head Hair/Wigs……………………...…RUKEY STYKES

Hair and Makeup Swing………….….SIRENA CROSBY

Hair & Makeup Swing….ROSALIND JONES-CROSBY

Production Sound……….………….....COCO WALLACE

1st Assistant Camera..………….….LUCIANA SALINAS

2nd Assistant Camera………….……..MOLL JEAN NYE

Loader/Digital Image Tech………TAYLOR PETERSON

Behind the Scenes…..………….……IAN SUTHERLAND

Gaffer………………………..…………….....SETH OBERLE

Key Grip ………………………………………JEFF WEXLER

Grip………………………………………….DAVE RUNDELL

Grip………………………………SHILOH WASHINGTON

Script Supervisor………………………BRITTANY ALSOT

Key Production Assistant…………...HUGO PALACIOS

Production Assistant……………………..DAMIEN CRUZ

Production Assistant……………………..BRIAN SCALLY

Production Assistant………………OLIVIA DICKINSON

Production Assistant……………………..….JOSH ENOS

Production Assistant…………………..…….JIBRIL LOVE

Production Assistant, Apprentice….….DANTE CASINI