Penelope Wong, Executive Producer

Wong has been a storyteller since she was ten and wrote a Chinese-American version of “Little Women.” She has since used her imagination and problem-solving skills to help organizations and individuals hone their brands and tell their stories with conviction and authenticity. As Creative Director of Ogilvy & Mather Direct/West and CEO of Wong•Wong•Boyack, she headed innovative, award-winning launches and campaigns for such clients as Nike, Cisco Systems, Intuit, American Express, Intel, and Charles Schwab.  At the Franklin Mint, she personified the brand of Jennifer Wong Limited, where her family stories inspired jewelry and home décor products.

Now as a filmmaker, she is Associate Producer of two award-winning documentary shorts: “Forever, Chinatown” (PBS) and Academy Award-nominated “Last Day of Freedom.” She is currently working on a short narrative based on her father’s  “Other Wife,” as well as reworking her first full-length, Diane Thomas Award-winning screenplay entitled “Shanghai Café,” (based on the true story of how her grandfather was convicted of a murder he didn’t commit). She is also serving as Associate Producer of “Oakland Roots,” a new creative media series built around 90-second stories that celebrate Oakland as an “open canvas” in which creativity, economy and community flourish.

A writer of books and articles on everything from food to fitness, film to fashion and financial planning, Wong finds time to serve on the boards of SFFILM, San Francisco/Marin YMCA Association, and Oakland Museum of California.

Reena Dutt (Producer/Director): Dutt is a member of Lincoln Center’s Directors’ Lab in New York City, and an experienced producer. Her most recent producing credits include the Sundance premiering AKICITA: The Battle of Standing Rock (2018), John Legend’s “Penthouse Floor” (over 10M views on Youtube), and a PSA in support of the #MeToo campaign (As seen on Huffpost, NowThis, and USA Today coming soon). 

As a director, Dutt was a finalist for the NewFilmmakers On Location competition with her short, SNAPSHOT!, her short films 3 PUFFS OF GOLD travelled the festival circuit internationally, and TALL as seen on Evite.com. 

Dutt has directed a series of Sponsored and Original Content projects for Evite.com, commercials for Mr. Tummee, and a spec for Moet Chandon. She also directs theatre in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles.

She is a graduate of the Media Arts program at the University of Arizona, Tucson, the acting program at William Esper Studio, New York City and was a fellow with San Francisco Film Society, Film Independent, and Trans Atlantic Partners.  

Most importantly, Dutt is a city girl with a country soul who creates with a conscience, on and off screen.

Puppett (Producer): Puppett is a director, editor, and producer who loves big and small stories that center on the human experience and deal with grey areas of morality.

Puppett began making films in 2002. While she has helmed numerous short narrative, documentary, and experimental films, her passion lies in narrative work. Wedlocked marks Puppett’s directorial debut since earning her BFA in Film and Digital Video from University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. Finished in October 2015, Wedlocked was accepted into over 40 film festivals worldwide and won four festival awards. Puppett followed Wedlocked immediately with another short film, Glenda, which went on to premiere at the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival.

Puppett is currently developing several projects, ranging from a suburban goth drama to a large scale fantasy film, all of which put a female protagonist at the front of the action.

Nancy Dobbs Owen (Choreographer/Co-producer): Nancy Dobbs Owen began her professional career with the Joffrey Ballet, danced with numerous ballet and modern companies then joined the National Tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera. Recent work includes Crazy Ex Girlfriend, John Adams’ Nixon in China with the LA Philharmonic and a feature film choreographed by Ryan Heffington.

She’s a prolific director /choreographer for theater, film, video and commercials, earning numerous awards for both choreography and direction. LA theaters: The Production Company, Theatre of Note, Sight Unseen Theater, Sacred Fools, The Hudson, Fierce Backbone, 2 Cents Theater Co, The Vagrancy and SkyPilot. 

She choreographs music videos, commercials and concept films. Her most recent project was the debut dance film for Blended.TV.

Credentials:

BA in Dance from UC Irvine

Music Center’s Teacher Artist Training Program 

2011 Directors Lab West

AEA, SAG-AFTRA, SDC (assoc)

Daphne Wu (Cinematographer): Daphne Wu is an award-winning cinematographer based in Los Angeles. Since her graduation from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in 2011 she has accumulated a full repertoire of narrative features, shorts, music videos and fashion films as a director of photography.

Her active approach to cinematography is to constantly innovate and challenge how a narrative can be translated visually onto the screen. She loves to take creative risks and enjoys working with directors and producers that are just as fearless in their vision. 

Alex Mackey (Artist): In Audela (meaning “beyond”) was originally set to be a single acoustic piece of early writings of Alex Mackey who’s musical influences range between folk musical acts such as Damien Rice, Justin Vernon, Jack White, Brand New, and many more. He began in the winter of 2014 while living in Tokyo Japan, Alex stumbled upon a few basic chords he had learned that we’re unfamiliar to him and set in a series of events leading him to leave Japan and come back to Los Angeles. Once he returned to his previous home he has since then been In the process of building his catalogue of writings in hopes of completing his first albumn “Flowers In The Attic.”

Danielle Phelan (Co-Producer): A love of acting is what originally drew Danielle Phelan to Los Angeles, CA. Since moving to CA from the New England area with a BFA in theatre from Roger WIlliams University, Danielle has appeared in such film and tv as ‘Sand Against Evil’,  ‘Zoey 101,’the pilot of ‘Defamation America,’ SAF3, ‘The Prince,’ ‘Life as Your Social Network,’ and ‘Without Disguise.’

Ms. Phelan has decided to put her acting career on hold in order to pursue her career of being a producer. Her goals as a producer  are to create content that are both diverse and inclusive.  To make sure all types of persons are represented on both big and small screens.