Carlos Avila Photo: Elaine Montalvo

Carlos Avila
Executive Producer / Writer / Director

Avila created the television series FOTO-NOVELAS in 1997. The four half-hour dramas were inspired by the Mexican and Latin-American pulp novel and comic book tradition. He made his feature film directorial debut in 2000 with Price of Glory (New Line Cinema), for which he received 2001 American Latino Media Arts Award for Best Director. His short film Distant Water won the Gran Prix at the inaugural Film Festival of International Cinema Students in Tokyo and went on to be shown at the Sundance Film Festival, The Whitney Museum in New York, the Americas Film Festival in Washington D.C. and San Antonio’s CineFestival. A graduate of the UCLA’s School of Film and Television, Avila grew up in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Echo Park.

Bennett Cohen
Writer (“Broken Sky”)

Cohen has written extensively for television, working with networks, cable outlets and PBS. As a writer/producer, he created the successful franchise-movie series, “Chameleon,” for UPN. His FOTO-NOVELAS teleplay, “The Fix,” written with Edit Villarreal, was the first PBS half-hour show to ever be nominated for a Humanitas Award. In addition to the “Chameleon” movies, he has had a number of other telefilms produced by UPN, USA, Showtime and Tribune Entertainment. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, he has continued his involvement in theater and is currently writing an original dramatic play commissioned by the Berkeley Repertory Theater.

Edit Villarreal
Writer (“Broken Sky”)

Villareal’s latest play, Ice, was commissioned in 2001 by the Latino Theatre Initiative at the Mark Taper Forum. Other plays include Marriage is Forever, produced in 1999 by the San Diego Repertory Theatre; The Language of Flowers, produced by A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle; Chicago Milagro, commissioned by South Coast Repertory Theater, and My Visits with MGM (My Grandmother Marta), which has been produced across the United States. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, she is Head of the M.F.A. Playwriting Program, as well as Vice-Chair of Graduate Programs at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.

Debra J. Olchick
Producer

Olchick’s recent feature credits as Line Producer/Unit Production Manager include independent projects Durango Kids and False River, and the documentary Rodeo Girl. Television credits include a documentary on renowned screenwriter Ring Lardner Jr. for Wind Dancer Productions and “Celebrating Across Atlanta: Fourth of July from Lenox Square” for WGCL in Atlanta. She has worked on several New Line Cinema projects including Price of Glory with Jimmy Smits and directed by Carlos Avila.

James L. Carter
Director of Photography (“Junkyard Saints”)

Carter’s work includes feature films Tuck Everlasting (Disney) as well as Zig Zag, My Dog Skip, Phoenix, Gunfighter’s Moon and Destiny Turns on the Radio. His other feature work includes Carl Franklin’s One False Move, F.T.W., Roadkillers and Back to Back. He has served as a cinematographer for many television programs including two CBS series, "Family Law" and "Michael Hayes", for which he was nominated for an ASC Award. Carter also served as director of photography for the telefilm, "A Body to Die For," the miniseries "Grand Avenue" for HBO and the television movies, "Ruby, Jean & Joe" with Tom Selleck and "Convict Cowboy," starring Jon Voight, for Showtime.

Carlos Gonzalez
Director of Photography (“Broken Sky”)

A native of Venezuela, Gonzalez came to the United States in 1982 to attend the University of Miami, where he received a Bachelors Degree in Architecture. His feature credits include Doña Bárbara and The Omega Code, and his television credits include the hit Nickelodeon series, “The Brothers Garcia” and most recently, “Almost a Woman,” a PBS movie for the Exxon/Mobil Masterpiece Theatre American Collection series. He lives in and works out of Los Angeles.

Reiko Kobayashi
Production Designer

Raised in Japan, Kobayashi has worked on a variety of film and television productions including the award-winning festival hit La Cucaracha and the indie release, Spanish Judges. Reiko also served as a conceptual designer for the Robert Zemeckis film Contact, and the acclaimed Michael Jackson music video, “Childhood.” She recently designed the Fox Channel TV film, “The Mary Kay Letourneau Story.” Reiko previously worked with Carlos Avila on the first four episodes of FOTO-NOVELAS.

The Angel
Composer (“Junkyard Saints”)

A Brooklyn native and Los Angeles transplant (by way of London), The Angel has released two records under her electronic pseudonym, 60 Channels, and one album under the name, The Angel. After scoring for the films Gridlock’d and Til There was You, The Angel composed her first entire score for New Line Cinema’s Boiler Room. She has since scored a documentary, Let’s Get Frank, about Congressman Barney Frank.

Nicholas Rivera
Composer (“Broken Sky”)

Rivera has toured internationally as a guitarist and percussionist for a variety of musical artists including Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and Johnny Gill. He recently won an Emmy Award for the documentary “America’s Children in Schools” with Bill Moyers. He has scored over fifty feature films.