With 20 years of experience, award-winning producer, Frederico Lapenda, has built a global career in all areas of the entertainment industry. As a filmmaker, he has produced over 20 films, and his documentary, Kidnapping, competed for Oscar nomination. Lapenda was the founding partner of Mandalay Lone Runner, independent division of Mandalay, a company chaired by Peter Guber, former CEO of Sony Pictures. Mandalay produced Seven years in Tibet,with Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie in Beyond Boarders, Donny Brasco with Johnnie Depp, and others. Lapenda also produced two video games with XBox, Fight Game Rivals and with Sony Ericsson, Fight Game Heroes.

Hailed by many industry magazines as one of the originators of the MMA, Lapenda produced over 100 MMA fights in countries like USA, Japan, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Brazil, etc. His TV show Channel 22 “COMBAT MORTALE has been in the air for more than 3 consecutive years in Los Angeles, achieving high ratings and raising Lapenda as the first producer to telecast on broadcast in the United States MMA. He was the fourth producer of conveying his franchise WVC fights on pay per view in the U.S. Introduced pay-per-view in Brazil in 1997 and in May 2011 produced the first pay-per-view on YouTube. This pay-per-view was televised live from Moscow.

In the world of music, Lapenda has already produced 10 shows in Brazil and his latest co-production was in the city of Americana in partnership with the Brahma where Lapenda brought country singer, Alan Jackson, who sang for an audience of 45 thousand people.

Brett Leonard is a film director. Mr. Leonard has recently been named by The Producers Guild of America, in association with Variety Magazine, as one of its “Digital 25”, recognizing the twenty five leading visionaries, innovators and producers who have made significant contributions to the advancement of storytelling through digital media. The Guild’s 4,500 members, including producers of film, television and new media, along with a distinguished Digital 25 Advisory Board, voted Mr. Leonard for this honor. Other recipients include directors James Cameron and Ridley Scott.

Mr. Leonard became a globally-recognized pioneer of digital filmmaking when he directed and co-wrote the hit motion picture Lawnmower Man, starring Pierce Brosnan and Jeff Fahey. The film is considered a cult classic, way ahead of its time in the use of groundbreaking computer graphics, and the portrayal of a networked data culture. Lawnmower Man is one of the true progenitors of the “cyber genre” and was the number one commercially successful independent film of 1992, costing under $6 million and earning over $200 million worldwide.

Mr. Leonard was a key participant of the Sony 2000 think tank, a small group of media visionaries assembled to discuss the future of media by the top brass of the Sony corporation.

He directed Peter Gabriel’s Kiss That Frog, the first HD all computer graphic music video/ride film. Kiss That Frog toured the world as a wildly popular theme park attraction, and won Mr. Leonard a 1994 MTV Music Video Award.

In the ensuing years, Mr. Leonard has continued to push the envelope in his feature film work, establishing himself as a pioneer of digital visual effects and cutting-edge independent film, and 3D production.

He first stepped into the third dimension with his IMAX 3D work, and directed T-Rex in IMAX 3D, which was the No.#1 hit 3D movie in history for over ten years, having grossed over $100 million worldwide on IMAX screens alone. It was also the first 3D film to use photo-realistic computer graphics and stereoscopic compositing; techniques that led to the innovations of current 3D film spectaculars such as James Cameron’s Avatar. He then went on to direct Anthony Hopkins in the IMAX 3D spectacular The Magic Box.

Mr. Leonard is also known for having a keen eye for new talent, both in front of and behind the camera. He was instrumental in bringing Russell Crowe to American film audiences, giving Russell his first lead in a Hollywood film, Virtuosity, starring Denzel Washington and directed by Mr. Leonard. He did the same for Alicia Silverstone in his film for Tri-Star, Hideaway, and started Rachel Taylor’s career (Transformers, American Horror Story) in his film for Marvel Studios, Man-Thing.

Television star, Alex O’Loughlin (lead in the smash-hit series Hawaii Five-O), was given his first break by Brett, and first appeared in Mr. Leonard’s films, Man-Thing and Feed.

Mr. Leonard has also been instrumental in dozens of careers behind the camera – Some of the most notable are production designer, Alex McDowell (Minority Report, The Terminal, Watchmen) who’s first feature was Lawnmower Man, and director of photography Russell Carpenter, who went on to win the Academy Award for Titanic. Literally hundreds of computer graphic animators and 3D innovators who are now in the top ranks of the business, all got their start on Mr. Leonard’s groundbreaking films.

Most recently, Mr. Leonard is again pioneering new media forms with a musically driven feature film concept for the Internet called PopFictionLife – Believing that new content distribution platforms need their own creative “genres”, Mr. Leonard and his team have focused on creating projects in a style designed specifically for “personal screens” (iPhone, iPad, etc.). PopFictionLife is an Internet movie concept where a music-driven story is told in 5min “Frags” that connect together to form a full-length feature film. A FragFilm is not a typical web series – it delivers the “movie” experience in a form parsed for the short attention spans of the YouTube generation, designed for easy viewing and downloading on the Internet and mobile platforms. FragFilms of the PopFictionLife genre revolve around the actual lives of developing or established music artists, fictionalized in fun and creative ways to have the dramatic impact of a Hollywood movie. This presents the artist and their music in an entertaining and compelling context beyond “reality”, with the style and high production values audiences expect from feature films and television.

Mr. Leonard has produced and directed the first two FragFilms of the PopFictionLife concept, entitled Feel (for Hollywood Records/Disney), and The Other Country (for PFL Transmedia), both of which have been distributed world-wide through the Internet.

While continually directing feature films over the last twenty five years, Mr. Leonard also produced numerous interactive projects that were well ahead of their time – many at the forefront of defining what is now called “user-created interactive entertainment”.

He created a sensation when he took his Swarm Cam-Fusion Station onto the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Billy Idol, and implemented one of the first live web-casts ever, from the House of Blues in Los Angeles.

Consequently, Mr. Leonard was approached by the Creative Artists Agency and Intel Corporation to direct a state-of-the-art “interactive show” for the CAA/Intel Media Lab, with his team at L-Squared Entertainment doing the technical implementation. The “show,” IS?TV®: The Virtual Studio Tour, was to introduce the Hollywood community to the “future of entertainment.” As producer and director of this ambitious and pioneering project, Mr. Leonard digitized his star Danny DeVito, creating an interactive animated character named “Mr. Head”, who guided the audience/participants through the interactive experience. Looking at this presentation now, over ten years later, the volcanically changing media landscape we inhabit today is incredibly similar to what this presentation predicted back then – Mr. Leonard was one of the first to envision the “YouTube”, “Facebook” cyber-world of our new millennium.

Nate Thomas has directed and/or produced numerous film projects including award-winning PBS documentaries, television commercials, public service announcements, music videos, etc. He spent in-flight and ground travel time with 1988 presidential candidate Jesse Jackson directing and producing for the campaign Under The Rainbow, a promotional film narrated by Casey Kasem. In addition, he produced several of Jackson’s television commercials.

In Hawaii, Nate line-produced a 70mm IMAX film presentation for Japan’s Expo ’89. He also produced and directed a series of award-winning anti-alcohol public service announcements geared toward Black women for the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. These spots were telecast on television throughout California. He directed and produced Family Dinner, a gripping 30-second cyber predator public service announcement for television sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and U.S. Department of Justice. For his efforts, Thomas received a commendation from FBI Director Robert Mueller. In 2013 the FBI released a series of 30-second television public service ads on the dangers of intellectual property theft and cyberbullying produced and directed by Thomas. These garnered him an Emmy Award in 2014.

Thomas also produced the nationally televised PBS film The Last of the One Night Stands. This documentary, on the big band era, won numerous awards including a CINE Golden Eagle, a Focus Award, honors at the San Francisco International Film Festival, and an award from the Black American Cinema Society. It was given special screenings at the 15th annual Wellington Film Festival in New Zealand and the Smithsonian Institution where it is contained in the film archives.

Nate, a Warren, Ohio native, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. Using a graduate fellowship from Warner Brothers, he received a Master of Fine Arts degree in Cinema Production from the prestigious University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. He is also listed in Who’s Who Among African Americans and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists as well as the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Mr. Thomas is a tenured Professor of Cinema and Television Arts and head of the film production program at California State University, Northridge.

Mr. Thomas won a Sony Innovator Award in recognition of his film work and completed the independent feature film entitled East of Hope Street. Mr. Thomas directed the urban drama which was co-written and co-produced with long-time friend and associate Tim Russ, star of the Star Trek: Voyager television series. The film is a real-life story of a teenage Latina who comes of age while struggling to survive the abuses of home, the inner city, and an overburdened child protection system in a Los Angeles most of us never see. East of Hope Street won Best Feature Film at the 1998 New Orleans Urban Film Festival, Best Urban Drama at the 1998 New York International Independent Film Festival, 1st Place, Cross-Cultural at the 1998 Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame Festival, and a Jury Award at the 1999 Hollywood Black Film Festival. It was also honored at the 8th Annual First Americans in the Arts Awards Show and was nominated for the prestigious Imagen Award (Spanish Image Awards). East of Hope Street is distributed by The Cinema Guild and opened nationally in selected theaters Fall of 1999. It is available on home video through Maverick Entertainment. Thomas also directed the independent feature film Stompin’ starring Sinbad and Vanessa Bell Calloway. The film has been released on DVD by Warner Home Video.

Thomas has been featured in a variety of newspaper articles including the L.A. Times and The L.A. Daily News. He has also been featured on E! Entertainment Television, Starz Movie News, and numerous other television entities nationally. In Los Angeles, he has been featured on KNBC Channel 4 News and KCOP Channel 13 News.

Joe Cortese is in the Oscar-winning Green Book (2019) opposite Viggo Mortensen. He played Roger Stone in the Roger Ailes mini-series, The Loudest Voice (2019) for Showtime starring Russell Crowe, and also took on the role of Giorgio Armani in the FX true crime anthology, The Assassination of Gianni Versace-American Crime Story (2017).

Cortese first came on the scene in the 1976 cult classic gangster film The Death Collector costarring Joe Pesci. Over the next 4 decades Cortese has established himself as an actor/writer. As an actor, Joe Cortese has achieved success in film, television, and theatre.

Some of his films included starring roles in Windows (1980) with Talia Shire for Director Gordon Willis from United Artists, Monsignor (1982) which he starred with Christopher Reeve for Director Frank Perry at 20th Century Fox, and American History X (1998) with Director Tony Kaye starring Edward Norton from Warner Brothers. Cortese also starred in Paramount’s Against The Ropes (2004) with Meg Ryan and Kerry Washington, and Ruby (1992) with Danny Aiello.

Cortese starred in Go Go Tales (2007) for Director Abel Ferrara, with actors Willem Dafoe and Bob Hoskins while having its World Premiere at The Cannes Film Festival and later that year it had its American Premiere at the New York Film Festival at the Lincoln Center. Cortese won The Best Actor Award from The New York Hip Hop Film Festival for his starring role as Spencer Spector in the comedy, Shut Up And Shoot (2006) and also starred in You Got Nothin’ (2002) as Big Tommy for Director Philip Angelotti.

Other outstanding performances include starring roles in Paramount’s Malevolence (1999) portraying a character based on James Earl Ray, Lucky Town (2000) with James Cann and Kirsten Dunst, and The Shipment (2001) with Matthew Modine and Elizabeth Berkley. He also received kudos for his role as Johnny Roselli in HBO’s critically acclaimed movie The Rat Pack (1998). Also starred as Vito Lazio in the Independent film The Bronx Bull (2016) with Director Martin Guigui.

Cortese has received major accolades for his numerous top-rated Television projects, C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf (1988), a four-hour mini-series on NBC for Director/Producer William Friedkin. The top-rated mini-series Something Is Out There (1988) from NBC garnered him a Saturn Award nomination for best actor. Cortese also starred in other television projects such as the PBS Vision series special He Wants Her Back (1980) Written and Directed by Staton Kaye, Exclusive (1992) with Suzanne Somers (ABC), Assault and Matrimony (1987) (NBC), Just Life (1990) with Victoria Principal (ABC), Letting Go (1985) with John Ritter (ABC), Born to Run (1993) (FOX), Sidney Sheldon’s mini-series If Tomorrow Comes (1986) (CBS), Jackie Collins’ Lady Boss (1992) (NBC), and from creator Rob McElhenney’s It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (2007) (FX) with an appearance with Danny DeVito.

Joe Cortese has never strayed far away from the theater. Being one of the founding members of the MET Theatre in Los Angeles, Cortese produced and starred in the original play Cody Angelino Is Coming. Some of his other Los Angeles theater credits include: True West at Zephyr Theater, Waking Jimmy Rizzo at the White Fire Theatre, and Italian playwrights Luigi Pirandello’s Che Che and Man With The Flower In His Mouth at the Marilyn Monroe Theater. In New York, his theater credits include: playing Clifford Odets in Golden Girl, Waiting for Lefty at ETC; and, from the Regional Theater: Of Mice and Men, Waiting for Godot, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Tonight and Every Night is the latest project in development Joe Cortese will be producing and starring in. It’s about a Greek diner owner suffering from dementia, who creates an alter ego as a talk show host. Also, in pre-production, Joe has written The Bridge about a San Francisco crime family.

As lifetime member of The Actor’s Studio and member of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Joe Cortese continues his support of actors and the craft of acting.

Gary Shapiro launched his career in the movie business in NYC working for Columbia
Pictures immediately after graduating from college in Los Angeles to the present where
he has moved into the new digital technologies with several major Hollywood film
studios. He spent the 70’s as a very young man thru the present in various executive
marketing and distribution capacities at Columbia Pictures, MGM, Hemdale Pictures,
Sony Pictures Entertainment and Beacon Pictures, initially specializing in the United
States and Canada and later managing the marketing of major Hollywood studio films
and independent films worldwide.  In the early years at Columbia Pictures he created
the prototype for a college/university program which was then adopted by most major
movie studios. He also was one of the early developers of grass roots marketing which
became a valuable tool in marketing movies and still is a valuable tool on the Internet.

In the mid 80’s Shapiro moved into the production arena and was Executive V.P. of
Production and Marketing for Longstocking Productions which produced the first
American PIPPI LONGSTOCKING movie along with legendary Swedish film company
Svensk for Columbia Pictures. He designed the worldwide search for the new PIPPI
which became a media sensation at the time. Shapiro managed worldwide marketing
activities with Columbia Pictures and Svensk.

During this decade, Shapiro also was appointed Senior Executive Director Marketing of
Hemdale Film Corporation which was one of the film industry’s most important
independent companies in Hollywood and London producing award nominated and Best
Picture Oscar winning awards from films like PLATOON, THE LAST EMPEROR, the
first TERMINATOR and HOOSIERS.

During the 90’s Shapiro was a Senior V.P. at Sony Pictures Entertainment working in
the Columbia Pictures division and shifting to Sony’s Triumph Films unit which
developed, produced and marketed the studio’s specialized films. His duties included
managing the studio’s marketing and production development. Triumph morphed into
Sony’s Screen Gems which continues in a similar tradition.

Following that in the 2000’s he moved over to Beacon Pictures as Senior V.P.
Worldwide Marketing. Beacon’s long slate of successful films were produced in
conjunction with and distributed thru Universal Pictures, The Walt Disney Co, and Time
Warner’s New Line Cinema. Among the titles he guided thru the global distribution and
marketing process for Beacon were  SPY GAME, THIRTEEN DAYS, THE FAMILY
MAN, BRING IT ON, THE EMPEROR’S CLUB and TUCK EVERLASTING all with major
Hollywood stars.

Shapiro began consulting to various film and entertainment industry firms several years
ago. In this capacity, he helped create the initial worldwide marketing strategy for
Paramount Picture’s and Steven Spielberg’s WAR OF THE WORLDS,  managed the
marketing and grass roots campaign for Anschutz Film Group’s /Walden Media GAME
OF THEIR LIVES,  managed the strategy and execution of the highly successful and
controversial independent film A DAY WITHOUT A MEXICAN.  He has been a U.S.
special consultant to one of Europe’s most important publishing and media companies,

Among the major film makers and talent he recently arranged to appear at major film
festivals are Robert De Niro, Danny Di Vito, Hillary Swank, Michael Douglas, Meryl
Streep, Clive Owen, Richard Gere, Andy Garcia,  Rene Zellweger, Clint Eastwood and
Martin Scorsese.

Shapiro is currently consulting with a number of film companies including the Canadian
company Inner City Films, a major supplier of diverse film and TV content.  Thru his
association with Showbizzee, he has been engaging the Hollywood movie studios
(Universal, Twentieth Century Fox, Sony, Warner Bros, Dreamworks, Paramount,
Amazon Studios) on  utilizing a global digital platform and media player for extending
the marketing value and e commerce revenue streams of their content. He has
consulted with The Telluride Film Festival in the U.S., and  with The Karlovy Vary
International Film Festival in The Czech Republic, The Berlin International Film Festival
in Berlin and The Montblanc Company in Hamburg. He has advised The Cuban Film
Institute (ICAIC) in Havana on cultural exchange programs between the U.S. and Cuba.
He has been a periodic guest lecturer at UCLA and is a longtime member of The
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and serves on The Foreign Language
Film Selection Committee.

John Posey, a graduate of the University of Florida, hails from Florida.  He was noticed while toiling on stage for the Atlanta-based, 80’s comedy group, “Comedia”, an ensemble he co-founded.

He was brought to Los Angeles by casting executives in 1986, where he has since compiled a long, 35-year list of theatre, television and film credits that include HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, CRIMINAL MINDS,  “24”,  BOSTON LEGAL, TEEN WOLF, NCIS, SCORPION,  E.R., SEINFLED, CHEERS, CHICAGO HOPE,  A SOLDIER’ STORY, MANHUNTER, FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON, NEWSRADIO, among many others. He has also performed in hundreds of radio and TV commercials over the span of his career.

A screenwriter, Posey has sold original feature scripts to Disney, HBO and Sony. His OWN feature, LEGENDARY, a coming-of-age drama, starring Patricia Clarkson and Danny Glover, was produced in 2010. Posey wrote, produced and starred in the film. His original script GORGEOUS GEORGE has been set up at WWE Film Studios. He will produce the sports drama WHERE MY SPIRIT RIDES, slated for Spring of 2021.

He has performed his critically acclaimed, one-man stage production, FATHER, SON & HOLY COACH, to rave reviews, all over the country, since it premiered in Los Angeles in 1993.

Since 2015, Posey has taken his nearly four decades of knowledge and experience to the classroom. He teaches scene study, audition technique and even solo live performance classes to hundreds of students in L.A, (and nationwide and abroad, via Zoom).

He lives in Los Angeles County, CA. and is the father of two boys you may know; Jesse, 26, and Tyler 29, both actors.

Tyler, as a 10-year-old, starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in the film “MAID IN MANHATTAN”. In addition to his many other roles, he may be best known as SCOTT MCCALL, in the global hit TV series TEEN WOLF.

Jesse, an ex-college baseball player, is also an actor, plays series regular, CHRIS PEREZ, in the Netflix Series SELENA.