Creative

Footer Legal

Main

NavBar

Sections

Topics

Become a subscriber today to get unlimited access

Thanks for reading!

Register to continue

Talkhouse

Zachary Ray Sherman is an actor, director, writer, and producer from Portland, Oregon, whose new film <a href="https://tubitv.com/movies/100022519/all-that-fall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">All That Fall</a> is now streaming. After early success opposite Kirsten Dunst in Lifetime’s Fifteen and Pregnant, and as Jasper on the CW’s reboot of 90210, Sherman has gone on to build an impressive acting resume balancing television work (Netflix’s Everything Sucks!) with edgy roles in independent films (Archie’s Final Project, West Virginia Stories, Cuck). Sherman has also directed three feature films to date: Particular Crowd and Mar Vista’s upcoming Do You Hear What I Hear, the award-winning indie All That Fall and HBO’s Young Hearts, a sweet and touching coming-of-age film executive-produced by the Duplass brothers. He will soon be seen in the indie dramas The Send-Off, produced by Glenn Howerton, and Can’t Seem to Make You Mine, opposite Lindsay Burdge, and is currently starring in Hulu’s Under the Banner of Heaven starring Andrew Garfield, created by Dustin Lance Black from the book of the same name by Jon Krakauer, and executive-produced by Jason Bateman and Brian Grazer. (Photo by David Zaugh.)

Zachary Ray Sherman

Film

20 Years of Tenacity

Actor, writer and comedian Rell Battle stars opposite Craig Robinson in the new comedy series Killing It, now streaming on Peacock. He also recently appeared Will Smith’s comedy stand-up series, This Joka, where a diverse group of comedians come together in Vegas to showcase their material and explore the nature of comedy and its unique ability to unite people. Battle is maybe best known for his two seasons on CBS’ Superior Donuts, playing Franco’s best friend and fan favorite, Sweatpants, as well as appearances on ABC’s The Good Doctor and Black-ish. In addition to his acting resume, Rell is behind multiple projects in the works including Peacock and LOL&#8217;s So Dumb, It&#8217;s Criminal with Snoop Dog and NBC’s Uncivil Law, which he is co-writing alongside Pardis Parker for Hazy Mills. Rell also created and executive produced Comedy Central’s Jeff Ross Presents Roast Battle.

Rell Battle

I Used to Love H.E.R.

Matt Walsh is a two-time Emmy-nominated actor from HBO’s award-winning comedy series Veep. He can currently be seen in the comedy Unplugging, which he produced, co-wrote and stars in opposite Eva Longoria. He is one of the UCB 4, the founding members of the famed national improv-sketch comedy theatre Upright Citizens Brigade. In addition to his film and TV work, Walsh is a charitable founder with his wife Morgan of Gender Nation, which puts LGBTQ-affirming books in elementary schools around the country, and also organizes the Turkey Bird Classic, an annual golf charity tournament which benefits Defy Ventures, an organization helping formerly incarcerated people “transform their hustle,” teaching them life skills, providing education and mentorship that gives them a second chance. Walsh currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife Morgan Walsh and their three children.

Matt Walsh

Three Great Things: Matt Walsh

Jessica Dimmock is an award winning filmmaker and photographer based in Brooklyn, New York and the director of the new Hulu true-crime series <a href="https://www.hulu.com/series/captive-audience-a-real-american-horror-story-d840873f-211e-47a8-864b-8aa7c54d193c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Captive Audience</a>. She is the recipient of numerous international awards including an Emmy for The Gallagher Effect (FX/Hulu), a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Inge Morath Award from Magnum and the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography. Her directing credits include Flint Town (Netflix), Unsolved Mysteries (Netflix), The Weekly (FX/Hulu) and Home (Apple TV). When she is not working on her photography or film work, Jessica is leading a campaign to ensure that members of the Directors Guild of America retain their healthcare when they have a child.
Piper Weiss is a writer and the co-executive producer of Hulu&#8217;s Captive Audience. Her memoir, You All Grow Up and Leave Me, published by HarperCollins, was included in best books lists for Marie-Claire, CrimeReads and Vulture. She recently adapted the book into a feature-length screenplay for JAX Media.

Jessica Dimmock and Piper Weiss

“Truer Than Any Documentary”

Ito Aghayere is currently playing young Guinan in Season 2 of Star Trek: Picard, taking on the role originated by Whoopi Goldberg. Ito is Nigerian, Canadian American and a former White House intern. Ito was recently seen in the sitcom Carol’s Second Act, starring opposite Patricia Heaton and Kyle McLachlan. Her other TV credits include: Instinct, The Blacklist, Elementary, Doubt, Braindead, Orange is the New Black, The Knick, Unforgettable and Forever. Her film credits include Logan Lucky and Goldie. She made her Broadway debut in Ayad Akhtar&#8217;s Tony Award-nominated financial thriller Junk at Lincoln Center Theater. In 2016, Ito starred Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in Danai Gurira&#8217;s critically acclaimed play Familiar in a role in which she was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play. She was most recently seen on Broadway in Bernadette/Hamlet opposite Jane Lynch. Ito attended Duke University where she received her BA and then went on to Columbia University for her MFA. She currently resides in Los Angeles.

Ito Aghayere

The Case for Empathy

Kelsey Peterson is the co-director, producer and subject of the new documentary <a href="https://www.movemedoc.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Move Me</a>, which world premiered at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and is currently steaming as part of the <a href="https://reelabilities.org/newyork/film/move-me/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ReelAbilities Film Festival</a>. She was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and received her BFA in Dance from the University of Montana in 2008, and later, her yoga teacher certification from CorePower Yoga. Her previous path was interrupted when she sustained a spinal cord injury in 2012 and became paralyzed from the chest down. But Kelsey continues to dance, now from a wheelchair. She is a dancer, choreographer, writer, and filmmaker. She currently serves as co-director, choreographer and dancer on A Cripple’s Dance, a live music and dance production featuring inter-abled artists. (Photo by Mercedes Jelenik, courtesy of Submerged Film LLC.)

Kelsey Peterson

Undefined: A Lifelong Journey with Adaptation and Self-Love

Micaela Wittman is a Los Angeles-based actress, writer and director. Her feature debut, Clairevoyant, received international distribution with Gravitas Ventures/Myriad Pictures. She has also appeared in shows such as Teen Wolf, Modern Family and Sharp Objects. Her next film, Remy &amp; Arletta, will be released this fall. (Photo by Arthur De Larroche.)

Micaela Wittman

How Being a Failure Led Me to Making My Feature Debut

Named one of “Ten Actors to Watch” by both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, Caleb Landry Jones just received the Best Actor Award at Cannes 2021 for his performance in <a href="https://www.ifcfilms.com/films/nitram" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nitram</a>, which is out now in theaters, on digital and on AMC+ through IFC Films. In 2019, Landry Jones was a recipient of both the SAG award and Critics Choice Award for Best Ensemble for his work in Martin McDonagh’s Oscar-winning Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, opposite Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell. He also co-starred in Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning Get Out and Sean Baker’s Oscar-nominated The Florida Project. His additional credits include Jim Jarmusch’s The Dead Don’t Die, Lone Scherfig’s The Kindness of Strangers, Brandon Cronenberg’s Antiviral, Josh and Benny Safdie&#8217;s Heaven Knows What, John Boorman’s Queen and Country and Neil Jordan’s Byzantium. (Photo courtesy IFC Films.)

Caleb Landry Jones

Three Great Things: Caleb Landry Jones

Shannon Plumb has shot over 200 short films, which have been exhibited in museums, galleries, and on international screens. She started by shooting herself as various characters, acting out three-minute situations using humor and silence as her vehicles for storytelling. In 2013, her first feature film, Towheads, premiered at MoMA as part of New Directors / New Films; it is now streaming on the <a href="https://www.criterionchannel.com/towheads" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Criterion Channel</a>. You can see her short films at <a href="http://shannonplumb.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shannonplumb.com</a> and Towheads is available on Netflix and iTunes. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, director Derek Cianfrance, and their two sons.

Shannon Plumb

Why Lucy Matters to Me

Kelly Murtagh is a mom, Louisiana-native, and an award-winning actress, writer, producer, singer and children&#8217;s book author who works in film, television and theatre. She has received multiple awards including the Best Actress Award at Festival South, and the Best Actress Award at the 48 Independent Short Film Festival. Kelly wrote the feature-length film <a href="https://www.instagram.com/shapelessthefilm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shapeless</a>, telling of her personal struggle with an eating disorder, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and is now out in theaters and on VOD. Kelly also executive-produced and was lead actress of the film. She also co-owns production company, Water Meter Productions, with Bobby Gilchrist. Kelly is the founder of SoulStar Space, an online spiritual safe space for mystic mindfulness and healing. Kelly also authored the children&#8217;s book Zoo Krewe – which was illustrated by Samantha Aldana, who also directed Shapeless. She also works with the organization Project Heal which helps break down systemic, healthcare and financial barriers to eating disorder treatment. (Photo by Dana Patrick.)

Kelly Murtagh

How I Healed From an Eating Disorder with My Mind (and Body and Spirit)

Josef Kubota Wladyka’s latest film, <a href="https://www.catchthefairone.movie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Catch the Fair One</a>, a taut thriller starring Kali Reis (who is nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her role), is out now in theaters and on demand. Wladyka’s debut feature, Manos Sucias, won Best New Narrative Director at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival and was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards, Best First Feature and Best Editing. Josef has also directed episodes of the acclaimed television shows Narcos, Fear the Walking Dead and The Terror. Residing in Brooklyn, New York, Josef holds an MFA from New York University&#8217;s Graduate Film Program and was named one of Filmmaker magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film. He remains committed to making socially conscious genre films.

Josef Kubota Wladyka

In the Never-Ending Sea of Content, We Have to Champion Films Like Ainu Mosir

Jared Frieder&#8216;s directorial debut, Three Months, starring Troye Sivan, Viveik Kalra and Brianne Tju, is streaming exclusively on Paramount Plus from February 23. He was born and raised in Hollywood, Florida and is a graduate of Columbia University with a major in creative writing. His screenplay of Three Months made the 2015 Annual Blacklist and was accepted into the Sundance Screenwriting Intensive. It also won the Austin Film Festival’s Comedy Screenplay Award, the Outfest Film Festival’s Screenwriting Lab Fellowship, the Screencraft Comedy Screenplay Grand Prize, and the Big Bear International Film Festival Screenwriting Prize. He lives in Los Angeles. (Photo by Lara Alameddine.)

Now Streaming