Hané ∼ Saga

JoAnn Hess

JoAnn is a multi-award-winning screenwriter and producer for film and TV. In 202, JoAnn became the Creative Executive for London Angel Films (UK) responsible for the development of the company’s slate of feature films.

Named as one of the industry’s Most Recommended Writers, she writes dynamic stories that revolve around the socially disenfranchised, misfits, and miscreants as they seek to find their place in unfamiliar or unforgiving worlds.

JoAnn’s work has been optioned and contracted for-hire by producers in both the US and UK and currently, has over a dozen projects in various stages of development.

In 2019, she was inducted into the International Indie Hall of Fame.

James Fox

Native American and Californian, James Fox is a natural storyteller. After graduating from the Academy of Art in San Francisco, with a BFA in Directing, he became the Founder of Dawnrunner Inc. and has championed the company through numerous award-winning projects over fifteen years. As a writer, Fox devotes his energies to the careful crafting of compelling characters and diverse worlds.

CJ Knapp

C. J. Knapp is an optioned and award-winning screenwriter. She writes stories that pull you into their world. Her inspiration for her stories comes from looking at the world and saying “What if…”She lives in Kansas City and loves to travel which adds to the richness of her storytelling. To learn more about CJ visit her website: www.CJKnapp.com

Dawn Crouch

Dawn Capdepon Crouch writes from the heart of the experience. A native of New Orleans and former dancer with Houston Ballet, she explores timeless themes from an inside angle. She is an optioned screenwriter, author of two fiction novels, and pens Garage Ballet, a popular series of nonfiction instructional books that detail her experiences as both a dancer and teacher.

Errol Teichert

Errol Teichert is an emerging screenwriter and director based in Utah Valley. His work has taken home accolades at the Los Angeles Cinematography Awards and the Across the Globe Film Festival, and an Official Selection at the Kanab International Film Festival. His passion for film and storytelling began in childhood and led him to study screenwriting and script consultation at Utah Valley University.

Kristin Magruder

Kristin Magruder has a background in cultural and linguistic education and is currently a contract patent editor. She is a Jill-of-all-trades exploring a career shift into film. Her first micro-short was an Official Selection in the 2021 Kanab Film Festival.

Christopher Dalbey

Christopher Dalbey is a SAG-AFTRA actor based in New York City, specializing in film, TV, and commercials. He’s booked recurring roles on TV shows such as THE KNICK, received accolades for his lead roles in Indie horror films A DARK PLACE INSIDE and GHOST BOX, showcased depth and range with his roles in SEX, LOVE, REVENGE, and CROOKED & NARROW, both celebrated films in the festival circuits.

Christopher is also a screenwriter and has written close to a dozen features, two of his high concept scripts having prospects of getting produced and/or optioned.

But, before his endeavors with acting and screenwriting, he was a musician fronting in Indie bands THE SERIES and SAINTS ON THE SIDE. He continues to work on music when he has the time and aims to finish up his follow-up solo album to NEW CONTEMPLATIONS sometime this year.

Chris Rogers

Chris is the Owner/Operator of CHRMEDIA and serves as our Event Coordinator. While living/working/surviving in Los Angeles, Chris got the chance to go back to school and got a degree in MultiMedia from West LA College. Working on a mostly project-based basis (web), he worked at most of the major studios. He has written one screenplay that has already attracted attention from an A-List celebrity for his nephew to star in. Chris is currently writing his second feature and will pitch them both. Thank you to Heidi and Kelly for asking me to be part of the team.

Ferdinand Gernandt

 Ferdinand has been part of the SA entertainment industry for over 20 years and has evolved from being a sought-after Vocalist and Actor to a respected and accomplished Producer, Director and Writer.

In 2014 Ferdinand produced, wrote and directed the Smash Hit Stage Musical “REIK NA DIE STERRE” which was nominated for 7 Naledi Awards then continued to complete two film projects; a thriller project ‘HAATKLOP’ and a comedy project ‘UIT DIE KASKENADES’ for kykNET Silwerskerm Film Festival. Internationally he co-wrote on a Faith Based bio-drama 8DAYS, currently in circulation worldwide.

Zachary Houghton

Zachary Houghton is the Marketing and IT manager for st. john’s press. When not working for st. john’s press, Zach is helping small businesses with filming, editing, and developing videos for YouTube and websites. Zach is a recent graduate from Western Governors University with a Bachelor in Business Management.

When he is not working or reading, he loves hiking and camping and has been to all 48 contiguous states with his family. Zachary lives in rural New Jersey with his lovely wife Kristen, two cats, two birds, a rabbit, and a bunch of fish.

JJ Brown

JJ Brown, a government affairs consultant of 7 years and a U.S. Senate aid for 20 years before that, has a knack for discovering common ground on policy questions where it hasn’t been found before. He was the driving force behind the tax incentives in 2005 which have promoted advanced vehicle technologies, alternative fuels for vehicles, and alt-fuel filling stations in the United States. He later led out on the plugin and plugin/hybrid vehicle tax credit in 2007 in an effort to diversify transportation fuels while making them cheaper and cleaner. He was also behind laws promoting geothermal and renewable power generation and carbon sequestration technologies. As a conservative Republican, JJ Brown succeeded in enacting transformative laws by bringing opposing parties together through shared values and by moving beyond language and arguments which tend to divide.