Alumni Artists of The Evening of Arts & Entertainment Art Shows

Here are the many amazing artists who have shown their work in one or more of our Evening of Arts & Entertainment shows. Here are their bios and contact information for those of you who would like to purchase their work or hire them!

Cathy Arkle: Cathy is a farm girl from Iowa transplanted to Hollywood, CA in 1989. The inspiration for her creations comes from her travels across the globe in the last 20 years working as a graphic artist for the major networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX & ESPN). She has had the privilege of working on the Academy Awards, Super Bowls, as well as the Olympic Games in four countries. Along the way, she’s collected eight Emmys in the field of Art, Design & Graphics in the Sports & Entertainment field. As a Creative Art Director, Cathy has pioneered the layout of a newspaper publication called Real Life &Times (www.reallifeandtimes.com). As a Cartoonist, she has created and illustrated a children’s book called “Being Grown-Up is Not What I Thought.” Cathy has also traveled to third world countries on adventurous missions trips. Presently she owns a graphic design company and a greeting card business. WWW.thumbprintgroup.com

Tom Bajoras: Tom can't remember a time when he didn't play piano. Music always had a strong spiritual dimension for him. In fact, his earliest musical experiences were in church. In high school a friend of Tom’s convinced him to join a country band, but Tom’s science fiction rock operas were a bit out of sync with the band's musical vision. After college, Tom studied composition in Boston. He moved back to Pittsburgh where he worked with a new wave group that could never decide on a name for itself. After a year, he threw everything he owned into a truck and drove to Los Angeles. In LA, Tom turned to writing music for television and film, working with clients such as Taco Bell and the Los Angeles Zoo. Tom's computer programming hobby started to earn a respectable income, which freed him to follow his muse wherever it might lead. In 1990, Tom released his first CD, Music About Dancing, to favorable reviews. Other projects include a piano solo CD, Why There's Lemon Cake in Heaven, as well as producing records for artists like Blake Samuels, Tim Curran, and Hamlet's Mill. Tom founded his own company, Art & Logic, which develops custom software for entertainment companies including Disney, Fox, Columbia-Tristar, and others. The company's honors include an Academy Award for Technical Achievement. Today Tom maintains a full schedule developing new business for Art & Logic, recording in his home studio and serving at Pacific Crossroads Church and Arts & Entertainment Ministries’ mentoring program.

Matt Beans: Matt, a native of Annapolis, MD, graduated from Florida State University in 2005, having produced The Line Starts Here -- a Coca- Cola Refreshing Filmmaker Contest Winner. He arrived in Los Angeles in March of 2006 to jumpstart his writing career. Now, settled in Koreatown, he works as the assistant to the co-creators of Adult Swim's Robot Chicken. His comedy feature script Cold Feet is in development.

Clovis Blackwell: Clovis is a graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute. He currently resides in Thousand Oaks, California with his beautiful wife Liisa who is a ninth-grade English teacher. His days are spent in his studio making art and providing individual fine Art instruction. Both regularly attend Westlake Lutheran Christian Fellowship. Clovis’ body of work entitled Vincible started as an exploration of his experiences living with Rheumatoid Arthritis and the crisis of faith which ensued. These experiences have included pain, frustration, incarceration, loss, doubt, despair and more recently, perseverance, hope, faith, thankfulness and joy. Webster’s Dictionary defines vincible as “capable of being overcome or subdued”; the mystery is that for a Christian, this is the goal, the end result. This process has brought me through a refining transformation. I am not suggesting that my struggles have made me a christ, but that through their transformation I am becoming more Christ-like. In The Problem of Pain, C.S. Lewis states, “...suffering is not good in itself. What is good in any painful experience is, for the sufferer, his submission to the will of God.” My goal is to lead my viewers through the experiences of my affliction, inspiring them to see their own personal struggles– whether extraordinary or commonplace-from a new perspective.

Dwayne Cogdill: Dwayne is the principal creative director at Cognition Design in Orange County, California. Since opening for business in 1999, the firm has received more than 35 international design awards. Dwayne’s work has been recognized by Communication Arts, the Evangelical Press Association, How, Print, the Society of Illustrators & the Society of Publication Designers. He lives a full & meaningful life with his wife Melanie & their sons Jack and Harry. He can be reached at dwayne@cognitiondesign.com.

Jamia Cotten: After growing up in Texas and completing her bachelor’s of Journalism in Public Relations from The University of Texas, Jamia has enjoyed a successful career in the meeting, planning and trade show industry. Jamia spent her developing years performing ballet and jazz but found her desire to perform had been shelved since graduating high school. Five years ago, her desire to pursue performing again caused her to invest in acting classes. She took classes and workshops for three years before she attempted her first audition which was at a local playhouse in Houston, Texas. She landed the lead role in “The Supporting Cast.” She continued to perform over the next five months in various mediums. The opportunity came quickly for her to move out to Los Angeles with her brother and start two new careers: acting and her own business in trade show management, and she jumped at the chance. God has continuously guided and blessed her path as she learns the business of acting in L.A. and as her business, I’ve Gotcha Covered, continues to grow. She is getting herself work for her business and getting out there among the casting directors.

Dave Derus: It was a dark & stormy night in Jan. ‘45 when Dave made his first appearance on Planet Earth. He can’t remember a thing about his childhood until the age of three when he discovered that he & his older sister were being raised by wolves, growing up in Pepper Pike, Ohio. It turns out his family was Catholic. Dave spent 4 years in the U.S. Air Force & about a year out of the service he married the girl of his dreams & settled down to make a living at a job he hated. Two years later he was fired & decided to try his hand at photography. In ’72 he announced to the world he was a photographer. After partnering with a commercial art studio, he fell into a regular beat of the type of photographs that are used in Cleveland, Ohio: head shots of executives, Santa Claus, trucks, etc. About 7 years later he got bored with the kinds of jobs he was doing...so he tried manufacturing which ended up in a lawsuit. In Jan. ‘87 his wife forced him to move out leaving her & his almost five year old son...Broken hearted he moved to LA to get into the movie business. His career started slow, then tapered off & his fall back occupation turned out to be handyman. But at night before he closes his eyes, he speaks to God reverently but firmly, thanking Him for all He brought him through & the blessings of the day, then he asks Him “When are we going to make a movie?”

Melissa Disney: As an accomplished singer and songwriter, Melissa's talents have taken her around the world performing in Spain, Greece, Costa Rica and even a jail cell in Fiji. She's currently performing in southern California on the Borders Books and Music Tour. Her debut album, Sweet Faith features the unique blend of her soulful vocals, raw and inspiring lyrics and earthy instrumentals with world renowned musicians Alex Acuna and Abe Laboriel. Melissa is the official singing voice of Disney's Snow White. As an actress, Melissa holds 3 Emmy Nominations for her work as Ginger on Nickelodeon's As Told By Ginger. You may also hear her on The Simpson's, co-starring on Max Lucado's Hermie and Friends movies, as the new radio voice of Ohio's indie 107, Disney Princess albums and toys, and the soon to be released animated feature, Food Fight! Currently, Melissa is co-starring with Neil Patrick Harris in a new TV pilot for Disney. Melissa performed for over 15,000 people after winning the ACMS Singer-Songwriter competition at the Spirit West Coast music festival in Monterey, CA where she won a spot on the main stage opening for her favorite artist, The David Crowder Band.  She was also honored to write and collaborate with Nashville's Grammy award winning songwriter, Wayne Kirkpatrick, and recently performed at the Music in the Rockies Festival in Estes Park, CO. Currently, Melissa is in the process of creating a multi-artist compilation album called Songs for Seeds to benefit a village of orphans in Ethiopia. Visit myspace.com/SongsforSeeds for more info. Visit Melissa at: www.melissadisney.com

Kevin Dobruck: Though born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Kevin Dobruck considers himself a native of Southern California. He was raised in El Segundo and currently makes his home in Torrance, CA. Kevin always had a leaning towards art, but a career in the graphic arts/publishing field happened almost by accident. Known as one of those guys who was constantly doodling on test papers he cared more about ceramics projects than history midterms. On a whim he enrolled in a production art class at a local trade school.  Shortly after graduation Kevin began work at Palos Verdes Publishing in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. During the next five years he handled photo processing, paste-up and other pre-press responsibilities. When he left employment there, he was production manager responsible for a staff of nine people. In the mid-80’s Kevin joined Copley Los Angeles Newspapers. During his tenure he was responsible for the marketing and promotion of three daily newspapers, the San Pedro News-Pilot, the Santa Monica Outlook, and the largest of the three, the Torrance Daily Breeze. A highlight of his 14 years at Copley LA came when then publisher Tom Wafer, Jr., referred to his “News from Home” marketing campaign as the best overall marketing campaign he had ever been involved with. When “News from Home” finally wrapped it had been in print, on billboards, buses and cable TV for over two years. Currently, Kevin does freelance work through Kevin Dobruck Graphic Design and works for The Salvation Army Western Territory as Art Director for New Frontier Publications. He is responsible for the layout, design and production of a twice-monthly newspaper called New Frontier and a quarterly magazine entitled Caring. Even though he has little formal training in the fine arts, Kevin’s passion for the visual continues to grow. He has created art pieces in watercolor, gouache and more recently acrylic mediums. His paintings range from abstract to impressionistic and reveal his passion to find beauty and God’s fingerprints in all aspects of the world around us. Recently he has taken a strong interest in seeing the visual arts brought back into the church and leads the Visual Arts in Worship project and Artisan’s Guild at Kings Harbor Church in Torrance. Kevin has been married to his wife, Brenda, for 23 years and has three sons. Visit Kevin at http://dobruck.com

Greg Emler: Gregory S. Emler is originally from Columbus, Ohio. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, education degree from Bowling Green State University where met Linda, his wife. During that time He was a recognized composer by the National Association of Jazz Educators.  While working for the University of Georgia Jazz Studies, Gregory was a selected soloist for the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center in Atlanta, Georgia. While writing and recording music in Atlanta, Gregory was part of a Grammy Award winning Christian Children’s Music album. He has been a member of the Los Angeles Music Union and the National Association for Recording Arts and Sciences. For the last eight years Gregory has been Administrator and CFO for In His Presence Church in Woodland Hills, California. As an assistant pastor Greg also led the praise and worship team, ministered in the psalmist gift as well as being music director for In His Presence Church. He was in charge of audio production for IHPC’s radio broadcasts and the audio/music for video-tv production. Currently, Gregory is working with Linda in the Christian Cultural Outreach called GEMinistries. He is involved with Linda in the founding and administration of GEMinistries to the praise and for the Glory of God.

Tracy Fouts: Sensitive to her surroundings while also energized to explore the unknown with her camera, Tracy believes she is best described as a twenty-two year old female documentary photographer. Being both a Christian and a photographer, faith is the main inspiration of the photos that she produces.Tracy received a Bachelor of Science degree in photography from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2006. Currently she is studying at Kendall College of Art and Design working towards a Master of Fine Arts degree in photography. Tracy prays that even after she finishes her schooling, she will never stop trying to learn the depths of God through her art.

John Fox: He received his Master's Degree from New York University in 2003 and has been back in Los Angeles ever since, trying to thaw. In his spare moments between teaching composition and literature for The Master's College and Glendale Community College, he writes for the Jack London house of Santa Clarita.He was recently accepted to USC's Master of Professional Writing Program, where he plans to study creative non-fiction.

Amber Fox: Amber was born in 1978 and is a photographer and painter from Los Angeles,
California. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from UCLA, class of 2000 and holds a Single Subject Credential in Art from CSULA. She’s been teaching a Black and White Photography class at La Serna High School for the past three years and has practiced the medium of photography for over ten years, starting her journey in high school. Amber has had various photographs shown in group exhibitions at UCLA, exhibited in two Veritas Forums, where some of her paintings were shown at Laguna Beach Art Gallery, and she’s recently participated in a performance piece at Create Fixate.

Jay Gammill: Jay is a recent graduate of the MFA Production program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, Jay received his undergraduate degree in Telecommunications from Baylor University, where he is a two-time winner of the Baylor Black Glasses Film Festival for his short films Hermosa and The Red String. Jay’s professional interests range from visual effects and picture editing to screenwriting and directing actors. He recently co-edited the award-winning USC documentary Back to Life and thesis film My Father’s Chinese Wife. He has also edited freelance for E! True Hollywood Story as well as broadcast commercials for MGA Entertainment, Inc. Currently, Jay is gearing up for the festival circuit and beginning fundraising to produce the feature script of AUGUST. www.jgnetdesign.com

Michael Green: Michael’s been a Christian for about eleven years. It’s been a good time and he’s had a great life. He’s lived in Tennessee, Texas, Colorado, Washington and California. And as strange as it seems, he honestly digs Los Angeles, even if he will never be able to afford a house here. His favorite things are rock and roll, and baseball. He hopes there are loud guitars and baseball diamonds in heaven.

Luke Guidici: Luke grew up in the Pacific Northwest next to the beautiful Puget Sound in between the Olympic and Cascade Mountain ranges. At an early age his parents encouraged him in art, music, and learning. Whether at Church or at home they worked to instill a love of God and compassion for his fellow man. taught Luke that he could honor God in whatever task was set before him, whether small or large, by doing his best. In high school he realized that through film he could use his creativity and reach many people with a positive message. set out to do that and studied film at San Francisco State University. graduating, and a stint in South Lake Tahoe, he moved to LA to begin working in the film industry. loves life and thinks beauty can be found in the smallest and most seemingly insignificant details. is joy in the unusual and in the ordinary. always tries to remember that no matter where we find ourselves, life can only be what we make it and there is always an opportunity for play. are themes he continues to include in his photos, writings, and film.

Tommy Hollenstein: Artist Tommy Hollenstein takes viewers with him on a freedom ride through vibrant color and motion. Using wheels for his paint brush, Hollenstein’s abstract yet accessible style has been compared to Jackson Pollock, liberating the confinement of the canvas through “action painting.” As did Pollock, Hollenstein creates his paintings from a method working above the canvas, resulting in direct expressions or revelations that exhibit the unconscious moods of the artist. A native Angelino, Hollenstien is inspired by the Southern California culture in love with its wheels as well as the landscape.  His work portrays a whimsical world of his own invention layering vibrant colors applied by tire treads to create the perception of fluid motion in static space. His series of paintings offer a wide range of expression and can contain up to 32 layers of form and color. Art has been Hollenstein’s life passion. In 1985, at 24 years old, he survived a mountain biking accident that left him a quadriplegic. His canine companion Weaver was the inspiration in finding the road back to his art. It is a continuing journey that is sometimes melancholy and sometimes jubilant, but always inspirational. His paintings depict a fluidity of movement with a wide range of color that will appeal to everybody. His website is www.tommyhollenstein.com. 

Chris Hooper: He has been producing and directing documentaries for the last 10 years. Although he has worked in the entertainment industry as a set dresser, storyboard artist, and art director; he became a filmmaker in a rather unorthodox way. Having been involved in missions to many third world countries, Chris intended on moving to India as a long-term missionary, but was subverted by God. As usual, God had a much better plan in mind. Instead, he managed to merge his love & compassion for the poor & unreached of the third world & his innate desire to create. Documentaries became a great way to inspire others to turn their attention toward those that truly suffer and those that have never heard of the redemption of Christ. His recent short film is designed to inform people regarding the overwhelming worldwide problem of sexual slavery, prostitution & trafficking of children; shooting in Africa, Cambodia, Thailand, Mexico & the United States. Much of the film was shot with hidden cameras & is hopefully a prelude to a full length documentary dealing with this subject. Chris also works as an editor for reality TV. He edited most of the first season of discovery channel’s new show “Ultimate Goals,” airing now on Fit TV. He’s currently working on the 2nd season of a Christian reality series designed to inspire young Christians to serve God on the mission field, called “Travel the Road”. This series follows two young missionary adventurers to some of the most dangerous & remote places on earth. Lastly, he is in process of negotiating a deal to write & direct his first low budget theatrical feature film.

Iris Ichishita: A Los Angeles native, Iris Rose Ichishita has traveled the world over only to return to her hometown where she enjoys spending her time making movies possible. Since 2002, she has produced music videos, commercials, documentaries, and short and feature films. She is as passionate about her avocations as she is about her career, which is to say she loves being actively involved in acting, yoga, her women’s Bible study, and rock n’ roll music. Most recently Iris and the independent production company NN Productions completed “Homeless Karaoke,” a short non-fiction film documenting the unique Karaoke Coffee Club outreach program in downtown Los Angeles. This outreach, led by Tony Stallworth, a former homeless man, seeks to meet the often-overlooked human need for joy and community, rather than the typical “food, shelter and clothing.” “Homeless Karaoke” and films like it are in line with NN Production’s goal to shed new light on the World as we know it.

Lynda Jakovich: Lynda has worked for over 15 years as a graphic designer. She is the creative director and principal of cooldogdesign, an award-winning design firm she founded in Santa Monica, California in 1999. A graduate of UCLA, she also teaches design, typography and logo design at Otis College of Art and Design. Additionally, Lynda expresses her creativity through photography and painting. She is a humongous fan of Jane Austen novels.

 Loren Johnson: Loren is an award winning singer/songwriter. This two-time Los Angeles Music Award winner has placed him before combined live audiences estimated at over 300,000. After Loren earned his MBA he spent the early years of his career working in the business and production side of the music industry-earning credits on over 50 national releases and as an author and co-creator of an acclaimed children’s series. His third and latest CD entitled Wholly, documents his personal journey. “Much as in Psalm 86:11-12, this project represents my desire to walk in truth with an undivided heart, praising God and bringing glory to his name,” Loren explains. He is a founding member of the Hollywood Transformation coalition and sits on the board of the Oasis of Hollywood, an outreach to youth at risk. Loren is on staff as the worship Arts Pastor at King’s Harbor Church in the South Bay of Los Angeles and continues to operate a production company and recording studio in Malaga Cove. He lives in the South Bay of LA with his wife Christine, daughters Timmon and Hannah and son Evan.

Eddie Kaulukukui: Eddie’s first instrument was the ukulele. This was appropriate for a boy of Hawaiian blood. Soon he learned a few chords on the guitar. At the time he was attending a small church that sang songs accompanied only by a tambourine. The pastor asked him to bring his guitar and play when they sang. Only knowing 3 chords and knowing hardly anything about music theory, Eddie sat there on stage plucking away on his guitar trying to figure out how to play the songs. After months of this, Eddie not only learned how to play the songs, but he’d discovered music theory, which he would use for the rest of his musical career. This began a ministry of playing and singing for churches and small groups. Throughout this time, he would try his hand at writing music of his own. He soon became passionate about this form of expression and began to do it more often. On the side, Eddie also pursues an acting career and does print work for various companies. Eddie’s life goal is to use movies and music to challenge people’s way of thinking and point people toward the Lord. He can’t do it alone. We all need to help each other achieve the goals God has given us. All the best!

Bub Kuns: The Veracity Project: Creative Director/Co-Founder Bub graduated from The University of Memphis with a BFA in Theatre/ Communication. In 1992 he moved to Southern California and began to write and direct dramas and videos for the local church. Soon after, he became the Media Director for Coast Hills Church where he was among the first to produce short films for the local church and implement them into the weekend services. He has written, directed, produced, edited or acted in over 200 dramas and 400 videos/films that have impacted a worldwide audience. Bub is currently the Associate Worship Pastor at Coast Hills in Aliso Viejo. www.theveracityproject.com

Larissa Lam: In 2006, the Independent Artist Registry named her one of the top independent artists in the U.S. She’s released three albums independently & her song, Breathing More, landed in the Top 10 of the Radio and Records Rhythmic charts. As a finalist in numerous songwriting competitions, such as the Billboard World Song Contest, Larissa’s songwriting has been repeatedly recognized for it’s excellence. Her latest CD, Revolutionary, was released in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Singapore. Growing up in Diamond Bar, CA, Larissa’s relationship with music began at age five playing the piano and by 13 she wrote her first song. After graduating from UCLA, she became the CFO for independent label NSOUL Records. One day a gospel/dance group at the label, Nitro Praise, was about to go on tour and was missing a singer. Larissa stepped in to fill the spot and never looked back. As a member of Nitro Praise, she recorded on three albums and toured nationally for three years. In 2001, Larissa released her first solo album “On the Way Up,” followed by a live album Thankful to be Live produced by Tim Schoenhals (Kendall Payne). Her reputation as a hardworking and talented artist has led to recorded studio sessions for clients like Nickelodeon and Disney. Additionally, Larissa has appeared as an actress in film and TV & she can be seen hosting a TV talk show, Top 3 which airs internationally and in the U.S. on cable network JCTV. She’s composed music for The Oprah Winfrey Show & is writing music for Flower Drum Song author, Cy Lee’s, new musical play, Lady of Joy. Her heart to cross & bridge cultures for the Lord through her music comes from the fact Larissa’s parents immigrated to the U.S. from China in the 1960s seeking a better life far from the threat of China’s communism. In today’s global society, Larissa believes that music is a universal language and has unifying power. Visit Larissa at www.larissalam.com.

Seth Larsen: Seth is a young writer/filmmaker who has lived in LA for eight years, during which time he has written six feature-length screenplays and a full-length play. He's written/directed/produced several short films that have played across the country in film festivals such as the Rochester International Film Festival (honorable mention), the Dances With Films Festival in Los Angeles (competitive selection), Humboldt International Film Festival, and the Milwaukee Underground Film Festival. He is currently a DVD Production Supervisor at Warner Brothers.

Roddy Mackay: Scottish Photographer Roddy Mackay first developed an interest in Photography back in 1997 but it wasn’t until he was living in London some five years later that his fascination with the captured image really took off. After his return to Scotland in 2004, Roddy began working in a leading Glasgow Portrait Studio while spending his spare time taking personal images and gaining work experience alongside some of Scotland’s leading press photographers at The Glasgow Herald and Sunday Herald. His later freelance work for some of Scotland’s leading Broadsheet newspapers saw him short listed for the title of Scottish Young Photographer of the year in April 2006. In that same month, Roddy made his first international photography trip to China to work on documenting some of the transformation affecting Beijing ahead of it’s preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games in addition to documenting some of China’s 55 ethnic minority people groups in the south of the country. His images from his projects Building Beijing and Where The Streets Have No Name gained him merit from his college tutors and upon graduating just a few months later, Roddy was presented with the Metropolitan College Principals Prize for Best Performing Student in The School Of Communication and Media. By this point in time Roddy was already working on his first commissioned exhibition project, commissioned by St Mungo’s Museum to document Glasgow’s Growing African and Caribbean community for the 200-year anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. A Glasgow Story opened to the public for a four-month solo exhibition in March 2007 and received positive feedback both from the community and Regional and National Media. The Guardian newspaper listed the exhibition as one of it’s top ten things to see with your weekend. A selection of some of Roddy’s images from A Glasgow Story made up his portfolio entry to the 59^th Missouri Photo Workshop where he has now been accepted to study in September of 2007 under a faculty of America’s leading photojournalists and picture editors. Meanwhile Roddy continues to travel on commissions and personal projects worldwide while continuing to shoot Magazine Portraits & Weddings in Scotland. To find out more about his work or to talk through commissioning Roddy for a project, please contact him on: root@roddymackayphotography.com     + 44 (0) 7921 611570

 Charlie Matz: The Veracity Project: President/Co-Founder Charlie graduated from Hope College with a B.A. in Psychology in 2002. Soon after he graduated from Compass Academy in Grand Rapids Michigan, with a certificate in filmmaking and storytelling. In 2003 Matz moved to Southern California to work with mentor Bub Kuns and together they founded The Veracity Project. In late 2005 Matz produced and directed Pub – a documentary following Christian musicians into the pubs of Ireland as they attempted to implement “pub evangelism.” That same year he produced The Body of Anna Williams, a high budget short film directed by Bub Kuns. Together Matz and Kuns have produced over 400 videos for the local church. In late 2003 they decided to broaden their audience and began producing shorts for the film festival circuit and the church at large. Many of those projects have been nominated for awards. www.theveracityproject.com

Jeff Newburg: Jeff grew up in and around Phoenix, Arizona, before attending Northwestern University in Illinois, where he majored in Religion and Fiction Writing. Upon graduation, he moved to LA to pursue acting, writing, and visual art. He has lived in Los Angeles for three years. He thanks the Lord and his Mom for their unconditional love.

New Vale: Is Reuben Hernandez on Vocals, Guitar, Erik Schumacher, Piano, Keys, Erik Peterson, Bass, Mike Bjorkman, Drums. We create. We are passionate. We strive to give hope & inspire. We dream. We are relentless. We travel. We love Jesus. We stay up late. We have succeeded. We have failed. We find solutions. We strive to get better everyday. We have amazing friends. We enjoy meeting new people and learning their stories. We break things and then fix them. We like to learn. We are excited. We are thankful. We play loud. We play from the heart. We bare our souls.  We are Newvale. We hope you will join us on this adventure. New music available at www.myspace.com/newvale & www.purevolume.com/newvale

James O’Keefe: James has been an award winning cinematographer for over 20 years. Since graduating from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara he’s worked for every major studio and television network in this country as well as the BBC & the Australian TV networks. He’s shot features, movies of the week, commercials, music videos, documentaries & TV pilots as well as hundreds of hours of television programming. His feature film projects include Mike Figgis’ “Time Code”. He’s been Director of Photography on many award winning documentaries, including a national Emmy this year for “No Greater Love”. His most recent accomplishment has been directing a short film entitled “MAX” that’s won best short film in four film festivals and been a finalist in four others in addition to being chosen one of the 2005 International Cinematographers Guild Showcase Award winners. Jim is also an adjunct professor at USC Film School teaching cinematography and a member of the Television Arts and Sciences Academy. He’s married to Dawn Carson O’Keefe, a television & film producer, and together they own Blue Field Productions. They have four fabulous kids and reside in Pasadena, CA.

Woody Pak: Woody Pak’s film scores represent many genres. His dark, deeply psychological music for Sundance award winning Miss Monday displays a keen sense of character development and dramatic power, while his ethereal and mesmerizing score for the powerful documentary Grassroots Rising features the innovative use of electronically altered sounds as the main palette of instrumentation. Other notable films are Faster, e-Dreams, The Grace Lee Project, Black Picket Fence, The Chinatown Files, In the Tall Grass, Crystal River, and Slaughter Cove. These films have appeared in numerous film festivals such as the Full-Frame, Visual Communications, The Hawaii International Film Festival, The Brooklyn International Film Festival, and the Pusan International Film Festival. Woody has two musical theater productions that have enjoyed much success. Making Tracks, an Asian American themed rock musical, has played to packed audiences on both coasts as well as internationally and Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet has also enjoyed voice in the Asian American music world. Woody has also written and produced for Salonga, Welly Yang, Michael K. Lee, Hoon Lee, Tyley Ross, and Dina Morishita, As a guitarist, he has performed and recorded with Grammy Award winning violinist Mark O’Connor and chart topping dance diva Ultra Nate. Woody was born in Berkeley, California and raised in Hawaii. He received his undergraduate education at MIT and masters from the Julliard School. www.chaostheorymusic.net/

Rachel Pearsey: Rachel Pearsey’s mixed media oil paintings on used fabric and collage are layered with depth and symbolism which communicate visually. In her work she explores deep spiritual truths and seeks to convey them through images in such a way that they penetrate to the viewer’s heart, thus having a far more profound impact. Her most recent series on the Advent was completed in North Africa and explores the depth of meaning behind God becoming flesh and dwelling among us. Rachel received her Bachelors degree in Art from Biola University in 2001. Since then she continued to exhibit her work in southern California, directed a private art school in which she taught individual and group classes, and for 3 years owned and directed The Julian Gallery in Julian, CA. Rachel lived and worked as an artist in Morocco, North Africa for over a year (until August 2007). She is making plans now to return and live there permanently in order to create her art in that beautiful and inspiring land and culture.

Kathryn Perkins: Katy Perkins was born in Decatur, Georgia, and received her BA in Art from Berry College, May of 2007. She is currently living and working in Tucker, GA. The period Katy spent studying art with sculptor Lara Faroqhi in Berlin, Germany in the fall of 2006, proved to be the most pivotal of her undergraduate education. While in Berlin, she worked with ideas regarding the relative importance of the visual appeal of art. Through her work during this time, she strove to release the judgments that she was making regarding the visual appeal of artwork to the action of making itself. Katy’s working method remained raw and honest preserving simplicity in both materials and process, and the line in her work became free through abstraction and simplicity. By reaching this point of understanding, she then began to bring different materials and manipulation into her work. Since graduating, Katy has been working with various media including text, paper, paint, images, and string; her latest work incorporates the use of layering and color. She is interested in the expressive quality of collage to communicate personal, internal conflict.

Lily Phan: Lily’s worked for over 10 years with non-profits, specifically faith-based organizations, and as a consultant for 3 years assisting U.S. and foreign organizations in capacity building. Somewhere in between she took up photography and everything else seemed to fall on the side since…. Lily completed her Certificate in Photography at Santa Monica and started a business 3 years ago as a freelancer. Currently, she contracts with non-profits as a program developer and fundraiser, and freelances as a photographer. Lily also serves on the board for ACCD (Alliance of Church-based Community Developers), a faith-based network and capacity development organization headquartered in Los Angeles. She graduated from UC Irvine with a BA in Economics with an emphasis in Business Management and a minor in English Literature. She received her Masters in Urban Planning from Cal Poly Pomona.

Michael Pitts: Michael comes to film making as a second career. He worked his way through the ranks of video editing firms, establishing himself as both off-line and on-line editing at Crawford Communications, the premier post-production Facility in Atlanta, Georgia. His editorial work includes Opening Ceremonies for the 1996 Olympics, and spots for several cable channels, including Fox/ABC Family Channel, The Disney Channel, and The WB.  He has also worked for DVD features for New Line Cinema, and various projects for The Fine Living Network. During this time, he produced and directed a pair of documentaries, which sparked a desire to study film. After relocating to Los Angeles, he completed his MFA in Film Production from the School of Film and Television at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles in 2003. Two of his student films, "Aubrey" and "Big Orange News" were featured in the 10th International Student Film Festival in Tel Aviv, Israel in June of 2004. "Aubrey" was a semifinalist in the Angelus Awards, Student film festival in October 2003. "Big Orange News" played at the Ion Film Festival in Culver City November 2004.

Matt Pope: Matthew Pope graduated with a masters in film from Florida State University’s highly acclaimed graduate film school in 2005, where he was chosen as one of only six students to write and direct one of the school’s renowned thesis films. While there, he won the Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker’s Award – a prestigious national award open to film students from the nation’s top 13 film schools. His winning film The Line Starts Here was subsequently shown in over 21,000 theaters across the country. Matthew’s thesis film Once Broken has been an official selection at a number of film festivals since its release in 2006, including the Sedona International Film Festival, where it took home the award for Best Student Film. Previously, Matthew worked as a management consultant at Ernst & Young, LLP and Blue Martini Software before founding and running Summerset Productions – an independent video production company. There website: www.summersetproductions.net

Aaron Smith: While in high school, experimenting with filmmaking and taking a film class inspired Aaron B. Smith to become a filmmaker. In 1995, he went off to college to become a teacher and came out on the other side in 1999 with a degree in film studies. He has been working as a filmmaker since then. In 2004, Aaron formed Dusk Films, an independent film production company. Aaron started Dusk Films with a vision for capturing the stories that are often missed by the rest of the world—stories of people and places and ideas that usually go unnoticed. Under the vision of Dusk Films, Aaron has done work for such clients as Quixtar, International Steward, The Timothy Group, Compass Academy, Officers’ Christian Fellowship, Matt Burnell Creative Media, D.A. Blodgett, and Aware Creative. His work has brought him around the world to places like Haiti, Zambia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Spain and Hawaii. In addition to work for corporate and non-profit clients, Aaron has entered the film market with the production of several short films. In the spring of 2005, Aaron began collaborating with director/writer Rik Swarztwelder. This collaboration proved fruitful, yielding four short films:Michigan Sky, Loaded, Art Appreciation and most recently Bishmalachooga. These films are making their way onto the festival circuit in 2006 and 2007. More short films are in the works for 2007. In addition to his work as a filmmaker, Aaron also teaches film history at Compass Academy in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he is part of the Artist in Residence program. Aaron serves on the board of directors for the Stewardship Council and on the Compass Academy Alumni board. He is married to Rebecca with whom he loves to travel and dream.

Gretchen Smith: Gretchen has been producing work professionally for nearly 10 years and is the founder of the Christian Art Center and a member of Christians in the Visual Arts (www.civa.org). She has been blessed to exhibit her art in The Caribbean, Central America, Africa, the Middle East, and of course, the United States. Typically her work is categorized as abstract expressionist paintings but she works in many media and basically follows God’s lead. Gretchen also does live demonstrations of black light chalk art and abstract art for audiences of up to 30,000 people. She often travels and therefore has been able to share her work and skills with many people in many different cultures. She enjoys teaching children and works with a variety of organizations to help encourage children to develop and explore their God given creativity. Gretchen seeks to exhibit in secular as well as religious venues. More than 50,000 people participated in the classes, demonstrations, exhibits and outreach programs she coordinated in 2005. Gretchen says, “For me, art is essential. If I couldn’t create art, I simply couldn’t breathe. It is also interesting to note that it is the process that is so important to me, not the result. Once a piece is finished I can let it go, to find it’s way in the world, to speak on its own. Finally, I am not the creator, God is. I simply stand in awe of God’s creation and sometimes I feel a deep stirring inside of me and am inspired by God to try to create something. I know it is what God wants me to do. There is simply no other choice.” It is Gretchen’s sincere hope that through her work people will come to a better understanding of how magnificent and awesome God really is. Gretchen invites you to visit her web site at www.tallartist.com.

Angela Sun: Angela comes from the left-handed camp and has always been involved with arts in every form. She has hosted various television programs including "54321" for FOX SPORTS NET, and most recently the at the LG Action Sports Championships sideline reporting from the skate ramp. An actress, singer, dancer, adrenaline junkie, and soul surfer at heart, Angela tapped into spoken word while working on the film Shackles. Words just seem to flow out and turned into "Spin on Society" which is the first poem Angela's ever written. I hope it makes you think a little harder...

Rik Swartzwelder: Rik is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker whose work has screened at over 125 film festivals, internationally, and garnered over 45 major awards—including the Crystal Heart Award from the Heartland Film Festival for his multiple award-winning 35mm short, The Least Of These, and the Student Emmy for his highly acclaimed graduate thesis film, Paul McCall. Other honors include two CINE Golden Eagles plus one CINE Special Jury Award, four ITVA-DC Peer Awards, and the Sprint PCS Filmmaker of the Future Award. Rik earned his M.F.A. in Motion Picture Production from The Florida State University Motion Picture Conservatory; and his B.S. from Columbia Union College. A strong supporter of education, Rik served the State of Florida as a member of the Florida Institute for Film Education and as a gubernatorially-appointed member of Florida’s State Board of Community Colleges. He grew up in New Philadelphia, Ohio, and was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He’s spent many years living in both central Florida & Washington, DC, and is currently in Los Angeles developing several projects for future production.

David Tesch: David was born in Los Angeles and raised in San Diego. He went to school at the US Air Force Academy and Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo. There he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science in 1993. From college, Dave moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Computer Graphics (Visual Effects and Animation for film and television,) and has worked at production houses and studios such as MetroLight, Walt Disney Feature Animation, and Blue Sky Studios. Major films that Dave’s worked on include Disney's Dinosaur (2000) and Blue Sky's & Ice Age (2002). Dave has a strong interest in astronomy and photography (which is why people think he’s always staring at the sky.) Landscape photography in particular has been a growing interest since 1998 and he’s been fortunate enough to travel to five continents and take many thousands of pictures. When he has the means, Dave schedules his vacations to view total solar eclipses that happen on average every eighteen months. (He’s an eclipse junkie now.) Dave was raised as a Christian since birth and grew up in the United Methodist Church.

Sharon Thomas: Sharon is a singer/songwriter from Northern California. She studied classical voice in high school and college but wanted to write her own material. She studied with a blues guitarist in the San Francisco Bay Area and shortly after she to began to write her own songs. Her songs are developed from a mélange of life experiences, stories, and observations of faith. She is influenced by Patti Griffin, David Wilcox and other soulful folk-inspired artists.

Michael Toay: Michael began his career in Dallas, Texas, where he wrote and produced segments for sports and corporate television programming for Pro-Serve Television and Westcott Communications. Since 1996, he has worked for Plus8digital a production camera rental house specializing in High Definition and Digital Cinematography, and has worked on productions such as Miami Vice, Collateral, Star Wars Episode III, Star Trek: Enterprise, E-Ring and Touched By An Angel. Michael has written several feature screenplays. In 2005, his original screenplay Godspeed was a semi-finalist in the American Screenwriting Competition. He has had two other screenplays optioned. In the spring of 2005, Michael produced a short film for the 168 hour film festival. A Temp For All Seasons won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Original Score. He has re-teamed with his 168 writer / director, and joined forces with renowned producer Howard Kazanjian, to produce a feature called Silo 13, a two-time award-winning screenplay set in a missile silo during the Cold War. Michael has also teamed with award-winning director Jim O’Keeffe to develop the TV movie Deep Calling, the true story of a man who fell off his sailboat in waters that kill in less than an hour, and swam nearly four hours to an island where he was rescued. In summer 2002, he met the Love of His Life, Melanie. They were married in November, 2003. They currently reside in Southern California with their cat, Jasper.

Seriously: Is Chris Pham, Vocals/Acoustic Guitar, Nathan Park, Electric Guitar, Joshua Baek, Bass and Philip Park, Drums. Growing up in Diamond Bar, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, the four rambunctious members of Seriously grew up in the epicenter of a rather international cross-section of cultures. They grew up around pan-Asian businesses and malls juxtaposed against mainstream California malls, listening to Asian pop songs alongside American rock and R&B, not to mention even Britpop-influenced bands like Radiohead and Coldplay. Their songs are all about relationships. In fact, hanging out with these guys for just a few hours easily reveals the level of importance relationships have on the four members' lives. From girls to parents & even one's own relationship to oneself, they sing about their struggles in all kinds of relationships. "Our songs are about the desire to belong, to be accepted," says bassist / songwriter, Joshua Baek. The moments of wisdom and raw honesty peppered throughout their songs is revealing of their youthful sense of idealism and hope. Having met at a local Asian church, the four guys came to form the band Seriously only to compete in the most celebrated Asian American talent show in Los Angeles, Kollaboration. Clearly the crowd favorite & judged as the Best Musical Act by the panel of Asian American celebrity judges, Seriously won the grand prize winning $1,200 & the coveted offer to record a single with producer Woody Pak's label, Chaos Theory Music. Just barely out of high school, three of the four members of Seriously are 19 years old; the fourth member just 22. With little to no experience out in the real world, they are now juggling gigs, college (and girlfriends) all at once, not to mention the bassist's first year as an aeronautical engineer. A friend, Alex Park, was recruited by their label to document their journey into a series of which has been released on youtube, myspace and the label's website. Seriously's producer Woody Pak expresses his hope for the band citing their strong work ethic and grounded personalities, “We really believe that they can be the next Asian American, maybe the first Asian American rock band that really can hit the mainstream.” Visit Seriously at www.myspace.com/seriouslytheband

Susan Isaacs-Wilson: Susan was born in Hollywood, California, in what is now the Blue Scientology building. Not the chi chi Celebrity Center, but a prison-like facility where the underlings come out at noon to do tai chi on the lawn. But it was a hospital before, which is how she came to be there. Susan has many acting credits in TV, film, radio, and stage. She was a member of The Groundlings comedy troupe, and earned her MFA in screenwriting from USC. Susan has read her essays for Weekend America radio, and published on Fresh Yarn, Infuze, and Donald Miller’s Burnside Writers Collective. She does script consulting and teaches screenwriting for Act One. Susan has written the DirecTV specials, Songs of Praise. This past year she acted in the mockumentary Change Your Life, satirizing the multilevel marketing industry. This fall she will be working with author Donald Miller on a TV pilot script about Portland’s famed bookstore, Powells. Susan signed a book deal with Warner Books to adapt her solo show into a memoir: Angry Conversations with God: Whining Through My Middle-Class White-Girl’s Dark Night Of The Soul. Visit Susan at www.susanisaacs.net

Tracy Yeoh: Tracy Yeoh grew up in the Pasadena area and attended Polytechnic School. After Polytechnic school she attended Brown University and graduated with a B.A. in English and American Literature. It was several years out of college that her innate desire to paint began to re-surface. She was teaching at Pacific Oaks Children’s School when she decided to apply to a graduate program in fine art. She spent two weeks creating works for a portfolio, applied, and was accepted to Claremont Graduate University. She graduated from Claremont in 2001, with an MFA in Sculpture Installation, studying under Roland Reiss, Connie Zehr, and David Amico. It was there she explored beyond the canvas to sculpting the environment and performing several wind and water installations. During that time she also experimented with implementing natural and man-made objects on canvas – painting with bisqueware and sand, eggshells, rice, dirt, tacks, and pennies. It was working in the outdoors that ignited her love for the landscape and shaping the environment with her hands. Following graduation she began a horticulture internship at the Virginia Robinson Gardens historical estate. It was there that she took care of plants, experienced the seasons, and recognized the salutary qualities of gardens for the human heart, mind, and soul. Her more recent work incorporates organic elements collected during certain seasons that capture the ephemeral nature of that element in season. Together, they are meant to express the journey of the human heart through seasons of growth, discovery, and transformation. Visit her at www.tracyyeoh.com