Bryan Singer, Director / Executive Producer

Bryan Singer Directed the box office hit "X-Men". Singer became the focus of considerable attention in 1995 when his second full length feature, "The Usual Suspects," was released to critical and commercial acclaim. With an impressive cast that included Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey, Kevin Pollack, Stephen Baldwin and Chazz Palminteri, the young director (28 at the time) beat a slew of odds by bringing the $6 million, 35-day shoot in on time and under budget. "the Usual Suspects" won two academy awards that year: Kevin Spacey for Best Supporting Actor and Christoppher McQuarrie for Best Original Screenplay.

Singer's lifelong fascination with the art of Cinema became a reality in his early teens when he began shooting 8mm films. After attending the prestigious School of Visual Arts in New York, he moved to Los Angeles where he bagan undergraduate studies at the University of Southern California. It was During this period that his ambition to become a filmmaker intensified.

After Graduating from USC, he wrote and directed "Lion Den," an award-winning 25-minute film chronicling the lives of five high school friends who reunite after graduation. Singer called upon his childhood friend Ethan Hawke to star in te 16mm, $15,000 project. "Lion Den" opened the doors to Singer co-writing, producing and directing "Public Access." his first full length film project, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival.

David Gorder, Associate Producer

David Gorder currently serves as the Development Excutive at Ralph Winter Productions, which is based at 20th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles. Mr. Gorder recently recieved his first producing credit as Associate Producer on the blockbuster hit "X2: X-Men United" starring Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry and Hugh Jackman, which to date has grossed a phenomenal $410 Million worldwide. Released May 2, 2003, the movie set a 3-day non-holiday weekend box office record of $85.5 million domestically. "X2: X-Men United" is the largest Worldwide day-to-date release of a theatrical film in motion picture history. This Fall Mr. Gorder is also expected to begin preproduction as an Associate Producer on the highly anticipated Marvel comic book movie "The Fantastic Four", in addition to developing and producing several smaller films under the Ralph Winter Production banner. Mr. Gorder is also expected to return as part of the production team on "X-Men 3" with helmer Brian Singer ("The Usual Suspects") returning to direct the third installment of the incredibly succesful movie franchise. Mr. Gorder was also Ralph Winters assistant on the blockbuster films"X-Men" and Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes"

Michael Dougherty recently co-wrote the screenplay for "X-MEN 2" which has become one of the highest grossing films of 2003. His current screenplays include an adaptation of the horror comic "Wake the Dead" for Dimension films, and a revamp of "Charlie Chan" starring Lucy Liu with co-writer Dan Harris. Also an accomplished animator and illustrator, Dougherty's artwork is currently featured in a line of subversive greeting cards, while his award-winning films have appeared on MTV, the SCI FI Channel, and tour the world with the infamous "Spike & Mike Sick and Twisted Animation Festival". Dougherty is a graduate of the NYU film school and currently lives in Los Angeles. http://www.mikedougherty.com

Shauna Leff
Associate Producer
Bay Area Video Coalition (CA)
Shauna is currently working as producer, content developer and editor for the BAVC Interactive Learning Series DVD on digital storytelling for youth and teachers. Shauna joined BAVC in 2001 as the Education Program Administrator and moved into the Product Development department last year. She was the Associate Producer and Editor for the DVD “ Playback: Preserving Analog Video.” Before BAVC, she worked at Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, CNET Networks and started a summer leadership program for high school students. Shauna has been producing for over 10 years and working with children in many different capacities. In addition to her work at BAVC, she is a freelance media-maker. She just completed a children’s video, “Under the Stars and Stripes” that documents children narrating and illustrating their own American histories. In addition, she just finished a video to support teaching literacy skills through the arts in schools for Brava Theater in San Francisco.

Ted Vadakan, YouthLink Instructor
Since 1997, Ted has been providing technical expertise in Bay Area Video Coalition’s postproduction facility and has been teaching video and multimedia skills to teens in the YouthLink program. Ted works with each YouthLink student, helping them to produce videos that express the experiences, challenges, and concerns of Bay Area youth. Beyond BAVC, Ted has worked as a freelance multimedia designer with a variety of companies in the U.S. and abroad. As a state-certified Multimedia Instructor, Ted has taught video production and postproduction to youth with other organizations including Youth Radio and the Expressions Center for New Media. Ted holds a B.A. in Film Production from the University of California, Santa Cruz.