JE SUIS ARIEL SHEPHER-OPPENHEIM

Occupation: Writer, Director, Actor

Instagram: Shoppenheim

Where were you born? 
I’m from Los Angeles, and I definitely grew up as a product of the television and film culture here. I studied playwriting at Yale, and then came back to LA to do more theater and film.

In one sentence what is unique about your work?
I think (well, hope) that my work always has a particular kind of playfulness to it. Though there are certainly more dramatic parts, I always try to have fun while I'm working, and I think that really comes out in the pieces. 

Why do you do what you do?
It definitely comes out of a love of storytelling in general. I’ve always considered myself a reader and a viewer foremost (I love consuming TV, film, novels, you name it) and I think my desire to create comes out of a wish to participate, to be in conversation with the pieces I find inspiring or thought-provoking.

What inspires you?
Plenty of great movies and TV shows, but I’m also really influenced by art and music. Luckily LA has had somewhat of an artistic renaissance recently, and we’ve been getting the most amazing exhibits here. James Turrell’s retrospective at LACMA, Cindy Sherman’s recent exhibit at the Broad Museum, just being around a lot of those pieces made me want to rush home and create something.

Describe your personal style.
Tomboy-ish, with a silly edge. I’m almost always wearing very ridiculous socks. I have a rainbow-colored pair with giant pot leaves on them, which I really enjoy wearing. It’s very difficult to take yourself too seriously when you’re wearing rainbow-colored pot socks.

Your ultimate must-have. A book. Or an ebook on my phone. To be caught without that and stuck somewhere, entirely contentless, is a highly unsatisfying experience.

What superpower would you have and why?
I would want the ability to stop time. There are always about 40,000 things I would like to be seeing, reading, and creating at any given time. It would be awesome to have enough time to actually do all those things (for example, I’d love to finish, or more specifically, begin and then finish, any of those big Russian novels sitting on my bookshelf). And to take a freakishly long vacation without anybody noticing.

What is next for you?
Right now I’m writing on a new Netflix show called Llama Llama (which will be out next year). Once that finishes up, the plan is to go full-speed ahead to make the feature version of Fuck You From LA (you can check out the short at fuckyoufromla.com).

Je Suis Jaime Zevallos

Occupation: ACTOR

Instagram: @jaimezevallos

Where were you born?

Lima, Peru

In one sentence what is unique about your work?

I really look at the human element of everything and where my global point of view is in my work. I think my work can appeal to everyone.

Why do you do what you do?

Not sure yet. When I find out the logical why I'll be surprised. It's just something that I can do and feels right.

What inspires you?

People. Good hearted people.

Describe your personal style. As an actor I usually do drama but I love comedy and odd comedy at that. I have not been limited by my look and that's rare in Hollywood.

Your ultimate must-have.

A Paul Newman Vintage Rolex.

What superpower would you have and why?

I would be a cute dog for a day. They have the life.

What is next for you?

I just wrapped a movie called: The Summoning. It's a thriller I did alongside Eric Roberts based on real life events. It comes out this January; I'm very excited about this one.

Je Suis Nancy Spielberg

Occupation: Producer

Instagram: n/a

Where were you born?

Born in NJ, USA, but moved out west to Arizona when I was a baby.

In one sentence what is unique about your work?

I help capture stories of the unsung heroes among us, or those that were never acknowledged for their heroic efforts. Also, I produce films that hopefully will inspire, education, preserve our heritage and history.

Why do you do what you do?

I love story telling. I love the fact that there are so many incredible stories all around us. We just need to listen, open our eyes, and recognize that.

What inspires you?

My father who will be 100 in 2 weeks and always encouraged us to dream and be kind and explore, and my mom who is 97 and who encouraged us to be ourselves and chase our dreams.

Describe your personal style.

I’m a bit funky. Not the typical Jewish mommy! Cowboy boots and jeans are my uniform. i think I’m 18... Then I look in the mirror. Love to hang with my two daughters- Jessy Katz who is a singer and actress living in Tel Aviv, and Melissa Katz who is an equestrian and mixologist living in L.A.

Your ultimate must-have.

My doggy and coffee... and champagne... and nachos... I love nachos.

What superpower would you have and why?

Of course i would fly- I’ve always wanted to fly. Every child wants to fly- Peter Pan syndrome and- I want the superpower to eat whatever I want and never get fat.

What is next for you?

Lots of things: who will write our history is a documentary I’m exec-producing about the secret buried archives of the Warsaw ghetto. Also a feature film and putting together a film fund to help produce a slate of carefully chosen documentaries that help preserve Jewish heritage and culture.

www.aboveandbeyondthemovie.com/

www.whowillwriteourhistory.com

www.onthemapfilm.com

Je Suis Amaury Vergara

Occupation: Filmmaker

Instagram: @1.1.2.3.5.7.13.21.34.55

Where were you born?

I was born in Guadalajara, México.

In one sentence what is unique about your work?

Black and white without mixing each other.

Why do you do what you do?

What I do is as essential to me as the air I breathe. I love telling stories and I do not conceive my life without them. The stories I tell through my films are completely merged with my personal grow, for best or worst.

What inspires you?

Personal experiences above all. Music. Architecture. Atmospheres at particular places. Deciphering nature blows my mind.

Describe your personal style.

Underdog.

Your ultimate must-have.

The ability to move, talk and think freely. And a Swiss-blade in my pocket.

What superpower would you have and why?

To be honest, I think we all have superpowers as humans. I rather venture deep to try to find them than longing for a lightning strike.

What is next for you?

I'm currently working to position a new OTT platform in México. Parallel to that, I've been prepping my first feature film for a while now. Can't wait to start shooting.

Je Suis Leslie Zemeckis

Occupation: Entertainer (a LA actress, writer, director, producer. I tell stories)

Instagram: @lesliezemeckis

Where were you born?

Southern California

In one sentence what is unique about your work?

I shed light on mostly marginalized, often stigmatized, women entertainers, focusing on the early 20th century in America.

Why do you do what you do?

Because I am passionate about sharing stories about incredible, interesting people the world has forgotten or never really knew. History is everything. A lot of these performers were never given their due when they were alive and its time we re-evaluate the terms we apply to them and their professions and the automatic assumption people make when they hear "burlesque" "Stripper" "freaks" "circus" "animal trainers".

What inspires you?

Bold, colorful people who dance to the rhythm of their own song.

Describe your personal style.

I don't define myself.

Your ultimate must-have.

Passion, adventure, friends, family.

What superpower would you have and why?

To live forever.

What is next for you?

My film on the world's first female tiger trainer Mabel Stark. She started in the early 1900s and worked until 1960s. There wasn't an inch of her body that was not scarred by her beloved tigers. “Mabel, Mabel, Tiger Trainer” will premier in February. www.MabelStarkMovie.com - I fell in love with Mabel and heavily researched her. This is a true story of love, betrayal, bravery. And I'm in the process of writing two books, one burlesque related, and if that's not enough shooting a sizzle reel for my possible next documentary.

Je Suis Marcelo Martinessi

Occupation: Filmmaker

Instagram: n/a

Where were you born? In Asunción, Paraguay. Grew up in a cul-de-sac with a whole bunch of kids. The nickname of one of them, my favorite character, was Satan.

In one sentence what is unique about your work? I always have a starting point, but never know where the film will take me.

Why do you do what you do? To connect with other people, to learn to appreciate the world, aware that I will never be able to fully understand it.

What inspires you? The future

Describe your personal style. Discreet

Your ultimate must-have. Coffee and Wine.

What superpower would you have and why? I would like to understand all languages that exist, as I feel that they are an open door to new cultures that I'm so interested to discover.

What is next for you? The Heiresses, a feature film about the way we inherit money and values as well as the most awful constrains.

Je Suis Richard Crudo, ASC

Occupation: Cinematographer\Director; President of the American Society of Cinematographers.
Instagram: crudoasc
Website: www.richardcrudoasc.com

Personal background:
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.I now reside in Los Angeles.

In one sentence what is unique about your work? 
It's simple - good, bad or indifferent, no one else can do what I do in exactly the way that I do it.

Why do you do what you do?
Because there's no second choice.I have always reaped an enormous satisfaction from the act of visualizing a story and then sharing it with other people.

What inspires you? 
Inspiration is found most anywhere, but light, the right music and certain aromas can serve as wonderful catalysts.Sometimes combined with a hit or two of a good single-malt, of course!

Describe your personal style. 
Honest.Fit.Modern.To the point.An intellectual thug...

Your ultimate must-have. 
Peace of mind.The requirements for that vary according to circumstances.

What superpower would you have and why? 
The ability to travel back and forth through time while maintaining a contemporary sensibility.Even the mundane moments of the past and future would be fascinating when filtered by an awareness of the present moment.

What is next for you? 
A number of projects are in development.Hopefully other interesting, challenging and\or prestigious feature or television productions will present themselves.I think I hear the phone ringing now!