Program Recipient
The Ego
Alex Cirillo is a producer and the Co-Founder of Big Vision Empty Wallet, a film & media incubator, and Big Vision Creative, a production company specializing in developing feature films and series. Big Vision’s Kickstart Diversity Program has been featured in The Washington Post, OUT Magazine, Slate, IndieWire, and Bust Magazine. Cirillo got her start at Washington Square Arts & Films, where she produced TV pilots, commercials and digital content. While at WSF she also worked on feature films including JC Chandor’s MARGIN CALL and ALL IS LOST.
Cirillo Co-Produced Tahir Jetter’s feature film HOW TO TELL YOU'RE A DOUCHEBAG, which premiered at Sundance 2016 and was selected by IndieWire as a Breakout Hit of the Festival. The film sold to BET, AMC and Sundance Selects internationally. She also produced narrative feature LIGHT OF THE MOON starring Stephanie Beatriz and Michael Stahl-David, which premiered at SXSW '17 and won the Audience Award.
Cirillo is currently in post-production on feature documentary POWER OF PEARL, supported by AM Docs Film Fund and environmental activists Ashlan and Philippe Cousteau, and Greek co-production EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL starring Tonia Sotiropoulou, Hannah Herzsprung and Alexis Georgoulis. She’s an adjunct professor at NYU teaching audience building, marketing, and distribution for filmmakers and writers, and has had the opportunity to speak on these topics at a White House Round Table and film festivals nationwide, including Sundance, SXSW, Newfest, SeriesFest, Savannah Film Festival, and ATVFest.
Dani Faith Leonard is a comedian and producer, and co-founder of Big Vision Empty Wallet and Big Vision Creative. Big Vision Empty Wallet is a film and media incubator that creates awesome programs, encouraging independent creators to get their work made and seen. This past October, they launched Kickstart Diversity, an incentive program designed to support film and TV projects created by women, POC, and the LGBT community. Through BVEW and separately, Dani has produced over 300 interactive events and live theatre productions, in addition to short films and digital content. She has led conversations about audience building, distribution, and creative collaboration at the Sundance Film Festival, Savannah Film Festival, aTVfest, SeriesFest, and the Downtown Las Vegas Project.
In 2014 - 2015, she co-produced and hosted Big Vision Creatives, a live-streamed show powered by ABC News. Current projects include feature film EVERYTHING IS WONDERFUL, and feature documentary POWER OF PEARL, both currently in post-production. She performs stand-up and sketch comedy regularly in NYC and is working on a slate of comedy projects, including a live show, titled Unmotivational Speaking. In 2016, her comedy work was featured in Esquire, Nylon, Refinery 29, Entertainment Weekly, and more.
Racheal Cain Stephens is a writer/director who began her filmmaking journey as a young actress. In 2005, at a callback for a commercial in Miami, Florida, she realized her heart was behind the camera and began to steer her focus toward writing and directing. Racheal attended Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts where she honed her craft, writing and directing several short films including a psychological horror, Roaddog, and a dark comedy, The Clancy Family Funeral Home. She graduated in 2011 with a BFA in Film Production.
In 2015, Racheal was hired as Director of Videography for the social media marketing company, Go Be Social Media, where she has since directed creative video content and new media commercials for high-end clients including PackIt Coolers and Strut-This Athletic Wear. In 2016, she began working in Client Services at Quixote Studios where she works with celebrity clientele on a daily basis. Her feature screenplay ALASKA has been recognized in several national competitions, including the Los Angeles Screenplay Contest where it won First Place.
Aside from working in film, Racheal enjoys running half-marathons, traveling, and writing and producing original music.
Originally from Nebraska, Lance got his start making movies at a young age. Shooting and directing home movies with his friends and editing them from VCR to VCR, Lance has always been about pushing the boundaries and challenging the existing standards.
Lance studied film at Full Sail University in Orlando, FL where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree. Upon completion, Lance moved west to Los Angeles to apprentice and work as a camera assistant. He credits sitting on the dolly with the DPs discussing their lighting plans and watching the team work all around him for his keen sense of lighting and feeling.
Since, Lance has turned full time cinematographer and travels the world doing what he loves. He has shot on 5 continents, every climate imaginable, from shorts and features to network TV shows, documentaries and commercials.
Morgan Ryan is a LA based Art Director, Stylist, blogger, and model, with experience Creative Directing and styling fashion editorials and videos for clients such as Paul Mitchell, Orly, The Bu Kombucha, Reebok and Clinique.
When she's not writing, snapping polaroids, or getting inspired while roaming LA by foot, Morgan is happiest collaborating with other artists.
This September, 524 backers contributed $63,388
on Kickstarter to help bring ALASKA to life!
Check out all of our film's generous backers below!
ALASKA'S KICKSTARTER BACKERS
Stacey Kate Accad
Robert Adam II
Andrew Adams
Diana Adams
Joshua Adams
Carol Adipietro
Mithra Alavi
Corben Alley
Daniel Almeida
Amanda Alvarez
Amanda Amat
Christopher Amick
Mischa Andreski
Salina Angelique
Tommy Avallone
Manny Baajour
Stephen Ballentine
Natalie Barajas
Anita Bardeen
Emilia Barrosse
Brian Barrow
Tatiana Bears
Anna Megan Becker
Andrew Scott Bell
Torie & Ben
Brad Bennett
Zach Bennett
Madeline Berger
Adam Bertocci
Jaclyn Bethany
Lauren Blackwell
Keith Blank
Laura Blank
Teresa Blank
Andreas Blx
Agatha Bolanos
Brittany Bolton
Alana Bombino
Andreea Borcea
Jennifer Borcea
René G. Boscio
Chris & Tiffany Bowling
Sydney Clara Brafman
Heather Brooke Brawley
Thomas Breeden
Lauren Brinkman
Thomas Brophy
Logan McKennah Brown
Denise Minium Bryant
Leigh Buck
Kelly Bumford
Paul Burgess
Kristen Burke
Nika Burnett
Amy Burns
Hugh Burruss
Robert Buyea
Kevin & Kim Caleca
Kevin Caleca Jr.
Kyle Caleca
Jennifer Callaghan
Kaitlin Callaghan
Kathryn Callaghan
Monica & John Callaghan
Tom & Brigitte Callaghan
Alex Caperton
Adriana Camino
Christina Campagnola
Donna Campagnola
Gwenda Cannon
Angela Carbone
Adam Carboni
William Carruth
Richard Castro
McKenzie Cato
Marion Cécinas
Jamie Cernich
Dan Chen
Wes Chew
Nic Christian
Jesse Cirillo
Angela Clouse
Rachel Cocca
Taylor Cohan
Jackie Coleman
Maeghann Coleman
Crystal Collins
Adriel Conde
Elise Costa
Victoria Cragg
Amanda Cryer
Timmoy Daen
Cowboy Dan
Sedrie Danielle
Ali Darr
Julie Darr
Spencer Darr
Brandon Davis
Edvina DeDecker
Stephanie DeDecker
Andrea DeLeon
Seri DeYoung
Tobias Deml
Daniel Dombrowsky
Walter Dorfman
Nardo Dorsin
Carissa Dorson
Bill Drummer
Colin Duffy
Jaromir Dukaczewski
Jon Dummit
June E.
Kristen Eck
Steve Eifert
George Ellett
Dylan Elliott
Hannah Elizabeth
Charles Eltonga
Avital Epstein
Andrew Fairbank
Brittany Falardeau
Michael Felker
Nancyann Fiedler
Alex Fierro-Clarke
Maggie Fish
Adam Fiske
Quinn Fluet
Mike Ford
Keller Fornes
Nick Forte
Chris Danger Rose & Kismet Rogue Fox
Sharon Canedy Fritz
Jeffrey Frost
Molly Fuller
Tim Gaither
Christina Garcia
Hali Gardella
Dhugal Gardner
Lauren Gartner
Robert Gates
Marcus Alexander Gazioch
Eric Geiger
Graham Geisler
Jacqueline Gerdne
Justin Giddings
Nancy Gilbert
Laura & John Gilbert
Dennis & Sandy Gilbert
Keith Gillis
Inga Girshfeld
Vanessa Rask-Gitzen
Kari Glasser
Taylor Goins
Josh Goldman
Travis Golino
Adrián Aurrecoechea González
Katrina Gray
Lindsey Green
Dani Groton
Nicole Groton
Taras Demian Groves
Joe Gunawan
Paul Guo
Julie Hargreaves Hall
Elyza Halpern
Dorothy Hamilton
Michael Hancock
Vicki Handy
Joshua Harris
Freddy Heath
Jen Hegyes
Steve Hegyes
Ann Hebert
Brad Herman
Anna Herrera
Charles C. Hickinbotham
Kathi Highfield
Shelby Hiller
Cassandra Holden
Adam Holloway
Nash Hoover
Evan Houston
Travis Houze
Michael Hughes
Joe Humpal
Sherry Hunter
Arantxa Hurtado
Raymond Hutchinson
Brooke Ishibashi
Lexx James
Sam Jeffreys
Adam Johns
Nick Jones
Eric Jungmann
Cassie Keet
Jessica Kelley
Ginger Kester
Dae Kim
Tom Kinner
Adrien Kirschfink
Carolyn Kirton
Jolene P Knox
Kai Kousa
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Julie Krallman
Geenah Krisht
Monica Kuhns
Doug Kusuke
Jesse Laier
Alexander Lakin
Simone Lapidus
John Lamar
Kent Lamm
Morgan Lariah
Nathan Larimer
Dylan Lawrence
Nikki Lee
Pete Lee
Jacqueline Legan
Mallory Leigh
Eric Leslie
Colin Levy
Tiffany Lin
Michael Lindo
Rachel Lindover
Han Long
Caleb C. Lorentz
John Luff
Shamrin Lullo
William L. Luther
Kevin Lyons
Carrie M
Erica Malloy
Micayla Mancuso
Haley Manrique
Melina Maraki
Joette Marie
Grace Marrero
Lea Marshall
Korey Martin
Rebeca Marques
Michael Matus
Jennifer Masty
Bradley Maurer
Christopher S McHenry
Noreen McQuinn
Kirby Mekler
Ren Michelle
Antje Mies
Steven Millan
Brenda Mills
Jeff Mizushima
Robert Bryce Milburn
Ashley Millemoth
Madeline Morales
Teresa Morales
Art Morris
Kennedy Morris
Melody Morris
Sarah Morris
Willam Morris
Andi Morrow
Ken Moulin
Alanna Murphy
Mark Mulcahy
Tav Murphy
Cindy Calhoun Nadler
Neha Nandakumar
Nasim
Fran Nelson
Leah Nelson
Robert Nichols
Patrick Nissim
Benediah Noodlestein
Akin Omotoso
Katherine Oostman
Paul Osborne
Nicolás Osuna
Shannon Owens
Aaron Pagniano
Joseph Papa
Natasha Parish
Lexa Payne
Blake Parker
Michael Parks
Barbara Pederzini
Andrew Penczner
Mark Perrett
Adam Perry
Lilian Philipsen
Hudson Phillips
James Pickens
Elk's Pride Pictures
Stephen Pimblett
Jorge Sanchez Pimienta
The Pirate Pimp
John Polatsek
Christopher Pollock
Grant Porter
Perry Powell
Karen Pridavka
Alexa Printz
Two Pumps Productions
Jonathan Quick
Rachel Ra
Max Jacob Radbill
Kelly Rakowski
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Jeffrey Ramirez
Onofre Ramiscal
Thomas Reading
Emily Reas
Meriem Rebai
Logan Rees
Shanda Renee
Polina Resenchuk
Beth Riley
Giuseppe Rinaldi
Timothy Robbins
Xander Robin
Pauline Roger
Daniel Rose
Phillip Ross
Justin Rossbacher
Catherine Rost
Christina Ruck
Nicole Ruwe
Brian Ruwe
Paul Ryan
Chris Rydo
Ben Saffer
Jonathan San
Prash Saka
Becky Lunsford Sakoff
Will Sampson
Cristiana Marié Santos
Ralph Sarlay
Benjamin Schellhase
Nancy Schneider
Finneas Scott
Kaitlin Scott
Ron Scott
Brett Seals
Brandon Seevers
Stefan Seidl
Brittany Selzer
Aletha Shepherd
Robert Shill
Shervin Shirazian
Marc Shull
James Siewert
Joe Simmons
Andy Skinner
Emily Skye
Eric Sloan
Thomas E Smith
Kaleigh Spencer
Barbara Soares
Morgan Spiering
Caitlin Stedman
Lars Steenberg
Shannon Stevens
LuAnn Strobel
Alan C. Strutz
Valerie Sue
Christopher Swanson
Ryan Swanson
Sherry Swanson
Ricky Swasey
Susie Talbot
Isabella Tan
Melinda Telford
Karim Theilgaard
Christian Thompson
Ginger A. Thompson
Jessica Thompson
Tim Trott
Rico Turrubiarte
Lisa Tucker
Scott Uhls
Amalia Valsecchi
Tifanie Vansach
Aaron Isaac Vasquez
Sean Verdecia
Benjamin Verhulst
Pauline Victoria
Marcos Vidal
Jon Michael Villagomez
Katerina Vollten
Shalin Walker
Grace Wang
Claire Wasmund
Brent Watkins
Ian Weir
Linda Wellman
Valerie Wicks
Eduardo Wienskoski
John Wikstrom
Janelle Wilcox
Adam Willis
Alexis Wilpon
Bonnie Wilpon
Codey Wilson
Corsica Wilson
Neil Wilson
Tina Wissner
Demi-Lea Worrad
Jennifer Elizabeth York
Josh Youngerman
Ally Young-Price
Katie Zeim
Stephen Zelonis
Kirsten Zastrow
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