Crew Bios
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Ralph E. Portillo (Director/Producer) Award-winning filmmaker Ralph Portillo produced and directed Set Apart, the new heartwarming, coming-of-age movie that has audiences cheering for four kids from the city as they face the critical question: Is the hope of redemption enough to lure them away from the streets? Ralph is a member of the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He has directed and produced a number of family movies, television shows, and documentaries. His critically acclaimed The Spirit of Albert Schweitzer was a finalist in the Best Documentary category at the New York Film Festival and won Honorable Mention at the prestigious Cindy Awards. In addition to Set Apart, family films that Ralph has directed include The Last Great Ride, starring AcademyŽ Award winner Ernest Borgnine and Eileen Brennan; Big Brother Trouble, starring Dick van Patten, Mario Lopez, and Melanie Chartoff; and The Ghost Club, starring newcomer Brittany Robertson. His Undercover Kids, written by children's book author Gibbs Davis and well-known novelist Charles Salzberg, is enjoying a successful DVD release worldwide. The Grift is his 1940s' period film shot on location in Tennessee, starring Jeremy London, John Savage and Billy Burke. Other Ralph Portillo-directed films include Closure: The Problem With Money and Becoming Jesse Tate, a heartwarming story of a thirteen-year-old girl who finds her relationship with God, friends, and family. He and his partners also developed and produced the award-winning TV drama series Believers Among Us. Ralph's films have won awards at the New York Film Festival, Worldfest Houston, The Flagstaff International Film Festival, The Charleston International Film Festival, The Santa Clarita International Film Festival and a prestigious Cindy Award. He and his wife live in Los Angeles. |
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Jamie Elliott (Producer) Jamie Elliott began her career in the film industry as a casting director and eventually founded her own Hollywood casting agency. Within three years, Superior Casting was one of the leading casting companies for major producers, studios, and networks. She was responsible for casting more than 400 television commercials, feature films, and commercials. In 1990, Jamie sold her highly lucrative business and co-founded Hemisphere Entertainment. In addition to being actively involved in development and production of Hemisphere projects, she oversees numerous films as a producer. She produced the soon-to-be-released drama Don't Let Go, starring AcademyŽ Award nominee Katharine Ross, that took home awards at the Westchester International Film Festival and the Stony Brook Film Festival. Jamie also produced the family films Big Brother Trouble, starring Dick Van Patten, Mario Lopez, and Melanie Chartoff; The Last Great Ride, starring Academy Award winner Ernest Borgnine and Eileen Brennan; and the recently completed The Ghost Club, a spirited family film starring newcomer Brittany Robertson. Films produced by Jamie have won awards at Worldfest Houston, The Flagstaff International Film Festival, The Charleston International Film Festival, and The Santa Clarita International Film Festival, as well as the prestigious Cindy Award. She produced the family film Undercover Kids, written by children's book author Gibbs Davis and novelist Charles Salzberg. Other films she has produced include: The Grift, Closure: The Problem with Money, Becoming Jesse Tate, and Set Apart. Jamie and her partners have also developed and produced the new, award-winning TV drama series Believers Among Us. The first four episodes air on TBN, Sky Angel, Cornerstone Network, Faith TV, and TCT Network. Jamie is active in Women in Film and she is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. She and her husband live in Los Angeles. |
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Brad Wilson (Producer) In 1985, after sixteen years in radio broadcasting in the Dallas/Ft.Worth area, Brad Wilson moved to New York to operate actor Robert Duvall's production company. This began an 11-year alliance encompassing 18 feature films, including: Colors with Sean Penn, Days of Thunder with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Falling Down with Michael Douglas, and the critically acclaimed Wrestling with Ernest Hemingway with Richard Harris and Shirley MacLaine. Brad also worked on some of Robert Duvall's most memorable television projects. Brad was the Vice President of Development and Production for Duvall's Butchers Run Films that was formed in 1992. He served as co-producer (and won a Humanitas Certificate) for the company's A Family Thing, which released in 1996. He acquired the rights to what became The Man Who Captured Eichmann, a film that aired on TNT and starred Robert Duvall. He served as co-executive producer of Left Luggage, Jeroen Krabbe's directorial debut that starred Isabella Rossellini and AcademyŽ Award winner Maximilian Schell. The film premiered at the 1998 Berlin Film Festival and earned four honors there. Brad produced Don't Let Go, a film based on one of his ideas that starred Academy Award nominee Katharine Ross. His most recent films include The Ghost Club, a family film shot on location in South Carolina; Undercover Kids, a spirited family adventure; and The Grift, a 1940s' period film shot on location in Tennessee. In addition to Set Apart, starring Richard Roundtree and John Schneider, other films produced by Brad that are scheduled for upcoming release include: Closure: The Problem with Money and the inspirational coming-of-age story Becoming Jesse Tate. Brad Wilson and his partners have also developed and produced the award-winning TV drama series Believers Among Us. The first four episodes air on TBN, Sky Angel, Cornerstone Network, Faith TV, and TCT Network. The series won the Telly Award (twice), the Aurora Award, the Davey Award (twice), and the Millennium Award. His films have won awards at the Berlin Film Festival, The America Cinema Foundation, The Chicago Film Critics Association, Emden International Film Festival, Nederlands Film Festival, Westchester New York International Film Festival, Stony Brook Film Festival, and The Santa Clarita International Film Festival. Brad Wilson is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and a charter member of the National Radio Hall of Fame of Texas. He lives in Los Angeles. |
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George Flynn (Screenwriter & Associate Producer) George is an award-winning actor, writer, and director with more than 40 years of experience. He is also the host of the "Words of Freedom" radio show. He has co-produced three independent feature films and written screenplays on assignment for production companies in California and Colorado. George is experienced in all facets of media production and he has worked on numerous film, television, and theater projects in New York, Florida, and Denver for clients including: United Artists, Hanna-Barbera, HBO, Turner Entertainment, AT&T, IBM, Putnam/Berkley, and many others. Since 1980, he's been highly active in the Colorado Media Production Industry and is well known as a vigorous ally of the Colorado Film Commission and the Denver International Film Festival. He's served as both President and Vice President of the Colorado Film/Video Association. For decades, George has been teaching filmmaking and acting classes at the University of Colorado, Arvada Center for the Arts, Colorado Film School, and the Art Institute of Colorado. George lives with his family in Colorado. His wife, son, and daughter all work with him in their family-owned media production company. You can learn more at George's website |
