Josh Levine

Co-Founder of Bards of Nevermore, Josh Levine brings a unique and rich background in business development, sales and marketing to the tales of our clients. His experience spans 26 years constructing businesses, organizations, and products of all shapes and sizes across technology, entertainment and manufacturing industries. If you’ve ever interacted with Microsoft Windows XP or enjoyed a day at Disneyland, you’ve already experienced his handy-work. No stranger to the Silicon Valley, his knowledge and passion have contributed to the development of multiple tech start-ups and he has served at the executive-level for start-ups, midsize and global 500 companies alike. Josh holds an MBA from the University of California, Irvine, a BA in Clinical Psychology, and he served in the West Wing of the White House as a President Clinton intern. With experience as both a client and a buyer of film and media, he understands the art and importance of authentic storytelling. Josh’s career is a hardback novel, built on the spine of innovation, leadership and filled with pages of varied large-scale and high-profile projects, with new chapters being written as we speak.

BEN JEHOSHUA

With a 20-year-career in film and media, Bards of Nevermore Co-Founder Ben Jehoshua’s obsession with storytelling began in his home of Israel in the 1980’s. Starting at twelve years old, he produced music videos and experimental short films and spent his teen years teaching kids how to film and edit their own videos. In 1993 Ben moved to Los Angeles to attend Columbia College Hollywood. Post college, he launched a career as an in-demand freelance editor working with agency clients on commercial and B2B campaigns, as well as on television projects including the reboot of Unsolved Mysteries for Lifetime; A Baby Story for TLC; and Amazing Vacation Homes for The Travel Channel. At the turn of the millennium you may have experienced some of his montage-magic during broadcasts of the Academy Awards and Emmy Awards. Ben also spent a decade as President of Image Line Productions, where he and his partners built a successful boutique commercial and corporate video production company that won dozens of awards and worked with many high-profile clients. In 2008, Ben transitioned into content development for television and film, eventually landing a job with television hitmaker Brian Graden as Vice President of Development for Brian Graden Media, later promoted to Senior Vice President of Development in 2017. Ben continues to sharpen his creative storytelling, actively developing feature films with teams of script writers, one of which lead to his directorial debut with the 2015 film The Chosen, starring Kian Lawley and produced by Terror Films and Supergravity Pictures.

DANA RICHIE

Dana Richie is an award-winning filmmaker and producer. She honed her craft at the era’s most iconic news and entertainment networks including CNN, ABC News 20/20, and Viacom/ VH1. That diverse background molded her into what she is today: a storytelling expert with a savvy for captivating, easy-to-consume media.
Dana’s company Backlot Productions is the product of that expertise as well as her intuitive understanding of content and where it is heading. A pioneer in both branded and original short-form content, nearly two decades later, Backlot continues to redefine how brands connect with their audiences. Landmark brands like SONY, Smartwater, Hennessy, L’Oréal, General Motors, Jeep, Refinery29, Yahoo!, Humana, Hulu and Hard Rock Café have sought out Backlot not just to shape their stories—but to do so in ever-more innovative, relevant and resonant ways. Her fully-integrated content agency spans entertainment marketing, branded content, reality show sizzles and scripted sitcoms. Taking a 360-approach to content creation, every project is both authentic and results driven— tailored to the client’s unique voice, demographics, and goals.

DANIEL KARSLAKE

Though he’s been tap dancing since the age of 10, Dan’s real passion is telling stories that change hearts and evolve minds. In the 90’s, he started as a baby producer at PBS directing and producing segments for the nationally syndicated series IN THE LIFE, garnering a number of Emmy nods in the process.

In 2003, he left PBS to make his first feature documentary called FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO which premiered in competition at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. That film was short-listed for an Academy Award, listed by Entertainment Weekly magazine as one of five films that has “changed the world,” and has now been translated into 23 languages worldwide.

Dan continues to make award-winning feature docs from his home base in Berlin while still directing and producing many various kinds of content for clients as diverse as BMW, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams.

In his spare time, he still taps.

SAM SABAWI

Sam Sabawi is an award-winning director and alumnus of the number-one ranked USC School of Cinematic Arts. During his time at USC, he was awarded with six awards, including Best Director and Best Picture, by the Marshall School of Business and the School of Cinematic Arts’ joint “Southern California Business Film” Program. In the following years, he was recruited by Brian Graden Media (run by former president of MTV Networks and Executive Producer of South Park) to direct under Graden’s newly launched production company. Sam not only creates for television and film, but also digital content and commercial. Some of his clients and collaborators include networks such as USA, A&E, Vh1, WeTV, CMT, and Esquire; Funny or Die and The Liberal Rednecks; Lionsgate; and EDM artist such as Deadmau5, Alesso, Dada Life, Hardwell, Dirty South, Zedd, and Skrillex. To further enhance this resume, Sam served as the U.S. Producer of Season 2 of the scripted Australian series, “No Activity”, starring Rose Byrne, the success of which later resulted in an adaption into the American series on CBS All-Access starring Will Ferrell. Sabawi continues to direct and produce scripted television, and in 2018 he directed his own feature film.

COLLEEN HARD

Colleen Hard is a seasoned Producer with expertise in documentaries, feature films, television, international campaigns and new media. Over the last 20 years her projects have taken her throughout North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia, and been seen in theaters, aired on Showtime, A&E, PBS, SpikeTV, MTV, and online digital platforms, as well as opened the Tribeca, Slamdance and LiveEarth festivals. She has extensive experience in producing content for sustainable climate solutions and impacting positive global change. In addition to film and television work, she has facilitated media capacity building workshops in West Africa in conjunction with UNDP, and conducted media assessments in Liberia and Guinea. Her work in non-profit based communications benefited communities both domestically and abroad in the fields of sustainability, journalism and more. Colleen received her MA in International Environmental Policy with a Specialization in Communications, and BA in International Studies with a minor in German from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

JESSE FOX

Jesse Fox is a writer, editor and director from Toronto, Canada. He has edited numerous short films and branded content pieces and worked as an assistant editor on documentaries Dare to Be Different (which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and on Showtime) and Kailash (winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival).

Jesse graduated from the M.F.A. program at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, where he co-wrote and edited a short film for an advanced graduate production class. He also edited a number of thesis projects, including gold mining documentary Lonely as God for which he received Best Editor honors from the Jefferson State FLIXX Festival, and short thriller Jeff, winner of the Grand Prix at Film Noir Festival in France. Jesse recently directed a short film about military veterans living in a remote county in Northern California, which was funded by Cal Humanities. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

KRUTIN PATEL

There aren’t enough hyphens in the world to properly label this award-winning raconteur. Krutin’s abilities as a writer, producer, and director have landed him work with networks including TNT, TBS, A+E, Food Network, The History Channel, Lifetime Movie Network, PixL and Esquire, as well as organizations such as UNICEF, The Miami Project, San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, and California’s Choose Children Campaign. He is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Film/Television along with a dual major in Finance from NYU’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business. When he’s not helping tell stories for others, he’s making award-winning films. His first feature, ABDC, for which he wrote, directed, and produced, went on to receive theatrical distribution, a DVD release, and broadcasts on cable in the US and Asia. Additional award recognition for his work includes the prestigious ABC/DGA Directing Fellowship which he received amongst 800 applicants.

Garrett’s history as a storyteller has taken many forms starting in fifth grade as a cellist weaving notes together teasing emotion from the string and bow to breathe life into music and then as a high school newspaper and yearbook writer and photographer and later editor for several daily newspapers. The rise of digital media drew him to create the first state college interactive CD-ROM yearbook before leading creative direction for a major direct marketer and overseeing production from copywriting, layout and photography in a 20,000 sq. ft. digital studio. Garrett led the project to install interactive, user-controlled webcams for Universal Studios Orlando’s multi-billion-dollar expansion before moving to the West Coast to manage creative strategy for some of Yahoo’s largest clients. Over the past 12 years, he has taken these skills to help tell the stories of major brands across multi-channel platforms as a digital media sales and marketing executive. As part of the Bard’s team Garrett blends his innate talent of storyteller with the ROI-driven responsibility of a marketer.

MACKIE QUIRK

Hailing from Canberra, Australia, Mackie’s training and education in both communication and performance theatre brings a unique balance to the Bards of Nevermore team. In addition to many years working alongside fellow storytellers Ben and Josh, some of her favorite achievements include the 2016 Communicator Award for Documentary Video and work on acclaimed projects including LIVE with Kelly. With her worldly awareness and finger on the pulse of all things current, she offers an influential (yet effortless) flair to producing fresh perspectives and ideas. An undeniable asset to the Bards team, Mackie perpetually demonstrates that stories, like all works of art, deserve to be more than just be told, but should shine like beautiful mosaics.

JUDAH JEHOSHUA

Judah’s uniquely specific story has shaped him into the creative genius he is today. Born and raised in Israel, he spent time in the armed forces before heading to the United Kingdom for his law degree. After time in France and Brazil, to our great benefit, he settled in Los Angeles. With 17 years of experience as a graphic artist, editor, producer, and director, Judah enjoys taking on challenges and bringing them to life on a creative platform. He has honed his specialty in the areas of medical animations, tech simulations, and visual effects supervision for film and television. His portfolio boasts the management of concept creation and implementation, shooting, and post-production for multiple projects including creative work with Fortune 500 clients. Some of his largest work includes opening videos for conferences at the University of Southern California, Cedars Sinai Hospital, CES, NAB, and various charity organizations. At the end of the day, he’s a creative and technology-trend specialist who loves playing desktop simulation games in his (rare) free time.

Director of Photography, Yash Bhatt received his MFA in Cinematography from Chapman University, the Dodge College of Film & Media Arts in 2008.

Shortly before graduating, Mr. Bhatt was awarded the Eastman Kodak Award for Excellence in Cinematography. A coveted acknowledgment from Kodak that few students receive before any industry experience. In addition, Mr. Bhatt was one of the scholar recipients of the prestigious “Budapest Cinematography Master Class” taught by Legendary Cinematography, Vilmos Zsigmond in 2007.

Of Indian decent, Mr. Bhatt has lensed a shortlist of feature films with some of the top talent in India, including ‘Mahesh Khaleja’ with Director Trivkram Srinivas, ‘Lurid’ with Director Allie Dvorin, and most recently, horror movie ‘Rock Paper Dead’ with Director Tom Holland.

Mr. Bhatt’s love of film, in all genres, has provided him the opportunity to shoot a wide range of material, including commercials and branded content, when his schedule permits. His skill set has been showcased on projects from Coca Cola, Microsoft, and Honda to Musician Drake and Director Spike Lee for Nike Jordan. Furthermore, Yash has shot numerous campaigns for Social entities such as Instagram and YouTube social influencers for “YouTube Red.”

When Mr. Bhatt is not traveling the globe on long form or commercial projects, his collaborations continue in music videos including his iconic work with the four-time Grammy nominee, ‘Ledisi’ and the notorious band ‘P.O.D’, as well as the Sonos Sound System lifestyle project with Nick Hexum of the band 311.

Mr. Bhatt has shot around the globe traveling throughout India, Malaysia, The United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and Hungry, as well as across The United States.

Mr. Bhatt currently resides in Los Angeles, California, with his wife and two adorable children.
yashbhatt.com

NEAL BROWN

Farmboy turned City Slicker, Neal is an artistic mastermind from the state of Iowa. With a Tele-communicative Arts degree from Iowa State University, his early work in documentary filmmaking was first featured nationally on PBS, propelling him into high-demand. He went on to study at the American Film Institute as a Directing Fellow, solidifying himself as a master of all things show and tell. As a Director of Photography, he has created nine feature films, countless documentaries, as well as commercials and music videos. It is his distinct focus and authentic visions that have taken his work to the international stage, working with industry titans such as HBO, National Geographic, BBC, and CNN.

ADAM LINZEY

Adam Linzey is an award-winning writer, director, and cinematographer. He heads up the production side, focusing on the creative direction and look of the projects we make. He grew up in Oxford, England, but now lives in Los Angeles. Adam graduated from the M.F.A. program at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Adam has written and directed numerous short films, which have played at festivals worldwide. His recent work includes: co-directing the THE MAD WHALE, starring Dominic Rains and James Franco; shooting commercials for Noosa Yoghurt; and shooting a Netflix Original feature documentary sequel to WHAT THE HEALTH. He was recently announced as a BAFTA newcomer for 2019.

WALTER DIAZ

Walter Diaz is an International award-winning Director of Photography based out of Los Angeles. Interested in art and photography as a child, he honed his craft as a photography major and musician. After a brief stint as a recording engineer, he decided to shift gears into Cinematography and eventually graduating from the Art Center College of Design. Walter focuses primarily on storytelling and has been gathering international experience as a Director of Photography in China, Iceland, and Europe working on documentaries, narratives, and commercials.

WES POWERS

Wes Powers is a film and video editor with meticulous experience cutting together stories for short and feature film, commercial, documentary, reality television, live performance, music video, and more. The only thing Wes might love more than editing video is black coffee. (And his wife Lesley, of course). He keeps sarcasm and dry humor at an all-time high along with daily reviews of the most recent movies he’s seen. This passion for consuming and creating film combined with his extensive background in production brings a perfect balance of creativity and technical skill to any project. On the weekends, you can find him working on his latest passion project and trying out all the finest bourbons from Tennessee.

ROB WARNER

Packed with a breadth of multilateral experience, Rob’s passion and love for creative storytelling is beyond evident. A seasoned writer and successful comedian, he holds a dual degree in Architecture and Environmental Sciences from Brown University. After college, Rob moved to the Bay Area to share his talents working for Google and cutting his teeth in marketing and communications. He later moved to Los Angeles to indulge his creativity where he currently writes for television and film. When he’s not at his laptop, he can be found tickling funny bones with his comedy and musical improvisation at Second City, IO West, and Upright Citizens Brigade.

PAULA KESSLER

Paula Kessler’s meaningful work meets at the intersection of education, arts, and culture. This creative force we proudly claim is an Emmy Award-winning producer and MUSE award-winning director, writer, and creative executive, as well as a creative lead and producer for companies including Walt Disney Imagineering, National Geographic Society Television, PBS, the Autry Museum, BRC Imagination Arts, and the Thinkwell Group – to name a few. Paula basically breaths stories, oxygenating the world with a guiding light toward positive change. She holds a Master of Arts in Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism as well as Photography from Ohio State University. Originally from New York, she now lives in Burbank with her cinematographer husband, Neal Brown, and their two daughters.

ANDREW PEARSON

Andrew’s first language is storytelling. From the moment he could form words he’s been crafting narratives, pen in hand. Before words, he’d draw pictures. Before pictures, he expressed through movement. As a teen, Andrew discovered dance, eventually earning himself a BFA in Choreography, channeling his storytelling into the body. Now, Andrew’s creations take form as film, theater, and the written word. His concept writing has been featured in campaigns for The Miami Project and Choose Children 2018 and his movement-theater work has toured the globe. His artistic practice has been supported by various space grants and residencies and his performance talents have been showcased at the Coachella Music Festival, the Centre Du Pompidou in Malaga, Spain, the FIAC Art Fair in Paris, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and 6 years with the Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company.

MAX LANDWIRTH

Max Landwirth is our bleeding-heart triple threat, with a degree in Film Production, Screen Acting, and Psychology from Chapman University. Originally a thespian from Tampa, Florida, he now works as a producer, actor, and philanthropist. Eager to combine the thrill of live performance with his technical expertise and humanitarian interests, Max formed Landwirth Legacy Productions in 2015, an entertainment company for socially conscious media. Since the company’s inception, Max has helped facilitate and produce two feature films, several award-winning short films, and dozens of commercials and PSAs for clients such as Toyota, LeapFrog, and Invisalign, as well as for organization such as The Lavender Effect, Parents and Families for Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), and the United Nations.

KEVIN DEKIMPE

Part cartoon character, part rock-star, Kevin DeKimpe is a wizard at auditory and visual storytelling. A Los Angeles-based composer, performer, and visual artist, Kevin’s aptitude for sound engineering and composition has brought on work with heavy-hitters including Ron Howard and Magic Johnson. Shortly after earning his degree in Performance Arts Technology from the University of Michigan, his original score for the feature film “Bilal’s Stand” earned him bragging rights as the youngest composer at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. He additionally lends his talents to countless commercials, live productions, and a variety of short films. He continues to share his fervor for music and in May of 2017 released his debut album “Villain” — a testament to his brilliance as an indie soul musician.