Filmmaker Biographies

Rebecca Cutter, Director

Rebecca Cutter has written and directed over fifteen films. Born and raised in Cambridge, MA, she learned the value of a good story by eaves-dropping on her mother’s therapy private practice. She attended Wesleyan University in Connecticut, where she earned her Bachelor’s with a double major in English and Women’s Studies. She moved to Los Angeles in 2000 to attend film school, and earned her M.F.A. in Production from the U.S.C. School of Cinema-Television in 2004. She has worked on films in every capacity, including writing, producing, directing, cinema-tography, editing, production design, casting, costuming, and most importantly, craft service. Her list of film credits include Rancho Cucamonga, a 16mm urban fairy tale that screened at the 2004 First Look International Film Festival in Denver, and Eating, a 35mm thesis film about an obese man and his memories of childhood, which premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. Rebecca has worked in development at several production companies, and is currently producing and directing a documentary about the first-ever gay porn soap opera, Wet Palms.

Dave O'Brien, Producer

Growing up outside Madison, WI, Dave O’Brien was an avid theater actor and director from a young age. He grew up loving movies, but it wasn’t until his senior year at the University of Wisconsin that he discovered his love of filmmaking. After receiving his B.A. in Psychology, he moved to New York City to work in television and film production, including MTV’s The Real World and the indie hit Dahmer. He was later accepted into University of Southern California’s prestigious MFA Cinema-Television Production program. At USC, he produced numerous short films, including Rancho Cucamonga and Eating, both of which were directed by Rebecca Cutter. He is also a talented director in his own right, and his documentary Hip Hop Homos has screened at film festivals around the world and is currently in negotiations for acquisition by MTV Networks. He is presently in pre-production for his 35mm thesis film, Straight Boys.

Nelson Cragg, Cinematographer

Nelson Cragg holds an M.F.A. from the USC Graduate School of Cinema-Television where he studied cinematography under esteemed professors Woody Omens, ASC, and Judy Irola, ASC. Before attending film school he received a B.A. in English Literature at James Madison University in Virginia. Nelson has shot numerous award winning films, on 35mm film and Hi-Definition video. Recently Nelson was honored to receive the prestigious American Society of Cinematographers Conrad L. Hall Heritage Award for his black and white camerawork on Running in Tall Grasses (Dir. Howard Duy Vu) His feature film credits include Confession starring Chris Pine and Special starring Mike Rapaport.

Trent Jones, Editor

Trent Jones is currently completing his MFA at USC’s school of Cinema-Television. While at USC he was named a finalist in the Coca Cola Refreshing Filmmakers Contest for his short, Wonderdog. Prior to attending USC, Trent was a professional theatre director based in New York. He has directed new plays, musicals, and Shakespeare in regional theatres nationally and has assistant directed on Broadway. In 1999 he was awarded the Phil Killian Directing Fellowship by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He is an alumnus of Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab. Originally from the Bay Area, Trent received his BA in Theatre Arts and in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz.

Ariel Fox, Sound Designer

Ariel Fox discovered her passion for sound while an undergraduate at the USC School of Cinema-Television. Since receiving her B.A., Ariel has been doing sound design and production sound on short and feature films. Her experience includes, among others, a sci-fi thriller, a hip hop documentary, and a feminist character study. Ariel has a special interest in projects, particularly documentaries, that challenge people's views and have social or political impact.

Michael Cohen, Composer

Michael Cohen is originally from the Real Hollywood (Hollywood, FL) and now lives in Hollywood, CA. He has written the scores for feature films (The Hebrew Hammer), television shows (Behind the Music, Showdogs Moms and Dads), as well as video games (X-Men, Evil Dead) and many commercials. In addition, he has composed the music for over 90 short films. After graduating from Harvard College, he completed the Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program at USC. He can be reached at .

Lee Berg, Production Designer

Lee Berg has been an Art Director and Production Designer for over seven years. He has completed Production design for the features All About You, True Love, and Winning London as well as several other independent projects. He has Production Designed the pilots ABC Saturday Morning Special, Real Conspiracies, The Money Game and scores of others. Lee designed and managed props for the stage play Dorian the Musical and art directed the Madonna Video "Music." He has also Art Directed and Production Designed several dozen commercials and industrial films and several short films including Rebecca Cutter's Eating.