The Producers
Chad Allen "Mark" - Actor and ProducerChad Allen began his professional acting career at the early age of five. After starring in hit television series such as “St.Elsewhere”, “My Two Dads”, “Our House”, and “Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman”, Chad made the move into producing and formed The Creative Outlet theater company.Together with Emmy-award-winning actress Heather Tom, the non-profit company took the LA theater scene by storm with their first production – the Neil Simon classic, Biloxi Blues.
Ignited by tremendous critical and audience response, Chad rode the momentum, presenting numerous productions and struck gold with the first-ever Los Angeles staging of Terence McNally’s Corpus Christi. Chad has continued his involvement in theater serving as a creative board member with New York’s Revelation Theater as well as a seat on the steering committee for the Gay and Lesbian Theater Alliance.
Continuing his work in television and film as well, Chad has done numerous guest roles on shows including the final season of “NYPD Blue”, “Cold Case”,“Criminal Minds”, and films like Paris which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and a best supporting actor award from the New York Independent Film Festival for his work in the film, Getting Out. Chad was recently seen in the worldwide theatrical release The End of the Spear and is starring in HERE TV!’s “Donald Stratchey Mystery Series”, six feature films, the first two of which (“Third Man Out” and “Shock To the System”) have already been produced. His much anticipated feature film, Downtown is being released the coming spring nationwide.
In 2002, Chad founded Mythgarden, along with partners Christopher Racster and Robert Gant. Together these film and TV veterans hope to forever turn the page on gay and lesbian television and filmmaking by creating quality content that pushes the envelope of what’s been done before in the GLBT community and beyond. After their first feature, Save Me, produced with Tetrahedron Productions and Garbus Kroupa Entertainment, Mythgarden will also be joining actor David Duchovny and the HERE network to produce, “The Way Out”,a beautiful love story about two seniors’ who fall in love in a home for the aging, and “Elliot Loves”, a gritty Latino coming of age story set in East Los Angeles.
Chad put his body and ideals on the line this summer riding his bike six hundred miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles in the 5th annual AIDS/lifecycle. He is most proud to be working closely with SOULFORCE to fight the bigotry and harmful rhetoric of religious fundamentalism, having just marched in Colorado Springs to confront FOCUS ON THE FAMILY, and has just accepted a seat on the Honorary Board of the Matthew Shepard foundation.
Robert Gant "Scott" - Actor and ProducerIn addition to these projects, he recurred as the eccentric principal, Calvin Krupps, on the WB’s “Popular” and as Caroline’s boyfriend, Trevor, on NBC’s “Caroline in the City.” Gant has had many notable guest spots on such TV hits as “Friends,” where he played one of two gorgeous men Phoebe was datings imultaneously, “Veronica’s Closet,” “Becker,” “Melrose Place,” “Ellen,”“Pepper Dennis,” “The Closer,” “CSI,” and “Nip/Tuck,” to name a few. He also appeared in the independent films “Live,” “The Contract,” “Fits andStarts” and "Marie and Bruce."
Robert’s love of acting and performing began at an early age. He started doing television commercials and joined the Screen Actors Guild at the age of ten in his home state of Florida. He went on to attend undergrad at the University of Pennsylvania and law school at Georgetown University. While studying, he never gave up on his true passions and took part in numerous theatrical productions. Interestingly, it was his career as an attorney that brought him to Los Angeles when he accepted a position with the world’s largest law firm. In a twist of fate, the firm’s Los Angeles office was closed soon after. Taking that as an omen, he made the decision to focus all of his time on the entertainment business.
To that end, his time in Hollywood is not limited to performing. Robert has been a producing partner in the film and television production company, Mythgarden. Their feature film, “Save Me,” which stars Robert along with Judith Light and Chad Allen recently premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and is slated for release in Summer 2008. The company’s slate of projects, each with varying degrees of gay-focused content, included joining David Duchovny and the HERE! Network to produce “The Way Out,” a love story about two gay seniors who fall in love in a home for the aging. That film is still in active development.
While he gives time to a number of philanthropic and political causes, such as HRC (by which he was given their National Equality Award), GLAAD (by which he was given their Davidson/Valentini Award for the promotion of equal rights inthe community), and Lambda Legal, Robert’s “torch issue” is that of aging inthe gay community. He supports such organizations as SAGE (Senior Advocacy for GLBT Elders), which named him their first Honorary Elder and for which he is their 2008 Honorary Spokesperson, and GLEH (Gay and Lesbian ElderHousing), on which he serves as a Board Member.
Judith Light - Actress and ProducerJudith Light has captivated audiences worldwide since her portrayal of Angela Bower on the hit comedy series “Who's the Boss?”. Her award-winning career has spanned across a diversity of roles in television, theater and film.
Judith’s television career began with her two-time Best Actress Emmy award- winning turn as Karen Wolek on “One Life to Live”. She can currently be seen on the highly-acclaimed ABC hit “Ugly Betty” in her 2007 Emmy nominated portrayal of Claire Meade, and on NBC’s long-running drama “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” in the recurring role of Supreme Court Judge Elizabeth Donnelly. Judith has also starred in “Phenom” (created by James Brooks), “The Stones”(created by Max Mutchnick, David Kohan and Jenji Kohan) and in over 15 television movies, including her role as Ryan’s mother, Jeanne, in “The Ryan White Story”.
A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a BFA, Judith has worked in repertory theatres throughout the United States and Canada as well as a USO Tour of "Guys and Dolls" with William Atherton and Paula Wagner throughout Europe. Judith’s Broadway debut was in “A Doll’s House” with Liv Ullmann and was followed by a season at the Eugene O’Neil Playwright’s conference. She returned to the New York theatre to do the Pulitzer Prize winning play, “Wit” for the MCC Theatre where her performance won her the Helen Hayes and Eliot Norton awards for best actress on the National Tour. Additionally Judith starred in “Hedda Gabler” directed by Michael Kahn,in Washington DC, for which she received a Helen Hayes Award nomination,“Sorrows and Rejoicings”, by Athol Fugard, in New York at the Second Stage, and in LA at The Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles Reprise! Broadways Best, Stephen Sondheim’s “Company”, and joined the Ojai Playwrights Conference for their 2004 season. She also appeared in MCC’s production of “Colder Than Here” with Brian Murray, Lily Rabeand Sarah Paulson, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York for their 2005 season.
Judith recently starred in three independent films, “The Shoemaker” with Danny Aiello, “Ira & Abby” by Jennifer Westfeldt, with Robert Klein, Fred Willard, and Frances Conroy - which was voted Best Comedy at the 2007 HBO comedy festival; and most recently, "Save Me" with Chad Allen and Robert Gant, a film which she also produced with her long-time manager/producer, Herb Hamsher through their production company, Tetrahedron Productions, in conjunction with GKE and Mythgarden Productions. “Save Me” had its US premier at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, followed by screenings at both NYC’s NewFest and LA’s Outfest, as well as a screening and panel discussion aboard RSVP vacations Queen Mary 2 transatlantic crossing. The film will be released theatrically in Summer 2008.
Judith is a Board Member and advocate for many organizations and charities representing AIDS-related and Human Rights issues including; Broadway Cares: Equity Fights AIDS, Faith in America, Project Angel Food, The Matthew Shepard Foundation, The National Aids Memorial Grove, The Point Foundation, The Rome Chamber Music Festival, and The Trevor Project.
Judith lives in Los Angeles with her husband,writer/actor, Robert Desiderio
Robert Cary - DirectorRobert is also the director and co-writer of ANYTHING BUT LOVE, starring Andrew McCarthy, Isabel Rose and Eartha Kitt, released by Samuel Goldwyn in 2003. ANYTHING BUT LOVE appeared in over a dozen film festivals internationally, and received numerous audience and jury awards.
Robert’s third feature, SAVE ME, starring Judith Light, Chad Allen and Robert Gant, premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, was the closing night selection at NewFest in New York City, and was the opening film at Outfest 2007.
In addition to his film work, Robert is the lyricist and co-librettist of PALM BEACH, produced in 2005 by the La Jolla Playhouse and directed by Des McAnuff, and the co-librettist and lyricist of musical adaptations of THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR and HEARTBREAKERS, both commissioned by MGM On Stage. He is the co-author of the libretto for the upcoming stage adaptation of the film FLASHDANCE, opening in the U.K. in July of 2008. He is a graduate of Yale College and lives in New York and Los Angeles with his partner Jonathan Tolins and their daughter Selina.
