Sandi is an Emmy Award-winning writer/director. She started her career in theatre, working every role she could, from electrician to dramaturg. She held positions at New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons and New York Stage and Film before serving as the Managing Producer of the Actors Studio Free Theater for director Arthur Penn, and co-founding the Off Broadway theater company Pure Orange Productions. Meanwhile, she temped in offices across Manhattan, because… theater.

Tired of scraping subway change out of the cushions of the loveseat she pulled off the street, Sandi moved to Los Angeles to work in television just as reality TV was beginning its boom. She has worked on series like The Bachelor, Hell’s Kitchen, Dance Moms and Undercover Boss (2 Emmy nominations, 1 win), rising to the role of showrunner. 

After a life-threatening illness, Sandi re-evaluated a lot of things, became a foster parent and adopted her daughter, and for the last six years has been focusing on transitioning her career to writing and directing narrative and documentary television and film. She’s interested in telling the stories of underdogs, outsiders, and rabble-rousers, and wants to make content that helps people feel less alone. Sandi was a Sundance New Voices Fellow in 2019, and her award-winning short film “Lady A” is making festival rounds. She’s had many jobs, but has learned the most about life and work as an Executive Assistant and working at KFC.

Jen is a screenwriter and independent producer based in West Michigan. She grew up outside of Boston in the 1980s and 90s alongside a group of her brother’s peers - (mostly) men with Down syndrome and autism. Originally trained as an actor, Jen performed in professional theater productions in New York and abroad before moving to Los Angeles, where she fell in love with independent film. After several years touring, playing small parts in feature films and helming a next-gen children’s media series, Jen worked her way up the ranks as a freelance writer and producer, providing support, crowdfunding campaigning and development assistance on several independent feature films. As a Cherrypicks.com contributor, Jen is passionate about topics related to disabilities and LGBTQ representation in the media. Her mission as an independent producer is to share stories that create a more inclusive and understanding world.

Prior to living in Michigan, Jen lived and worked in Gothenburg, Sweden, where she specialized in creating original international co-productions for television and film. Her first original series, OUT OF BOUNDS, was selected for the Nordic Film & TV Development Lab at Lindholmen. She is currently adapting OUT OF BOUNDS for an American audience. 

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Jen spoke about her journey producing RAISING US (then under the working title OUR GUYS) at TEDx Macatawa in Holland, Michigan. Watch her TEDx talk here.

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Listen to Jen's interview about the film on the podcast Eavesdrop With Meena here.

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