KEY PERSONNEL:

Mars Callahan - Writer / Director
Mars Callahan was born in Studio City California. By age eleven he was touring with a children’s musical group for Columbia Artists singing and dancing on stage in a 37 state tour across the Untied States and by fifteen he had landed a supporting role on the hit television series “The Wonder Years".

Continuing to work in television, Mars appeared in many other popular series, such as “Cagney and Lacey” ,“Growing Pains” ,“The Facts of Life” ,“The Bronx Zoo” , and “ER”. After honing his skills as an actor in television, Mars tried his hand at the big screen, appearing in several films helmed by premier Directors such as Dominic Sena who cast Mars opposite Brad Pitt in “Kalifornia” ,Lawrence Kasdan who featured him with William Hurt in “The Accidental Tourist” and Tom Hanks who cast Mars in their second film together, “That Thing You Do”.

Inspired by the Directors he was working with, Mars decided to step behind the camera and try his hand at directing, and so in 1998 he wrote and directed the short film “The Red Bag” which opened that years’ Hollywood Renaissance Film Festival to critical acclaim. Shortly after that in 1999, Mars wrote and directed the feature film “Double Down” starring Jason Preistly and in 2000, Mars achieved a milestone in film making history by writing, directing and starring in the feature film “Poolhall Junkies” who’s supporting cast included Academy Award winner Christopher Walken ,Academy Award winner Rod Steiger and Academy Award Nominee Chazz Palminteri.

Rand Chortkoff - Executive Producer & Music Supervisor
With over twenty years experience in music production and promotion, Rand Chortkoff is widely recognized as a vital member of the West Coast entertainment community. His wide-ranging expertise covers every aspect of the entertainment business, including creating a unique and innovative approach to film financing and production, promoting and producing music festivals, producing award-winning records, and even stretching his own considerable creative muscles as a song writer and performer.

Chortkoff’s company, Delta Groove Productions , secured funding to facilitate the production of seven independent feature films over the last six years. Delta Groove also specializes in the production of movie soundtracks, music licensing, music publishing, and marketing services.

Delta Groove Productions has also produced and promoted hundreds of successful live concerts. For a decade Chortkoff produced the annual Blues Hall of Fame Festiva l in Los Angeles, which showcased many legendary artists from the pages of American music history. He has also produced a number of highly acclaimed recordings, earning accolades from blues and roots music aficionados around the world.
Currently, Chortkoff’s Delta Groove Productions is involved with recording and marketing the traditional blues Chortkoff loves. His immediate projects are to also discover those young artists who are honoring blues traditions and are carrying the blues to today’s music fan.

View Rand Chortkoff's company website - Delta Groove Productions

George Bours - Producer
George Bours has a long history in film production and post-production sound, and has supervised the completion of hundreds of titles and projects for domestic/foreign theatrical release, DVD, television and radio markets. He and Mars Callahan first teamed up in 1998 for the production of Callahan’s critically-acclaimed short film, The Red Bag, and then again for his first feature film, Zig’s.

Bours has worked as the Director of Audio Services for Crest Digital Media for the past 14 years and has worked with Buena Vista, Warner Bros., Dreamworks SKG, Anchor Bay and other major studios. Additionally, he recently produced the independent feature Revolution: Four Tales, a series of four interconnected shorts currently in post production, as well as directed Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers: ‘The Chosen Who’ Sessions for Delta Groove Productions, a behind-the-scenes look at the recording of a blues album.

John Hermansen - Producer
John Hermansen has an extensive film production resume including films; Poolhall Junkies, Happy Campers, $pent, Two Shades of Blue, Endsville, Two for Texas, Con Air, Ed Wood.

Richard Pagano - Casting Director
Richard Pagano, one of Hollywood’s most respected and experienced casting directors, is now on the “What Love Is” team.

View Richard Pagano’s extensive filmography

David Stump - Director of Photography
David Stump has an extensive resume that includes many of Hollywood’s block-buster films including: "The Big Empty", "Into the Blue", "Flightplan", "X2", "The One", "Men of Honor", "X-Men", "Deep Blue Sea", "Blade", "U.S. Marshals", "Sphere, Contact", "Batman & Robin", Mars Attacks!, "Batman Forever", "Stargate, Rambo III", "Beetle Juice", "Adventures in Babysitting", "Stand by Me".

Emile Razpopov - Sound Designer
Provided sound designing services on many commercially successful, but also artistically significant films: “A Soldier Story” – Columbia, “91/2 Weeks” – MGM, “Honey I Blew Up The Kids” – Disney, “The White Fang” – Disney, “Jury Duty” – Columbia”, “Wild Orchid” – Columbia, “Bat 21” – Columbia, “Flight of the Navigator” – Disney, “Days of Heaven” – Paramount, “The Stunt Man” – 20th Century Fox, “The blue lagoon” – Columbia.

Mr. Razpopov is also President of Hollywood Global Studios – a virtual studio and network of filmmakers and companies implanting modern computer software in moviemaking.

Jaymes Hinkle - Art Director
James Tooley began his career as an editor cutting commercials, trailers, documentaries and features, including Mars Callahan’s ESPY nominated film “Poolhall Junkies”. In 2000, Mr. Tooley transitioned from editorial to directing, helming jobs for clients such as America’s Army, Cisco Systems, Fantastic Sam’s Salons, as well as a series of critically acclaimed spots for PAX, a non-profit organization created to decrease gun violence in schools. Mr. Tooley has also worked as a producer and director in documentary film and reality television. He created and executive produced the reality show, “Open Bar”, currently airing on LOGO, an MTV Network. As Executive Producer of Chromatic Films, James is developing a slate of projects including reality shows, branded entertainment, and integrated marketing. Chromatic Films is currently in pre-production on a network pilot, which Tooley will direct. In addition, Mr. Tooley is a member of the prestigious Director’s Guild of America and the Motion Picture Editors Guild.

Joy Czerwonky - Line Producer
Joy has extensive experience in production, production accounting and in preparing breakdowns, schedules, budgets and financing proposals. She has produced over 20 commercial spots, seven independent 35mm features and five short films, one for Nickelodeon. She also consulted on various other film, TV and documentary projects, providing development input, business plans, Movie Magic breakdowns, schedules, budgets and packaging. She has comprehensive hands-on experience in all aspects of the business from writing to packaging to production through post into distribution and to delivery. In addition, Joy has run both typical independent shoots with a very minimal crew and only a few actors and also more traditional productions with name-talent. Some of the actors she has worked with include: Mako (Seven Years in Tibet), Jennifer Rubin (Sanctimony), Danny Trejo (Hangman’s Daughter), Louie Anderson (Comedian/Host Family Feud), Paul Mazursky (Dir. Down & Out in Beverly Hills), Danny Nucci (Titanic), Colin Mochrie (Who’s Line is It Anyway), Jo Bolgna (Love is All There Is), Richard Sarafian (Bulworth), Douglas Spain (Star Maps), Seidy Lopez (Ma Vida Loca), Cylk Cozart (Conspiracy Theory), M. C. Gainey (Happy Texas), Peter Graves (Mission Impossible), Kari Wurher (Arac Attack) and C. Thomas Howell (The Hitcher). Joy runs crews of 45 to 100+ people and has shot 35mm films with large casts, hundreds of extras, children, numerous locations, SFX, stunts and super tight shooting schedules. She can effectively deliver a quality product in an efficient manner no matter what the budget. Joy makes the impossible possible. She takes projects no one else thinks are feasible and delivers them for the financing available with production value that is unbelievable.