The Team
STEPHEN ARTHUR SCHAFFER (Writer/Director/Producer) is an optioned screenwriter and director based in Philadelphia. After graduating with a degree in Illustration from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Stephen began his professional career in 2006.
Having worked as a freelance designer, illustrator, and comic book artist for nearly a decade, Stephen transitioned into writing and filmmaking. Stephen has written, produced, and directed six short films, in addition to directing, shooting, and editing various commercial, corporate, and music videos.
As a filmmaker, Stephen strives to produce stories about people of color that would otherwise be ignored. His first feature-length screenplay, “The Dennis Boys,” won the Oscar Micheaux Award for excellence in screenwriting by the Greater Philadelphia Film Office.
JAMIE FORSLUND (Producer/Production Designer) is an artist, educator, producer and production designer. As production designer of two feature films, 24 Frames Lalla and Delco: The Movie, as well as many award-winning short films, commercials, and music videos, Jamie is a veteran of the Philadelphia independent filmmaking community.
From development to post-production and every stage in between, Jamie is a true renaissance woman with invaluable knowledge and insight on a wide range of topics from character development, to cinematography, to special effects makeup, to marketing and graphic design.
In addition to Jamie’s passion for filmmaking, she also works as a teaching artist and in visual art education at Tyler School of Art, Temple University.
ADAMAH COLE (Producer) is a creative media and business professional with degrees from Dartmouth College, the Wharton School of Business and the Lauder Institute for Management & International Studies.
His professional experience includes media strategy and business development positions for MTV and Nickelodeon at Viacom, leading grassroots marketing for the independent film “3rd Street Blackout,” and leading global marketing campaigns from inception through launch as a member of the brand marketing team at YouTube, and leading the creative production unit for the online program management company Noodle.
Adamah currently works as an independent consultant, driving brand strategy, content marketing, and PR initiatives for global e-commerce clients, while also nurturing his own creative skillset as a musician and screenwriter.
TATIANA ST. PHARD (Producer/Ruth) Owner/Senior Producer of Teaspoon & Pound Media, is an independent film and media maker who curates and amplifies the ancestral wisdom of subjects and characters rendered virtually invisible in mainstream media.
Her current slate of projects include a children's web series and Ulrick Jean-Pierre documentary in post production. She uses her storytelling expertise to help her clients share their stories with online and live audiences. A working actress for over two decades, Tatiana can be seen in the recently released feature films The Upside and Glass.
Tatiana is a 2018 Flaherty Seminar Fellow and has received Leeway Art and Change (2009, 2014, 2019) Her Film Project, Small But Mighty Arts and Lucius and Eva Eastman grants.
MATT SOMMA (Animator) is owner/lead animator of Po-Town Studios, responsible for animated commercials across marquee brands such as Kate Spade, the National Hockey League, McDonalds, and many more during his 20 year career.
From MTV’s Celebrity DeathMatch to his hilarious work on Doll Race 3000, Matt continues to push the bounds of stop motion, sculpting, and storytelling. His nuanced understanding of emotion and humor has delighted clients and audiences across the globe.