Katja Blichfeld is the co-creator & showrunner of High Maintenance, the critically-acclaimed HBO series that began as a self-produced, self-funded web series.  Katja is also a director and a WGA award-winning writer. Previously, they worked as a casting director in both film and TV, earning an Emmy Award for their work on 30 Rock (NBC). They are currently based in Brooklyn, NY and have a special fondness for Long Beach, CA where they were born and raised.

Howie Kremer is comedy writer and filmmaker who has written and worked on COMMUNITY, TROPHY WIFE, GIGI DOES IT, LET'S GET PHYSICAL, HELLO LADIES, and FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY to name a few. He currently works with Judd Apatow writing and producing TV & feature projects with him. 

Howie got his start writing and performing sketch and improv comedy in Chicago, while also creating his own short films. After he made the move to L.A., he had the opportunity to work for Stephen Merchant, Dan Harmon, Lee Eisenberg, and Gene Stupnitksy which helped shape his love and passion for filmmaking and comedy writing. 

Howie is a big baseball fan and plays in two men’s leagues, but is an even bigger kitty fan. He loves to dote on his cats: Musie, Bunnypenny, Freckles, and Winnie. 

Jamie Coates is the Founder and CEO of Rouge Artists Agency, representing the industry’s leading Costume Designers, Stylists, Production Designers, and Hair and Makeup Artists. At age 22, Jamie became one of the youngest women ever to join the Directors Guild of America. Her journey in production started in New York and has brought her to LA and all over where she has years of experience as a leading Producer for major advertisements and music videos. She has managed top entertainment industry talent and worked with clients including many Fortune 500 companies. Coates works closely with her Artists to guide many of them to nominations and top accolades in the industry, including Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild awards, Costume Designers Guild awards, and Emmy awards from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Ari Costa is Senior Vice President of Physical Production at AGBO. Ari has been working with the Russo Brothers since 2010 and was an Associate Producer on the record-breaking box office hits Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. He recently released his directorial debut, All Fun and Games, co-written and co-directed by Eren Celeboglu, produced under the Gozie Agbo banner which champions emerging filmmakers. Ari was a Co-Producer on Mosul for Netflix, and an EP on Netflix mega-hits Extraction and Extraction 2 starring Chris Hemsworth. Previously, Ari was in comedy development at NBC on the critically acclaimed, Golden Globe Award-winning shows “The Office,” “30 Rock,” and “Parks and Recreation.” He holds a BA in Film Studies from Emerson College in Boston. 

The Hollywood Reporter named film producer Susan Cartsonis one of the top five grossing producers of the year for WHAT WOMEN WANT and WHERE THE HEART IS. Her most recent 2023 releases are SITTING IN BARS WITH CAKE and TRUE SPIRIT.  THE DUFF, was named “an instant teen classic” by VARIETY.  Cartsonis has grossed over 1B in box office by creating movies for the female audience that include: FEEL THE BEAT, AQUAMARINE, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, NELL, FRENCH KISS, NO RESERVATIONS and BEASTLY. Cartsonis began her career in Hollywood as an executive for 20th Century Fox.  She is a member of the Academy, the Television Academy, and the Producer’s Guild. Cartsonis graduated from UCLA with a BA and received her MFA from NYU.

Pilar Newton is an animator who got her start working on Courage the Cowardly Dog for Cartoon Network, and on Daria for MTV. Her independent company PilarToons LLC, has contributed work to companies such as Nickelodeon, Homer Learning, Sirius Thinking and recently Sesame Workshop. Her animated short “Last Class”, completed in 2023, is making the festival rounds. She recently released Just Pilar, a darkly observant and hilarious autobiographical comic collection. Pilar is based in Brooklyn, NY.

Drake Woodson is a photographer and founder of Relics, a film camera store, and photo lab; the brand focuses on bringing diversity and accessibility to analog photography. He is based in Long Beach, California.