Julia Dyer & Gretchen Dyer
Julia Dyer (director-producer) directed and produced the feature film Late Bloomers, which was nominated for the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. After playing more than forty film festivals around the world, Late Bloomers was theatrically released by Strand, sold to HBO, and acquired by Alliance Atlantis for foreign rights. The film was covered in newspapers from The Dallas Morning News to The New York Times, and featured in numerous magazines, including Filmmaker, Premiere, and even Playboy.
Julia has worked as a filmmaker in Dallas for more than two decades in the entertainment, documentary, corporate and educational sectors, as well as in regional theatre. She regularly consults on a variety of independent film projects, and has taught directing in the nationally recognized film program of the University of Texas at Austin, of which she is a graduate.
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Gretchen Dyer (screenwriter) shared a vibrant creative partnership with her sister Julia for more than 20 years. Gretchen was the author of numerous documentary scripts and feature film screenplays, including Backlash, Cold and Calamity Creek. Her signature screenplay THE PLAYROOM was a finalist in the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship competition, and has been praised by industry insiders as one of the best scripts they’ve ever read. Gretchen also worked tirelessly as a teacher and advocate for women’s rights. Her two passions merged when she co-wrote and produced the original multi-media theatrical production, One in 3, which premiered in Dallas in January 2009. Gretchen passed away in June 2009 after a 20-year battle with heart and lung disease.
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Stephen Dyer (producer) produced the feature films Late Bloomers, Finding North and Ball In The House. He combines a passion for narrative films with a cool head for the logistics of transforming them from script to screen. His work has premiered at Sundance, Toronto, SXSW, and played festivals around the world. He has produced national commercials, short films, and done budgeting and consulting work for a wide variety of industry clients. In 2008 Stephen was line producer on St. John of Las Vegas starring Steve Buscemi, and he is set to executive produce his own original script Hysteria, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal.
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Angie Meyer (producer/AD) is fast becoming the guru of independent film production in Texas. Her experience, range of skills and sheer force of personality keep productions on schedule, on budget and on track. In ten years as producer, assistant director and production coordinator Angie has mastered the complexities and nuances of low-budget production and gained a deep knowledge of local crews and resources. Her credits include Hate Crime, Rain, Night of the White Pants, The Killer Within, Dusk, Living and Dying, ExTerminators and St. John of Las Vegas.
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Lawrence Mattis (executive producer) is the founding partner of powerhouse NYC management-production company Circle of Confusion. His bicoastal team and extraordinary network of industry connections help keep THE PLAYROOM on the map in the film world. Lawrence represents directors and writers including the Wachowskis (The Matrix Trilogy) and Gary Whitta (Book of Eli). Current projects include The Walking Dead on AMC and Vanishing on 7th Street (Magnolia releasing in Feb. 2011 starring Hayden Christenson, Thandie Newton and John Leguizamo).
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Don Stokes (executive producer) is owner of Post Asylum and president of the Texas Motion Picture Alliance. His expertise in post-production, delivery and distribution in the south & southwest fills a critical role in positioning THE PLAYROOM for market. Don has produced award-winning commercials, corporate films and documentaries for over thirty years. He was co-producer on the documentary TV Junkie, which won a special jury prize at Sundance and sold to HBO.