DAVID KOSLOWSKI
Director & Producer

David Koslowski is a Durham, NC based musician, designer, artist & filmmaker.

Born in Baltimore, David cut his teeth on punk rock and eventually formed the grunge-punk band Liquor Bike in 1991. Liquor Bike were quickly signed to Baltimore independent label, Merkin Records in 1993. They garnered major label interest and then signed with Grass Records/BMG in 1995. The band toured extensively throughout the United States for 5 years until their demise in 1996. During this time David also worked in radio promotions for Merkin Records before being promoted to label manager.

In 1998, he relocated to Durham, NC with his future wife, Shirlé Hale, former bassist for riot grrrl band, Womyn of Destruction. He enrolled in art school and earned a degree in Digital Media from the School of Communication Arts in Raleigh, NC. His concentration was graphic & web design with a minor in film. He has completed a couple music videos and also films and edits the web-based cooking show "Rockin' The Stove."

Currently, he plays guitar in the noise rock band Free Electric State.



SKIZZ CYZYK
Director, Editor & Director of Photography

Skizz Cyzyk is a Baltimore based writer, musician, former radio disc jockey, and award-winning filmmaker.

Since 1983, he has completed more than 50 short films & videos including the documentary, LITTLE CASTLES: A FORMSTONE PHENOMENON (1997), the animated shorts, FOUR FILMS IN FIVE MINUTES: A TRILOGY (1992) and MANAGER’S CORNER (2004), plus music videos for Beach House, Young Fresh Fellows, the Moaners, Meatjack, and many others.

He founded and ran the underground film festival, MicroCineFest (1997-2006); served as Programming Manager for the Maryland Film Festival (2000-2009); was a technical supervisor and projectionist for the Atlanta Film Festival (1998-2006); serves on the advisory board, jury, and technical crew at Utah’s Slamdance Film Festival (1997-present); serves on the advisory board and jury at Alabama’s Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival (1999-present);and is an annual juror for Tennessee’s IndieMemphis Film Festival. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Maryland Lawyers for the Arts.

A veteran of Baltimore punk bands like Berserk, Trud, Blister Freak Circus, Burried Droog and Slug Log 3, he currently plays punk rock ukulele for The Go Pills, and plays drums for both The Jennifers and Mink Stole & Her Wonderful Band.

Cyzyk earned a Bachelor of Sciences degree from Towson University, majoring in Mass Communications, with concentrations on film/video/audio production, radio, and film history/theory/criticism.



STEPHEN HAYS
Executive Producer

Stephen Hays is an executive producer and Managing Member of 120dB Films, a finance company specializing in gap, tax credit and related loans to the independent film industry. Founded in 2004, 120dB has executive produced over 50 films and television series. Stephen was co-founder and General Partner of Seneca Capital, a New York-based hedge fund (1996-2003), where he remains a partner and adviser. Prior, he was a Managing Director at Furman Selz, a NY-based investment bank where his focus was proprietary risk arbitrage and event-driven investing (1987-1995). Stephen's first position on Wall Street was at Laterman and Co., an arbitrage-focused hedge fund (1985-87). He received a BA in history from Kenyon College in 1983 and gained a Masters of Science in Accounting and Finance at the London School of Economics in 1985.

Stephen is a founding sponsor and Board member of the Woodstock Film Festival, serves on the Board of Directors of Green Chimneys School for troubled youths and is a member of Oxfam America's Leadership Council. He is an active supporter of numerous charitable and non-profit organizations including Doctors without Borders, Physicians for Human Rights, World Can't Wait, Save the Children, the Fresh Air Fund, Robin Hood Foundation, American Red Cross, New York Cares, The Innocence Project, Westchester Land Trust, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Tomorrow's Children Fund, Peter Pucci Plus Dance Company, Dalia Carella Dance Collective, the Tribeca and Sundance Film Festivals, Kenyon College and the London School of Economics.

Stephen is an extreme sports addict (wake, kite and snowboarding), enjoys creating electronic music and drumming, and was co-writer and executive producer of "Rocksteady", which premiered at the Woodstock Film festival in October 2010.



STRAW WEISMAN
Producer

Straw Weisman is a motion picture production, post production, marketing, distribution, and creative filmmaking veteran with over thirty years of hands-on experience.

Straw’s latest achievements include producing the upcoming feature “The Big Valley”, starring Jessica Lange and Stephen Moyer, and directing the psychological thriller “Trunk”, starring Jennifer Day, now on DVD, and co-executive producing “Without Men”, starring Eva Longoria and Christian Slater, which is now in post production.

As Vice President, Worldwide Production for distributor/producer New Films International, Straw is overseeing a slate of post production acquisitions and new titles, including “The Lightkeepers”, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Blythe Danner, “Camp Hell”, starring Bruce Davison and Dana Delany, “Chain Letter”, starring Nikki Reed, “Dark Moon Rising”, “Don’t Fade Away”, starring Mischa Barton and Ryan Kwanten, and the upcoming “Saving Grace B. Jones”, starring Tatum O’Neal and “Flying Lessons”, starring Maggie Grace and Christine Lahti.

Straw began his career at the legendary ad agency Doyle Dane Bernbach in New York. Deciding he wanted more hands on experience in filmmaking, he went on to Mishkin Motion Pictures where he learned the independent film distribution business and got his first opportunity to write feature films, first the comedy musical “Pelvis”, then the hostage drama “Fight For Your Life” which went on to become a cult classic, a favorite of both Quentin Tarrantino and John Waters, which had its a 25th anniversary release on DVD in early 2004, and was singled out by Tarrantino for his Grindhouse Film Festival to promote his film, “Grindhouse”.

He also founded Marquee Productions, providing creative services, editing and production, focusing on movie marketing. In its first fifteen years, Marquee’s clients included Universal Studios, Paramount, Fox, Warner Bros, Columbia, Viacom, New Line, Moonstone, Trimark, Saban, Fox Family, Buena Vista International, Trinity Broadcasting, Playboy, KNBC and countless independent distributors and producers looking for Straw’s unique and personal touch to their movie marketing campaigns.