ORPHAN: ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
JAUME COLLET-SERRA (Director) was born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain in 1974. In the early 1990s, he moved from Barcelona to Los Angeles to attend film school at Columbia College. Soon after graduating, he began his career as an editor.
From there, Collet-Serra moved into directing music videos and then commercials for products such as PlayStation, Budweiser, MasterCard, Miller Lite, Pontiac, Smirnoff Ice, Renault, Verizon and 7-UP, working with such agencies as McCann-Erickson, J. Walter Thompson, BBDO, and TBWA\Chiat\Day.
Collet-Serra’s stylized, surreal and often dark imagery quickly caught the eye of producer Joel Silver, who hired him to direct “House of Wax” in 2005. Then in 2007, Collet-Serra’s love for soccer took him back to Spain to shoot “Goal II: Living the Dream.”
DAVID LESLIE JOHNSON (Screenwriter) began his career as a production assistant on Frank Darabont’s “The Shawshank Redemption,” which was filmed on location in Johnson’s hometown of Mansfield, Ohio, at the historic Mansfield Reformatory, where Johnson’s great-grandfather had been a prison guard. Johnson spent the next five years as Darabont’s assistant, using the opportunity to hone his craft as a screenwriter.
In 1999, Johnson wrote an adaptation of the classic “Doc Savage” pulp novels, and later worked with Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee, adapting an original idea of Lee’s into a two-hour teleplay. Johnson then wrote a four-hour miniseries sequel to John Carpenter’s “The Thing,” which brought him to the attention of Leonardo DiCaprio’s producing shingle, Appian Way, for whom he wrote “Orphan.”
Johnson developed an early interest in storytelling and began writing plays in the second grade. He later became interested in film and, at age 19, wrote his first screenplay. He attended The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Photography and Cinema.
He currently has several projects in development, most recently re-teaming with Appian Way to pen an epic horror/fantasy inspired by a classic fairy tale. Johnson’s next project will be an adaptation of the Australian ghost story thriller “Lake Mungo.”
ALEX MACE (Story) is a development executive at Leonardo Dicaprio’s production company, Appian Way. Before he cut his hair and started to work in film, Mace was in a rock ‘n’ roll band. He is a UCLA graduate.
JOEL SILVER (Producer), one of the most prolific and successful producers in the history of motion pictures, has produced over 50 films, including the groundbreaking “The Matrix” trilogy, the blockbuster four-part “Lethal Weapon” franchise, and the seminal action films “Die Hard” and “Predator.” To date, Silver’s catalog of films have earned more than $10 billion in worldwide revenue from all sources.
Under his Silver Pictures banner, Silver is currently producing “Sherlock Holmes,” directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams, and set for a Christmas release; and the action thriller “The Book of Eli,” starring Denzel Washington under the direction of Albert and Allen Hughes, and due out January 2010.
Silver recently structured a deal for his Dark Castle Entertainment production company, which gives him green-lighting power and creative control of all films produced under the banner, which will be released by Warner Bros. Upcoming Dark Castle films include “Whiteout,” a thriller directed by Dominic Sena and starring Kate Beckinsale; James McTeigue’s actioner “Ninja Assassin,” which Silver is producing with the Wachowski brothers; and the psychological thriller “The Factory,” starring John Cusack. They are currently in production on the action film “The Losers,” based on the DC Comics graphic novels, which Silver is producing with Akiva Goldsman. The film is being directed by Sylvain White and stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Chris Evans and Jason Patric.
Dark Castle previously produced a string of hit films beginning with the record-breaking 1999 release of “House on Haunted Hill,” followed by “Thir13en Ghosts” in 2001, “Ghost Ship” in 2002, “Gothika” in 2003 and “House of Wax” in 2005. Dark Castle more recently released Guy Ritchie’s critically acclaimed actioner “RocknRolla,” with an ensemble cast led by Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton and Mark Strong.
Previously, Silver’s 1999 production “The Matrix” grossed over $456 million globally, earning more than any other Warner Bros. Pictures film in the studio’s history at the time of its release. Universally acclaimed for its innovative storytelling and visuals, “The Matrix” won four Academy Awards®, including Best Visual Effects. The first DVD release to sell one million units, “The Matrix” DVD was instrumental in powering the initial sale of consumer DVD machines. The second installment of the epic “Matrix” trilogy, “The Matrix Reloaded,” earned over $739 million at the worldwide box office. The opening weekend box office receipts for “The Matrix Revolutions,” the final chapter in the explosive trilogy, totaled a staggering $203 million worldwide. To date, “The Matrix” franchise has grossed $3 billion from all sources worldwide.
While overseeing production on “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions,” Silver produced the integral video game “Enter the Matrix,” which features one hour of additional film footage written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and starring Jada Pinkett Smith and Anthony Wong, who reprised their roles from the films. He also executive produced “The Animatrix,” a groundbreaking collection of nine short anime films inspired by the visionary action and storytelling that power “The Matrix.”
Silver later produced the action thriller “V For Vendetta,” based on the acclaimed graphic novel and starring Natalie Portman, and the action comedy thriller “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang,” written and directed by Shane Black and starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan. He also produced the hit films “Romeo Must Die,” starring Jet Li and Aaliyah; “Exit Wounds,” starring Steven Seagal and DMX; and “Swordfish,” starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry.
A successful television producer as well, Silver executive produced the CBS series “Moonlight,” a romantic thriller with a twist on the vampire legend, which won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama in its debut year. He previously executive produced the critically acclaimed UPN television series “Veronica Mars,” starring Kristen Bell. Silver also executive produced, with Richard Donner, David Giler, Walter Hill and Robert Zemeckis, eight seasons of the award-winning HBO series “Tales From the Crypt,” as well as two “Tales From the Crypt” films.
Silver began his career at Lawrence Gordon Productions, where he ultimately ascended to President of Motion Pictures. During his tenure, he served as associate producer on “The Warriors” and, with Gordon, produced “48 HRS.,” “Streets of Fire” and “Brewster’s Millions.”
In 1985, Silver launched his Silver Pictures production banner with the breakout hit “Commando,” followed by “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Predator.” Silver Pictures solidified its status as one of the industry’s leading production companies with the release of the “Lethal Weapon” series and the action blockbusters “Die Hard” and “Die Hard 2: Die Harder.” Silver also went on to produce “The Last Boy Scout,” “Demolition Man,” “Richie Rich,” “Executive Decision” and “Conspiracy Theory.”
Long before starting his producing career, as a student at Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, in 1967, Silver and a group of his friends developed a game called Ultimate Frisbee. The fast-moving team sport has since become a global phenomenon supported by tournaments in 50 countries.
SUSAN DOWNEY (Producer) is a prolific film producer who has collaborated with some of the industry’s most noted talents from both sides of the camera. Her long list of credits includes films ranging from action blockbusters to dramas to comedies to horror thrillers.
Downey most recently produced several different upcoming features, including the much-anticipated “Sherlock Holmes,” to be released on Christmas Day 2009. Directed by Guy Ritchie, the film stars Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams in an action adventure mystery that brings Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective to the big screen as never before.
In addition, Downey produced the upcoming action thriller “Whiteout,” directed by Dominic Sena and starring Kate Beckinsale, set to open on September 11. She also produced the horror thriller “The Factory,” directed by Morgan O’Neill and starring John Cusack, and is an executive producer on the action drama “The Book of Eli,” starring Denzel Washington under the direction of Albert and Allen Hughes. Both films will be released in 2010.
Currently, Downey is serving as an executive producer on “Iron Man 2,” the sequel to the blockbuster action hit “Iron Man,” which is now in production. Slated for release in May 2010, the film reunites director Jon Favreau with Robert Downey Jr., who is returning in the title role, and Gwyneth Paltrow as the central character’s devoted assistant. Also joining the cast are Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke and Scarlett Johansson.
Downey previously held the dual posts of Co-President of Dark Castle Entertainment and Executive Vice President of Production at Silver Pictures. Joining Silver Pictures in 1999, she oversaw the development and production of feature films released under both banners, including “Thir13en Ghosts” and “Swordfish.”
In 2002, she made her producing debut as a co-producer on “Ghost Ship” and then co-produced the 2003 release “Cradle 2 the Grave.” Downey went on to produce the features “Gothika” and “House of Wax,” and also served as an executive producer on the critically acclaimed comedic thriller “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.”
More recently, Downey produced Neil Jordan’s acclaimed psychological drama “The Brave One,” starring Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard, and Guy Ritchie’s widely praised crime comedy “RocknRolla,” starring Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Idris Elba, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and Jeremy Piven.
Prior to her tenure at Dark Castle and Silver Pictures, Downey worked on the hit films “Mortal Kombat” and “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.”
Downey is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema-Television.
JENNIFER DAVISSON KILLORAN (Producer) is president of production at Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company, Appian Way, where she is overseeing a wide range of film projects. Appian Way is currently producing the crime thriller “Beat the Reaper,” based on the novel by Josh Bazell; the classic anime “Akira”; a retelling of the timeless children’s film “The Neverending Story”; and “Wolf of Wall Street,” based on the novel by Jordan Belfort, chronicling his rise and fall as an entrepreneurial icon, along with many others.
On the small screen, Killoran served as co-executive producer on the highly acclaimed docu-series “Greensburg,” in which the town of Greensburg, Kansas, rebuilt itself “green” after being leveled by a devastating tornado.
In addition to working at Appian Way, Jennifer has been a talent manager alongside Rick Yorn for the past 10 years.
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO (Producer) is an award-winning actor and a three-time Academy Award® nominee. He most recently garnered a 2009 Best Actor Golden Globe nomination for his work as Frank Wheeler in “Revolutionary Road.” In addition, DiCaprio created his own production company, Appian Way. Under the Appian Way banner, he wrote, produced and narrated the acclaimed environmentally themed documentary “The 11th Hour.” DiCaprio also produced “Gardener of Eden,” “Public Enemies” and executive produced “The Aviator” and “The Assassination of Richard Nixon.”
He earned his most recent Oscar® nod in 2007 for his performance in Edward Zwick’s drama “Blood Diamond,” also receiving Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award® nominations for his work in the film. That same year, DiCaprio garnered Golden Globe, BAFTA Award, Critics’ Choice Award and SAG Award® nominations for his role in the Oscar®-winning Best Picture “The Departed,” which marked his third collaboration with director Martin Scorsese. He also shared in a SAG Award® nomination for Outstanding Cast Performance with his castmates from “The Departed.”
He previously earned an Academy Award® nomination for his performance in Scorsese’s acclaimed 2004 biopic “The Aviator.” DiCaprio’s portrayal of Howard Hughes in that film also brought him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama, as well as Critics’ Choice Award and BAFTA Award nominations. In addition, he was honored with two SAG Award® nominations, one for Best Actor and another for Outstanding Cast Performance as part of the “The Aviator” cast.
This past year DiCaprio starred in Ridley Scott’s “Body of Lies” and reunited with Kate Winslet to star in Sam Mendes’ ”Revolutionary Road.”
Born in Hollywood, California, DiCaprio started acting at the age of 14. His breakthrough feature film role came when director Michael Caton-Jones cast him as Tobias Wolff in the 1993 screen adaptation of Wolff’s autobiographical drama “This Boy’s Life,” in which DiCaprio starred with Robert De Niro and Ellen Barkin. That same year, DiCaprio co-starred with Johnny Depp in Lasse Hallström’s “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” earning his first Oscar® and Golden Globe nominations for his performance as a mentally handicapped young man. In addition, he won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s New Generation Award for his work in the film.
In 1995, DiCaprio had starring roles in three very different films, beginning with Sam Raimi’s Western “The Quick and the Dead,” with Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman and Russell Crowe. He also garnered praise for his performance as drug addict Jim Carroll in the harrowing drama “The Basketball Diaries,” and for his portrayal of disturbed pansexual poet Arthur Rimbaud in Agnieszka Holland’s “Total Eclipse.” The following year, DiCaprio starred in Baz Luhrmann’s contemporary screen adaptation of “William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet,” for which he won the Best Actor Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. In addition, he joined an all-star ensemble cast in “Marvin’s Room,” sharing in a SAG Award® nomination for Outstanding Cast Performance with his fellow cast members, including Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton and Robert De Niro.
In 1997, DiCaprio starred in the blockbuster “Titanic,” for which he earned a Golden Globe Award nomination. The film shattered every box office record on its way to winning 11 Oscars®, including Best Picture, and remains the top-grossing film of all time. His subsequent film work includes dual roles in “The Man in the Iron Mask”; “The Beach”; Woody Allen’s “Celebrity”; Steven Spielberg’s “Catch Me If You Can,” for which he earned another Golden Globe nomination; and “Gangs of New York,” which was his first film for director Martin Scorsese.
Apart from his acting career, DiCaprio is well known for his dedication to helping the environment on a global level. By launching the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 1998 and later LeonardoDiCaprio.org, DiCaprio has collaborated with other organizations to foster awareness of the environment. The Foundation places particular emphasis on the issues of global warming, alternative and renewable energy sources and the preservation of the planet’s biodiversity. He serves on the boards of the NRDC and Global Green USA. In 2007 he wrote, produced and narrated the acclaimed environmentally themed documentary “The 11th Hour.”
In early 2008 the DiCaprio Foundation joined the California Community Foundation, and is now known as The Leonardo DiCaprio Fund at CCF. The fund will continue to support environmental causes through grantmaking and active participation.
STEVE RICHARDS (Executive Producer) is Co-President of Dark Castle Entertainment, and is in his fifteenth year working with producer Joel Silver. He was instrumental in developing the business plan for Dark Castle and in forging the financial partnership with CIT Group Inc., which will finance the production of 15 films over the next five years.
Richards has served as executive producer on all of the films under the Dark Castle banner, including the upcoming “Whiteout,” “The Factory,” and the Warner Premiere release “The Hills Run Red.” He is currently in development on the horror thriller “The Summoner.” He was also executive producer on “RocknRolla,” “The Reaping,” “Thir13en Ghosts,” “Ghost Ship,” “Gothika” and “House of Wax.” During the formation of Dark Castle in 1999, Richards organized the foreign financing and distribution of the shingle’s first film, the remake of William Castle’s “House on Haunted Hill.”
In 1995, Richards joined Silver Pictures and is currently Chief Operating Officer of the company. He counts among his film credits with Silver Pictures “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang,” “The Matrix Reloaded,” “The Animatrix,” and two installments of the “Dungeons & Dragons” fantasy game film adaptations. Additionally, upon joining Silver Pictures, Richards aided in the launch of Decade Pictures and served as executive producer on “Made Men” and as associate producer on “Double Tap.”
Richards began his career as a production executive for Tony and Ridley Scott’s production company, Scott Free.
DON CARMODY (Executive Producer) has been producing films for more than 30 years. As vice president of production for Canada’s Cinepix (now Lionsgate Films), he co-produced David Cronenberg’s early shockers “They Came from Within” and “Rabid,” as well as the popular comedy “Meatballs.” Starting his own production company in 1980, Carmody produced the smash hits “Porky’s,” “Porky’s II” and the perennially popular “A Christmas Story,” as well as “Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone,” “Whispers,” “The Big Town,” “Physical Evidence,” “Switching Channels” and the Chuck Norris films “The Hitman” and “Sidekicks.”
He successfully returned to comedy with the “Weekend at Bernie’s” series, and “The Late Shift” for HBO, which was nominated for seven Emmy Awards, three Cable Ace Awards and the Producers Guild of America Golden Laurel.
In 2002 Carmody co-produced the hit film musical “Chicago,” which won six Academy Awards,® including Best Picture, three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Musical or Comedy, and the Producers Guild of America’s Golden Laurel Award for Best Picture, as well as many other awards and honors worldwide.
His credits number more than 90 films, including “Johnny Mnemonic,” “The Mighty,” “Studio 54,” the Oscar®-winning “Good Will Hunting,” “In Too Deep,” the cult hit “The Boondock Saints,” “The Third Miracle,” “Get Carter,” “The Whole Nine Yards,” “The Pledge,” “3000 Miles to Graceland,” “Caveman’s Valentine,” David Mamet’s “The Heist,” “City By the Sea,” “Wrong Turn,” “Gothika,” “Resident Evil” and “Resident Evil: Apocalypse,” “Assault on Precinct 13,” “Lucky Number Sleven,” “Silent Hill” and last year’s “Outlander.”
Carmody’s upcoming collaborations with Joel Silver’s Dark Castle Entertainment include the thriller “Whiteout,” starring Kate Beckinsale, and “The Factory,” starring John Cusack. His additional future releases include Mira Nair’s “Amelia,” starring Hilary Swank as Amelia Earhart, and the long-awaited sequel “Boondock Saints: All Saints Day.” He is also in production on the fourth installment of the “Resident Evil” series and the sequel to “Silent Hill,” both slated for a 2010 release.
Combining his instincts for horror and comedy, he recently branched out into the theatre world as part of the production team for the off-Broadway play “Evil Dead: The Musical,” a campy send-up of Sam Raimi’s cult classic horror films “Evil Dead” and “Evil Dead II,” which opened last Halloween to rave reviews.
Born in New England, Carmody immigrated to Canada with his parents as a boy. He graduated from film school in Montreal and has gone on to produce films all over the world.
MICHAEL IRELAND (Executive Producer) is an executive at Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company, Appian Way. Prior to working in features, Ireland was the Director of Development at MTV. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a BA in Screenwriting in 1999.
RICHARD MIRISCH (Co-Producer) has served as co-producer on Dark Castle Entertainment’s “The Reaping,” “House of Wax,” “Gothika,” “Ghost Ship” and “Thir13en Ghosts.” He also served as associate producer on the Wachowski brothers’ award-winning sci-fi epic “The Matrix,” and the highly successful HBO series “Tales from the Crypt.”
Mirisch began his career in filmmaking working for The Avnet/Kerner Company on “Less Than Zero,” and then was director Paul Brickman’s assistant on “Men Don’t Leave.”
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Mirisch and his wife, Belen, have a daughter, Grace, and are expecting another girl in October.
DAVID BARRETT (Co-Producer) has defined himself through his unique visual style and cost-effective production. In addition to creating and executive producing the series “The Mountain,” he served as executive producer on the recent NBC drama “Bionic Woman,” and on CBS’ “Moonlight.” He also produced “E-Ring” for CBS, and worked as supervising producer on the network’s hit crime series “Cold Case,” which he has also directed.
Barrett has directed a variety of television shows, including “Without a Trace,” “The O.C.,” “Veronica Mars,” “Smallville,” “Life on Mars,” “Eleventh Hour,” “The Mentalist,” “The Cleaner” and “CSI: NY.” He has served as a 2nd unit director on the feature films “Stigmata,” 2003’s “Final Destination 2” and “The Fog,” as well as on the TV show “Gilmore Girls,” and in addition to his co-producing duties he serves as a 2nd unit director on “Orphan.”
Coming up through the ranks as one of the top stuntmen in Hollywood, Barrett has crafted and executed some of the most memorable action sequences in film and television, garnering two Emmy Awards for his work. He has coordinated stunts in such films as “Deep Blue Sea” and “Stigmata,” and on television in “Crossing Jordan,” “Lizzie McGuire” and “The Agency,” among others. As a stuntman, he has appeared on the big screen in “The Taking of Pelham 123,” “The Matrix Reloaded,” “8 Mile” and “Spider-Man,” as well as numerous others.
ERIK OLSEN (Co-Producer) began his career as an executive for producer Joel Silver’s production company, where he helped shepherd a large slate of films including “Gothika,” “Swordfish” and “Cradle 2 the Grave.” He served as executive producer on the thriller “The Reaping,” and as associate producer on “House of Wax,” which was his first collaboration with “Orphan” director Jaume Collet-Serra.
Olsen is also serving as executive producer on the upcoming sci-fi action film “The Book of Eli,” directed by the Hughes Brothers and starring Denzel Washington, which is due in theaters in 2010.
JEFF CUTTER (Director of Photography) is currently at work on the contemporary re-imagining of the horror classic “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” starring Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger. Cutter made his feature film debut as a director of photography on Phil Joanou’s “Gridiron Gang,” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, after working for several years as an assistant cameraman, as well as a director of photography on television projects such as “Rhythm City Volume One,” and several pilots.
More recently, he served as director of photography on the series “Kings,” an additional photographer on the science fiction feature thriller “Constantine,” and an inserts photographer for the drama “One Hour Photo.”
TOM MEYER (Production Designer) recently won an Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for his work on the television movie “Pu-239,” executive produced by George Clooney, Steven Soderbergh and Peter Berg. Meyer has designed for such feature films as “Valkyrie,” “We Are Marshall,” “Alpha Dog,” “A Lot Like Love,” “Blue Crush,” “Catch That Kid” and the short film “Whatever We Do,” a 2003 Sundance Film Festival entry produced by Tobey Maguire. Meyer made his debut as a designer on the 2002 comedy crime caper “Welcome to Collinwood,” directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, and produced by Clooney and Soderbergh. He is currently in production on “Jonah Hex,” a feature adaptation of the Vertigo comic book, set for an August 2010 release.
Meyer’s credits as an art director include John Stockwell’s “Crazy/Beautiful”; Christopher McQuarrie’s directorial debut, “The Way of the Gun”; “The Crow: Salvation”; and “No Vacancy.” He also logged small-screen credits for a variety of commercials, music videos and series pilots.
He began his career as a 13-year-old intern at the famed Actors Studio of Louisville, one of the country’s most honored regional theaters. With a dozen years in the theatre world, Meyer was a resident design associate at the Seattle Repertory from 1993-96, where he designed such stage production premieres as Arthur Laurents’ “Jolson Sings Again,” Jon Robin Baitz’s “A Fair Country” and Wendy Wasserstein’s “An American Daughter,” all directed by award-winner Daniel Sullivan, as well as “Bill Irwin’s Experiments,” “Pretty Fire” and “SubUrbia.”
TIM ALVERSON (Editor) began his career as a production assistant at Robert Altman’s post-production house. Born in Seattle, Washington, Alverson’s lifelong ambition was to become a film editor, and his first job in the editing room was as an apprentice on Alan Rudolph’s drama “Songwriter.”
Alverson has spent more than 25 years as an editor, working on such films as “The Astronaut’s Wife,” starring Johnny Depp, Sylvester Stallone’s thriller “D-Tox,” Iain Softley’s “The Skeleton Key” and the Doug Liman futuristic thriller “Jumper.” His recent movies also include the award-winning “Music Within,” starring Ron Livingston, and the visual effects showcase “Dragon Wars.”
ANTOINETTE MESSAM (Costume Designer) has built a career in film and television, her work perhaps best exemplified in the feature “Redemption,” starring Jamie Foxx, and the telepics “Jewel,” starring Farrah Fawcett and Cicely Tyson, and “Ruby’s Bucket of Blood,” starring Angela Bassett, and the anthology “Common Ground.”
Messam’s wide range of experiences in film and music has enabled her to develop her innovative clothing line, I Style. Through her contemporary work on films such as the indie hit “Lie with Me,” she has kept abreast of the latest trends in fashion from street to couture. Messam has also worked as a fashion stylist for products such as Bacardi Rum, Miller Beer and Ford, and she creates individualized looks for EMI Music Canada’s musicians that are used in all aspects of their marketing and advertising campaigns. She has also worked as a television host and, most recently, as creative director for a prominent fashion and lifestyle magazine.
Messam counts among her most notable achievements her recognition as the first African-Canadian costume designer. Born in Jamaica to a family immersed in the creation of clothing—her mother was a dressmaker who specialized in bridal and her grandfather was an established tailor—Messam graduated from the Academy of Design & Technology in Toronto, Canada, with a specialty in textiles. This led to a post in Asia designing fabric for bridal shoes.
In her spare time, Messam is an active volunteer, mentoring young people in the fashion and film industries. She is also in demand as a guest speaker and has participated as both a lecturer and panelist at many colleges and universities, where her goal is to reach young up-and-coming fashionistas.
JOHN OTTMAN (Composer) has enjoyed success as both a film composer and a film editor. He most recently scored, edited, and served as executive producer on the WWII drama “Valkyrie.” He also composed the score for the sci-fi thriller “The Invasion” and the hit action sequel “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” having earlier scored the blockbuster “Fantastic Four.” “Orphan” marks his second collaboration with director Jaume Collet-Serra, having worked on his directorial debut, “House of Wax.”
Ottman has had a long association with director Bryan Singer, dating back to their co-directorial debut on the short film “Lion’s Den,” which Ottman also edited. Ottman went on to win a BAFTA Award and earned an American Cinema Editors Eddie Award nomination for his editing work on Singer’s acclaimed feature film directorial debut, “The Usual Suspects,” for which he also composed the score. He has since teamed with Singer as both composer and editor on “Apt Pupil,” “X2” and “Superman Returns.” Ottman is currently scoring the animated sci-fi actioner “Astro Boy,” featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage and Kristen Bell.
Ottman’s additional film credits as a composer include “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang,” “Hide and Seek,” “Cellular,” “Gothika,” “Trapped,” “Eight Legged Freaks,” “Pumpkin,” “Bubble Boy,” “Lake Placid,” “Incognito” and “The Cable Guy.”
For the small screen, he scored the cable movies “Point of Origin” and “My Brother’s Keeper.” Earlier in his career, Ottman received an Emmy Award nomination for the score of the pilot episode of the 1998-99 remake of the series “Fantasy Island.”