MILTON NG - FOUNDER, FILMMAKER, COMEDIAN
Milton is a Chinese-Canadian destined to take over the family restaurant but chose a career in film. Milton moved to Vancouver in 2009 and directed short films like“NEXT LIKE” nominated for Best Canadian Short at Vancouver Asian Film Festival. He starred & directed in “TOWEL BOY” Best Action/Comedy short New York’s Urban Action Showcase & web series “FOLLOWERS” won Best Directing & Best Comedy Web Series at Utah Web-series Film Festival. His horror short, “TUMBLE”, was a Finalist at Tokyo International Short Film Festival, Seoul International Short Film Fest, and LA International Horror Fest. He also creates content online like “ROBBER vs HOMEOWNER” which garnered over 10 million views while performing stand-up comedy in various venues in Vancouver. He founded Dear Hero Studios to foster a sense of community, equality, and diversity, and to continue to fight for stronger Asian representation in the industry.
WILLAN LEUNG - PRODUCER, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Willan started his film career in early 2000 as an Assistant Director in both Asia and North America, worked on over 60+ film projects ranging from Short films to Feature films.
In early 2018, he co-produced award winning short film Gemini, The Followers and he continues to support fellow filmmakers on many projects on any capacity. In 2019, Willan co-produced award winning short films such as Parabola and Grandma’s 80th Surprise which is screening at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival. Willan also produced a Harold Greenburg Fund & Creative BC short film “FREYA” which has won numorous awards at many film festivals.
Willan continues to support our local filmmakers and continues to contribute to the local independent film community, connecting like-minded individuals and to explore possibilities in independent film community.
BILL KAL - PRODUCER
Vasilis Kalatharas or 'Bill Kal', as he likes to be called, was born and raised in Brahami district in Athens, Greece. His life changed when he made the leap of faith and moved to Vancouver, BC in 2009 to succeed in the entertainment business.
Having a marketing and advertising management background, and after perfected his knowledge of entertainment business management at Vancouver Film School, Bill directed his career towards creating and developing environments where artists can succeed. His working experience pallet contains projects from producing award-winning short films and managing well-established Canadian artists like Five Alarm Funk to coordinating sponsorships at Vancouver Canucks and Rogers Arena.
Vasilis is an entertainment business expert and his success has come through smart hustle, the right positioning, and insatiable passion.
LIBBY OLSON - DIRECTOR
Libby Olson is a Queer Canadian documentary filmmaker and photographer, who left her family’s small town farm to pursue a career in the film industry! Her passion for filmmaking started at a young age when she bought an old Go-Pro and started making downhill ski movies with her friends after school. After moving to Vancouver and graduating from Capilano University in 2019 with a degree in Motion Picture Arts, Libby went on to direct and shoot her first short documentary entitled Project Akonjo. She led a small crew as they traveled to the remote Akonjo village in Kenya for a month to start up a girls soccer league, while also learning about the Akonjo people and their culture. She is passionate about how we can use storytelling as a form of mental health therapy, as well as amplifying the marginalized voices in her community. Thelma and Louise is her favourite film.
JONATHAN ENDO - PRODUCER, COMEDIAN
Jonathan Endo has a keen eye for bringing people together. Building relationships is one of his strengths and believes in making a film family on set. He is known for producing “The Followers” , “Camera Shy” and “The Cover-up”.
Jon is also a stand-up comedian and loves making people laugh.
CHRISTOPHER CHO - PRODUCER/CINEMATOGRAPHER
Christopher is a filmmaker that has worked on numerous projects such as media work, corporate and narrative work. He ventured into filmmaking because he always saw a story in everything, and moving pictures has become his outlet. Recently, he has worked on video projects with Novus TV, Beedie, BlueShore Financial, BlueSky Properties, and Kingswood Properties. Some of the current projects Christopher is working on are short films and as well as a documentary.
MICHAEL YEUNG - CINEMATOGRAPHER
Michael has worked on over 100 tv shows and movies in the camera department. His most notable shows like Star Trek, Tomorrowland and the Revenant. His cinematographer credits include Animal within an Animal, the Bloodline and Smallbites.
Michael also has a huge comic collection.
ALFONSO CHIN - CINEMATOGRAPHER
Alfonso is a Chinese-Mexican-Canadian cinematographer based in Vancouver, Canada. His journey to Vancouver began in Mexico where he was born. His multicultural background sparked a desire to experience stories from various cultures. Alfonso's cinematography for each story is shaped to bring out emotion and to create a visual language that is unique for the story. In a similar way that music, painting, and other art forms stimulate a subconscious impact on the audience. Alfonso has garnered nominations and awards at the Canadian Society of Cinematographers, Canadian Screen Awards, Ariel Awards (Mexican Academy Awards), and prestigious international festivals. His professional industry credits include works for Netflix, Lionsgate, Amazon Studios, and many others.
MIKE COSGRAVE - WRITER
Mike Cosgrave is a graduate of Vancouver Film School’s Writing for Film and Television program, and holds a B.A. in English and Professional Writing from the University of Victoria.
Mike has written short films and sketches for a handful of production companies based in Vancouver, notably Down Forward Punch Entertainment, (“Neighbourhood Security,” “Kitchen Fires,” and the award-winning “Dim Sum Noodle”) and BAM3 Productions (Next Like). He also has written feature-length projects including the indie-drama Timberline, and an as-yet Untitled Slasher Project. He is currently developing a comedy web series (Service!) set in a franchise restaurant with Dear Hero Studios.