CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER - David Ethan Shapiro
A Summa Cum Laude graduate from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts - where he majored in Film and TV Production with a concentration in Writing/Directing - David has written, directed and produced a broad spectrum of content, from TV to music videos to commercials to short films (both animated and live-action). His work has been featured in Time Magazine, the NYTimes, the Wall Street Journal, and he was recently interviewed by Rolling Stone Magazine. From his short film about Jewish Gangsters to his tale of the most wanted teen bandit in America (the first NYU short film to feature helicopter shots of planes in flight), David’s work has screened at celebrated festivals around the world, including the Cannes Film Festival in 2011. He has worked in creative development at Sony Pictures for director Sam Raimi (Oz The Great and Powerful, Spiderman), and is CEO/Co-Founder of the fully integrated arts & entertainment firm, Starlight Studios. He has written three feature-length screenplays, including a Semi-Finalist in The Academy-Award Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship, the most prestigious screenwriting competition in the world (for which he was featured on the Oscars website). David recently co-directed a music video with actress Kristen Stewart (which screened on national television), produced the new commercial campaign for Snapchat (their highest viewed-ad ever, with over one-million views in 24 hours), as well as shot and produced the latest promo for Microsoft Xbox.
PRESIDENT - Jonah Platt
An LA native, Jonah has been involved in many aspects of the entertainment industry his entire life. A Cum Laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Creative Writing, he is the founder/director/producer of ONE NIGHT STAND: AN IMPROVISED MUSICAL, which has performed completely improvised musicals around the world from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to the New York Musical Theater Festival and beyond. As a writer, Jonah has made people laugh on Cartoon Network's ANNOYING ORANGE, NBC's PARKS AND RECREATION, Fuse's BILLY ON THE STREET, Fox's RUNNING WILDE and FAMILY GUY, and currently writes for the new NBC comedy MR. ROBINSON starring Craig Robinson, debuting in 2015. As an actor, Jonah has appeared on stages across the globe, and can be seen this summer starring alongside Kristen Bell and Hunter Parrish in the Hollywood Bowl's production of HAIR, directed by Adam Shankman. He has appeared in webseries for BCBG, EA Sports, and Yahoo, as well as on television in Bravo's IT'S A BRAD BRAD WORLD and the iconic series finale of NBC's THE OFFICE. As President and co-founder of Starlight Studios, he has guided the development of feature films, animated shorts, music videos, and the upcoming webseries CHEAP MOVIES, which he also created, wrote, co-directed, and stars in.
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER - Anthony DiGiacomo
Living in Southern California, Anthony is a Producer/Director/Writer who is one of the founding members of Starlight Studios. He began exploring life through a lens from an early age as his childhood mentor, a world-renowned photographer, just happened to be his father. Anthony went on to serve as a United States Youth Ambassador, traveling and representing America around the globe. At NYU’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts, Anthony focused his studies on producing, directing, and writing with a major in Film and Television and graduated as a distinguished scholar with highest honors. He has worked at CBS News in their NYC Broadcast Center as a writer, correspondent and editor. At CBS, he produced packages for Television in addition to writing and conducting interviews with professional athletes across all sports. At Starlight Studios, he has produced and assistant directed a music video co-directed by actress/director Kristen Stewart which was featured on television, Rolling Stone, and MTV; as well as a commercial campaign for Snapchat which has several million views and was featured in the NY Times and Time Magazine. Anthony has also produced several award-winning short films which have screened at festivals worldwide including Cannes.
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT - Sage Scroope
Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Sage’s career began on stage singing and dancing at the age of five and she has been in the industry ever since. Down Under, Sage first found success in independent theatre, Producing the Australian Premiere of David Auburn’s Tony Award winning play PROOF. From there Sage moved into film and worked professionally in Australia for 7 years before being invited to complete her MFA in Producing at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. At AFI she wrote and produced two multi-award winning short films that paved the way for her to work for Lionsgate in their International Sales, Financing & Distribution wing. This spring-boarded her to move out independently and start what is now a successful development company. Sage has won several awards for excellence in filmmaking including Academy Award consideration for the short film she wrote, THE ESCAPE. As a filmmaker Sage has become a member of the DGA and gone on to line/co-produce eight feature films that have had theatrical and international distribution, been aired on cable television, and garnered worldwide festival awards. She has also produced a myriad of music videos, commercials, and webseries. Sage is excited to bring her creative and business eye to this new company, where the stars aren’t even the limit.
ANIMATION DIRECTOR - Jacob Kafka
Jacob Kafka was born in 1989, the son of a rabbi and a seismologist. He grew up in Massachusetts and has been making movies since he was five years old. He studied film and animation at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 2012, and is now working as a freelance animator in New York. His award-winning animated films have screened across the country, on national public television and in competition at several of the most prestigious film festivals.
HEAD OF CAMERA & DESIGN
From photographs to films, Aaron has been enthralled with visual art his entire life. At the University of Arizona, he majored in Fine Art with an emphasis in Photography. While studying under the direct mentorship of Frank Gohlke, who is one of the most acclaimed American landscape photographers, Aaron's work was exhibited in over fourteen shows all across the West Coast. After graduating, Aaron began to extend his creative abilities beyond the world of still photography. He has been the Director of Photography on several music videos and short films. He has also worked as an Assistant Camera position and an Editor on pilots, shorts, and music videos. Under the Starlight Studios banner, Aaron is in charge of all social media activity as well as overseeing the designs and edits for the company. It is clear that Aaron is the type of individual to dip his fingers & toes in different colors of paint (metaphorically speaking of course -- painting is one of the only things he doesn’t do for Starlight!).
BOARD OF ADVISORS
CHAIRMAN - Marc E. Platt
Marc E. Platt stands among the few producers who have successfully bridged the worlds of theatre, film and television. His projects have garnered a combined 7 Oscar nominations, 16 Tony nominations, 12 Golden Globe nominations and 19 Emmy nominations. In theatre, Platt is the producer of Broadway’s blockbuster Wicked, which The New York Times recently called 'the defining musical of the decade,' as well as Three Days of Rain which starred Julia Roberts, Paul Rudd and Bradley Cooper.
Marc Platt is currently working on Walt Disney Pictures' film adaptation of 'Into the Woods', the Tony Award-winning musical by Stephen Sondheim. The film will be directed by Academy Award-winning "Chicago" director Rob Marshall. "Into the Woods" stars Academy Award winner Meryl Streep as the Witch and Academy Award nominee Johnny Depp. He is also producing the latest Steven Spielberg film, written by the Coen Bros and starring Tom Hanks.
