THE STORY: If you live your life as if it is a game to be won at any cost, some day you will pay the price. This is the lesson the four rivals in High Stakes learn the hard way.
COLE: The Big Boss. He will stop at nothing to win, be it business, women or a poker game. He is destined to pay the highest price for his deviousness.
BENEDICT: The Competition. He wants everything Cole has and will cheat and lie to get what he wants. He will learn that his biggest threat can come from the least likely source.
JIMMY: The Young One. He wants so badly to be like Benedict and Cole, he ignores his own heart and true nature. He is no match for this den of thieves.
GENEVIEVE: Femme Fatale or Innocent Victim? She toys with the affections of all three men, drawn as much to power and lust as she is to love.
THE DEALER: The only one who knows the truth. He delights in the manipulations and misery of this dangerous and mysterious game.
THE PROJECT: The cast and crew is already in place for High Stakes. We have a location and a production date set. In order to pay for equipment, supplies and food to feed our dedicated cast and crew, we need to raise money. That's where you come in. Your donations will cover all pre-production, production and post-production costs.
THE PLAN: A Production Company (APC) has pulled together a team of exceptionally skilled artists to craft a film of the highest quality. It will be used as a calling card for each artist to expand and develop their individual careers as well as gain recognition and support for future larger scale projects for the team. This will include feature film projects as well as a revamped, expanded web series version of the team’s original Kickstarter phenomenon, Five in a Car. Upon completion, High Stakes will be submitted to numerous film festivals and a variety of industry professionals.
THE ARTISTS:
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KRISTIN SCHEIMER (Writer, Director, Producer, Editor) Kristin Scheimer began her career in the arts as an actress/singer/dancer. After completing the two-year program at the Professional Actors Conservatory in Orange County, she performed in several plays and musicals in Los Angeles, but soon realized she enjoyed the work behind the scenes as well. Her film career began as an intern at the Samuel Goldwyn Company. Within a year she had been promoted to Story Editor. When the Samuel Goldwyn Company was shut down in 1997, Ms. Scheimer began a career as a professional script analyst. For over ten years her analytical skills have been sought after, being hired by such companies as Avenue Pictures, Script Shark, Film Independent, Hollywood Lit Sales and Screenplay Readers. In addition, she has written numerous screenplays including the one for her first short film, Broken Child, which she also directed and produced in 2001. In 2010, Kristin wrote, produced, co-directed, starred in and edited the pilot for a TV comedy entitled Five in a Car.
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RODRIGO DE MATTOS (Producer) Rodrigo began his filmmaking career in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a writer, producer, and director of numerous short films before performing a highly diverse set of duties on the set of several major film productions, ranging from Production Assistant, to Production Coordinator and Assistant Director - sometimes all at once; a scenario not at all uncommon to the Brazilian film community. This unstructured and somewhat guerrilla-like nature of Brazilian filmmaking allowed Rodrigo to develop many creative and logistical strengths and has helped shape a strong background in writing, project development, producing and directing, his current passions.
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CHRIS MAMMARELLI (Director of Photography) Chris Mammarelli is a charismatic actor, filmmaker and tech savant with a throbbing, hyper-intensity cultivated over the last decade. Sensing that Motion Pictures are at the same tipping point the music industry was over a decade ago, Chris leveraged his success in the tech world to amass a war chest he is now unleashing to create films by his own rules. Chris is the model for filmmaking in the 21st Century - fully embracing the bleeding edge of technology, utilizing small, digitally savvy crews, and creating amazing content on small budgets. He firmly believes in adapting the sensibilities and techniques of documentary filmmaking and improvisation to create and capture immersive and organic performances from the cast. http://vimeo.com/mammarelli
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B. PEACE (Sound Engineer) B. Peace was born in Los Angeles, CA. He is a prolific storyteller and gifted songwriter, singer, and instrumentalist. B. Peace is the middle child to your average middle class family; where his parents truly stressed the importance of education. He received a degree from Loyola Marymount University and spent a year in law school, before deciding to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. When he was younger he was the noisemaker in the house. He picked up playing music by ear. Eventually B. Peace took the time to learn how to read and write music thereby perfecting his passion.
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ARIEL CASTANEDA (Cole) Ariel was born in San Diego, California. His birth heralded an entire new era for the entire world. What that era will be called in the future has yet to be decided, but one better believe that it will have a cool name. Ariel is neither a formally nor classically trained dramatist, but what he lacks in technique, talent, and skill he makes up for with overacting, bad timing, and a passion for the performing arts. That is not to say that Ariel is uneducated, he holds a bachelor’s in Political Science from UC Riverside and is looking to complete a master’s degree in Political Science from San Diego State University. Like the character of Miguel he played in Five in a Car, Ariel has a love of whiskey, Capoeira, and cigars. When he is not training in Capoeira, he is usually found talking of whiskey and cigars or drinking whiskey and smoking a cigar.
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JACKAMO HARVEY (Benedict) Jackamo Harvey is a stuntman/actor with years of experience working in Theatre, Film and Television. Born and raised in South London he came to America to further his education and pursue his passion for the performing arts. Board sports and Breakdancing informed his early years of artistic expression earning him amateur sponsorship and various injuries in more than a few disciplines. Eventually the Afro-Brazilian martial art of Capoeira came to find him as he was finishing up his bachelors degree in Theater Arts and swept him literally and figuratively off his feet in a flurry of foot blisters and funky white pants. The Capoeira community in Los Angeles and around the world has brought Jackamo untold opportunities in both travel and work, much of which has been in the entertainment industry, working with big names across a variety of media. Having worked together on a number of projects now, Kristin and Jackamo have developed a strong creative dynamic and he is proud and excited to be a part of this one.
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JARED JANUSCHKA (Jimmy) Jared Januschka is a recent BFA graduate of California Institute of the Arts who recently appeared in the film On Falling (Phin) and soon to be released, The Vipassana Order (Cameron Esquire III).
KAREEM FERGUSON (The Dealer) A classically trained actor Kareem has worked in Regional Theater across the U.S. He has acted on top rated Television shows for the major networks. Kareem received his M.F.A. Degree in Acting from the ‘Professional Theater Training Program’ at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. When not on stage, Kareem is behind the camera directing and producing movies. When out of Hollywood Kareem’s super expensive hobby is being a Pilot and fanatic for all things about Airplanes. He is grateful to the super talented Kristin Scheimer for the opportunity to play in this world. Follow me @KareemFerguson Let’s do this!
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KARLA SOLARTE (Genevieve) Karla was born in Colombia. She moved to the United States in 2007 and studied at Florida International University where she majored in Theatre and Liberal Arts. She has been part of theatre productions such as Sonia Flew, which landed her an Irene Ryan nomination for best actress for the role of Pilar; Shakespeare's Pericles: Prince of Tyre; and Cabaret, the Musical at the Tallahassee Little Theater. In 2011 she moved to Los Angeles and studied under the very talented film director Elia K. Schneider at the Stella Adler Academy. She is very loyal to the Committed Impulse technique under the actor Josh Pais, and also a student at the Groundlings Comedy School. She is the co-founder of the sketch group Storm The Castle! where can be seen performing at the Upright Citizens Brigade, IO West, and Little Modern stages. She is currently in pre-production of her first web series, Step Sisters, which she produces and stars in, and of course last but not least, working on this wonderful project with the very talented writer and director Kristin Scheimer. More of Karla's work can be seen at karlasolarte.com.
Help support the artists you know and love with your donations.
Much thanks!
THE APC TEAM
