Juan Ayala is primarily a political writer, though he also enjoys dabbling in horror and psychological stories. He draws inspiration from films that captivate audiences and leave them feeling anxiety-ridden. Born into a military family, Juan has lived across the US, worked in both chambers of Congress, and is now working with MPI to further refine his film skills.

Grace Brady, a Los Angeles native, combines her background in psychology with filmmaking, aiming to foster understanding and connection through storytelling. She first joined MPI as an intern in the Hollywood Career Launch Program and is currently participating in MPI’s Mentorship Program. In 2024, Grace graduated from the Academy Gold Rising program through MPI. With experience as a production assistant and second assistant director on multiple MPI Original short films, she is now directing a music video and is excited to embrace this next chapter in her creative journey.

John Carter is a producer at Reason. He began his career as a production sound mixer and boom operator, working on projects for W Magazine, ABC, Adult Swim, Freethink, and Samsung. John later transitioned into video production. He has also participated in MPI’s Editing and Theory and Fundamentals workshops and the Short Film Lab.

Greg de Deugd is a writer, producer, and director focused on American history, individual freedom, and character-driven storytelling. His latest film, The Secret Game, tells the groundbreaking story of the first interracial college basketball game and its impact on civil rights. He also wrote and produced the award-winning short In the Pines, which explores the 1898 Wilmington Massacre. As founder and executive director of the Teleos Institute, Greg leads a nonprofit that preserves timeless values through storytelling. Previously, he served as creative director at the John Locke Foundation, where he established its film and media studio. Greg holds a BFA in filmmaking from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and graduated from the Miami Ad School’s Creative Director Program.

Chris Edgar is a composer, songwriter, screenwriter, and director who has written music for film, theater, TV, and digital series. His film scores have earned numerous awards, including those for The Breakout: A Rock Opera, Steve’s Quest: The Musical, and Ghost in the Gun. His screenplay for Power Day, workshopped in MPI’s Short Film Lab, won the Best Screenplay Award at the Richmond International Film Festival.

Tag Hilliard completed MPI’s Hollywood Career Launch Program in the summer of 2023. Recently, he served as associate producer for the short film Badmouth Grandma, selected for the MPI-sponsored Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge. Since March 2023, he has worked as an assistant to award-winning MPI filmmaker Timothy Blackwood, contributing to the global promotion and festival run of the MPI Original film Infraction.

Andrew Koltuniuk is a writer and director based in Southern California. After graduating from university he took part in MPI’s Hollywood Career Launch Program. His debut feature film recently won Best Drama Feature at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival and is currently in the process of securing distribution.

Tom White has worked at Sandhill Markets (formerly Stonks), On Deck, and Google. He now writes, edits, researches, and ghostwrites for startup and Fortune 500 executives, venture capitalists, and institutional fund managers. Tom advises on Web3, growth strategy, storytelling, and customer psychology for startups and funds worldwide. He also writes a free weekly newsletter on books, behavior, psychology, philosophy, faith, and freedom at www.whitenoise.email.