American Summer Movie
American Summer Movie
Bad News Bears meets Wonder Years

WRITER & DIRECTOR

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MICHAEL W. GRAY - Writer/Producer/Director

Michael W. Gray is a film producer & writer/director working under his Relentless Filmz banner. Michael broke onto the scene with the acclaimed mixed martial arts documentary, FIGHTVILLE. FIGHTVILLE premiered at the 2011 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in Competition and immediately secured distribution in the U.S. and around the world. Anchored with a well-publicized SHOWTIME NETWORKS deal, it was the #1 independent film on iTunes for a run, and has played on Netflix and Hulu. Michael has followed this success with the 2013 TriBeCa Film Festival premiere of A BIRDERS GUIDE TO EVERYTHING starring Oscar Winning actor Sir Ben Kingsley. Birders was an audience favorite, with a successful theatrical run, and a robust streaming release that included STARZ and global sales and distribution. Other festival notables for Michael include 2014 Sundance Film Festival competition film JAMIE MARKS IS DEAD with Liv Tyler, Judy Greer and Cameron Monaghan. Also, 2015 Slamdance Competition film BODY, acquired by Oscilloscope Labs and Archstone, 2016 South by Southwest (SXSW) competition film LONG NIGHTS SHORT MORNINGS was acquired by Sony’s The Orchard for a US and multiple country release. Other notable releases include HERE ALONE (TriBeCa Film Festival then Vertical), LIGHT OF THE MOON n (SXSW then Imagination). Also recently released is WHAT BREAKS THE ICE a coming of age thriller featuring mega-star Madelyn Cline, sensation Lukas Gage and Ozark’s Sophia Hublitz.

Michael directed the widely released PSA entitled WE HOPE about cigarette pollution. He enjoys watching great film and television content, reading amazing essays, blogs, books and scripts, the ocean, wrestling, BJJ and his wonderful family.

WRITER 

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JENNIFER B. WHITE - Writer

Jennifer B. White is an award-winning movie director and screenwriter. She worked for major studios such as Universal Pictures as a tagline writer and movie marketing professional (The Wolfman, Robin Hood, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Fast and Furious, Little Fockers, Larry Crowne, and more), Disney (Cars 3) and others. She also penned fiction novels Dead Asleep, Otherwise, and The Witch and the Devil’s Son, and has worked in script development on her own content with the film production and distribution company, Cinelou. In connection with her work with Cinelou, she was interviewed by Warner Brothers and appears in the extended cut Blu-ray DVD of Batman vs. Superman alongside directors Zack Snyder and Patty Jenkins and actors Gal Gadot, Viola Davis and Amy Adams.

The independent movie she wrote, directed and produced, Mary Loss of Soul, was awarded Best Director and Best Feature Film at Boston International Film Festival in 2014, and was nominated for Best Feature Film at Palm Beach International Film Festival. The film is available on all VOD and home entertainment platforms, distributed by Synergetic Distribution and Shoreline Entertainment. Although White is a prolific writer with over 30 years’ experience, she’s an extrovert by nature, and fueled by creative collaboration. She enjoys the dynamic speed at which production moves and the challenges of keeping that engine on track so it meets its destination on time.

As co-executive producer on the thriller feature film Body, a Slamdance 2015 official selection, she knows what makes a great story, and understands interest groups and target audiences intimately. Body, repped by Preferred Content, was sold to Archstone Distribution internationally, and Oscilloscope for domestic distribution. From screenwriting to development, pre-production and the challenges that most movies face with tight budgets and production schedules, White knows how to navigate the choppy waters of filmmaking.

She’s a skilled director and can work with a skeleton crew on a music video—such as the band “Weathers” signed to RCA Records—to a large crew on a feature film. At her core, White is a skilled storyteller. She knows how to craft a memorable tale that will live on in the memories of audiences.

 PRODUCERS

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MICHAEL CUOMO- Producer

Michael is an award-winning producer and actor of film, television and theatre.  He recently produced and co-starred in THE LIGHT OF THE MOON, written and directed by Jessica M. Thompson, which took home the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at SXSW'17 and sold to Imagination Worldwide and Amazon. The film premiered theatrically in Fall ‘17 with the support of UN Women and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and all major digital platforms. Cuomo also produced and starred in the critically acclaimed feature film HAPPY NEW YEAR (Snag Films), written and directed by K. Lorrel Manning, executive produced by Iain Smith (CHILDREN OF MEN, THE FOUNTAIN). The film’s premiere at the SXSW and Hamptons International Film Festivals was followed by a successful tour through 16 international film festivals, garnering impressive reviews, winning 6 awards including Cuomo for Best Actor and Manning for Breakout Director (RIIFF). Next up, he’s inked to produce the independent features WHAT BREAKS THE ICE, DEVICES, SIX DINNER PARTIES, AMERICAN SUMMER, RED HOUSE and CLEVELAND. Michael is a member of the Producer’s Guild of America (PGA), the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) and Actor’s Equity Association (AEA). In his spare time, he reads to children through the SAG Foundation’s BookPals (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools) and mentors inner-city high school film students through the Ghetto Film School’s industry outreach program.

CO-PRODUCER 

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ANN M. GRAY - Co-Producer

Ann is a NYC based producer and post production supervisor having worked on huge titles including but not limited to: Men in Black 3, The Departed, Salt, Charlie Wilson’s War, Barbershop, Girls Trip, and Mudbound