Production notes

Most recently, Palmer released her first single “Enemiez” off of her forthcoming album from Island Records and starred in Fox’s production of Grease Live! as Pink Lady, Marty. She will be returning as Zayday in season two of the hit Fox series Scream Queens. This multi-faceted young woman also has a deal with the publishing house Simon and Schuster to author her first book, I Don’t Belong to You, set to publish Spring 2017.

On stage, Palmer made her Broadway debut. at 21, as the youngest actress and first African-American on Broadway to star as Cinderlla in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s classic musical of the same name. Additional film credits include Ice Age: Continental Drift, Joyful Noise, Brotherly Love and Imperial Dreams. Her television credits include the Emmy nominated A Trip to Bountiful, as well as Masters of Sex and Full Circle.
Born and raised in New York, MAX GREENFIELD (Roger) currently stars as the lead role of Schmidt in the Fox sitcom New Girl, opposite Zooey Deschanel. He will soon start shooting the Lionsgate feature The Glass Castle alongside Brie Larson.

Greenfield recently starred in the independent feature Steve’s Umbrella, directed by Michelle Shumacher, as well as the Netflix feature A Futile and Stupid Gesture, directed by David Wain.  He has a cameo role in the Oscar nominated feature The Big Short, directed by Adam McKay, and a starring role in the independent film Hello, My Name is Doris, alongside Sally Field.

There's nothing typical about her. In person and on stage, Jessie J has a panache that's laced with timeless elegance. Musically, she can just as easily echo Motown soul as well as she can nod to nineties hip-hop. Blessed with an astounding voice and natural knack for a hook, Jessie J redefines what's possible within pop as she upholds its traditions. In other words, she always remains one-of-a-kind. That's why she’s quickly become the consummate 21^st century superstar and a palpable and powerful pop culture force.

In 2011, the world first took notice of the UK-born singer and songwriter in a very big way. Her full-length debut album, Who You Are [LAVA], heralded the songstress's arrival as a worldwide icon. It debuted at Top 15 on the Billboard Top 200, and generated an astounding six Top 10 smashes at radio. “Price Tag” (featuring B.o.B) went platinum stateside and seized #1 in 18 major territories.

Then, “Domino,” her biggest U.S. hit to date, took flight on the charts. The track went on to achieve double-platinum status and become a ubiquitous anthem around the globe. To date, her album sales exceed three million and single sales surpass 20 million and counting.

Along the way, Jessie J received the prestigious BRIT Award for Critic's Choice. It's an honor previously held by the likes of Ellie Goulding, Florence + the Machine, and many more. In addition, the BBC crowned her with the high honor of Sound of 2011. Jessie J even received a Grammy Award nomination in 2012. Fans and tastemakers continued to wholeheartedly embrace Jessie J as she acted as the 2012 London Olympic Games Ambassador.

Jessie J released her second studio album in September 2013. Jessie co-wrote the album with Claude Kelly, amongst a host of collaborators including Becky G, Brandy Norwood, Big Sean and Dizzee Rascal. The album debuted in the top 5 on the UK Albums chart. It included two top five hits including “Wild” and “It’s My Party.” Jessie supported Alive with the Alive Tour, playing 19 dates across the UK, from October to November 2013.

In July 2014, the first single from her sophomore Sweet Talker album arrived with a bang--literally. Jessie J teamed up with rising diva Ariana Grande and rap’s reigning queen Nicki Minaj for “Bang Bang.” It’s a blockbuster anthem, combining Jessie J’s inimitable delivery, Ariana Grande’s massive range, and Nicki Minaj’s deft wordplay. As soon as “Bang Bang” dropped, the charts exploded.

Immediately, the track captured the #1 spot on iTunes’ overall Top Songs chart and it has gone platinum four times, less than a year after release. The single perfectly set the stage for the October 2014 release of Sweet Talker, which debuted top 10 on the Billboard 200 and included appearances from De La Soul, 2 Chainz and American violinist Lindsey Stirling and production from the likes of Max Martin, Savan Kotecha, Illya, Diplo, Tricky, The Dream and more.

In April, Jessie J released the first single from the highly anticipated sequel to the smash hit and platinum-selling soundtrack, Pitch Perfect. The single, entitled “Flashlight,” reached top 10 in over 10 countries, including number 2 in Australia. Additionally, the Pitch Perfect 2 soundtrack hit the number 1 spot on the Billboard Album Chart.
JESSE TYLER FERGUSON (Shangri-llama) currently stars as Mitchell Pritchett on the award-winning ABC comedy Modern Family. Soon to start its ninth season, the show has earned five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series, a Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and four Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Ferguson has also received five Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and four People’s Choice Award nominations for Favorite Comedic TV Actor on behalf of Modern Family.

 Ferguson is currently on Broadway starring as 40 outrageous characters in the one-man show and highly anticipated comedy Fully Committed.  

Ferguson made his Broadway debut at the age of 21 as Chipin George C. Wolfe’s revival of On the Town. He went on to originate the role of Leaf Coneybear in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Outstanding Ensemble Performance winner, Drama Desk Awards, 2005; Distinguished Performance nominee, Drama League Awards, 2005). Other theatre credits include world premieres of Christopher Shinn's Where Do We Live and Michael John LaChiusa's Little Fish, as well as Leo Bloom in The Producers and Sir Robin in Spamalot, both at The Hollywood Bowl.

 Ferguson has also worked extensively with The New York Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park, in such notable productions as The Tempest, The Comedy of Errors (Distinguished Performance nominee, Drama League Awards, 2014), The Merchant of Venice, The Winter’s Tale and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Distinguished Performance nominee, Drama League Awards, 2008).

 A longstanding advocate for marriage equality, Ferguson co-founded, with his husband, Tie the Knot, in 2012. They design limited edition bow ties with all the proceeds going to various organizations that fight for civil rights for gay and lesbian Americans. Their first collection debuted in November 2012 and sold out in less than a month. They have released new collections seasonally and featured ties from guest designers including Isaac Mizrahi, George Takei, Tim Gunn and Bryan Cranston.

Ferguson is also an advocate and active supporter of the Human Rights Campaign. In 2011, he was honored with the HRC's Media Award, which recognizes an individual for establishing a positive, increased awareness of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues in the media.

 Ferguson currently resides in Los Angeles.
JOSH PECK (Eddie) has established himself as one of Hollywood's rising talents making the seamless transition from child actor to leading man.

Peck starred as John Stamos’ son in the Fox series Grandfathered. He was seen in Dan Fogelman’s Danny Collins with Al Pacino, Annette Bening and Jennifer Garner. Peck plays Nicky, a valet at the Hilton who meets aging rock star Danny Collins (Pacino) after Danny receives a letter from the late John Lennon which inspires him to change the course of his life.

Peck starred in the Amazon pilot The Rebels opposite Natalie Zea. This comedy focuses on an L.A.-based NFL team whose owner suddenly dies, leaving his wife (Zea) and his assistant (Peck) in charge of the team. Peck also recently guest starred on The Big Bang Theory and can be seen as a recurring guest star on The Mindy Project.

In 2013 Peck starred in Screen Gems’ Battle of the Year: The Dream Team opposite Josh Holloway. With compelling characters and vibrant dance sequences, the film is set in the international world of B-boying. With the help of their tough coach and his assistant (Peck), the team overcomes struggles to reach their dreams at the world dance battle in Paris. 

In fall 2012 Peck starred alongside Chris Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson in the action feature Red Dawn, which tells the story of two brothers (Peck and Hemsworth) who form an army, The Wolverines, to save their town from an invasion of North Korean soldiers.

Earlier that year, he completed the indie thriller The Timber opposite James Ransone. The film is an apocalyptic Western-thriller written and directed by Anthony O'Brien   Peck and Ransone play brothers seeking their missing father in the harsh backdrop of the 1898 Yukon gold rush.

In 2008, Peck wowed critics in Jonathan Levine's The Wackness opposite Ben Kingsley and Olivia Thirlby. In the film, which won the Audience Award at 2008 Sundance Film Festival, Peck played a young man coming of age in the summer of 1994.  In 2004, Peck received critical acclaim and a Special Distinction Award with his co-stars at the Independent Spirit Awards for Mean Creek, alongside Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, and Trevor Morgan.

Additional film credits include: ATM, Havoc, Special, and What Goes Up. Peck lent his voice to the Ice Age blockbuster franchise as the character of Eddie; and also voiced roles in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Aliens in the Attic.

On television, Peck is best known for his role of Josh on the Nickelodeon series Drake & Josh. He received a 2008 Kid's Choice Award nomination for the hit series. In 2008, Peck starred in Nickelodeon's highly-rated TV movie, Merry Christmas Drake & Josh.

Peck is also known for his social media accounts; he has 8.1 million followers on Vine, 1.8 million followers on Twitter and 1.5 million followers on Instagram. Peck currently resides in Los Angeles.

Pegg’s acting credits include Spaced, Run Fatboy Run, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, Paul, The Adventures of Tin Tin: The Secret of the Unicorn, The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Trader, Burke & Hare, and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.  Pegg reprised his role as Benji Dunn in Mission: Impossbile – Rogue Nation (previously appearing in Mission Impossible: III and Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol.  He also starred in the J.J. Abrams-directed Star Trek and Star Trek: Into Darkness as Montgomery Scott (“Scotty”) and as Unkar Plutt in Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens. 

Pegg completed 2015 starring in and executive producing the modern rom-com Man Up and this summer he will reprise his role as Scotty, as well as, taking on co-writing duties for Star Trek Beyond.  He also returns to the Ice Age franchise to voice the role of Buck in Ice Age: Collision Course.
SEANN WILLIAM SCOTT (Crash) has become one of Hollywood’s most prolific actors, starring in blockbuster comedies such as Universal’s American Pie, the feature film version of the popular ‘80s television series The Dukes of Hazzard, Road Trip and the smash comedy hit Dude, Where’s My Car?

Up next, Scott will reprise the role of Doug “The Thug” Glatt, in the independent film Goon: Last of the Enforcers, alongside Liev Schreiber, Jay Baruchel, Elisha Cuthbert and Wyatt Russell. He earned critical acclaim in the first film for his portrayal of an outcast who overcomes long odds to lead a team of under-performing misfits to semi-pro hockey glory. 

Scott was last seen in Courteney Cox’s directorial debut Just Before I Go.  The film centers on a guy who heads back to his hometown to make amends before giving up on life.   

Scott’s other film credits include the Warner Bros comedy Cop Out, Universal’s Role Models, TriStar’s Planet 51, Relativity’s Movie 43, Richard Kelly’s Southland Tales, Universal’s hit action/adventure film The Rundown, MGM’s Bulletproof Monk, New Line Cinema’s thriller Final Destination, the DreamWorks sci-fi comedy Evolution, and unforgettable cameos in Miramax’s Jay and Silent Bob, the hit comedy Old School, The Promotion, and Mr. Woodcock.  He has also lent his voice, as the character Crash, to the animated films Ice Age: The Meltdown and Ice Age: Continental Drift.

Scott currently is bicoastal living in both Los Angeles and New York. 
WANDA SYKES (Granny) has been called "one of the funniest stand-up comics" by her peers and ranks among Entertainment Weekly's 25 Funniest People in America.  Her smart-witted stand up has sent her career in many different areas.

In 2012, Sykes joined forces with veteran producer Page Hurwitz to form Push It Productions, a production company dedicated to creating quality, comedy-based programming for network and cable television outlets.  The company's diverse slate of projects includes sketch comedy, concerts, reality, talk/variety, and competition formats.  Their first set of specials; Herlarious aired in summer of 2013 and January 2014 on Own and was the recipient of a 2014 Gracie Award.  In just its first year, Push It has made a first look production deal with NBC, had a new series on OWN, and has shows currently in development with NickMom (Comedy Camp) and Comcast.  Push It Productions produced the 8^th and 9^th seasons of NBC’s Last Comic Standing.

Her fourth comedy special shot What Happened…. Ms Sykes will air on October 21^st on Epix. Shot in Los Angeles, the special will focus on Sykes’s life, family, race and politics as she questions, “How Did I Get Here?”

Her first HBO comedy special Wanda Sykes; Sick and Tired debuted in October 2006 and was nominated for a 2007 Primetime Emmy for ‘Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special.’ It was taped in Seattle Washington and covered everything from racial profiling to gay marriage. She returned to HBO for her second stand up special I’ma Be Me.  This time it was taped at the Warner theatre in Washington D.C., where she tackled topics like the first black president, gay cruises, being a new mom and aging. The special was nominated for two 2010 Primetime Emmy awards: Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special and Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special. Her first special Wanda Sykes: Tongue Untied premiered on Comedy Central in 2003.

Sykes is currently shooting the Fox feature Untitled Mother Daughter Comedy with Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn in Hawaii. Sykes was also seen in the feature films Evan Almighty, the sequel to Bruce Almighty, in which she co-starred with Steve Carell, the New Line feature Monster-In-Law starring opposite Jane Fonda, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Pootie Tang, Nutty Professor 2; The Klumps, and Down to Earth.

Sykes was recently seen on ABC’S Blackish, Showtime’s House if Lies, Amazon Prime’s Alpha House, created by Gary Trudeau about a group of Republican Senators who share the same DC rental house, and HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. She spent five years on CBS's New Adventures of Old Christine.  In 2010 Sykes starred on her own late night talk show on Fox, The Wanda Sykes Show.  Other TV credits include Fox's Wanda at Large which she wrote, produced and starred in; Wanda Does It on Comedy Central and on Crank Yankers as the voice of Gladys Murphy.

 Sykes voiced roles in the animated filmsOver the Hedge and The Barnyard.  

Her first book titled Yeah, I Said It, published by Simon and Schuster, hit bookstores in September 2004.  Yeah, I Said It is a hilarious collection of essays touching on life, family and current events. 

 Sykes spent five years as part of the HBO's critically acclaimed Chris Rock Show. As a performer and writer on the show, she was nominated for three Primetime Emmy's and in 1999 won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special. In 2001, she won the American Comedy Award for Outstanding Female Stand Up Comic.  Sykes won three more Emmys, in 2002, 2004 and 2005, for her work on Inside the NFL for Outstanding Studio Show – Weekly.

Sykes was born in Portsmouth, Virginia and raised in Maryland.  She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Hampton University. Sykes’s stand-up career began at a Coors Light Super talent Showcase in Washington, D.C., where she performed for the first time in front of a live audience.  

 In 2010 she won a GLAAD award for promoting a good image of equal rights for gays and lesbians. 
NICK OFFERMAN (Gavin) is an actor, writer and woodworker, best known for the role of Ron Swanson on NBC’s hit comedy series Parks & Recreation. The show, in which he starred with Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt, and Aziz Ansari, wrapped its seventh and final season in 2015. For his work on the series, Offerman won a Television Critics Association Award for Achievement in Comedy in 2011, having earned his first nomination in 2010.  He also received two Critics’ Choice Television Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

Offerman was recently seen in A Walk in the Woods and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Both films premiered at Sundance in 2015. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl took home the U.S. drama grand jury prize and U.S. drama audience award. Offerman was also seen in the second season of the FX series Fargo alongside Billy Bob Thornton and Allison Tolman, for which he received a nomination for a Critics’ Choice TV Award.

Next up, Offerman will be staring alongside Michael Keaton in The Weinstein Company’s, The Founder, which will be released on August 5^th.  In October, he will release his third book called Good Clean Fun about his very own Offerman Woodshop.   Additionally, he is filming a new new comedy, Infinity Baby directed by Bob Byington, alongside his wife Megan Mullally.

Last year, Offerman and Mullally debuted their Summer of 69: No Apostrophe comedy show, which they will be taking on tour again this summer. Offerman previously toured his comedy show Full Bush and American Ham, which was released on Netflix on December 12^th, 2014. In 2013, Offerman released his New York Times Bestselling book, Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man’s Fundamentals for Delicious Living. He released his second New York Times bestseller, Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America’s Gutsiest Troublemakers, on May 26^th, 2015.

In 2014, Offerman was seen in Sony‘s blockbuster hit 22 Jump Street with Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. That year, he also lent his voice to the animated film The Lego Movie, which was the largest February opening for any animated film and the largest opening for an animated Warner Bros. release. He was also seen in Warner Bros.’ box office success We’re The Millers, with Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis, which came out in August 2013.

His long list of film credits also includes Lake Bell’s In a World…, Somebody Up There Likes Me; Welcome to Happiness; The Kings of Summer; 21 Jump Street with Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill; Smashed with Octavia Spencer and Megan Mullally; Hotel Transylvania 2 ; Casa de mi Padre with Will Ferrell, Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna; All Good Things; The Men Who Stare at Goats, alongside George Clooney; The Go-Getter; Wristcutters: A Love Story; Sin City, with Bruce Willis and Mickey Rourke; Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous, starring Sandra Bullock; and Groove.

In addition to Parks & Recreation and Fargo, television audiences have seen Offerman on multiple episodes of Adult Swim’s Children’s Hospital and ABC’s George Lopez.  He has also guest starred on numerous series, including Deadwood, NYPD Blue, 24, The Practice, Will & Grace, The West Wing, Gilmore Girls, Monk, and ER. Offerman has voiced animated characters for Axe Cop, The Simpsons, Bob’s Burgers, Gravity Falls, and Out There.

Offerman got his start in the Chicago theater community, where he was a founding member of the Defiant Theatre.  He received a Joseph Jefferson Award for his performance in The Kentucky Cycle, at Chicago’s Pegasus Players Theatre, and was awarded a second Jefferson Award for the puppets and masks he and his team crafted for The Skriker, at Defiant.  Offerman also worked extensively at Steppenwolf, The Goodman, Wisdom Bridge and Pegasus Players, among others.  His stage work includes the off-Broadway play Adding Machine, and he is a company member of the Evidence Room Theater Company in Los Angeles.

In 2014, Offerman starred with Megan Mullally in the play Annapurna at the Acorn Theatre in New York. Offerman also appeared in the play when it premiered at the Odyssey Theater in Los Angeles in April 2013.

In his spare time, he can be found at his woodshop in Los Angeles building hand-crafted items ranging from fine furniture to canoes to ukuleles.

Currently, Beatriz portrays one of the villains in the feature film Pee Wee’s Big Holiday, produced by Judd Apatow, which premiered at SXSW and is currently streaming on Netflix. 

Beatriz plays one of the three female leads in the forthcoming indie feature Half Magic, Heather Graham's directorial debut, opposite Graham and Angela Kinsey. The film also features Thomas Lennon, Chris D'Elia, Luke Arnold and Molly Shannon. 

She starred opposite Brie Larson in the SXSW audience award winning film Short Term 12, directed by Destin Cretton, and played a large supporting role in Hillary Swank's passion project about ALS, the independent feature You’re Not You, directed by George C. Wolfe, also starring Swank, Emmy Rossum, Marcia Gay Harden, and Josh Duhamel.

In summer 2016, Strahan will host primetime game show favorite $100,000 Pyramid on ABC, produced by SMAC Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Television.

  Prior to joining the ranks of the top sports broadcasters in the country, Strahan’s 15-year football career was typified by the charisma and sportsmanship that made him a seven-time Pro-Bowler and one of only four players ever to lead the NFL in sacks for two seasons. His spectacular NFL career resulted in Strahan being named to the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame class, the sport’s highest honor.

 Strahan led the New York Giants to a dramatic Super Bowl victory over the previously undefeated New England Patriots in 2007. In 2001, Strahan completed what is widely considered to be one of the greatest seasons ever for a defensive player, breaking the 18-year-old NFL single season sack record with 22.5 sacks. His record still stands today. The charismatic leader of the New York Giants was named the NFL’s 2001 Player of the Year by Sports Illustrated and the 2001 Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press, making him the first New York Giant to win the award since Lawrence Taylor.

  Strahan and co-host Kelly Ripa were the co-winners of the 2016 and 2015 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host.  In addition, Strahan was nominated for a 2014 Sports Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Sports Personality – Studio Analyst.

Last fall, Strahan released his best-selling book, Wake Up Happy: The Dream Big, Win Big Guide to Transforming Your Life, which includes personal stories and motivational advice to inspire readers to turn up the heat and go from good to great in pursuit of their personal ambitions.

In 2015, Strahan partnered with J.C. Penney and launched Collection by Michael Strahan, a line of men’s tailored clothing and accessories. The line offers a stylish and distinctive assortment of tailored suit separates, sport coats, dress shirts, neckwear, belts and accessories including tie clips and cuff links. This is Strahan’s first apparel line and is inspired by his personal style and experiences as one of America’s most recognizable athletes and media personalities.

With a natural affinity for people and an effortless ease in front of the camera, Strahan’s previous hosting duties include Pros v. Joes, which pitted amateur contestants against professional athletes in a series of athletic feats. Strahan co-hosted the family cable show Backyard Stadiums on DIY Network and built outdoor recreational projects with his co-host.  In addition, he participated in the kid-friendly show Giants on Deck and the YES Network show Sack and Renovate, in which he led a guided tour inside his 100-year-old home.  Strahan also tackled the world of scripted network primetime television as the star of Brothers, a 30-minute sitcom on Fox from Sony Pictures Television. In summer 2015, Strahan made a cameo appearance in the hit film Magic Mike XXL.

 Dedicated to many charitable works, Strahan donates his hands and heart to numerous charities including St. Jude Children’s hospital, The USO and Cedar Sinai’s Sports Spectacular. 

 Strahan was a vocal and visible leader among the athletic community in the aftermath of the World Trade Center tragedy. As the player representative for the Giants, Strahan led the charge in calling for the league to cancel its games following the event.

  Born in Houston, Texas, Strahan spent most of his youth in Germany, where his father Gene was stationed in the U.S. Army. Strahan returned to the U.S. for a portion of high school and soon was recruited to play football at Texas Southern University. As a senior at Texas Southern, Strahan was selected first team All-America by the Associated Press when he recorded a school-record 19 sacks and 62 tackles, 32 of which cost opposing teams 142 yards in combined losses.

 Now partnered with longtime friend Constance Schwartz to form SMAC Entertainment, Strahan brings his skills, determination, leadership, experience and humor to the multi-dimensional talent management, branding, and production company. In addition to representing dynamic and globally recognized talent, SMAC Entertainment produces strong and diversified content, and has a multitude of projects setup with primetime cable and broadcast networks, including HBO, AMC, ABC, E!, USA Network, A&E and FYI, as well as Amazon’s streaming video service. In 2015, the company produced the highly rated and critically acclaimed Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Awards for the second year in a row. In addition, the SMAC team produced the innovative HBO documentary series State of Play: Happiness, which explores athletes’ retirement transition in relation to larger society. Their latest project, Play It Forward, a documentary about famed football tight end Tony Gonzales and his brother, premiered as the opener of the 2015 Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival and was acquired by Showtime.

Rauch can currently be seen on the most-watched network comedy show The Big Bang Theory, as the hilarious Bernadette Rostenkowski. In 2013, Rauch was nominated for a Critics' Choice TV Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, along with the nomination for Favorite TV Gal Pals at the People's Choice Awards. The show was nominated in 2011, 2013, and 2014 for a Golden Globe Award, was nominated for an Emmy Award from 2011-2015, and won the Critics' Choice Award for Best Comedy Series in 2013 and 2014.

Rauch and the cast have also been nominated in the category of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series by the Screen Actors Guild from 2012-2015, and the cast won the People's Choice Award in the category of Favorite Network TV Comedy in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Rauch’s television credits also include True Blood, Kath & Kim, The Office and 12 Miles of Bad Road

On the big screen, Rauch most recently co-wrote, along with her husband Winston Rauch, and starred in the comedy The Bronze, which opened the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Rauch plays a bitter former gymnastics bronze medalist who must fight for her local celebrity status when a new young athlete star rises in town. Sony Pictures Classics released the film in March 2016.

Rauch's past film credits include Bob Castrone’s Flock of Dudes (2015), William Savage's In Lieu of Flowers (2013), Matthew Weiner's Are You Here (2013), John Hamburg’s I Love You Man (2009), and Tom DiCillo’s Delirious (2006).

Rauch started her career as a standup comedienne and became a fixture on the fan favorite VH1 show Best Week Ever. She later starred and co-wrote her own one-woman show, The Miss Education of Jenna Bush, where she played former President George Bush's daughter. Rauch’s sold out production garnered her a win in the category of Outstanding Solo Show at the New York International Fringe Festival, as well as the Theater Mania's Audience Favorite Award and was an official selection of HBO's U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.

Rauch currently resides in Los Angeles, California with her husband.

Tyson's professional research interests are broad, but include star formation, exploding stars, dwarf galaxies, and the structure of our Milky Way.

In 2001, Tyson was appointed by President Bush to serve on a 12-member commission that studied the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry. The final report was published in 2002 and contained recommendations (for Congress and for the major agencies of the government) that would promote a thriving future of transportation, space exploration, and national security.

In 2004, Tyson was once again appointed by President Bush to serve on a nine-member commission on the Implementation of the United States Space Exploration Policy, dubbed the Moon, Mars, and Beyond Commission. This group navigated a path by which the new space vision can become a successful part of the American agenda. And in 2006, the head of NASA appointed Tyson to serve on its prestigious Advisory Council, which will help guide NASA through its perennial need to fit its ambitious vision into its restricted budget.

In addition to dozens of professional publications, Tyson has written, and continues to write for the public. From 1995 to 2005, Tyson was a monthly essayist for Natural History magazine under the title “Universe.”

Among Tyson's ten books is his memoir The Sky is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist; and Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution, co-written with Donald Goldsmith. Origins is the companion book to the PBS-NOVA four-part mini-series Origins, in which Tyson served as on-camera host. The program premiered on September 28, 2004.

Two of Tyson's recent books are the playful and informative Death By Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries, which was a New York Times bestseller, and The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America's Favorite Planet, chronicling his experience at the center of the controversy over Pluto's planetary status. The PBS/NOVA documentary The Pluto Files, based on the book, premiered in March 2010.

For five seasons, beginning in the fall of 2006, Tyson appeared as the on-camera host of PBS-NOVA's spinoff program NOVA ScienceNOW, which is an accessible look at the frontier of all the science that shapes the understanding of our place in the universe.

During the summer of 2009 Tyson identified a stable of professional standup comedians to assist his effort in bringing science to commercial radio with the NSF-funded pilot program StarTalk. Now also a popular podcast, and a limited-run television series on the National Geographic Channel, StarTalk combines celebrity guests with informative yet playful banter. The target audience is all those people who never thought they would, or could, like science.

Tyson is the recipient of nineteen honorary doctorates and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award given by NASA to a non-government citizen. His contributions to the public appreciation of the cosmos have been recognized by the International Astronomical Union in their official naming of asteroid 13123 Tyson. On the lighter side, Tyson was voted Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive by People magazine in 2000.

In February 2012, Tyson released his tenth book, containing every thought he has ever had on the past, present, and future of space exploration: Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier.

Recently Tyson served as Executive Editor and on camera host and narrator for Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey, the 21st century reboot of Carl Sagan's landmark television series. The show began in March 2014 and ran thirteen episodes in primetime on the Fox network, and appeared in 181 countries in 45 languages around the world on the National Geographic Channels. Cosmos, which is also available in DVD and BluRay , won four Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, two Critics Choice awards, as well as a dozen other industry recognitions.

Tyson is the fifth head of the world-renowned Hayden Planetarium in New York City and the first occupant of its Frederick P. Rose Directorship. He is also a research associate of the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History.

Neil deGrasse Tyson lives in New York City with his wife, a former IT Manager with Bloomberg Financial Markets, and their two kids.

Thurmeier’s short film No Time for Nuts (2006) was nominated for a 2007 Oscar, and won the Annie for best animated short.  He was supervising animator on the hit animated feature Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! (2008), co-director on the global smash Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) and director on the blockbuster Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012).

Chu is a graduate of the Pratt Institute, where he studied illustration and animation.  While at Pratt, he participated in a prestigious Disney training program and did freelance work for clients including Charmin and Nickelodeon.  He currently resides in Queens, NY, with his wife and baby daughter. 

Having always been fascinated by the Ice Age and by the majesty of its unique creatures, Forte came up with the idea to make a movie that captured that icy world and its extraordinary inhabitants. A movie franchise was born when Ice Age sub-zero heroes Manny, Sid, Diego and Scrat—and their incredible world—arrived in theaters around the globe. Forte went on to develop and produce Ice Age: The Meltdown, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Ice Age: Continental Drift. She also produced the Academy Award-nominated short No Time for Nuts.

She was producer on Epic and executive produced two Ice Age television specials: Ice Age: Mammoth Christmas (2011) and Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade, the latter airing this spring. She is currently producing the 2017 release Ferdinand.

Previously, Forte was an executive at NBC-TV, where she helped develop television comedy series.  Forte then joined Columbia Pictures Television, where she was vice president of comedy development, overseeing a variety of pilots and series, including Parker Lewis Can’t Lose. 

He has also written other family movies, such as Shark Tale (Dreamworks), and Gladiators of Rome (Rainbow/Iginio Straffi).

Wilson is currently writing a new family franchise, Rainbow Bridge, for producers Elliot Abbott and John Levin. He is also creating an original CGI TV series for Unilever and Moonbot, and has also been working with Gavin O’Connor and Warner Bros. on a drug cartel feature, Blood In, Blood Out.

Wilson has five children ages 2 - 25 and lives with his wife Regina in Camarillo.

Berg’s various studio assignments have included novel adaptations and comedy punch-up, for Miramax, Illumination, Universal, MGM and Revolution Studios.

Berg is currently adapting the classic children’s book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH as a live-action CGI hybrid for MGM.

He received a BA in History from Rutgers College, and attended the American Film Institute's MFA program as a screenwriting fellow. Berg sold his original feature script The New Jersey Turnpikes, to Universal Pictures and was admitted to the Writer’s Guild West at the age of 26. He has been an active member of the guild for the last 20 years.

In addition to penning screenplays, Berg has written articles and short stories for magazines such as Details and Rosebud.
YONI BRENNER (Screenplay) has written for a number of Fox/Blue Sky productions, including Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Rio and Rio 2.  He has written song lyrics for all of those movies, as well as for ICE AGE: COLLISION COURSE.  Brenner is also active in television, developing original shows for Warner Bros., Comedy Central, and HBO.

In addition to screenwriting, he is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker, and his short humor has been published in The New York Times, GQ, McSweeney's, Bloomberg View and other outlets.  Brenner’s writing has appeared in several anthologies, including Disquiet, Please: More Humor Writing From the New Yorker, and The Best American Sportswriting  of 2011.  He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son.

Previously, he had written television episodes in for the fantasy/sci-fi series Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century, Beyond Westworld, Highlander, Robocop, Matrix, and the screenplay for the feature Progeny.  Solomon won an Edgar Allen Poe Special Award from the Mystery Writers of America and has also been a writer on such series as Quincy M.E., The Fall Guy, Crazy Like a Fox, Danger Bay and The New Adventures of the Black Stallion.

               As a film historian, Solomon has written three popular reference books on the Fox studio: The Films of 20^th Century Fox, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, and most recently, The Fox Film Corporation: 1915-1935.

               He has also served as writer/producer on many television documentaries including, Biography: Evel Knievel, It’s Howdy Doody Time: A 40 Year Celebration and 100 Years of the Hollywood Western, for which Solomon won a Golden Spur Award from the Western Writers of America.

Wedge wrote and directed Blue Sky’s first film, the touching short, Bunny (1998), which won an Academy Award for best animated short film.  It was the first film to use radiosity, Blue Sky’s own advanced ambient lighting technology. In addition to the Academy Award, Bunny won more than 25 international awards for animation excellence. 

Wedge went on to direct Blue Sky’s first feature length film, Ice Age (2002), which was nominated for an Academy Award for best animated feature film, followed by Robots (2005). He also directed Epic (2013).

Wedge was executive producer of Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who! (2008), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), Rio (2011), and Rio 2 (2014).

Wedge directed the upcoming science fiction adventure film Monster Trucks, for Paramount Pictures (2017).

Wedge is a graduate of the SUNY Purchase film department.  He received his Master of Arts degree in computer graphics and art education from the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and at Ohio State University.

Saldanha was Blue Sky’s supervising animator for the talking and dancing roaches in the feature film Joe’s Apartment (1996). He was the director of animation for the computer-generated characters in Fight Club (1999). Soon thereafter, Saldanha teamed with Chris Wedge to co-direct Blue Sky’s first animated features, Ice Age (2002) and Robots (2005). Ice Age was nominated for an Oscar in 2003. In 2002 Saldanha directed the animated short film Gone Nutty, which was nominated for an Oscar in 2004.

After the success of Ice Age, Saldanha took the directorial reins on Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), the third computer-animated feature film from Twentieth Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios, which was the most profitable animated movie of the year. Next came the even more successful Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, which became one of biggest grossing animated films of all time, grossing over $887 million worldwide.

In 2001 Saldanha created and directed Rio, a love letter to his hometown, which became a worldwide success, followed by Rio 2 in 2013. He is currently in production on Ferdinand, which will be in theaters everywhere in summer 2017.

 Before joining Blue Sky Studios in 2001, Palumbo worked as a freelance assistant editor on live action films, such as Fisher Steven’s Just a Kiss (2002), Rob Morrow’s Maze (2000) and Larry Clark’s Ken Park (2003). He spent the first six years of his career working at Spin Cycle Post in New York City as both an assistant sound and picture editor.

 Palumbo is from College Point New York and attended Queens College, receiving a BA in Film Studies.   
MICHAEL KNAPP (Art Director) began his career as a freelance illustrator and commercial storyboard artist, but his love for film and animation eventually steered him to the doorstep of Blue Sky Studios. After designing sets and characters on Robots, environments on Ice Age: The Meltdown, and sets and characters on Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!, Knapp was given his first opportunity to art direct on the Academy Award nominated short film starring Scrat, No Time For Nuts. 

His first feature film as Art Director was Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, followed by Epic and now Ice Age: Collision Course.