ABOUT
CEMENT SUITCASE is a comedy about the best wine salesman in the Yakima Valley. He's headed for a breakdown, and only two people can help him. One just broke into his house. The other is having an affair with his girlfriend.
This offbeat comedy was filmed on location in the rural wine country of Washington state, and has won several festival awards for its charming take on a man who decides that it’s time to let go of some baggage.
CAST
Dwayne Bartholomew is a comedian out of the bay area. He masqueraded as a cinephile while at the University of Southern California, and while he was there he performed stand-up in such world famous venues as The Ice House, The Improv, Laugh Factory, and many more. Now he focuses on his improvisational talents throughout Los Angeles (at Improv Olympic, Second City, UCB, and the Westside Comedy theater, to name a few). You may have seen his work on TV, from shows like Manswers or commercials for the Gold Coast Auto Plaza and Comcast Wireless. All told, videos starring Dwayne have have well over 1 million views on YouTube. If only he was sugar-free…
Kristina Guerrero is a correspondent for E! News covering all things Hollywood. She’s interviewed everyone from Sandra Bullock to Jennifer Aniston, Denzel Washington to Jim Carrey and yes, even Justin Beiber (gasp!). She has always had a love of the entertainment business, “old Hollywood” and Lucille Ball, so going from hosting to acting seemed like a natural transition and a cool way to follow in her idol’s footsteps. A chance encounter with her former high school classmate, writer/director Rick Castañeda put the ball into motion. Kristina always knew her drama queen ways would some day pay off, this is Kristina’s second movie, she appeared in The Bookie in 2007.
Shawn Parsons was born and raised in Alabama. He then attended the University of Alabama where he earned a business degree before moving to New York City. Shawn worked briefly in International Business before a passion was discovered and he began to train and work in the theater while studying at private studios in New York including Lee Strasberg disciple Tony Greco. In addition to many independent films, Shawn has appeared in “Twelve Years A Slave” as the Road Man, “The Sacrament” as Carpenter, and “Soldiers of Fortune” as The Pitchman. Shawn has appeared on television as “Brian” in the Parks and Recreation episode “April and Andy’s Fancy Party” and as “Frines”, one of the heads of the three families, in the Torchwood: Miracle Day episodes “Immortal Sins” and “End of the Road”. Click here to find out more about Shawn.
Nathan Sapsford is an Alien of Extraordinary Ability, according to the US Department of Immigration, which is a rather time consuming and expensive title to obtain. An actor from Sydney Australia, he has been in the States for 2 ½ years, starred in his first feature film, numerous short ones and a Blackberry campaign. His most interesting past life was that of a TV host for 5 years, otherwise known as a VJ for MTV Australia and Network TEN, where he interviewed hundreds of artists and very famous people all over the world, loved doing live TV, hosted award shows, won a couple and proudly still has a poster or 2 on teenage bedroom walls. If only without that haircut..
CREW
J. Rick Castañeda is a writer/director/producer and co-founder of Psychic Bunny. His works have been around the world to festivals in Canada, Japan, and Romania, as well as festivals here in the ol’ U.S. of A., such as SXSW. He’s made over 30 short films with his sketch comedy group, Six Finger Fist, earning recognition from YouTube, Crackle, and Funny or Die. Coma, Period., a 10-episode comedy webseries about a man stuck inside a coma, was given a rave review in the New York Times, and has over 1,000,000 views. He has also directed webisodes for Disney and MSN. A published author, an accomplished director, and a trusted friend, Rick is very excited about Cement Suitcase, his first feature film. You can view his reel and find more information over at www.rickcastaneda.com
Doug Spice, former Data Entry Specialist (Level I), is a filmmaker from a small country known as the United States of America. He is a graduate of the USC School of Cinema-Television, and one of the founders of Psychic Bunny, where he has been busy producing and directing award-winning (and non-award-winning) projects for film, web, television, interactive, and “other. Cement Suitcaseis the second feature film he has produced, and the first to feature dinosaurs. If you enjoyed the dinosaurs in the movie, be sure to tell him so.
Stacey Wilson graduated from the University of Kentucky. With a BFA Theatre degree in hand, Stacey headed to LA, where she blossomed in front of the camera, and behind the scenes, while working at 525 Post Production, 3-Ring Circus, Telezign/TZLA, and Weller-Grossman Productions, where she produced shows for The Food Network and HGTV. Stacey’s producing experience also includes 2 feature films, as well as numerous theatre and live event shows, including VOXBOX Arts Collective, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Groundlings’ hit, The Black Version, and upcoming shows for the Grand Guignoliers.
Jeffrey Waldron was born in the United States, but spent his formative years around the world, living in seven cities in four countries on three continents before graduating high school. His career in filmmaking began in animation, completing his first 16mm animated short at the age of ten. His passion for imagery gained further momentum in the years that followed, ultimately leading him to California. He currently works as a freelance filmmaker, photographer, musician and entrepreneur in Los Angeles. Jeffrey was recently nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for his work on The Dynamiter.
Lawrence Everson is a freelance sound designer and re-recording mixer based out of Los Angeles. Films he’s mixed include the critically acclaimed 45365 (Independent Spirit Award Winner and recipient of the SXSW Grand Jury Prize), and Vanishing of the Bees, narrated by Academy Award Nominee Ellen Page. His portfolio spans works as diverse as radio theatre engineering to developing sound design for US Army training simulators, and he has recorded location audio around the world from rural Uganda to Mt. Everest base camp. Lawrence is excited to be a part of the Cement Suitcase team, and one of these days will think of a wittier way to conclude his biography.
Sonia Pineda is a writer/producer in Los Angeles. In high school, she co-wrote The Freedom Writers Diary, which MTV and Paramount Pictures turned into a movie starring Hilary Swank. After serving as an advisor on that film, Sonia began work on “Stories From An Undeclared War,” the follow-up documentary, which recently became an Official Selection at The Newport Beach Film Festival. Sonia continues to produce, most notably at Psychic Bunny, where the projects range from WWI shorts to a webseries for Disney Interactive.
John William Ross grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He studied at the University of Southern California, earning a degree in Cinema-Television Production, then continued his studies at the California Institute of the Arts, receiving an MFA in Writing in 2004. His short films “The Stress” and “Miss Goldman” have been featured in various film festivals and distributed internationally. His first feature film, “Freaky Faron,” is now available on DVD and Netflix Streaming. He currently resides in Los Angeles where his is hard at work on his ninth feature length screenplay and various other film projects.
Patrick Ibarra is an Associate Producer for Cement Suitcase. Patrick was a sports journalist for seven years after graduating from Gonzaga University in 2003, working as a sports writer and/or editor at such places as the Sacramento Union Newspaper, the Tri-City Herald Newspaper, Folsom Life Newspaper and Village Life Newspaper. Patrick is currently the Managing Editor of California's oldest newspaper, the Mountain Democrat Newspaper. Whether tackling auditions for this film, or handling some of its public relations duties, Patrick’s a writer at heart who maintained his own website, TheSportsInformant, amongst many other projects, and is excited to be working on a film in Cement Suitcase he thinks will be the next big thing.
Tasha Castaneda is a Senior Strategic Alliance Manager for a software company by day, Executive Producer by night. Tasha is a Granger native and big sister to the writer/director. She chose to get involved in order to utilize her leadership and organizational skills, spotlight the area she grew up in, and to support the director’s vision. Tasha is a former teacher, a movie lover, and a tickle monster. She loves getting groups to work together and have fun, and she was instrumental in not only getting Cement Suitcase off the ground, but out the door and off to festivals.
