Production Notes
For additional publicity materials and artwork, please visit:
http://lionsgatepublicity.com/epk/peeples
www.lionsgatepublicity.com
Rating:
PG-13 for some violence, sexuality, and drug content
Run time: 95 minutes
Official Site: http://www.peeplesmovie.com
Facebook: www.fb.com/peeplesthemovie
Twitter: #PeeplesPerson
For more information, please contact:
Jennifer Lopez
Lionsgate
2700 Colorado Avenue
Suite 200
Santa Monica, CA 90404
P: 310-255-3879
E: jlopez@lionsgate.com
Kimberly Ehlmann
Lionsgate
2700 Colorado Avenue
Suite 200
Santa Monica, CA 90404
P: 310-255-5086
E: kehlmann@lionsgate.com
Cast (Character):
Craig Robinson (Wade Walker)
Kerry Washington (Grace Peeples)
David Alan Grier (Virgil Peeples)
S. Epatha Merkerson (Daphne Peeples)
Tyler James Williams (Simon Peeples)
with Melvin Van Peebles (Grandpa Peeples)
and Diahann Carroll (Nana Peeples)
Malcolm Barrett (Chris Walker)
Kali Hawk (Gloria Peeples)
Ana Gasteyer (Mayor Hodge)
Kimrie Lewis-Davis (Meg)
Written and Directed by:
Produced by:
Produced by:
Produced by:
Produced by:
Produced by:
Executive Producer:
Executive Producer:
Executive Producers:
Director of Photography:
Production Designer:
Film Editor:
Costume Designer:
Music by:
Music Supervisor:
Executive Music Producer:
Co-Producer:
Casting by:
Tina Gordon Chism
Tyler Perry
Stephanie Allain
Paul Hall
Ozzie Areu
Matt Moore
Michael Paseornek
Preston Holmes
Charles S. Dutton, Sherry Marsh
Alexander Gruszynski, ASC
Rick Butler
David Moritz
Paul Simmons
Aaron Zigman
Joel C. High
Stephen Bray
H.H. Cooper
Kim Taylor-Coleman, CSA
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ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Tyler Perry Presents Peeples focuses on that dreaded, anxiety-filled rite of passage that just
about anyone in a long-term relationship has to face: winning over the in-laws. Lionsgate’s and 34th
Street Film’s winning comedy tells the story of Wade Walker and Grace Peeples, a happily cohabitating
couple who are deeply in love, except for one catch: after one year together, Grace still hasn’t introduced
Wade to her discerning, upper-crust family. Taking matters into his own hands, Wade decides to crash
Grace’s family reunion. But his master plan to charm the Peeples and propose to Grace goes hilariously
off the rails when he finds himself surrounded by a clan of dysfunctional over-achievers who will do
anything to keep up appearances.
Written and directed by Tina Gordon Chism, Peeples marks the latest film from Tyler Perry’s
specialty production company, 34th Street Films, which is one of the production companies responsible
for the Perry-directed, For Colored Girls. For Perry, the decision to support Peeples was an easy one. He
was already a fan of Chism’s writing – she wrote the screenplays for the acclaimed features Drumline and
ATL – and Chism’s producing partner, Stephanie Allain, had made her name bringing smart films like
Hustle and Flow and Something New to the screen. “It made sense to me,” says Perry. “Tina is a great
writer, and her style is sophisticated but still really accessible. I wanted to give her the opportunity to
write and direct her own movie. I know what that feels like. So if I could use 34th Street to give her a
platform to do some great things, then I wanted to be in.”
“A lot of times the writer is shut out of the filmmaking process,” Chism explains. “And with this,
because it was a comedy, because I wanted the jokes to play in a specific way, it was very hard for me to
let it go. I had a really clear idea of what I wanted things to look like. I’m so grateful that I got the
opportunity to see it through.”
Peeples producer Ozzie Areu, who is also President of Tyler Perry Studios, was attracted to
Chism’s fresh take on a universal family story, “It’s a modern day film that isn’t afraid of tackling
challenging themes, and it’s packed with highly engaging and bold characters.”
While Peeples is a comedy first and foremost, the film exposes how we hide who we really are
out of fear that others won't love us. “Everyone in this movie has a secret,” says actress Kerry
Washington, who stars as Grace Peeples. “It takes Wade coming into the fold for this house of cards to
really fall apart.”
“What I love about this film,” adds actor Craig Robinson, who plays Wade, “is that you have all
the big laughs, the big set pieces, of a hit comedy. But Tina also wrote great characters. They all feel so
real, and it makes the comedy pop.”
From her earliest days writing the script, Chism had imagined Kerry Washington in the role of
Grace Peeples, even though the highly regarded actress is known primarily for her dramatic work on the
current ABC series, “Scandal,” and hard-hitting features like Mother and Child and For Colored Girls.
“Kerry was in my mind from the moment I wrote Grace Peeples,” says Chism. “She’s super smart, and
she’s comedic and strong in this delicious Katherine Hepburn way.”
To Chism’s delight, Washington immediately responded to the role and to the opportunity to try
her hand at comedy. “This film came along at a time when I really needed it,” explains Washington. “I’d
been doing material that was very heavy and this was the ideal way to stretch out and have fun.”
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An ambitious, Type-A career woman from an upper-class family, Grace Peeples is strong,
opinionated, and holds down a coveted job practicing law at the United Nations. Yet despite these
accomplishments, she’s still too frightened to introduce her boyfriend, Wade – a happy-go-lucky
children’s entertainer – to her judgmental family. “Wade doesn’t quite fit the mold of where she comes
from,” says Washington. “She just doesn’t know how to bring the two together. And she’s terrified to do
so. So in a typical Grace Peeples, strategic way of thinking, she decides to avoid having them meet and
just pretend the problem doesn’t exist.”
Grace leaves Wade behind for an annual family reunion at her parents’ home in tony Sag Harbor,
NY; but Wade, dead set on meeting the Peeples, arrives unannounced at the Peeples’ eight-bedroom,
seaside mansion, completely unprepared for the showdown that awaits. Rising comedy star Craig
Robinson, who gained notice for standout supporting performances on NBC’s “The Office” and in
features like Hot Tub Time Machine, effortlessly assumes the role of comic leading man. “Playing Wade
has definitively given me some time to play on screen,” says Robinson. “Wade gets to do some silly
things, but he’s also very vulnerable in this film and gets to show his tender side.”
“I can’t imagine another actor in this role,” affirms Washington. “Craig is so sensitive and warm
and emotionally available and also just drop dead hilarious. I learned so much from him.”
Together on screen, the two actors create a winning odd couple so full of love and mutual
acceptance that audiences can’t help but cheer them on. Says Washington, “Tina wrote this very
charming, very true-to-life, wonderful couple. They both love each other’s quirks, the creative and
eccentric parts of each other’s personalities.”
Adds producer Stephanie Allain, “Grace is very sophisticated and wound tight and Wade has this
genuine, lovable teddy bear-ness, and their personalities are great together. Kerry and Craig really make
the audience believe in their love.”
Unfortunately, Grace’s and Wade’s continuing happiness faces one giant hurdle: Grace’s father,
Virgil Peeples, a stuffy, high-minded federal judge who keeps his entire family in thrall to his own high
standards. “Virgil is based on a real man,” reveals Chism. “I won’t say who, but he’s a well known
African American public figure who said some inappropriate things about a date I brought to a dinner
party. And that’s who inspired Virgil. I remember thinking then, he would be the worst Dad to have to
introduce a boyfriend to.”
“Virgil is a self-made man,” says veteran actor David Alan Grier (“In Living Color,” “DAG,”
“My Wife and Kids”) of his character. “He’s incredibly successful and distinguished and Grace is his
eldest and favorite daughter. She looks to him for approval and nothing she does in her eyes is ever
enough.”
Virgil, above all, prizes cultural and intellectual pursuits, and he insists that his family come
together annually to celebrate Moby Dick Day, a holiday in Sag Harbor that celebrates the town’s ties to
the American literary classic, “Moby Dick.” Wade’s attempts to ingratiate himself with the Peeples’
celebration hilariously backfires, setting off a competitive showdown with Virgil that culminates in a
face-off in a Native American sweat lodge.”
“Judge Peeples is all about tradition and keeping his flock in line,” says Craig Robinson. “He's a
control freak, and the sweat lodge is all about manhood. It’s a trial of manhood just to be able to sit there
and take the heat.”
Known to audiences for over twenty years of work on the television mainstay, “Law and Order,”
actress S. Epatha Merkerson finally gets to cut loose in the role of Daphne Peeples, Grace’s mother. “I’m
never seen for comedy, so I had a blast,” reports Merkerson. “It requires a different focus altogether as an
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actor. Daphne is zany and wild and emotional. She was a singer back in her youth and a one-hit wonder,
and she misses that life terribly. So now she drowns her sorrows in these herbal smoothies that have a bit
more of a kick than anyone expected.”
“Epatha is completely uninhibited,” says producer Paul Hall. “She will have you on the floor.
She’s absolutely crazy. She's sexy. They say that in most comedians there’s a dramatic actor. Well, in
her case there’s a comedian busting out of the dramatic actor.”
Just like her older sister Grace, the younger Peeples sister, Gloria, is highly driven. A news
anchor for CNN, Gloria also harbors a big secret: her “best friend” Meg, who she’s brought home to
family gatherings for nine years now, is really her longtime girlfriend. That no one in the family has
questioned this relationship is testament to how committed the Peeples are to appearances. “Gloria is so
desperate for her father’s approval that it’s actually driven her to become successful in the public eye,”
says actress Kali Hawk. But for all of Gloria’s public announcements as a news anchor, “she’s hoping
that this weekend she manages to get away with not saying anything at all.”
Hawk caught Chism’s attention for her performance in the comedic feature, Couples Retreat, but
it was her audition tape that won her the part. “Kali is an amazing improviser,” reveals Chism. “Her tape
was so quirky and awesome that I knew I had to have her. She’s a joy. It’s breathtaking the range of
characters that she can create.”
As played by actress Kimrie Lewis-Davis, Gloria’s camerawoman girlfriend, Meg, is “everything
that Gloria doesn't allow herself to be.” Where Gloria is controlled and almost prim, Meg is grounded
and strong. “Meg is the only character who's fully in her boots,” explains Lewis-Davis. “She really
knows who she is. She doesn't have a secret. And her whole agenda during this weekend is to get Gloria
to come out after nine years of hiding. Meg wants to express their love freely.”
The remaining Peeples sibling is sixteen-year-old Simon, the young, “change-of-life” baby who’s
a budding genius, but deeply confused about how to relate to girls in a normal way. “Simon is a robotics
champion. He makes his own music. But he has issues,” says actor Tyler James Williams (“Everybody
Hates Chris”). “There are moments when he blows up because he really resents his father. And he’s also a
bit of a kleptomaniac. He likes to steal things and impress girls with anything he can show off.”
“Tyler’s already done years and years of comedy on television and in films, so it was exciting for
me to be learning from somebody who’s so young and bright and generous,” says Kerry Washington. “He
was a joy to work with.”
Adds Chism, “I told everyone on set, ‘Follow Tyler, he's a pro.’ From the moment I met him he
was prepared. He's just a very special guy and he delivered beyond my expectations.”
While Wade’s unexpected visit throws a wrench in the Peeples’ family reunion, things get even
more complicated when Wade’s brother, Chris, arrives unannounced. A charming lothario, Chris
genuinely wants to help his brother, but he repeatedly manages only to make things worse. “Chris is the
devil and the angel on Wade’s shoulder at the same time,” explains actor Malcolm Barrett. “He’s a
charming liar, and he’s reckless. Wade is thoughtful and trying to plan out things, but Chris is more like,
‘Let’s have fun. Let's do this and meet the ladies.’ He definitely leaps before he looks.”
“Malcolm Barrett and his character, Chris, have a lot in common,” laughs Chism. “They’re both
mischievous and charismatic and charming. And funny all the time. As soon as I saw Malcolm, I knew
he’d make a perfect brother to Craig Robinson. They have a great chemistry.”
Rounding out the cast in the roles of Grandpa and Nana Peebles – Virgil’s parents – are two
pioneering actors and living legends, Melvin Van Peebles and Diahann Carroll. Van Peebles became
known as the writer and director of such seminal films as Watermelon Man and Sweet Sweetback’s
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Baadasssss Song before adding the roles of composer and actor to his resumé; Carroll, after establishing
herself in musical theater (she was the first African American actress to win a Tony Award®), went on to
receive an Academy Award® nomination for Best Actress for Claudine, and later became the first African
American actress to star in her own television series, “Julia.” Widely respected for their bodies of work,
the two actors are admired for paving the way for subsequent generations of African American actors, and
their achievements were not lost on the cast and crew of Peeples. S. Epatha Merkerson remembers riding
the cast bus to the first day of rehearsal when Diahann Carroll stood up and made an announcement. “She
said how thankful she was to be there and how proud she was of all of us who were young and black and
making our movies, and taking it to the next level,” recalls Merkerson. “I can’t tell you how impactful
that was for all of us.”
“It was incredibly inspiring for all of us to have them both on the set,” says Chism. “It was the
beginning of our shoot and it just set the tone perfectly.”
As Grandpa Peebles, Van Peebles brings an ornery gruffness to the role that sheds light on how
his son Virgil became such a tyrant. “Grandpa is rough on Virgil,” says Van Peebles. “He’s a hard nut to
crack. A hard guy to please.”
“Grandpa isn’t impressed by anything I’ve accomplished,” explains Grier. “He’s constantly
getting those digs in: ‘I wouldn’t have done it that way,’ or ‘I tried to tell you, but this is how you are.’
We get to see very clearly that it’s a dynamic that’s been passed from Grandpa to Virgil, and from Virgil
to Grace.”
While Diahann Carroll already plays the role of ‘Nana’ in her actual family, she enjoyed
exploring the Peebles version onscreen. She says, “Nana observes her children very carefully. She’s a
little removed, a little austere, a little dinosaur-ish. But I enjoyed her. She’s got an edge to her.”
As Chism continued to work on the script during pre-production, she and her filmmaking team
realized music was playing an increasingly large role in the production. While Peeples is by no means a
musical, it features a number of musical sequences performed by the characters: the opening number
features Wade offering self-help advice to children in a song, “Speak it, Don’t Leak It”; Simon composes
his own rap song; Virgil and Grandpa Peebles become embroiled in a step dance-off; and Wade convinces
Daphne Peeples to perform an off-the-cuff duet of her one-time hit song, “Turn You On.”
“The process was really fun because we worked with actors who can actually sing,” says
Stephanie Allain. “Epatha has a wonderful voice. She was a musical theater person before she was a
straight actress, and it's a chance for her to really show her chops. Everybody that you hear in the movie
is singing with their own voices. It’s become a bigger and bigger part of the movie as we made it. It's
like a mini-musical.”
Chism found an ideal musical partner in Stephanie Allain’s husband, Stephen Bray, a composer
whose collaborations with Madonna resulted in many of her hits from the 1980s, and who also earned a
Tony Award® nomination for his score of the Broadway musical, The Color Purple. Says Chism, “You
never know when you're writing a film with music how it's going to gel until that partner comes into your
life. I was very lucky to find Stephen. He matched my sense of humor and understood how the music fit
into this film. He’s also a wonderful musician.”
While the story of Peeples is set in Sag Harbor, New York – a tony summer community on Long
Island – production for the movie took place along the Connecticut shoreline between the picturesque
towns of Greenwich and Norwalk. “We found this amazing little seaside village called Rowayton,” says
Chism, “and it's a charming, beautiful town that perfectly mimics the whaling village of Sag Harbor.”
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Aside from its convenient proximity to New York City, Greenwich was also home to a stunning
seaside mansion with eight bedrooms and four floors that perfectly matched Chism’s vision of the
Peeples’ home. “It was just magnificent. And it fit the family. It fit the Peeples’ family,” says producer
Matt Moore. “So there was no question. Everything centered around the house.”
Over the course of production, the cast of Peeples developed such a tight bond they became their
own family. Cast members spent as much time together off-set as on, going so far as collectively giving
up their trailers in favor of living together in one house. Says Washington, “This is the most fun I have
ever had on a film set. Ever. We’ve loved each other like family. We’ve had arguments like family. We
made up like family. It was a very trusting, artistic environment, and it allowed for everybody to expose
new levels of capability and talent.”
“They're all really, really smart people,” marvels Chism. “And their intelligence was the glue
that held them all together. It created an electric chemistry on the set.”
Much of the bonding occurred over music, with most of the cast members relishing after-hours
sessions of singing and improvisation. Stephanie Allain recalls, “Once we got to set, Craig would sit
down at the piano and they all just started improvising and singing. It was literally so loud on set with the
joy of our cast we had to dampen the piano, because we couldn't get enough work done.”
Presiding over her jubilant cast, director Tina Gordon Chism handily met the task of directing her
first feature despite the production’s myriad challenges. “There were so many elements in this film that
would intimidate a first-time director,” says producer Paul Hall. “It's a big ensemble cast with a lot of
tricky sequences with animals and music and shooting on water. But Tina just committed to the notion of
being at the helm of her own vision. She knew exactly what she wanted. And she exceeded everyone’s
expectations.”
Adds producer Ozzie Areu, “As a producer, working with Tina was what we all hope for:
professionalism, passion, and the persistence to make the impossible possible! She did a fantastic job.”
The cast also appreciated Chism’s willingness to re-write – she revised the script once casting
was complete and tailored the parts to her cast – and to improvise during production. “I really loved
improvising on set,” reports Kali Hawk. “Tina was most happy when there was a nice blend of her
writing, which is wonderful and fabulous, and then these infusions of improvisation. There were just
endless possibilities of what we could discover.”
Now that the film is completed, the filmmakers hope that audiences will laugh at the Peeples’
dysfunctional antics and recognize their own families in the film’s characters. “‘Dysfunctional’ to me
means ‘normal,’” states Grier. “I’ve never seen or met a normal family where there isn’t some weird
thing going on.”
Adds Hawk, “We all have anxiety when we bring someone home to meet our family. But we
forget that the person we’re bringing home probably comes from just as eccentric or dysfunctional a
family as ours.”
As the Peeples wrestle with their various secrets, eventually the lies give way to hilarious, and
revealing, truths. But however embarrassing or frightening those truths may be, Peeples suggests that
we’re all the better for sharing them. Says Kerry Washington, “The things that really define the story of
your life are your relationships, whether it’s personal or professional. And that’s what this film is about.
It’s asks, How do we create a world around us that feels like home and still allows us to be all that we
are?”
“The whole movie,” says Stephanie Allain, “really is about speaking your feelings, coming out
with it, trusting your instincts, and being comfortable showing your truth to the people you love.”
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“We can love each other in spite of our flaws,” agrees director Tina Gordon Chism. “Perhaps we
can even love each other because of them.”
About the Cast
CRAIG ROBINSON (Wade Walker) Currently appearing in the ninth and final season of the
Emmy®-winning “The Office” on NBC, Robinson portrays acerbic Dunder-Mifflin employee Darryl
Philbin. He is definitely a world away from his original career intentions; before deciding to pursue his
comedy career full time, Robinson was a K-8 teacher in the Chicago Public School System. He earned
his undergraduate degree from Illinois State University and his Master of Education from St. Xavier
University. It was while he was studying education in Chicago that he also discovered his love of
acting and comedy when he joined the famed Second City Theatre.
As a stand-up comedian, Robinson first made his mark in the comedy circuit at the 1998
Montreal “Just For Laughs” Festival. That year, he also won the Oakland Comedy Festival Awards
and the Miller Genuine Draft 1996 Comedy Search. He soon went on to perform his act on “The
Jimmy Kimmel Show,” and “Real Time with Bill Maher.” Now headlining venues and festivals across
the country, he does both solo acts as well as full-band sets – “The Nast Delicious” – tying together his
lyrical comedy with his finesse at the piano. Whether Robinson shows up with just his keyboard or
also with his seven-man band, the clubs are packed to the brims with raucous laughter in response to
the musical comedy on display.
His rise to success with “The Office” and his stand-up prowess quickly brought him to the
forefront with industry comedy maven Judd Apatow. Robinson made audiences question their notions
of vanity playing the sensitive bouncer in Knocked Up. He then kept audiences glued to their seats as
one of the henchman hunting Seth Rogen and James Franco’s bumbling stoner characters in Pineapple
Express, and made fans squirm when he co-starred with Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks in Zack And
Miri Make A Porno.
In 2010, Robinson with Rob Corddry and John Cusack starred in the sleeper hit Hot Tub Time
Machine for MGM and director Steve Pink. The story follows three grown-up men (Robinson, Corddry,
and Cusack) as they visit the hot tub where they once partied, accidentally discover it is now a time
machine, and travel back to their raunchy heyday in the mid-1980s. Fans’ voices spoke loudly, and early
negotiations are currently in progress for a sequel.
In February of this year, he will be heard as a character in The Weinstein Company’s first
animated feature, Escape From Planet Earth. And in May, finally getting his due with his first leading
man role, Robinson is starring in the comedy Peeples for Lionsgate and producer Tyler Perry. Playing a
pushy boyfriend, Robinson surprises his fiancée-to-be (Kerry Washington) who is on a trip home to visit
her family and discovers that the family is not only surprised to see him, but has never even heard of
him.
Later this summer, he appears as himself as part of the Hollywood juggernaut that makes up the
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg comedy world. With the likes of James Franco, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel,
Seth Rogen, Emma Watson, Danny McBride, and a slew of their other actor-type friends, Sony Pictures’
This Is The End tells us what will happen when while attending a party at James Franco's house the
celebrities are faced with the apocalypse.
Robinson has made it a point to flesh out every element of his resume, turning in a hilarious
cameo in Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian as one of the Tuskegee Airman, lending his
8
comedy genius to fellow Apatow devotee Danny McBride in his HBO television series “East Bound &
Down,” and voicing several characters on “The Cleveland Show.” Robinson was heard in the final
chapter of the Shrek film series, Shrek Forever After, as one of the new characters being introduced to
the repertoire, a member of the ogre clan and the camp’s resident chef named “Cookie.” And taking a
dramatically different role, Robinson starred in the independent feature Father Of Invention with Kevin
Spacey and Camilla Belle.
Robinson’s additional credits include the films The Goods with Jeremy Piven, Miss March,
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girl and television shows including
“Friends,” “The Bernie Mac Show,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” He also turned up as a preacher in
the demonstrative web video celebrity push in support of Gay rights, “Prop 8: The Musical” with Jack
Black, John C. Reilly, and Neil Patrick Harris.
Robinson currently resides in Los Angeles.
KERRY WASHINGTON (Grace Peeples) is a versatile and fearless actress who continues to
shine on both the big screen and small. A native of the Bronx, Washington has received high acclaim for
her work on stage, on television and on film.
Washington debuted in 2000 in the highly acclaimed independent film Our Song and later in the
film Save The Last Dance, for which she received a Teen Choice Award for Best Breakout Performance.
Her performance in the 2002 film Lift earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best
Actress. In the years following her debut, Kerry starred in several films including Bad Company, The
United States Of Leland, The Human Stain, Sin, Against The Rope and She Hate Me.
In 2004, Washington starred alongside Jamie Foxx in the Academy Award® nominated hit Ray.
Her performance earned her the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. In
the years to follow, Washington was seen in Sexual Life, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Fantastic Four, Littleman,
The Dead Girl, I Think I Love My Wife, Fantastic 4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer, Miracle At St. Anna, Life
Is Hot In Cracktown, and Mother And Child. Washington received NAACP Image Award nominations
for her performances in the 2006 film The Last King Of Scotland and the 2010 film Night Catches Us.
Her performance in the 2008 film Lakeview Terrace earned her a Best Actress nomination at the BET
Awards.
In 2010, Washington starred in Tyler Perry’s For Colored Girls alongside Phylicia Rashad,
Whoopi Goldberg, Janet Jackson and Thandie Newton. That year Washington also made her Broadway
debut in David Mamet’s Race, starring James Spader and David Alan Grier. Most recently, Washington
was seen in The Details with Tobey Maguire as well as A Thousand Words alongside Eddie Murphy.
Washington can currently be seen in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained alongside Jamie
Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson. The film was nominated for a Golden
Globe® for Best Picture. Washington can next be seen in Peeples with Craig Robinson.
In 2012, Washington broke barriers by becoming the first African-American woman to a headline
a network TV show since the 1974 short-lived series “Get Christie Love.” The ABC drama “Scandal”
continues to receive high acclaim from both critics and fans. The show is currently in its second season.
Washington was nominated for a NAACP Image Award for her portrayal of Olivia Pope in 2013. The
show received a 2013 NAACP Image Award nomination as well.
An activist, Washington was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President’s Committee
of the Arts and Humanities. She also is an active member of the V-Counsel, an esteemed group of
advisors to V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls.
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Washington is currently a brand ambassador for Movado.
DAVID ALAN GRIER (Virgil Peeples) received his third Tony Award®-nomination in 2012
for his "stand-out role of the rakish, drug-dealing Sporting Life" (NY Times) in The Gershwin's Porgy &
Bess. In 2009/2010 Grier starred in David Mamet’s acclaimed play RACE opposite James Spader and
Kerry Washington at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway for which he received his second Tony
Award®-nomination. He was previously nominated for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and won the
Theatre World Award for The First, and drew acclaim for his stage performances in Dreamgirls, A
Soldier’s Play, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Grier received an MFA from the
Yale School of Drama.
His television work is highlighted by a turn as principal cast member on the Emmy Award®
winning “In Living Color” (1990–1994) where he helped to create some of the show’s most memorable
characters, “DAG” (2000–2001) and “Life with Bonnie” (2003) which earned an Image and Golden
Satellite nomination. David created, wrote and executive produced a show for Comedy Central called
“Chocolate News (2008).”
Grier made his film debut in Streamers (1983), directed by Robert Altman for which he won the
Golden Lion for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. He appeared in the Wayans Brothers’ spoof
movie Dance Flick (2009) and recently wrapped filming the comedy Peeples, produced by Tyler Perry,
opposite Craig Robinson and Kerry Washington.
In Grier’s first book, BARACK LIKE ME: The Chocolate Covered Truth (Touchstone / Simon &
Schuster; October 6, 2009), the acclaimed comedian expounds on politics, culture and race while
recounting his own life story in this edgy, timely, timeless, and hilarious memoir and look at all things
Barack.
S. EPATHA MERKERSON (Daphne Peeples) An Emmy®, Golden Globe®, SAG and NAACP
Award winner, S. Epatha Merkerson has won critical acclaim for her brilliant work in theatre, film and
television.
Merkerson can currently be seen hosting TV One’s “Find Our Missing,” which draws attention to
missing Black Americans whose stories are largely ignored in national media coverage. She is also
recurring on NBC’s “Deception” opposite Meagan Good.
She makes her directing debut with her documentary, The Contradictions Of Fair Hope, and also
serves as Executive Producer. The film explores the benevolent societies that formed in the South after
the Civil War and helped emancipated slaves adapt to their newfound freedom. The film recently won
four awards at the San Diego Black Film Festival, including the “Filmmakers Choice Award,” “Best
Documentary,” “Best Film” and “Best Director” for Epatha and her co-director, Rockell Metcalf.
Merkerson recently appeared on the big screen in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, which was released
in December 2012 and will next appear in Peeples, produced by Tyler Perry and set for release May 2013.
Merkerson got her start on “Pee Wee's Playhouse” and in guest appearances on “The Cosby
Show” and “Frasier,” as well as numerous TV films, before landing the role of Lieutenant Anita Van
Buren on NBC’s “Law & Order.” During her sixteen years on the show, she earned 9 SAG Award
nominations as a member of the ensemble cast and 10 NAACP Image Award nominations for
“Outstanding Supporting Actress,” winning three. She appeared in more episodes than any other cast
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member during the series' run and holds the distinction of being the longest-running African-American
character on a primetime television series.
In 2006, for starring in George C. Wolfe’s Lackawanna Blues for HBO Films, Merkerson won
the Emmy®, Golden Globe®, Screen Actors Guild Award, NAACP Image Award, Gracie Allen Award
and earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
Additional film credits include: Radio, Jersey Girl, Random Hearts, Terminator II: Judgment
Day, Jacob’s Ladder, Navy Seals, Loose Cannons, Black Snake Moan, Slipstream and Mother And Child.
On Broadway, Merkerson starred in Come Back Little Sheba and earned nominations for the
®
Tony , Drama League and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Additional stage credits include Suzan LoriParks' F**KING A (Lucille Lortel nomination); August Wilson's Piano Lesson (Tony, Drama Desk and
Helen Hayes nominations); the Young Playwrights Festival's production of I'm Not Stupid (Obie Award);
The Old Settler (Helen Hayes Award), and Cheryl West's Birdie Blue (Obie Award, Lucille Lortel
nomination and Drama League Distinguished Performance Award).
Merkerson is a longtime supporter of the American Lung Association, whose mission is to save
lives by preventing lung disease and promoting lung health. She is a graduate of Wayne State University
with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in May 2009.
TYLER JAMES WILLIAMS (Simon Peeples) Perhaps best known for his starring role on the
Emmy Award®-winning series "Everybody Hates Chris," Tyler James Williams made his return to
primetime network television this fall co-starring as ‘Owen’ in the NBC comedy “Go On,” alongside
Matthew Perry. Picked up for a second season, the show was nominated for a People’s Choice Award for
‘Favorite New Comedy’ and continues to grow from week to week in its first season.
‘Owen’ is a member of the mandatory support group that sports talk radio host ‘Ryan King’
(Matthew Perry) must join before getting back to work on-air after the loss of his wife. ‘Owen,’ who
reluctantly joins the support group after a family tragedy, is drawn out of his shell by Ryan.
Last summer, Williams starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie “Let It Shine” as ‘Cyrus
DeBarge,’ a gifted rapper full of self-doubt, and was recently nominated for an NAACP Image Award for
his performance.
Of the multiple accolades given to the multiple award-winning series "Everybody Hates Chris,"
Williams won the 2007 NAACP Image Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.
Williams can also be seen next on the big screen in the Tyler Perry comedy Peeples out on May
th
10 , from Lionsgate. He also starred in the feature film Unaccompanied Minors.
He began acting at the age of four on "Sesame Street" and later co-starred in the animated series,
"Little Bill." Additional television credits include "Law & Order: SVU" and numerous appearances in
sketches on "Saturday Night Live."
In his free time, Williams enjoys playing basketball and watching his favorite team, the Miami
Heat. He also plays the drums and guitar.
Born October 9 in New York, Williams currently resides in Los Angeles with his mom, dad, and
brothers Tylen and Tyrel, and their Silky Terrier, "Benny ‘Ruff-Neck’ Williams."
DIAHANN CARROLL (Nana Peeples) is the consummate entertainer. So varied and dynamic
are her gifts that she continually astounds fans and critics alike with her versatility and magnetism. She is
one of America’s major performing talents appearing in nightclubs, the Broadway stage, a Las Vegas
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headliner, in motion pictures and television. Carroll is a Tony Award® winner, an Emmy® and
GRAMMY® nominee, a Golden Globe® winner and a Best Actress Oscar® nominee.
She currently recurs on the USA Network series “White Collar” and recently filmed her stage
show, “The Lady-The Music-The Legend”, backed by 28 musicians, for PBS TV.
She debuted her one woman show at Feinstein’s, New York’s premier venue, to sellout
audiences, receiving overwhelming reviews.
Stephen Holden of the New York Times wrote, “Diahann Carroll is historic. Experience it while
you can. Her opening number, “Come Rain or Come Shine” erupts out of her like an emotional volcano.
From here on, the lava never stops flowing. The forceful dramatic immediacy of her performance of “As
If We Never Said Goodbye” is second to none. Throughout the show, Ms. Carroll demonstrates her A-toZ range as a singing actress. A rip-roaring version of the Sophie Tucker show-stopper “Some of These
Days” is matched in commitment by its quiet opposite, the break-up song, “Where Do You Start?”
The New York Post said, “Looking impossibly beautiful and dressed and coiffed in a manner that
would make Norma Desmond (whom she played in “Sunset Boulevard”) proud, she delivers in a strong
voice remarkably unaffected by age, a well-chosen mixture of standards, pop ballads and songs associated
with her stage career”.
Her television nominations go back to 1963, and in 1968 Diahann Carroll became the first black
actress in television history to star in her own series, “Julia” for NBC, which soared to the top of the
Nielsen rating and received an Emmy® nomination in its first year on air.
She was nominated for an Emmy Award® for the successful NBC series, “A Different World”, as
outstanding actress in a comedy series, and also co-starred in the award winning night-time series
“Dynasty”, which is still in syndication around the world.
She had a recurring role in Showtime’s hit series “Soul Food”, playing the outspoken ‘Aunt
Ruthie’, which was nominated twice for a NAACP Image Award, and guest starred in Lifetime TV’s
“Strong Medicine” and in NBC’s TV show “Whoopi”, playing Whoopi Goldberg’s mother. She also
starred on stage in the musical “Bubbling Brown Sugar,” receiving more critical acclaim.
She starred on stage as ‘Norma Desmond’ in the Toronto premiere production of Andrew Lloyd
Webber’s hit musical Sunset Boulevard, staged by director Trevor Nunn and the show’s entire original
creative team. Hailed by the press as “the ultimate Norma Desmond,” Carroll played to sell-out crowds,
and her Canadian cast recording outsold all other recordings of the show.
Carroll made her Broadway stage debut starring in Harold Arlen and Truman Capote’s House of
Flowers and after seeing her in this production, Richard Rodgers created the Broadway production No
Strings as a starring vehicle for Carroll, for which she won the Tony Award®. She also starred on
Broadway in the award winning play Agnes of God.
Her film work includes Claudine, for which she received a 1974 Best Actress Academy Award®
nomination, Carmen Jones, Paris Blues, Porgy & Bess, Hurry Sundown, I Know Why The Caged Bird
Sings and Eve’s Bayou.
She is an award-winning actress, a successful entrepreneur, a devoted humanitarian… indeed,
Diahann Carroll is a legend.
KALI HAWK (Gloria Peeples) One of Glamour Magazine's "12 Funny Women to Watch", Kali
Hawk (Couples Retreat, Bridesmaids, “New Girl”) co-stars in Peeples opposite Craig Robinson and
Kerry Washington, this summer's hot new comedy from Lionsgate and producer Tyler Perry.
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Hawk’s credits include a starring role in Couples Retreat from Universal Pictures (starring Vince
Vaughn, Jon Favreau and Jason Bateman), and supporting roles in the hit comedies Bridesmaids (from
producer Judd Apatow) and Get Him To The Greek (starring Jonah Hill and Russell Brand).
Hawk starred opposite Dane Cook and Barbara Hershey in the thriller Answers To Nothing from
Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions, and also worked alongside Oscar®-Nominee Ed Asner in the indie
feature Let Go.
On television, Hawk appeared as Shelby on 2 seasons of the Fox sitcom “New Girl” starring
Zooey Deschanel.
A New York City native, Hawk got her start on the stage. At age 6, Hawk skipped two grades in
elementary school, entered high school at the age of 12 and gained acceptance to prestigious New York
arts university SUNY Purchase before she was 16 years old. While enrolled, she enjoyed studying and
starring in plays by such diverse playwrights as Woody Allen and Jean Paul Sartre.
Recently featured in the Fox pilot for “In Living Color” (directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans),
Hawk will also appear on Comedy Central's new show “Inside Amy Schumer” premiering Spring 2013.
Kali Hawk can next be seen in the romantic comedy In The Meantime opposite GRAMMY®
Award-Nominated singer Musiq Soulchild. The film stars Hawk as Jazmin Welles, a young woman
whose life takes an unexpected turn when her crazy artist fiancé (Musiq Soulchild) decides to run off to
an artist's retreat. It premieres at the ABFF in June, with a television premiere set for the Gospel Music
Channel in July 2013. Former Tyler Perry Studios VP Roger Bobb will produce and direct.
ANA GASTEYER (Mayor Hodge) is best known for her incomparable work on “Saturday
Night Live.” During her six years with the iconic show, she created some of the most famous SNL
characters including middle school music teacher ‘Bobbie Moughan-Culp,’ NPR radio host ‘Margaret Jo,’
Lilith Fair poetess ‘Cinder Calhoun,’ half of vocal duo ‘Gemini’s Twin,’ as well as spot-on impressions
of Martha Stewart and Celine Dion.
Currently, Gasteyer can be seen in the second season of ABC's hit comedy “Suburgatory” where
she stars as ‘Sheila Shay,’ the quirky perfectionist neighbor of Tessa (Jane Levy) and George (Jeremy
Sisto). The series centers on a single father who decides to move from New York City to the suburbs so
he can give his teenage daughter a better life.
Throughout the course of her career, Gasteyer has appeared in a number of films alongside other
notable talents. She starred in the coming-of-age drama, Dare, alongside Emmy Rossum and Rooney
Mara, as well as the comedy drama The Women, opposite Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, and
Debra Messing, In 2005, Gaysteyer appeared in Showtime’s outrageous comedy adaptation, Reefer
Madness: The Movie Musical, where she played the Reefer Den hostess, ‘Mae,' and performed the
powerful yet hilarious murder scene, “The Stuff.” In 2004, Gasteyer was seen in the award-winning teen
comedy Mean Girls, where she played Cady Heron’s mother opposite Lindsay Lohan. The actress joined
Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, and SNL cast members Amy Poehler and Tina Fey who also wrote
the screenplay for the hit teen movie.
Other film credits include: What’s the Worst that Could Happen? with Martin Lawrence and
Danny DeVito; Nancy Meyer’s What Women Want, starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt; the romantic
comedy Woman on Top, where she appeared alongside Penélope Cruz; and Andrew Fleming’s political
comedy, Dick, starring Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams, and Will Ferrell.
On television, Gasteyer has been seen in many critically acclaimed series including: “Curb Your
Enthusiasm,” “The Good Wife,” NBC’s “Chuck,” “Showtime’s Reefer Madness,” “Frasier,” “3rd Rock
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from the Sun,” “Just Shoot Me,” “Mad About You,” “Law & Order,” “NYPD Blue,” “Party of Five,” and
“Seinfeld.” In addition, the actress has co-hosted “The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn,” “Live With
Regis,” “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” and “Anderson Cooper 360°.” In 2010, Gasteyer returned to her
comedic roots reuniting with other female SNL greats and appearing in many sketches. She most notably
reprised her role as ‘Margaret Jo’ in “NPR’s Delicious Dish,” featuring the infamous “Muffin Top”
sketch with Betty White, which Gasteyer both created and wrote for the show.
On stage, Gasteyer earned rave reviews as ‘Elphaba’ in Wicked on Broadway, and originated the
role for the Chicago production as well, earning a Jefferson Award nomination. Other New York theater
credits include the Tony®-nominated Broadway productions of 2009 The Royal Family directed by Doug
Hughes and The Threepenny Opera in 2006 with Alan Cumming and Jim Dale; Eve Ensler's acclaimed
Off-Broadway hit The Vagina Monologues, and Manhattan Theatre Club's hit production of Kimberly
Akimbo by celebrated playwright David Lindsay-Abaire. Gasteyer also starred as ‘Fanny Brice’ in Funny
Girl at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, and in Gary Griffin's production of Sondheim's Passion at The
Chicago Shakespeare Theater, for which she earned a Jefferson Award nomination for her performance as
‘Fosca.’
Additional theatrical credits include: the national tour of The Real Live Brady Bunch, as well as
productions of The Odyssey and The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, which were both directed by Mary
Zimmerman. The actress made her first triumphant Broadway debut in 2001 as ‘Columbia’ in The Rocky
Horror Show.
Gasteyer has also wowed audiences around the country with her powerhouse vocals. Her current
musical act, Elegant Songs from a Handsome Woman, directed by Julian Fleisher, is a hilarious musical
evening, featuring rollicking numbers and a swinging ensemble led by Bandleader Jon Spurney. Other
musical acts include 2004’s Let It Rip. Gasteyer has headlined the Toronto Snow Ball gala and performed
as a Special Guest Artist with the Seattle Men’s Chorus and with Seth Rudetsky at the Provincetown Art
House, among others. Additionally, the actress’ voice can be heard on the Actor's Fund benefit recording
of Hair and the Reefer Madness soundtrack. Her first solo album is presently in the works.
Prior to joining “Saturday Night Live,” Gasteyer honed her natural talent at the famed Los
Angeles improv-sketch comedy company, The Groundlings.
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About the Filmmakers
TINA GORDON CHISM (Writer and Director) Peeples marks Tina Gordon Chism’s
directorial debut. Chism started writing as a college student at the University of Virginia. Her writing
career took off when she interned in the writing department for “The Cosby Show.” In 2002, Chism
penned the acclaimed hit DRUMLINE. She went onto write ATL for Warner Bros. in 2006. Tina
Chism currently resides on her farm in Virginia.
TYLER PERRY (Producer) Tyler Perry's inspirational journey from the hard streets of New
Orleans to the heights of Hollywood's A-list is the stuff of American legend. Born into poverty and raised
in a household scarred by abuse, Perry fought from a young age to find the strength, faith and
perseverance that would later form the foundations of his much-acclaimed plays, films, books and shows.
It was a simple piece of advice from Oprah Winfrey that set Perry's career in motion. Encouraged
to keep a diary of his daily thoughts and experiences, he began writing a series of soul-searching letters to
himself. The letters, full of pain and in time, forgiveness, became a healing catharsis. His writing inspired
a musical, I Know I've Been Changed, and in 1992 Perry gathered his life's savings and set off for Atlanta
in hopes of staging it for sold out crowds. He spent all the money but the people never came, and Perry
once again came face to face with the poverty that had plagued his youth. He spent months sleeping in
seedy motels and his car but his faith - in God and, in turn, himself - only got stronger. He forged a
powerful relationship with the church, and kept writing. In 1998 his perseverance paid off and a promoter
booked I Know I've Been Changed for a limited run at a local church-turned-theatre. This time, the
community came out in droves, and soon the musical moved to Atlanta's prestigious Fox Theatre. Perry
never looked back.
And so began an incredible run of thirteen plays in as many years, including Woman Thou Art
Loosed!, a celebrated collaboration with the prominent Dallas pastor T.D. Jakes.
In the year 2000, I Can Do Bad All By Myself marked the first appearance of the now-legendary
Madea. The God-fearing, gun-toting, pot-smoking, loud-mouthed grandmother, Madea, was played by
Perry himself. Madea was such a resounding success, she soon spawned a series of plays - Madea's
Family Reunion (2002), Madea's Class Reunion (2003), Madea Goes To Jail (2005) - and set the stage
for Perry's jump to the big screen.
In early 2005, Perry's first feature film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, debuted at #1 nationwide.
His ensuing films, Madea's Family Reunion; Daddy’s Little Girls; Why Did I Get Married?; Meet The
Browns; The Family That Preys; I Can Do Bad All by Myself; Why Did I Get Married Too?; For Colored
Girls; Madea’s Big, Happy Family; Good Deeds and Madea’s Witness Protection have all met with
massive critical and commercial success, delighting audiences across America and around the world.
Perry also helped release Academy Award®-nominated Precious, a movie based on the novel Push by
Sapphire, in conjunction with his 34th Street Films banner, Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films and Lionsgate.
2006 saw the publication of Perry's first book, Don't Make A Black Woman Take Off Her
Earrings: Madea's Uninhibited Commentaries On Life And Love, which shot to the top of the New York
Times nonfiction bestseller list and remained there for eight weeks. It went on to claim Quill Book
Awards for both "Humor" and "Book of the Year" (an unheard-of feat for a first-time author), and spread
Perry's unique brand of inspirational entertainment to a devoted new audience.
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It is a brand that quickly became an empire. In 2007, Perry expanded his reach to television with
the TBS series “House of Payne,” the highest-rated first-run syndicated cable show of all time, which
went into syndication after only a year. His follow up effort, “Meet the Browns,” was the second highest
debut ever on cable - after “House of Payne.” In 2012, Perry inked a partnership deal with Oprah
Winfrey’s OWN to write/produce and direct their first scripted series which will premiere in May 2013.
Not one to rest on success, Perry and his 350 Atlanta-based employees have been hard at work.
His latest film, Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor will be released in March
2013 followed by a December 2013 release of Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas and Tyler Perry’s Single
Moms Club, which is currently in production and will be released in 2014. 2013 will also see the release
of the second production from his 34th Street Films banner, Peeples. He can currently be seen in the title
role in the Rob Cohen-directed Alex Cross.
In the fall of 2008, Perry opened his 200,000 square foot studio in Atlanta, situated on the former
Delta Airlines campus of more than 30 acres. The studio consists of 5 sound stages, a post production
facility, a pond, a back lot, a 400-seat theater, a private screening room, and designated areas for
entertaining and hosting events.
But listen to Perry and you'll hear a man who hasn't forgotten about the people that have helped
him reach the top of a mountain he could once only dream of climbing. He has been intimately involved
in civil rights cases, including the trial of the Jena 6 in his home state of Louisiana. He has donated
generously to charities that focus on helping the homeless, such as Feeding America, Covenant House,
Hosea Feed the Hungry, Project Adventure, and Perry Place - a 20-home community that Perry built for
survivors of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. In July 2009, Perry sponsored a trip to Walt Disney
World® Resort for 65 children after learning that a suburban swim club had turned them away because of
the color of their skin. Perry has also built 2 churches and has donated generously to the NAACP.
In January 2010, Perry pledged $1,000,000 via The Tyler Perry Foundation to help rebuild the
lives of those affected by the recent earthquakes in Haiti.
Perry practices what he preaches, and what he preaches has endeared him to millions of fans
drawn by that unique blend of spiritual hope and down-home humor that continues to shape his inspiring
life story and extraordinary body of work.
STEPHANIE ALLAIN (Producer) is an accomplished film producer who has been an advocate
for visionary filmmakers for more than two decades.
She began her career as a Story Analyst for 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. and finally Columbia
Pictures where she was promoted to Creative Executive in 1989. There she was instrumental in the
making of John Singleton’s Boyz N The Hood, which garnered Singleton two Academy Award®
nominations and set the bar for contemporary urban dramas. During her tenure, she rose through the
ranks to become Senior Vice President of Production - the highest creative production position for an
African-American for over a decade – and launched the careers of several first time filmmakers including
Singleton, Robert Rodriguez and Darnell Martin. Several of the films she supervised, including El
Mariachi and I Like It Like That garnered awards at Cannes, Telluride and the Sundance Film Festivals.
After a stint as President of Jim Henson Pictures where she produced a handful of brand films,
Allain formed Homegrown Pictures and produced Craig Brewer’s Hustle & Flow, which won the
Audience Award at Sundance in 2005, an Academy Award® for Best Original Song and earned a Best
Actor nomination for Terrence Howard.
16
In 2005, she produced Sanaa Hamri’s directorial debut, Something New for Focus Features
(nominated for two NAACP Awards) as well as Brewer’s Black Snake Moan, starring Samuel L. Jackson
and Christina Ricci. Most recently she produced Tina Gordon Chism’s directorial debut, Peeples, starring
Craig Robinson and Kerry Washington, set for release by Lionsgate in 2013.
In 2012, Allain was appointed Director of the Los Angeles Film Festival.
Allain is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as well as the
Producers Guild of America and she sits on the board of directors of Women In Film. She has juried
numerous festivals, is an Adjunct Professor at USC’s Peter Stark Program and has taught at the
Entertainment Studies Division of UCLA.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, producer/songwriter Stephen Bray.
PAUL HALL (Producer) CEO and founder of Paul Hall Productions, is a feature film and
television producer whose credits include Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage
Counselor, Madea’s Witness Protection, Good Deeds, For Colored Girls, Peeples, Higher Learning, Why
Do Fools Fall in Love, the 2000 re-imagining of Shaft, Johnson Family Vacation and Pride.
In 2010, Hall partnered with ESPN and director John Singleton to produce a highly-rated 30
for 30 series documentary, “Marion Jones: Press Pause.”
Hall began his career working local news in the San Francisco market which led to positions
at both the ABC and NBC networks. Soon after Hall took on the Los Angeles market, pioneering
documentary programming for the PBS-affiliate KCET, and the network-affiliated programming for
KABC. Hall received an Emmy® nomination for his groundbreaking work with KABC.
In mid-1990s, Hall founded The Berkeley Group, a television and motion picture marketing
company whose credits include the FOX Network reality series “Sightings and Encounters: The Hidden
Truth.” Hall’s television work has aired on the FOX, ABC, NBC, CBS, HBO and Showtime networks.
Hall’s feature filmmaking relationships span the major studios; he has spearheaded pictures
for Lionsgate, Paramount, Fox, Sony, and Warner Brothers.
OZZIE AREU (Producer) is President of Tyler Perry Studios, which is the first AfricanAmerican owned major motion picture and television studio. The mission of Tyler Perry Studios holds as
true today as when its doors opened in its new location in 2008, “A Place Where Even Dreams Believe,”
intertwining worlds through storytelling and family and friendly entertainment, while inspiring audiences
with real-life and thought provoking issues.
Areu’s functions as president include overseeing all facets- studio, film, television, and
play productions under Perry. Tyler Perry Studios is nestled in Atlanta on 60-acres and houses over
200,000 square feet of studio space. The studio occupies 5 sound stages, full post production facilities,
back lot locations, a 400-seat theater, and private screening rooms.
In addition to Areu’s duties as president of Tyler Perry Studios, he has produced
numerous films and hit television shows for Perry. Films produced include For Colored Girls, Madea’s
Big Happy Family, Good Deeds, Madea’s Witness Protection, Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of
a Marriage Counselor, Peeples, Tyler Perry’s Single Moms Club, and Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas.
For Colored Girls received honors at the NAACP Image Awards including Outstanding
Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Kimberly Elise, Outstanding Directing for a Motion Picture
for Tyler Perry, and Outstanding Motion Picture. At the 2011 BET Awards, For Colored Girls received
top honors with Best Picture.
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Tyler Perry and The Oprah Winfrey Network joined collaborative forces with the new
dramatic series “Tyler Perry’s The Haves And Have Nots” and “Tyler Perry’s Love Thy Neighbor,” a
new situational comedy that Areu is executive producing for Tyler Perry Studios.
Areu is the executive producer of numerous hit television series under Perry, including
“Tyler Perry’s For Better Or Worse,” “Meet The Browns,” the “Tyler Perry Show,” and “Tyler Perry’s
House of Payne.” In 2012 “House of Payne” received two NAACP Image Awards including Best
Comedy Series and Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. The in 2013, “House of Payne” received
another two NAACP Image Awards including Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor.
Areu also heads up 34th Street Films, a Tyler Perry production arm that discovered the
film Precious while at the Sundance Film Festival and produced the movies For Colored Girls and
Peeples under this banner.
Prior to assuming duties for Perry as president of Tyler Perry Studios, Areu began his
career in 1995 with Warner Bros. in Burbank, California. He worked for Bright Kauffman Crane
Productions on the sets of NBC’s “Veronica’s Closet,” “Jessie,” and one of the most popular sitcoms of
all time, the Emmy® award winning “Friends.”
From 1999 to 2005, Areu worked professionally alongside two of the most successful
entertainers from Hollywood’s A-List, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.
Next, Areu worked with Daytime Emmy Award® winner for Outstanding Talk Show
Ellen Degeneres, and began working for Perry in 2006.
MICHAEL PASEORNEK (Executive Producer) has been President of Motion Picture
Production at Lionsgate since the company's inception in 1997.
According to Variety, "If there is a Lionsgate model, then Paseornek has to be considered one of
the chief architects."
In 2004, Paseornek met Tyler Perry and forged a relationship that brought audiences
blockbusters such as Madea's Big Happy Family, Madea Goes To Jail, Why Did I Get Married?, Diary
Of A Mad Black Woman, and Madea's Family Reunion, all of which opened number 1 at the box office.
Lionsgate has been the home to 15 Tyler Perry movies and has recently completed a deal to produce two
more.
Paseornek also executive produced urban films ranging from dramas such as For Colored Girls,
Pride, the critically acclaimed Akeelah And The Bee, and the upcoming family comedy Peeples. He also
played an important role in bringing Precious to the studio.
In the genre arena, building on the success of the Saw series, Paseornek broke new ground
with My Bloody Valentine 3D - the first horror film utilizing the new 3D digital technology. In addition,
Paseornek executive produced Sam Raimi's Ghost House Production, The Possession, and Texas
Chainsaw 3D. He also oversaw the U.S. debut of famed Korean director Kim Jee Woon's The Last Stand,
starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Over the past 25 years, Paseornek has played an important role in the emergence of the
independent film scene developing modestly budgeted, highly targeted genre, action, and comedy films.
He founded Cinepix/Famous Players (CFP's) U.S. operations in 1992 which distributed acclaimed films
such as Academy Award® winner Ang Lee's first feature Pushing Hands, James Mangold's directoral
debut Heavy, James Coburn's Oscar® winning performance in Affliction, and Bill Condon's Oscar® winner
Gods And Monsters. When CFP went public it was renamed Lionsgate in 1997. The first films under the
new Lionsgate banner that Paseornek executive produced were critical successes, including Monsters
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Ball, American Psycho, Buffalo 66 and Shattered Glass. The film division has won over 25 Oscar®
nominations to date.
Outside of Lionsgate, Paseornek serves on the board of directors of UCLA Mattel's Children's
Hospital, is on the advisory board of Hearts of Hope, a foundation sending doctors to Latin America, and
the board of Del Corazon, a year round charitable camp for children with heart disease.
Paseornek began his career after graduating from New York University in 1974 when he became
the writing partner of former National Lampoon editor Michel Choquette. He then became a humoristspeechwriter for some of the nation's leading business executives and worked as a script-doctor on a
number of feature films.
Paseornek is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and The Writer's
Guild of America. He has been a guest speaker at a number of institutions, including Harvard, New York
University, and the American Film Institute, and has served on numerous industry panels for
organizations such as the NAACP and the Directors Guild of America.
PRESTON HOLMES (Executive Producer) is an industry veteran with 30 years experience as
a producer, production manager and assistant director on feature films, television movies and
documentaries. His production experience runs the gamut from studio features to lower budgeted
independent productions shot on locations ranging from Harlem and South Central to Egypt and Saudi
Arabia.
After attending Princeton University, Holmes left school to enroll in the prestigious Directors
Guild of America East’s Assistant Director Training Program and then earned admission to the Guild as
an Assistant Director.
Moving from commercial production to features in New York, first as an assistant director and
then as a production manager, Holmes eventually joined Spike Lee’s production team and helped turn out
such hits as Do The Right Thing, Mo Betta Blues and Jungle Fever. He has since gone on to Produce or
Co-Produce films with some of today’s most outstanding African-American filmmakers: Juice with
Ernest Dickerson; Malcolm X and Crooklyn with Spike Lee; and New Jack City, Posse and Panther with
Mario Van Peebles.
In 1992, Holmes relocated to Los Angeles to head up Def Pictures for Russell Simmons and Stan
Lathan and Polygram Pictures. While at Def, Holmes developed and served as Executive Producer for
the films Gridlock’d and Def Jam’s How to be a Player.
In 2000, Holmes also produced the award winning television movie “Boycott”, starring Jeffrey
Wright and directed by Clark Johnson for HBO Films - with whom he is currently developing a film on
the life of African-American movie pioneer Oscar Micheaux.
Holmes also produced the Academy Award® nominated documentary Tupac Resurrection for
MTV Films and Amaru Entertainment, which was released theatrically in 2004. Also in 2004, Holmes
produced Sucker Free City, a movie for Showtime and She Hate Me, a feature film, for Sony Classics
which were both directed by Spike Lee. Also in the summer of 2004, Holmes was Associate Producer on
Hustle & Flow, an independent feature produced by John Singleton and Stephanie Allain, shot on location
in Memphis, TN.
He also recently served as Executive Producer on the Focus Features film Something New starring Sanaa Lathan and Simon Baker; Illegal Tender – written and directed by Franc. Reyes and
produced by John Singleton; and as Producer of the film Waist Deep, with Tyrese Gibson and Meagan
Goode, also for Focus Features.
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In 2010 Holmes was also Executive Producer/Line Producer on the Lionsgate film Peeples with
Craig Robinson and Kerry Washington and Line Producer on the ESPN, 30 for 30 documentary, One
Night In Vegas about the friendship of Tupac and Mike Tyson, written and directed by Reggie RockBythewood.
CHARLES S. DUTTON (Executive Producer) A graduate of The Yale School of Drama,
Charles S. Dutton has a career spanning theater, television and film, and is one of the few actors to earn
Tony®, Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominations for the same role. He created the lead roles in three of
August Wilson’s early plays: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Jo Turners’ Come and Gone, and The Piano
Lesson. He received multiple award nominations, including the Tony® for Best Actor for Ma Rainey’s
Black Bottom and The Piano Lesson. He was also nominated for an Emmy Award® and a Golden Globe®
for The Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of The Piano Lesson.
Dutton starred in and executive produced the Fox comedy/drama “Roc”, produced by HBO, for
which he received several NAACP Image Award nominations. He has numerous television credits,
including the miniseries “The Murder of Mary Phagan”, “The 60’s”, “Deadlock”, and “Aftershock”. His
episodic appearances include “House”, “The Sopranos” and the HBO series “Oz”, among others. He won
Emmy’s® for his guest starring roles in “Without a Trace” and “The Practice”. He can be seen most
recently in Guest Star roles on top shows “Criminal Minds” and “American Horror Story”.
He is a veteran of numerous feature films such as Aliens 3, Menace II Society, Rudy, A Low Down
Dirty Shame, Cry, Beloved Country, Nick of Time, A Time to Kill, Get on the Bus, Cookie’s Fortune (for
which he received and Independent Spirit Award nomination), Gothika, Secret Window and the 2008 John
Sayles feature Honeydripper. In just the past year Dutton starred in two features, Universal’s The
Express, Lakeshore’s Fame and, Screen Gems’ feature Legion with Paul Bettany and Dennis Quaid. He
also stars in the recent Sundance selection LUV.
He made his directorial debut in 1997 with the HBO movie “First Time Felon”. He also directed
the award winning HBO miniseries “The Corner”, for which he received a 2001 Best Director Emmy®.
His feature film directorial debut was the 2004 Paramount film Against the Ropes. In 2006, he directed
multiple episodes of the Showtime series “Sleeper Cell”, for which he received a DGA Award
nomination. Most recently he directed the Lifetime movie “Racing For Time”, and the pilot “Under” for
A&E.
SHERRY MARSH (Executive Producer) Since 1992, Sherry Marsh has been the principal
owner and talent manager for Marsh Entertainment in Los Angeles. Between 1987 and 1992, Marsh was
the Vice President for Film/TV at DeMann Entertainment where she developed projects for both T.V. and
film for Madonna’s Management Company. Before joining DeMann, Marsh spent two years at A&M
Records as the Director of Video. In this role she was in charge of development, production, marketing
and sales of all A&M home video products. In addition, Marsh was the company liaison with
RCA/Columbia Home Video, the distributor for A&M product.
Currently, she is executive producing the 2013 MGM/Irish Canadian Co-Production History
Channel series "Vikings". Marsh’s other producer credits include Executive Producer for the TNT movie
"Crazy From the Heart" - ACE Award Winner, Imagen Award Winner, Emmy® Nominated; Executive
Producer for RCA/Columbia home video "Creative Parenting" - Parents Choice Award Winner.
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Marsh earned a bachelor of arts in psychology/social work at Antioch College in Yellow Springs,
OH. Later, she earned a master of fine arts in cinema producing from the Peter Stark Producing program
at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She is a dual citizen of both the U.S. and Canada.
ALEXANDER GRUSZYNSKI, ASC (Director of Photography) was born and raised in
Warsaw, Poland, moved to Copenhagen, Denmark where he was accepted to film school and spent the
next ten years shooting numerous documentaries and feature films. After relocating to New York, he
made his American film debut photographing the comedy Almost You, directed by Adam Brooks.
Among his credits are films he shot in collaboration with director Andrew Fleming such as
Threesome, Dick, The In-Laws, Hamlet 2 and Nancy Drew. Other credits include 54, Maximum Risk,
Promised Land, Brothers, Deliver Us From Eva, Tremors and I Like it That Way - for which he received
a nomination for Independent Spirit Award. His most recent credits are movies directed by Tyler Perry
including Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas and Tyler Perry’s Single Moms Club.
Gruszynski’s television work includes telefilms “Surviving,” “Cast A Deadly Spell,” “By the
Dawn’s Early Light,” “The Last Innocent Man,” “The Women Of Brewster Street,” among others. For
his work on the television movie “Kingfish,” Gruszynski won the Cable Ace Award For Outstanding
Achievement in Cinematography and was nominated for the same by the American Society of
Cinematographers.
PAUL SIMMONS (Costume Designer), a native Charlestonian, is a graduate of Burke High
School in Charleston, SC. He has done further studies at South Carolina State College; after receiving an
“A” certificate from Clemson University for Tailoring and Pattern-Making, he went on to teach at his
alma mater from 1970-1974. In 1974, Paul went full-time with his costume tailoring and alteration
operation and when B.B.C. came to town in 1976, he worked on their special Gershwin and caught the
show-biz bug.
Other film and television productions followed and while concurrently running his own shop, he
developed a reputation for fine tailoring and costuming in the movie industry. For the past 35 years,
Simmons has been involved in the film industry. His feature credits as Costume Designer include Blaze
You Out - Bajito Productions, LLC, “Peeples,“ Little Red Wagon- Zach Movie Inc, Down For Life - Por
Vida Productions, LLC, Notorious - Notorious Productions, Inc., Pride - Lionsgate, LLC, Black Snake
Moan - Paramount Pictures, The Gospel - The Gospel Productions, LLC, Hustle & Flow - Paramount
Pictures, Dead Presidents -A Hughes Brothers Film, Panther - A Mario Van Peebles Film, Posse - A
Working Title Film, The White Girl - A Tony Brown Productions, and Co-Designer for the film Swamp
Thing - A Bon-Bon Enterprise Production, and also Assistant Costume Designer for Juwanna Mann - A
Slam Dunk Production.
His other credit as Costume Designer include Forever Free Old - Trace Road Productions, Porgy
& Bess - Vanguard Films, Assault At West Point - A Mosaic Production For Showtime, Hallelujah for
American Playhouse, Charlotte Forten’s Past American Production for PBS; and for the S.C.ETV the
films Ashes, The Half Pint Flask and Neighbors for PBS. Simmons was the Costume Designer for the
first ten episodes of the television series “New York Undercover,” A Dick Wolf Production.
Some of his other credits as a Costumer or Costume Supervisor include She Stood Alone - A
Steve White Production, The Perfect Tribute - A Sycamore Production Inc., Champaigne Charlie - CBS
Production, A Special Friendship - Entertainment & Partners, Inc., Solomon Northup’s Odyssey - Past
American Production, “Denmark Vesey” for Pbs, “Dawson Creek” Fox Tv, Remember The Titans, Shake,
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Rattle, And Roll, The Tempest, Surving The Game, Malcom X - By Any Means Necessary Cinema And
Glory - A Tristar/Freddie Fields Production.
Simmons proudly maintains his residence in Charleston, South Carolina, and when he is not
working on set, he works in his shop tailoring designer fashions for men and women.
AARON ZIGMAN (Composer) is quickly proving to be one of the most prolific and versatile
composers in film music today. The Emmy®-winning songwriter plants one foot in the world of pop
idioms and the other in the emotional scope of a symphony orchestra to create narrative scores that
complement each genre he’s assigned—and with more than 50 film credits to his name, that has
encompassed everything from the passionate romance The Notebook, to the fantastical adventure
in Bridge to Terabithia, to the sensitivity of For Colored Girls.
A classically trained pianist since childhood, Zigman began his musical career as a session
keyboardist, arranger, and producer to popular music stars. Soon his resume boasted names like Aretha
Franklin, Natalie Cole, Phil Collins, Oleta Adams, Tina Turner, Patti Labelle, Chicago, Nona Gaye, Carly
Simon, Huey Lewis, Christina Aguilera and Seal.
In 2002 Zigman scored his first feature, the Denzel Washington thriller John Q, for director Nick
Cassavetes which began an ongoing composer-director collaboration; Zigman went on to score three
more films for Cassavetes. Their next project was The Notebook, the wildly successful adaptation of
Nicholas Sparks’ romantic novel, starring Gena Rowlands and James Garner. Their most recent
collaboration was “My Sister’s Keeper,” starring Cameron Diaz.
Zigman’s versatile credits include the family adventure fantasy film “Bridge to Terabithia;”
“Akeelah and the Bee,” starring Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett; “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder
Emporium,” which he co-scored with Alexandre Desplat; the period drama “Flash of Genius” starring
Greg Kinnear; Tyler Perry’s “For Colored Girls;” and the dark drama “Alpha Dog,” another collaboration
with Nick Cassavettes. In the past few years, Zigman has had three romantic hits with “Sex and the
City,” “The Proposal” starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, and “The Ugly Truth” starring
Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. In addition, Zigman has scored the last nine Tyler Perry films. Other
scores include “Sex and the City 2” and “The Company Men” starring Tommy Lee Jones
and Chris Cooper. Most recently, Zigman scored his first animated feature film, The Weinstein Co.’s
Escape From Planet Earth.
Zigman's broad musical palette is further evident in his diverse body of work. He masterfully
transferred small screen success to the big screen by scoring both films based on the hit HBO series Sex
and the City; the timely story of a downturn economy in The Company Men; the sexy rhythm of
three Step Up films; the sports biopic Pride; the sweet equestrian ride of Flicka and the touching John
Cusack drama Martian Child.
Tackling another Nicholas Sparks adaptation, The Last Song, in 2010, Zigman wrote the
instrumental “Steve’s Song”—which debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. Going for another
record, in 2007 Zigman scored an unprecedented nine films in one year. Inexhaustible and unlimited in
his capabilities, Zigman has risen to the highest ranks of today’s film composers.
JOEL C. HIGH (Music Supervisor) is a music supervisor and producer who has worked on over
100 films and television projects and also is chief executive for a company he co-founded in 2006. Over
the last decade, he created and supervised the music departments for two of the leading independent
studios in the industry: Trimark Pictures and Lionsgate Entertainment. He built the publishing division for
22
both companies and started the boutique soundtrack label Lions Gate Records. In addition to his
acclaimed work in motion pictures working with directors such as Tyler Perry, Marc Forster, Peter
Bogdanovich, Don Roos, Roger Avary, James Foley, Bill Paxton, Billy Ray, Mario Van Peebles, Duane
Adler and Rob Zombie, he oversaw the music for the growing Television group at Lionsgate, including
"The Dead Zone" and the Golden Globe®-winning series “Weeds.”
High is the music executive behind such films as Saw, Girl with a Pearl Earring and the Leonard
Cohen documentary I’m Your Man. He oversaw Lionsgate’s first Academy Award® nomination in the
Original Song category, for Best Picture winner Crash and the Golden Globe® nominated score from Girl
With A Pearl Earring by Alexandre Desplat.
High has been the music supervisor for all of Tyler Perry's films including Diary of a Mad Black
Woman, Madea Goes To Jail, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, the ground breaking For Colored Girls based
on the prizewinning seminal play and most recently Madea’s Witness Protection. High has co-produced
and supervised two films in a row for Mario Van Peebles including the coming of age dance film We The
Party. He recently completed Cobu 3D, a dance film from Writer/Director Duane Adler and producer
Robert Cort (Step Up, Save The Last Dance). He is the music supervisor for films ranging from In the
Mix, starring Usher, Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects, The Wash with Snoop and Dre, Amy Sedaris and
Stephen Colbert’s Strangers with Candy, Oscar® winner Monsters Ball, The Other Woman starring
Natalie Portman and the HBO series “Little Britain – USA”. He is a four-time nominee as outstanding
Music Supervisor of the year and is a founding member and board member of the Guild of Music
supervisors, and has previously served on the board for the California Copyright Conference.
High is currently the principal executive at Creative Control Entertainment, a multi-faceted music
supervision, consultation, live event and production company, with offices in Los Angeles and New
Orleans and diverse clients ranging from independent studios and national brands to international
governments.
STEPHEN BRAY (Executive Music Producer) is a GRAMMY® and Tony® nominated
songwriter, producer, musician and composer. He studied music from an early age with private instructors
in Detroit, and continued his education at Berklee College of Music in Boston. As a songwriter and
producer Bray has received Gold, Platinum, and Diamond awards representing sales of over 100 million
records.
His groundbreaking work with Madonna helped launch her career and established a sound that
would be emulated by artists and producers for years afterwards. Bray co-wrote and/or produced many
Madonna hits; including “Into the Groove,” “Poppa Don’t Preach,” “True Blue,” “Causing a Commotion”
and others. Other artists he has worked with include Kylie Minogue, Gladys Knight, The Jets, Siedah
Garrett, Debra Harry, E. G. Daily, Breakfast Club and many more. As a writer/producer/drummer with
Breakfast Club, he earned a GRAMMY® nomination for Best New Artist and scored a top ten single with
"Right on Track." As a composer and lyricist for the Broadway adaptation of The Color Purple in 2005,
Bray was nominated for best score, one of 11 Tony® nominations for the show.
KIM TAYLOR-COLEMAN, CSA (Casting Director) After a stint at Creative Artists Agency,
Kim Taylor-Coleman began her casting career as an intern on SE7EN. She worked as an assistant and
associate on a variety of diverse projects including Enemy of the State, Bringing Down The House,
Akeelah and the Bee and Amistad. She has gone on to cast movies such as Inside Man, Public Enemies,
Miracle at St. Anna, Good Deeds and Madea's Witness Protection, and Tyler Perry’s Temptation.
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Additionally, one of her feature films that has yet to be released is the feature films Peeples. She most
recently cast Oldboy, Baggage Claim, and Addicted. Taylor-Coleman has also cast TV pilots, among
them “Da Brick” for HBO, “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Shark” for CBS, animated feature "Boxcar
Children" for Animation Picture Co., “Sleeper Cell” for Showtime, “House of Anubis” for
Limepictures/Nickelodeon and “The Real Husbands of Hollywood” for BET.
Taylor-Coleman is based in Los Angeles but casts at least one project per year out of New
York.
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Unit Production Manager
Unit Production Manager
Dwight Williams
Preston Holmes
First Assistant Director
H.H. Cooper
Second Assistant Director
Executive in Charge of
Production
Takahide Kawakami
Donna Sloan
Cast
Wade Walker
Grace Peeples
Virgil Peeples
Daphne Peeples
Simon Peeples
Grandpa Peeples
Nana Peeples
Gloria Peeples
Meg
Chris Walker
Mayor Hodge
Sexy Mother
5-Year-Old-Girl
Taxi Driver
Skip
Cashier
Mrs. Davis
Bartender
Chief
Priest
Back Up Singer # 1
Back Up Singer # 2
Craig Robinson
Kerry Washington
David Alan Grier
S. Epatha Merkerson
Tyler James Williams
Melvin Van Peebles
Diahann Carroll
Kali Hawk
Kimrie Lewis-Davis
Malcolm Barrett
Ana Gasteyer
Briana Marin
Angelee Areu
Tuffy Questell
Jerome Preston Bates
Jordan Hall
Sylvia Kauders
Wade Allain-Marcus
Emilio Delgado
Christopher Gates
Catherine Pierce
Linda Thompson Williams
Stunt Coordinator
Stunt Double Wade
Marine Stunt # 1
Marine Stunt # 2
Stunt Double Chief
Stunt Double Gloria
Blaise Corrigan
Jeremy Sample
Chris Barnes
Stephen Mann
Chris Cenatiempo
Aja Frary
Stand-Ins
Tony Perry
Robynn Cone
Vincent Shelley
Crew
Art Director
Set Decorator
Leo Holder
Janet G. Shaw
A-Camera Operator
First Assistant A-Camera
Ted Chu
Brett Walters
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Second Assistant A-Camera
B-Camera / Steadicam Operator
First Assistant B-Camera
Scott Lipkowitz
Brant S. Fagan, SOC
Nick Demas
Chris Del Sordo
Paul Schilens
Vanessa Viera
William Saxelby
Nicole Rivelli
Second Assistant B-Camera
Film Loader
Camera Production Assistant
Still Photographer
Technocrane Operator
Scorpio Head Technician
Paul Goroff
Lance Rieck
First Assistant Editor
Assistant Editors
Editorial Production Assistant
Brett Carroll
James Durante
Mark Scovil
Kathleen Latlip
Jonny Winograd
Mark Perzely
Guy Handelman
Post Production Supervisor
Mark W. McCoy
Post Production Coordinator
Post Production Assistants
Ariana Young
Justin Powell
Kimi Rosenthal
Scott Morris
Eric Van Dyn Hoven
Post Production Interns
Script Supervisor
Anthony Pettine
Production Sound Mixer
Boom Operator
Sound Playback Mixer
Sound Utility
Franklin D. Stettner, CAS
Amanda Jacques
Egor Panchenko
Toussaint Kotright
Video Assist
Brian Carmichael
Devin Donegan
Joe Trammell
Computer/Video Playback
Key Grip
Best Boy Grip
A-Dolly Grip
B-Dolly Grip
Grips
Bob Andres
Ted LeHane
Arthur Blum
Ian Pratt
Gary Jackiewicz
Chris Melendez
Ben D'Andrea
Louis Massa
Vincent Pierce
Stuart Rogers
Paul Swan
Additional Grips
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Glen Weinstein
Thomas White
Jack Panuccio
Richard Yacuk
Jesse Panuccio
John Farina
Key Rigging Grip
Best Boy Rigging Grip
Rigging Grips
Gaffers
Scott H. Ramsey
Michael Barrow
Clay Liversidge
Jesse Chertoff
Patrick Cousins
Scott Maher
Katelyn Perez
Derrick Still
Robert C. Linke
Paul Mallick
Rocco Palmieri
Lowell Schulman
Michael J. Mullen
Chris Lombardozzi
Michael McDonald
Shaun C. Gilbert
Best Boy Electric
Electricians
Additional Electricians
Rigging Gaffer
Best Boy Rigging Electric
Rigging Electricians
Generator Operator
Base Camp Generator Operator
Assistant Art Director
Art Department Coordinator
Storyboard Artist
Art Department Production
Assistants
E. David Cosier
Carrie Leigh
Warren Drummond
Mike Chesbro
Christine Knowlton
Patrice C. Perry
Devin Butler
Ian Bliven
Amanda Wickham
Art Department Interns
Leadmen
Gerard H. Pineo
Eric Stepper
Joseph Erik Galione
Philip Saccio
Justin Papp
Glenn Jones
Michael Aharoni
Kara Torney
On-Set Dresser
Set Dressers
Set Dressing Buyer
Property Master
Assistant Property Master
Assistant Property
Eric Cheripka
Courtney Schmidt
Tara Kelly
Special Effects Supervisor
Special Effects Crew
Conrad F. Brink
Michael Bird
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Edward A. Drohan
Michael Hartney
Construction Coordinator
Construction Key Grip
Best Boy Contruction Grip
Additional Construction Grips
John J. Ciccimarro
Thomas J. Hocking
Harry F. Brown Jr.
John A. Boyd
Aric Jacobson
Alan R. Patterson
Thomas M. Woods
Ian Campbell
Robert Rapost
Carissa Spatcher
Jose Amor
Fred Piesco
Neolysa Ramos
Frankie Ramos
Standby Construction Grips
Key Carpenter
Shop Craftspeople
Scenic Charge
Scenic Foreperson
Camera Scenic
Additional Scenic
Lyvan A. Munlyn
Amy J. Smith
Laura Lerner
Russell DeYoung
Joe Rizzo
Assistant Costume Designer
Donna Berwick
Costume Supervisor
Key Costumer
Key Set Costumer
Costumers
Paul A. Simmons Jr.
Darlene Jackson
Omar Jermaine Simmons
Tracey Phillips-Boone
Yuderca Bryan
Pattie Barbosa
Kirsten Mogg
Taylor Rierden
Department Head Makeup
Key Makeup Artist
First Assistant Makeup Artist
Additional Makeup Artists
Department Head Hairstylist
Key Hairstylist
First Assistant Hairstylist
Anita L. Gibson
Roxanne Rizzo
Daniel Green Jr.
Deanna Bell
Sanja Milic
Tobe West
Takisha Sturdivant-Drew
Annemarie Bradley
Erin Hicks
Location Manager
Assistant Location Manager
Location Scouts
Eddy Collyns
Jason P. Quimby
Jacob Metsa
28
Anthony Cole McClendon
Rob Herling
Christopher Sarli
Michael Miles
Location Assistants
Production Coordinator
Assistant Production Coordinator
Production Secretary
Office Production Assistants
Dawn Murphy Riley
Sasha Charlemagne
Breta Bas
Spencer W. Richards
Amanda O'Reilly
Atanas Bakalov
Matthew Frank Salomon
Production Accountant
First Assistant Accountant
Second Assistant Accountant
Payroll Accountant
Accounting Clerks
Derek Yip
Jamie Morris
Leslie Rodriguez
Michael Woody
Gina Cassesse
Kevin Chang
Daniel Hodgdon
Dan Levine
Emily Rice
Liam Hearne
Accounting Interns
Post Production Accounting
Casting Assistant
Extras Casting by
Extras Casting Assistant
Extras Casting Production
Assistant
Lisa Preston
Winsome Sinclair
Marquita Bradley
Jilliannie Hamburgo
Second Second Assistant
Director
Additional Second Assistant
Director
DGA Trainee
Key Set Production Assistant
Set Production Assistants
Dale Pierce Nielsen
Ethan Anderson
Kelly Mahoney
Eddie A. Griffith
Anne Yvette Legendre
Eshaine Rossi
Liz Magee
Daryl Sledge
Jonathan Otto
Assistant to Ms. Chism
Assistant to Ms. Allain & Mr.
Hall
Executive Assistant to Mr. Areu
Assistant to Mr. Moore
Assistant to Mr. Holmes & Mr.
Williams
Tulani Garnett
Kevin Hill
Jill Andrade
Carole Wurst
Stephanie Paseornek
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Transportation Captain
Transportation Co-Captain
Drivers
Jim Buckman
Pete Connors
Greg "Jetfro" Jacobs
Michael E. Scalice
Paul Castiglione
Nate Walker
James T. McNally
Steven R. Guglielmetti
Jason Bowers
Frank Visciglia
Tyrone Dotson
Alan Parrillo
Francis J. LaGaipa
Frank J. Young
Greg Miller
David Buckman
Enrico Caruso
Robert Bermudez
Kevin Bradley
Tom Rutherford
Emmanuel Santiago
Daniel Stewart
Maurice R. Cabrera
Vincent R. Taylor
Santiago Astacio
Nyron M. Henry
Basil Penny
Hameen S. Rasullah
Safwan Salaam
Parking Coordinator
Assistant Parking Coordinator
Parking Production Assistants
Choreographer
Daví
Caterer
Chef
Assistant Chefs
Big Time Catering
Sergio Giacoman
Alan Mork
Ross Ruiz
Abel Sanchez
Craft Service
Key Craft Service
EW Craft Service
Eva Vedock
William Sepulveda
Constantine P. Stamos
Eugene Stamos
Craft Service Assistants
Set Medics
Bob Broder
Jonathan Franklin
Jose Martinez
Safety Diver
Mike Carew
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Security Provided by
The Bear Group, LLC.
Product Placement & Clearances
Rights & Clearances
Wendy Cohen
Entertainment Clearances, Inc.
Laura Sevier
Cassandra Barbour
EPK Produced by
Sam Hurwitz Productions
Post Production
Supervising Sound Editor
Re-Recording Mixers
Mike Wilhoit
Joe Barnett
Christian P. Minkler
First Assistant Sound Editor
Sound Effects Editor
Additional Audio
David Stanke
Jon Title
Kim Wilhoit
Becky Sullivan
David Young
John Bires
Sound Editorial by Soundelux
Mixing Recordist
Mixing Engineer
Robert Althoff
Pat Stoltz
Re-Recorded at Todd-AO
Studios
Foley Mixer
Foley Artists
Brett Voss
Jeffrey Wilhoit
James Moriana
Robert Deschaine
Dean St. John
Tami Treadwell
Julie Altus
ADR Mixers
ADR Recordists
ADR Voice Casting by
ADR Cast
Barbara Harris
Wade Allain-Marcus
Kimberly Bailey
Jason Broad
Lanai Chapman
Django Craig
Greg Finley
Peggy Flood
Isa Hall
Barbara Iley
Khanya Mkhize
Jason Pace
Michael Ralph
David Randolph
Andreana Weiner
31
Lisa Wilhoit
Dolby Sound Consultant
Bryan Arenas
High Definition Dailies
Transfers by EFILM
Cinemascan Colorist
Cinemascan Producer
Ben Estrada
Ken Lebre
Digital Intermediate by EFILM
Colorist
Digital Intermediate Producer
Digital Intermediate Editor
Colorist Assistant
DI Assistant Producer
Natasha Leonnet
Eileen Godoy
Martha Pike
Andre Rivas
Laura Holeman
[logo]
Previews by Modern
VideoFilm, Inc.
Preview DI Colorist
Preview Conform Editor
Preview DI Producer
Preview Assistant Editor
Joe Finley
Alex Romano
Amber Taylor
Karlo Babakhanian
HD Services by Anytime Post
Editorial Services Provided by
Electric Picture Solutions
End Titles by Scarlet Letters
Visual Effects by 2G Digital
Post
[logo]
Visual Effects Supervisor
Visual Effects Producer (USA)
Production Manager (India)
Visual Effects Coordinator
Lead Compositors
Jose Marra
Kay Rough
Vastavika Singh
Sean Mattini
Mike Ek
Ganesh Gowrishanker
Danny Braet
Sandeep Nair
Ravichandran B
Dharmendra Jayaraman
Gopinath Rathinasamy
Saeed Faridzadeh
Aniruddha Lele
Junior Compositor
Compositors
Preview Digitial Projection
Provided by American Hi
Definition, Inc.
32
Color and Prints by DELUXE
Lab Color Timer
Lab Account Manager
Account Managers Assistant
Tricia Chiarenza
Saj Jayasinghe
Bruce Fowler
Stock Footage Provided by
Getty Images
For LIONSGATE
Executive Vice President,
Production
Senior Vice President,
Production
Supervisor of Production
Manager of Production
Senior Vice President, Post
Production
Manager of Production
Accounting
Production Department
Coordinator
Assistant to Mr. Paseornek
Assistant to Ms. Ellzey
Assistant to Mr. Sacchi
Lisa Ellzey
John Sacchi
Curtis A. Miller
Bree Bailey
Carl Pedregal
Mark Pedante
Ami Cohen
Jessica Switch
Ryan Wickers
Lauren Gaither
Senior Executive Vice President,
Motion Picture Group
Assistant to Mr. McEntegart
Executive Vice President,
Business & Legal Affairs
Assistant to Mr. Melnik
Vice President, Business &
Legal Affairs
Vice President, Business &
Legal Affairs
Manager of Business & Legal
Affairs
Attorney, Business & Legal
Affairs
Credits Coordinator
Rob McEntegart
Eugene Shevertalov
Robert Melnik
Sara Schneider
Charlyn Adkins
Neil Ollivierra
Bill Jacks
Marc Shapiro
Chris Mello
Chief Marketing Officer
Executive Vice President,
Publicity
Vice President, Assets and Unit
Publicity
Tim Palen
Julie Fontaine
Yon Elvira
Executive in Charge of Music
General Manager & EVP, Music
Business Affairs
Music Budget Supervisor
Music Coordinator
Tracy McKnight
Lenny Wohl
Chris Brown
Willa Yudell
33
Executive Vice President,
Finance
Wescott Guarino
Screening Operations Executive
Timothy Ralston
For 34th Street Films
President
Executive Vice President of
Production & Development
Vice President of Production &
Development
Creative Executives
Ozzie Areu
Matt Moore
Poppy Hanks
Amber Rasberry
Khalilah Birdsong
Camera Equipment Provided by
Camera Dollies by
Lighting Equipment Provided by
Grip Equipment Provided by
ARRI CSC
Panavision New York
Xeno Lights, Inc.
New York Grip Trucks, Inc.
Payroll Service Provided by
Entertainment Partners
Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance
Company
Brian Kingman
Insurance Provided by
Production Financing Provided
by
Union Bank, N.A.
Completion Guaranty Provided
by
Film Finances Inc.
David Bennett
Music Supervisor
General Manager
Assistant Music Supervisor
Music Consultant
Music Assistants
Joel C. High for creative control
Stephanie Kremer
Erin Dillon
Rebecca Rienks
Rachel Borovik
Eunice Park
Thomas Krottinger
Christian Morales
Alex Cohen
Aaron Fink
Music Interns
Score Composed by
Recorded and Mixed by
Additional Recording by
Aaron Zigman
Michael Stern
Ernie Lee
Original Songs Recorded and
Mixed by
John Potoker
34
Matt DiFonzo
Music Editor
Jordan Corngold
Music Consultant
Lisa Brown Leopold
Matt Lilley / MCL Music Services,
Inc.
Music Licensing by
“Speak It (Don’t Leak It!)”
Written by Stephen Bray
Performed by Craig Robinson
Produced by Stephen Bray
Published by Braydio Music and TYPEE
Music
“Our Song”
Written and Performed by Peter Fink
Published by RFT Music Publishing
Corp
Courtesy of Valentino / Bug Music,
Inc.
“Child’s Play”
Written and Performed by Bill Pots
Published by Thomas J. Valentino
Inc.
Courtesy of Valentino / Bug Music,
Inc.
“Maria Salome”
Written and Performed by Saida
Karoli
Published by Westbury Music LTD
“Popsicles N Donuts”
Written by Adrian
Tillman
Performed by 607
Published by Adrian
Tillman
“Speak It (Don’t Leak It!) Blues”
“Soul Eyes”
Written and Performed by Stan Getz
Published by Prestige Music
Courtesy of Concord Music Group,
Inc.
“Turn You On (a capella)”
Written by Stephen Bray
Performed by Craig Robinson
35
Published by Braydio Music and TYPEE
Music
“Juke Dat Girl”
Written and Performed by DJ GantMan
Published by Bang Tha Box
Courtesy of Fool’s Gold Records
By Arrangement with Terrorbird
Media
“Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)”
Written by Jay Livingston and Raymond B.
Evans
Performed by The Lusty Sea Hags
Produced by Stephen Bray
Published by Jay Livingston Music, Inc.
and St. Angelo Music
"Say How I Feel"
Written and Performed by Rhian Benson
Published by Icarus Music Limited
Courtesy of Songs For Film & TV on behalf of Icarus Music
Limited
“Stone Rollin’”
Written and Performed by Raphael Saadiq
Published by Universal - PolyGram Int. Publ., Inc. on behalf of Ugmoe
Music
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
“Drawers on the Floor”
Written by Stephen Bray
Performed by Tyler Williams
Produced by Stephen Bray
Published by Braydio Music and TYPEE
Music
“Turn You On (Original)”
Performed by Maxayn
Lewis
Produced by Stephen
Bray
“Skinny’s Blues”
Written and Performed by Red
Garland
Published by Prestige Music
Courtesy of Concord Music Group,
Inc.
36
“Turn You On (Unplugged)"
Performed by S. Epatha
Merkerson
“Bosco’s Blues”
Written by Gabriel Alexander Roth
Performed by The Sugarman Three
Published by Boscosound Music Admin by Kobalt Music Publishing American,
Inc.
Courtesy of Daptone Records
By Arrangement with Big Sounds International, Inc.
“Sex. Money. & Drugs”
Written by C. Robinson
Performed by Chris Rob
Published by Oh So Funky Music
Courtesy of Soul Soldier
Entertainment
“Wade in the Water (Traditional)”
Performed by David Alan Grier
“Grown and Sexy”
Written by R. Smith III, R. Smith Jr. and Bart
Thomas
Performed by Bigg Robb
Published by Maxx Three Robby’s Destiny
Courtesy of Robbmusic / Over 25 Sound
"Barley Hornpipe (Traditional)"
Arranged and Performed by G. Harrington / N.
Lonesco
Published by / Courtesy of Extreme Music
“Into the Maelstrom”
Written and Performed by Carvin
Knowles
Published by Ozone Layer Music
“Speak It (Don’t Leak It!) Reprise”
Performed by Craig Robinson, David Alan Grier, and Maxayn
Lewis
Produced by Stephen Bray
"Drawers on the Floor (Club Remix)"
Performed by Tyler Williams
Produced by Stephen Bray and
Soundwell
Special Thanks to
37
The State of Connecticut Office of Film, Television and Digital
Media
Connecticut Film Center
Catherine Anamateros
Bruce Block
Sheila Bridges
Mark Dixon
Bruce Heller
Maysie Hoy
Kodi Smith
Ellen Woolf
Above The Line Placements
Geoffrey Holder
Harman Kardon
Lenox Corporation
Madame Alexander Dolls
Phaidon Press
Sew Dolling
Amelia Ann
Chris Lakey
Diana LaPointe
Elias Savada
Gary Welch
Jen Pearce
Jonathan Hafter
Jonathan Palmer
Lori Rosolino
Matt Kapuchinski
Norah Elizabeth
Peter Shurkin
Philippe Saisse
Randy Talmadge
Robert Smith
Tim Bjorkman
Wolfgang Frank
"Drawers on the Floor (Club Remix)"
Performed by Tyler Williams
Produced by Stephen Bray and
Soundwell
Historical Society of Pennsylvania - "Portrait of James Forten" (Leon Gardiner Collection)
"Captain Paul Cuffee" - Photographs and Prints Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black
Culture,
The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations
38
Art by Romare Bearden is © Romare Bearden Foundation
Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Filmed with KODAK
Motion Picture Film
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DOLBY DIGITAL®
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Prints by
DELUXE
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IATSE
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DATASAT®
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MPAA #47112
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MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION
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© 2013 Very Perry Films. All Rights
Reserved.
THE PERSONS AND EVENTS IN
THIS MOTION PICTURE ARE
FICTITIOUS.
ANY SIMILARITY TO ACTUAL
PERSONS OR EVENTS IS
UNINTENTIONAL.
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PROTECTED UNDER LAWS OF THE
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