About Us: The Story
ACROSS THE AMAZONS
After watching her children die during the smallpox epidemic in Colonial Peru, Isabel Godin decided to meet her husband who had been away in French Guiana for 20-years, but to do so must travel some 5,000 miles across the South American continent. Initially against her family’s wishes, she set off with her core group and dozens of porters on the nearly yearlong journey. One misstep after another splintered her party due to treacherous conditions, abandonment, betrayal, and ultimately death. After a month alone in the rainforest, she met natives who nursed her back to health and helped her reach the mission system where she finally was able to arrive at the mouth of the Amazon River to reunite with her husband. Isabel survived: for love.
Dr. Laura K. Marsh is a writer and tropical ecologist. She has written several screenplays and other works of fiction; over one hundred scientific articles, books, and reports; described five new species of saki monkeys; and lead a successful expedition called Houseboat Amazon to find a monkey that had been missing since the 1930s. She wrote the Nichols' awarded screenplay ACROSS THE AMAZONS while working in the field in the Ecuadorian Amazon! After meeting with Ken Davenport at his New York offices on Broadway, they decided the story was also a natural for musical theater. Laura has since re-worked the film version for the stage adding lyrics and set directions. She wrote the libretto and found an amazing musician to craft songs. The goal is to have the Across The Amazons Project appear on multiple platforms, including large and small screens and the theater.
About Us: The Musical
Robin Ward Holloway
Robin Ward Holloway is a composer, lyricist, arranger, and music director working throughout the US. Original scores include After Hours, Cosmic Jazz Cabaret, and Up & Down Theatre’s musical comedy show: Winning The Future. His most recent project, The Dinner Table, was in development at the Johnny Mercer Writer’s Colony at Goodspeed Opera House in 2018.Robin holds a BMus degree in Jazz Piano Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts, and an MMus degree in Jazz Piano Performance from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Robin is a theatrical consultant for ACROSS THE AMAZONS.
Kathleen Edwards
Kathleen Edwards, M.P.S.E. knows the artistic side of theater and music as well as the administrative side. She worked as a Production Consultant for the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, SD Chamber Orchestra, as well as serving as the Special Events Director for the Center Theater Group, Mark Taper/Ahmanson Theater Company in Los Angeles. She prefers, however, being part of the artistic team and performer. She is a violinist who has proven she can play Beethoven as well as the blues, playing with orchestras and bands, a few too many to count. One reviewer from the LA Times called her improvised fills, "especially sweet." She served along side Jay Gravatt as composer-in-residence for the MYE Theatre Company of Los Angeles. They won some critical acclaim for their score for the world premier of CloudCuckooLand. BackStage West said "the score would be ample story telling by itself [and] evokes without mimicking the ethnicities of the stories," while LA Times said, "Jay Gravatt and Kathleen Edwards provide a lush, imaginative score." She was also a violinist with the big band, The Pretty Babies, featuring Zooey Deschanel and Samantha Shelton. She has performed in, as well being part of the composing teams for, well over a dozen theatrical premiers in LA for Zoo District Theater Co, Sacred Fools, and MYE Theater Co. She combines her musical and theatrical background with her extensive sound design skills to create sound-scapes that elevate and underscore the emotional impact of the story. She is excited to be part of this talented team.
Tor Kingdon
Tor got his start in the entertainment business as so many do by performing in high school theatre. He went on to major in Theatre Arts at Kalamazoo College and to graduate with honors in 1991. He focused his energy in technical aspects such as scenic design and fell is love with sound design doing sound for Sam Shepherd's The Tooth of Crime. He also co-designed lights and set on Václav Havel's Largo Desolato directed by one of Havel's contemporaries in Czechoslovakian theatre, Kazmir Braun. He moved to California to pursue dreams of feature films and ended up finding a job in post-production sound after moving to Portland, OR. He has produced radio advertising and other audio-only projects for many years before founding Hear Kitty Studios and getting deeper into sound to picture. He will be instrumental in organizing sounds and themes for ACROSS THE AMAZONS.
About Us: The Film
President of Packaging and Sales
Tiffany Boyle has leveraged her business-oriented sales and packaging skills to bring hundreds of films and documentaries to fruition. Since 2018 alone, Tiffany has optimized clients’ financial and business positions in more than 35 films and documentaries. Tiffany connects filmmakers with producers, co-producers, executive producers, co-finance partners, distributors, agencies and other industry representatives. Recently, she led the sales and packaging for “Tragedy Girls” (SXSW 2017) & “Freaks” (Toronto IFF 2018) and has also served as executive producer on Daryl Wein’s “White Rabbit” (Sundance 2018), “Better Start Running” (Newport IFF 2018) starring Jeremy Irons, “Ashes in the Snow” (Los Angeles FF 2018) starring Bel Powley. Upcoming films include “Something Else” from the filmmakers of “Spring”and “The Endless,” Bethany Brooke Anderson’s feature debut “Burning Kentucky”, and “Arkansas” starring Liam Hemsworth and Vince Vaughn.
Director of TV and Episodic Content
Stuart Arbury draws on his diverse professional background in order to marry the creative and business needs of a potential series and actively help clients navigate an ever changing episodic landscape. Arbury’s background includes executive posts for producers and buyers in television, digital and features. Prior to joining Ramo Law, Arbury was Director of Development at Canvas Media Studios (StyleHaul’s VANITY) and Captivate Entertainment (THE BOURNE IDENTITY franchise). His responsibilities for both included originating and acquiring projects, working directly with writers, actors, directors, representatives, and studio executives. Arbury was also a Creative Executive for Dimension Films, spending two seasons overseeing on-set duties for MTV’s SCREAM series, based on the hit horror franchise. Arbury was previously an assistant to Joe Drake, co-founder of Good Universe (NEIGHBORS, THE NIGHT BEFORE, POLTERGEIST), and Mike Medavoy, chairman of Phoenix Pictures (BLACK SWAN, SHUTTER ISLAND), in both instances working in all aspects of the development and productions of the companies’ feature and television slates. Stuart Arbury graduated from Florida State University in 2007 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Production and began his career as production assistant on several series, including ABC’s BOSTON LEGAL and CBS’ GHOST WHISPERER. He also gained experience through several internships, including at Mandeville Films, wrote and performed for The Second City, and co-founded, produced, wrote, and directed for the award winning online channel WolfKnifeTV.