Kickstarter

Sara has been working in the creative arts since she was 4, always with the motive of helping others. In 2009, Sara received her B.A. in English, with concentrations in Performance in Social Activism, Theatre and Writing from Monmouth University. It is here she first started directing theatre in 2006. Her debut was the drama “Lot’s Daughters,” which was followed by numerous one-act plays. Sara also assisted in the storytelling program at the Freehold Detention Center in Freehold, NJ. She has studied script to stage work with the Royal Court Theatre in London, UK and has worked in New York City with NewFest film festival in 2007 as a coverage intern and Public Relations/Communication and later with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) in the Communications and Production department where she interviewed newsmakers and edited National promotional spots. In 2010, Sara moved to Miami to pursue a M.F.A. in Screenwriting, realizing within the year of pursuing her dreams that she had to go further and switch to a M.F.A. in Production. This is Sara’s first time as a writer/director of a short narrative film, she is greatly honored and appreciates this wonderful opportunity to bring WAKING BEAUTY to life.

DARYL BABOULIS-GYSCEK 

Daryl’s love affair with dramatic writing and the arts commenced at the age of 7, writing plays to be performed at subsequent birthday parties. When she could no longer coerce her friends to perform, Daryl took her plays to school where she acquired a real stage and convinced teachers to do the coercing for her. Daryl attended Lafayette College in Easton, PA where she obtained her B.A. in Political Theory. Throughout her time at Lafayette, Daryl continued writing creatively and worked as a part-time Muralist (her work can be found in restaurants in Bergen County, New Jersey). In 2008, Daryl worked as an Intern and later as a Legislative Assistant in our Nation’s Capitol for Congressman Scott Garrett. On the eve of taking her LSATS, instead of studying, Daryl was making an outline for her latest screenplay. Needless to say, she never took the LSATs and studied screenwriting under Dallas Brennan (http://www.imdb.com/n

ame/nm1776864/) in New York City. In, 2010 Daryl moved to Miami to pursue a MFA in Screenwriting. Presently, she is interning with Sentinel Pictures (Los Angeles) and tutoring the University of Miami Football team. Daryl is honored to be a part of the impressive crew/cast of WAKING BEAUTY.

XIAO HU 

Producer

Born and raised in Beijing, China, Xiao came to United States after he graduated from college in China to pursue his dream. Xiao got his first Master’s degree in Mass Communications from Arkansas State University. Then to specify his focus in the Motion Picture arena, Xiao became a M.F.A. student in Motion Picture Producing at the University of Miami. When Xiao was in China, he spent a lot of time working with film and TV series crews. He also interned in the distribution department at Talent International Media Group, a Chinese production studio. With all the experience he gained from his previous work and the knowledge he learned, in 2010, he produced his first independent documentary Beyond Dream and Freedom at Arkansas State University. With his unique and cross-cultural background, Xiao strives to weave Chinese and American film into his future projects. 

JONATHAN FRANKLIN 

Jonathan is a Kenyan-born American who grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa and is often referred to as the "White African American". While living in Kenya he was first exposed to photography at age 8 when his mother handed him a 35mm Canon AE1 SLR and sent him off to the game park with his father to "shoot some animals." At age 18 he moved to Miami, to pursue a BSC at the University of Miami with specific focus on Cinematography, Photography and Digital Imaging. Since graduating he has shot National TV spots for Prosecco Zonin Wines & Dell Computers as well as assisting in the camera department on “Charlie's Angels”; numerous music videos for top billing artists; national TV spots, documentaries for Rakontur such as “The U” and “Square Grouper” as well as feature length films and high end fashion shoots. His passion for cinematography borders obsession and he is always on set or on the way to set. On a side note, he speaks British English with an American accent and often mixes his Swahili into his broken Spanish.

TIM WARREN 

1st Assistant Director