CREATIVE TEAM
Jennifer Paz
Executive Producer / co-Creator
Jennifer is a theatre artist, producer, writer, and VoiceOver artist whose credits include Lapis Lazuli (BTVA Award Winner) on the ground-breaking Peabody Award, GLAAD Media Award, and Emmy® Award Winning animated cult series Steven Universe (Cartoon Network), Miss Saigon (Kim, 1st National Broadway Tour, various regional), Les Miserables (Broadway), and David Henry Hwang’s Flower Drum Song (Mei-Li, pre-Broadway revival, Mark Taper Forum).
Jennifer is a 2022 mentee with showrunner Brian Yorkey (Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, Next to Normal) with UNLOCK HER POTENTIAL, a mentorship program for women of color founded by Sophia Chang (author of Baddest Bitch in the Room, music matriarchitect who managed Ol’ Dirty Bastard (RIP), RZA, GZA, D’Angelo, Raphael Saadiq, Q Tip, and A Tribe Called Quest).
Jennifer was awarded the 2022/23 NAMT Writers Residency Grant.
As an emerging screenwriter, she won the inugural Outstanding Screenplays 2021 TV Pilot Competition (out of 870 submissions) for her original pilot, PROUD MARYS, and was a top selection from Judge Susan Soon He Stanton, Emmy® Award-winning, Peabody Award-winning, and WGA Award-winning writer on HBO’s SUCCESSION. Other placements include the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts, Semifinalist in ScreenCraft Comedy Competition, and QF with Stage 32 TV Comedy, WeScreenplay Diverse Voices Fall 2021, and 2021 Emerging Screenwriters, and currently listed on the Coverfly Red List. Her screenplays have been tabled with Cinema Salas Skripts Out Loud series, programmed by Marie Jamora (dir. Queen Sugar, FOX’S Cleaning Lady) and Fil-Am Arts Teatro.
Jennifer is co-founder of The VFC Project (Voices for Change) with Anthony Fedorov, a grassroots community of artists serving to inspire empathetic conversations about our nation’s fractured identity.
Jennifer is most proud of her role as mama to her son Julian.
Anthony fedorov
Creator/Executive Producer
Music & Lyrics, Music Production
Born in Yalta, Crimea (former USSR), Anthony immigrated to the United States with his parents and older brother at 9-years old. Due to a birth defect in his windpipe, he underwent a tracheotomy (breathing through a tube from 4 months old to age 4) from which a scar is now visible. Doctors predicted he would never be able to speak.
He went on to compete and finish as 4th place Finalist on American Idol Season Four.
As a songwriter, Anthony’s song placements include Hulu’s Future Man, The Ellen Degeneres Wildlife Fund, “Tet’Emcombo” (King of Kings) co-written with producing partner and Grammy® Winner Jeeve Ducornet (Todrick Hall, Bruno Mars) in the short film “The German King,” “I Begin Again” co-written with Grammy® Winning songwriter Bill Grainer and recorded by Britain’s Got Talent Winner Jai McDowall (hit #1 on iTunes Music).
As an actor, Anthony’s credits include FTR’s Love Actually, LIVE (The Wallis), off-Broadway in The Fantasticks, (Matt) and RENT revival (Roger). Regional: “Prince” in Cinderella with Nashville Symphony for Steven Curtis Champman's Show Hope Foundation, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, (Broadway Asia - Tokyo, Ordway Center, 5th Avenue Theatre), Les Miserables, (McCoy/Rigby Entertainment), The Sound of Music (Paper Mill Playhouse) and the world premiere of The 12 a rock musical written by Pulitzer and Tony Award winner Robert Schenkkan (HBO’s All The Way) and music by Neil Berg.
Anthony’s concept album “Calling On You” (co-produced with Jeeve Ducornet) was successfully funded from a 2016 Kickstarter campaign.
This concept album has served as the beginning ideas for a new musical experience, Hash Tag Amer!ca.
Kyle Carter
Co-lyricist
Kyle Carter is a Singer/Actor/Writer from Woodbridge, VA. University of Notre Dame - Studio Art and Design.
In 2017/18, Kyle released a 12 episode webseries called “I Don’t Mean No Disrespect, Y’all!” on Facebook, eventually finding a content home on the radio streaming app Stationhead. He created spoken word poetry regarding political events as well as conducting interviews, think of it like The Spoken Word Trevor Noah. Later in 2018, he followed this project up with his one-man show podcast for The Micro-Musical Theatre Show called “Crayola In Love” about his experiences of falling in love as a bi-racial kid in America. Since then he’s partnered with Anthony Fedorov on the new docu-musical “Hash Tag America” tackling social issues in America to further galvanize the fight for social and economic equality!
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass.
Nik Walker
Bookwriter
Nik Walker is a theater artist, cinefile, theme park nerd and collector of talented frenemies. At the start of 2020, he took over leading the Broadway cast of Ain’t Too Proud (after 3 years as Aaron Burr in the Broadway and touring companies of Hamilton). Before that, he was seen in Motown the Musical, Peter and the Starcatcher, on TV in Law and Order SVU, and regionally at La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe and The Denver Center, to name a few. As a playwright, he is the co-writer of Company One’s ARTiculation, and the creator of the The Bloody Boston Trilogy; his movie podcast, Little Justice, is streaming with the Broadway Podcast Network. @nikkywalks
Nava Ghalili
Social Impact Producer
Emmy®-nominated Nava Ghalili, a youth empowerment activist since the age of 13, was one of the youngest news anchors in the history of American television. She had also created, produced and hosted an Emmy®-nominated series at 24 years of age. She is an actress, producer, voiceover artist as well as a social impact advisor for filmmakers focused on creating films aimed at Millenials and Generation Z's. As an expert in youth extremism and conflict sought out for advisory roles in the government, and an activist for education and women's rights, she has been an international motivational speaker on topics related to her theories on social transformation and youth empowerment since her teenage years.
Of Iranian heritage, Nava was born in America and also raised in Australia. She has advocated for issues ranging from moral education to gender equality and is currently developing educational curricula aimed at empowering youth called “Purify My Heart”. In addition to formal training in acting, dance and vocals, Nava’s education includes Commerce (Curtin University) in Australia and Journalism (Harvard University) and a Masters in Comparative Politics and Middle East Conflict (London School of Economics and Political Science).
She is a Board Advisor and United Nations representative for the Mona Foundation, which is a GuideStar platinum star-rated non-profit that works with schools around the world to provide opportunities for the education of girls and gender equality.
She is currently working on and for films related to youth and human rights while serving as a social impact private advisor to public figures in the entertainment industry, corporations and organizations wishing to bring activism to the forefront of work previously unrelated to social development.
David armstrong
Consulting Producer
David Armstrong is an American stage director, writer, producer, lecturer, and choreographer. He is best known for his work at The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle where from 2000 to 2018 he served as the Producing Artistic Director and later as the Executive Producer and Artistic Director, and where he is currently the Artistic Director Emeritus. He also currently serves on the faculty of the University of Washington School Of Drama where he teaches a course entitled: The Broadway Musical -How Immigrants, Jews, Queers and African-Americans Invented America's Signature Art Form.
On Broadway he directed the musical Scandalous!: The Life And Trials Of Aimee Semple McPherson starring Carolee Carmello who received a Tony nomination for her performance. He also directed this show’s pre-Broadway production at The 5th Avenue Theatre under the title Saving Aimee.
Under his leadership The 5th Avenue grew to become one of the nation’s leading musical theater companies, especially with regards to the development and production of new work. During his tenure The 5th produced full productions of 19 new musicals, nine of which subsequently transferred to Broadway, and two of which received the TONY Award for Best Musical (Hairspray and Memphis).
He currently hosts the newly launched podcast BROADWAY NATION on the Broadway Podcast Network, “a lively and opinionated cultural history of the Broadway Musical that tells the extraordinary story of how Immigrants, Jews, Queers, African-Americans and other outcasts invented the Broadway Musical, and how they changed America in the process.”
jeeve ducornet
Music Producer, Music Supervisor
Jeeve (a.k.a. Jean-Yves Ducornet), a Grammy® winner, is a fixture of the music and entertainment world. Well known for being a one-of-a-kind musical architect, crafting as a producer, musician, songwriter, engineer, and composer, he has created a catalogue of music which has been used for countless films, TV shows, commercials and music projects.
In 2004, Jeeve was nominated for Latin Grammy® Producer of The Year (DJ Kane: DJ Kane), and in 2013 won a Latin Grammy® for best Pop /Rock Album (Beto Cuevas: Transformacion) – Production and Songwriting.
In 2017, Jeeve was nominated for Latin Grammy® for Best Contemporary Pop Vocal Album – Production, Songwriting and Mixing.
With his knowledge of creating and developing incredible musical talent, Jeeve has worked with a huge variety of accomplished and widely known recording artists world-wide. Some of these artists include Bruno Mars, Britney Spears, Pit Bull, Todrick Hall, Luis Fonsi, Giorgio Moroder, James Arthur (U.K.), Pixie Lott (U.K.) M. Pokora (France), Jenifer (France) David Bisbal (Spain), Carlos Santana, Tupac Shakur, The Game, Nicole Sherzinger, Paulina Rubio, Beto Cuevas, Darius Rucker and many more.
Jeeve has an extensive list of credits in TV & Film, which include providing music for fifteen seasons of “America’s Next Top Model” and featured music in Popular shows such as: “Oz” * “Modern Family” * “Scrubs” * “Sex and the City” * “Fraiser” * “Bad Girls Club” * “Doll House” * “Boston Public ” * “Roswell” * “The Shield” * “Faking it” …. along with music for HBO * NBC * WB * Showtime * MTV * Paramount * CBS * Fox * ABC* Paramount Pictures * 20th Century Fox * The Disney Channel * Universal * UPN * Oxygen Network * Bravo * Warner Brothers * Touchstone …
A dual citizen of the US & France, Jeeve spent his early years traveling back and forth between both countries, where he developed his broad musical skills. After studying at the studio Des Varietés in Paris, France and Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA he relocated to Los Angeles where he currently resides.
Rick Hip-Flores
Musical Director
Rick Hip-Flores currently associate musical director of Ain’t Too Proud. Previously was the musical director of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 on Broadway, and music supervisor of In Transit, Broadway’s first a cappella musical. Additionally he has conducted seven other Broadway shows including Fun Home, Come From Away, Bronx Tale, Groundhog Day, Beautiful, Rocky, and the Radio City Rockettes. Musical director of We Will Rock You (first National tour), Jacques Brel (Zipper Theater), Last Days of Summer (world premiere). As sub keyboardist: Aladdin, School of Rock, Billy Elliot, Wonderland. Rick’s arrangements and orchestrations have been performed by the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and on television: So You Think You Can Dance, and Dance Moms. Most recently, he was awarded the Kennedy Center Musical Theater Award for his work on Daddy Issues, written with Ted Malawar.
Aj rafael
Associate Music Director / Content Specialist
Singer/songwriter and actor/music director from Moreno Valley, CA. With over 1 Million subscribers on YouTube, and 800,000 monthly listeners on Spotify... AJ was recognized as a Filipino-American Game Changer by the City of Los Angeles in 2017. AJ’s recent theatre credits include: Mamma Mia! (Pepper) at East West Players, world premiere of Burn All Night (Oz) at American Repertory Theatre, Tarzan (Terk) at Performance Riverside, Songs For A New World (Music Director) at Barn Stage Company, Newsies (Music Director) at Performance Riverside. AJ also started and produces the show Crazy Talented Asians, showcasing Asian American representation in collaboration with East West Players and Rockwell LA.
Jasmine rafael
Choreographer
Jasmine Rafael is a professional dancer, choreographer, and instructor from California. She is incredibly honored to join the team of Hash Tag Amer!ca Musical.
While working in the dance industry, Jasmine has danced for artists such as Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Tori Kelly, Jojo Siwa, and more. Her mentors include Napoleon and Tabitha D'umo, Tony Testa, Fresh Redding, and Scotty Nguyen. She choreographed a feature film called "Summer Forever: The Movie" in her second year in Los Angeles, and has created choreography for ESPN, The Kids Choice Awards, Comedy Central, and Nickelodeon. Being an educator is a great passion of Jasmine's, and she is a faculty member at Millennium Dance Complex, AMDA College and Conservatory, Edge Performing Arts Center, and more, and has toured the country with different conventions, among them being the prestigious "Monsters of Hip Hop" Tour. Most recently, Jasmine has choreographed for East West Players' productions of Assassins, and danced in Netflix's upcoming film, "The Prom."
Louis Hobson
Consulting Producer
Co-founded Indie Theatrical to create new business models for entertainment around IP based acquisition of entertainment properties and distribution through domestic and International channels.
Current relationships extend to every part of the U.S., Canada, Asia, Europe and South America.
Responsible for identifying entertainment opportunities, acquisition, contract negotiations, budgeting, line item producing, creative development, casting, and production.
Current offerings is the successful Tenors of Rock Las Vegas, currently presenting at Harrah's famed showroom in Las Vegas.
Jason Niedle
Website, Branding, Marketing
Jason is a creative director whose purpose is to make a positive difference in the lives of others. With over thirty years of experience helping corporations, nonprofits, and individuals visually communicate, he’s worked with a wide range of luminaries, and is responsible for several thousand book designs, hundreds of calendars, countless corporate brands and websites, numerous video productions, and was an integral lead in hundreds of projects, with over 100 cumulative design and photography awards to show for it. In 2003 Jason founded Tethos, a design agency in Orange County, California, and has authored 2 books. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor at Chapman University.
Jason is passionate about ideas that change the world, and is most proud of his role as husband and father.
