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THE ORANGES

PRODUCTION NOTES

DIRECTED BY JULIAN FARINO

WRITTEN BY

JAY REISS AND IAN HELFER

STARRING HUGH LAURIE

CATHERINE KEENER OLIVER PLATT

ALLISON JANNEY ALIA SHAWKAT ADAM BRODY

and LEIGHTON MEESTER

An Olympus Pictures / Likely Story Production

STUDIO CONTACT: ATO Pictures Veronica Bufalini 1133 Broadway Suite 1120 New York, NY 10010 212.367.9435 Veronica@idpfilm.com

NEW YORK AGENCY: Falco Ink Betsy Rudnick 250 West 49th Street, Suite 704 New York, NY 10019 212.445.7100 BetsyRudnick@falcoink.com

LOS ANGELES AGENCY: MPRM Communications Guido Götz 5670 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 2500 Los Angeles, CA 90036 323.933.3399 x4255 ggotz@mprm.com

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THE ORANGES

CAST (in order of appearance)

Vanessa ALIA SHAWKAT

David HUGH LAURIE Terry OLIVER PLATT Cathy ALLISON JANNEY Paige CATHERINE KEENER Ethan SAM ROSEN

Nina LEIGHTON MEESTER Toby ADAM BRODY

Maya AYA CASH Henry Chart HOON LEE

Roger TIM GUINEE

FILMMAKERS

Directed by JULIAN FARINO Screenplay by IAN HELFER &

JAY REISS Produced by ANTHONY BREGMAN

LESLIE URDANG DEAN VANECH

Executive Producers IAN HELFER JAY REISS STEFANIE AZPIAZU SAM HOFFMAN DAN REVERS

Co-Producer GEOFF LINVILLE Director of Photography STEVEN FIERBERG, A.S.C.

Production Designer DAN DAVIS Editors JEFFREY M. WERNER, A.C.E.

CAROLE KRAVETZ AYKANIAN Costume Designer DAVID ROBINSON Original Music by KLAUS BADELT & ANDREW RAIHER Music Supervisor ROBIN URDANG

Casting by JEANNE McCARTHY, C.S.A.

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THE ORANGES

THE ORANGES is a comedy about two families, who have been lifelong friends, and the hilarity

that ensues when a rebellious daughter returns home for the holidays and causes a scandal

that forces everyone to re-examine what happiness really means to them.

SYNOPSIS

David and Paige Walling (Hugh Laurie, Catherine Keener) and Terry and Cathy Ostroff (Oliver

Platt, Allison Janney) are best friends and neighbors living on Orange Drive in suburban New

Jersey. Their comfortable existence goes awry when prodigal daughter Nina Ostroff (Leighton

Meester), newly broken up with her fiancé Ethan (Sam Rosen), returns home for Thanksgiving

after a five-year absence. Rather than developing an interest in the successful son of her

neighbors, Toby Walling (Adam Brody), which would please both families, it’s her parents' best

friend David who captures Nina’s attention.

When the connection between Nina and David becomes undeniable, everyone’s lives are

thrown into upheaval, particularly Vanessa Walling’s (Alia Shawkat), Nina's childhood best

friend. It’s not long before the ramifications of the affair begin to work on all of the family

members in unexpected and hilarious ways, leading everyone to reawaken to their lives and

reassess what it means to be happy.

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THE ORANGES ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Christmas in the suburbs: homecomings, gift-giving, festive decorations, caroling, and a

scandalous love affair that threatens to tear two families apart. Perhaps this isn’t what might

be expected in a holiday film, but that’s just what makes the ensemble comedy “The Oranges”

so unique. “This is a holiday movie for people who are skeptical of holiday movies,” explains

producer Anthony Bregman. “Holiday movies often set an unreal view of what life is like. They

make you realize that your life isn’t as happy as the Christmas decorations or the music. What’s

entertaining about ‘The Oranges’ is that it examines a scandalous and entertaining problem

against the backdrop of the holidays.”

The Walling and Ostroff neighbors are not unlike many suburban families who have

been best friends and neighbors for over two decades. They share everything -- weekend

dinners, hobbies, family barbecues, and the holidays -- as we are told by our story's narrator

and the youngest Walling, Vanessa (ALIA SHAWKAT). And like some suburban households,

this familiar routine can sometimes turn a vibrant life into one of gentle despair. This is what

has happened to the Wallings and Ostroffs. Despite Paige Walling's (CATHERINE KEENER)

obsessive insistence on the joy of Christmas (her caroling group starts rehearsals in August), or

Terry Ostroff's (OLIVER PLATT) endless fascination over his latest gadget, or David Walling

(HUGH LAURIE) and Cathy Ostroff's (ALLISON JANNEY) patient acceptance of their friends' and

spouses' idiosyncratic habits, these two families are in a pretty unhappy place.

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Until, that is, one particular Thanksgiving when David Walling answers the door to find

the prodigal daughter of Terry and Cathy - Nina Ostroff (LEIGHTON MEESTER) returned after a

five year absence. After drifting from place to place and suffering an unexpected break-up with

her fiancé Ethan (SAM ROSEN), Nina finds herself back in the last place she wants to be, West

Orange, New Jersey. And our story begins.

"Both David and Paige have become a bit stuck," explains screenwriter Ian Helfer. "And

in many ways Nina has always been something of a button-pusher and a troublemaker. A lot of

people might be happy just to stay in their unhappy relationship, but Nina is able to come in

and poke at it in a way that really blows things up. They are perfectly matched -- at least at that

moment in their lives."

According to screenwriters Ian Helfer and Jay Reiss, the story is very loosely based on a

May-December romance that they heard about from friends. "The first question, after this

affair started, was what would it be like for Nina to have her parents over for dinner," says

Reiss. Elaborating on those moments of awkwardness - and with time to write a spec script

because of the Writers Guild strike, the story and the characters became fleshed out with both

humor and depth. "The big idea was, what if they really fell in love, this 24 year old girl and a

50 year old guy?", continues Helfer. "It's not that odd that this affair would lead to a real

relationship, which in turn would turn this hermetically sealed world upside-down." The

strength and humor of the film rests on the delicate balance between David and Nina's affair

being shocking to both families, but not too disturbing to audiences. Producer Bregman admits

it’s a tricky tightrope to walk: "The character of David has to be old enough so that the

relationship with Nina is inappropriate, but not too old that the whole thing is unattractive."

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Much to the delight of Helfer and Reiss, the script for "The Oranges" quickly made the

rounds and impressed those who read it. The script was put on the underground "blacklist" of

great unproduced scripts, making it one of the industry's hottest reads. Anthony Bregman, with

dozens of credits in independent films including “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and

“Friends With Money,” was the first to come aboard, and eventually found a producing and

financing partner in producer Leslie Urdang, whose company recently produced high-profile

critical hits like the Oscar-nominated “Rabbit Hole” and Mike Mills' “Beginners.” "It's rare that

you read a script where you laugh all the way through and then you cry at the end," remembers

Urdang. "For me the power of the film lies in its illustration of how people come together

because they each need something real and valuable from the other person in order to move

forward. And in the idea that sometimes the most disastrous things turn out to be exactly what

we need to wake up to our lives." Urdang felt the script would also attract top talent. "I think

that the real surprise is how much we root for David and Nina to have this time together," says

Urdang. "whether it’s supposed to last forever or not.”

It was British-born director Julian Farino, a veteran of documentary and television shows

such as “Entourage” and “Big Love,” who was chosen to take the reins of “The Oranges” and

make the script come to life. “There were a lot of directors who were interested,” recalls Ian

Helfer. “Jay asked me to talk to Julian, because they were friends who had worked together

before, and Julian’s sensibilities were right on. He has great comic sense, but also gets the

heart of it.” “This is the third thing I’ve done with Julian,” says Reiss, “and after we finished the

script, he asked me to read it. I told him I didn’t think it would be his kind of thing – it’s set in

the suburbs in New Jersey – but he got it right away. He really gets the characters and the

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tone.” “Julian’s style syncs precisely with the style of this movie,” agrees Anthony Bregman.

“It’s about serious stuff, but it’s told in a very funny way, and in a very soulful way.”

For his part, Farino admits that his background gave him a bit of an asset when

approaching the material. “I started in documentary, so I have a bit of experience being the

viewing outsider. I think as Brits we’re trained in a tradition of realism, so I think I bring that

with my instincts. I never really thought of it as just an American story, it’s also a suburban

story, and it’s very universal in its themes. It’s about mothers and daughters, and husbands and

wives, and families and friendships, and those themes are all cross-cultural.”

Although David and Nina set the story in motion, the film is a true ensemble piece, with

each part requiring actors who could deliver a range of emotions and reactions, from sincere

emotional betrayal to broad physical comedy. The first to be cast was David, who, as Bregman

noted, had to be likeable enough to root for and not come across as a guy you would expect to

take advantage of a younger woman. The filmmakers all agree that there could have been no

better choice than Hugh Laurie, the veteran British comedic actor whose credits range from the

absurdly oblivious Bertie on the BBC’s “Jeeves and Wooster” to the kindly patriarch in the

“Stuart Little” films to the irascibly misanthropic title character in the long-running Fox network

medical drama “House.” “I pinned my hopes on landing Hugh from the beginning,” says Julian

Farino. “He has a unique blend of charm, intelligence, and ease, but there’s nothing predatory

about him. If you felt that David’s attraction was just based on desire or sexuality, the whole

thing would come unstuck.” Leslie Urdang adds, “We’ve not seen Hugh do something like this.

He’s paternal and sexy. It’s great that Julian and Hugh are both British, as well. They share a

cultural approach in terms of the film’s emotional tone. American families tend to express

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themselves more dramatically – that’s a generalization, of course – but I think both Julian and

Hugh are mining that and getting a kick out of it.”

“I probably should have some kind of strategy about the kind of film I ‘should’ do,” jokes

Hugh Laurie, “but I don’t – I just respond to a well-written script. This script was funny, and

touching. For all of the heartache at the center of the film, though, there’s something very

optimistic about it, which I found very uplifting.” The central relationship between David and

Nina would also prove a substantial acting challenge. “You have two problems, really,” explains

Laurie. “One is to get the audience to believe the relationship, and that can be a big enough

problem, sometimes insurmountable. The second problem is they not only need to believe it,

they have to like it, they have to approve of it, and they’ve got to root for it. To get both of

those things right is tricky for the actors, but also for the director, and I think Julian had it right

from the beginning. He understood how people might, against their better judgment, end up

rooting for this couple. We’re not Bonnie and Clyde – we don’t rob any banks – but in the

suburban world, they are an outlaw couple, and Julian always had a very clear idea about how

that could work, about how there could be a kind of joy in it.”

Finding the other half of the scandalous couple ultimately led to actress Leighton

Meester. “I felt very lucky in a sense, because Leighton and I had actually worked together

before,” says Hugh Laurie, who had established a professional rapport with Meester when she

guest-starred on two episodes of “House.” “So the ice came slightly pre-broken - it was in

cubes, actually – which was a great advantage. It proved to be much less traumatic than either

of us thought it was going to be. We both thought, ‘this could be awkward if we don’t get this

right,’ but we ultimately felt really at ease.”

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“I think people are going to like the couple of David and Nina,” says Leighton Meester.

“Without all of the other drama, it’s pure, and it’s quite real. They fall in love and it’s quite

beautiful, if for nothing else that they teach each other a lot about life, and happiness, and

freedom. It’s not about the difference in their ages, it’s just about them. When Nina starts out,

she doesn’t think very highly of how she grew up or where she is from, but when she comes

back, she discovers a lot about herself and really grows up.” “Leighton is absolutely sublime

and spirited and accessible,” enthuses Leslie Urdang. “Her chemistry with Hugh is just beyond

what we could have asked for.”

In many ways, the not-so-silent protagonist of the film is Vanessa Walling, who has

watched her former best friend Nina break out of her suburban shell, only to return and shatter

Vanessa’s world by beginning the affair with David. “Alia Shawkat is strong, funny, and so

vulnerable at the same time,” says Leslie Urdang. “She’s leads us through the heart of the

story.” Shawkat is best remembered as part of the infamously dysfunctional Bluth family of the

series “Arrested Development,” where she played the role of Maeby Fünke. Being in the

middle of the madness of “The Oranges” meant shouldering a new burden for the young

California-born actress. “Vanessa’s very stilted in her life, not exactly on the fast track” says

Shawkat. “I think that’s why it’s a unique script, for a character like that to be the narrator. She

doesn’t have the most balanced, omniscient perspective, looking at everybody equally. She

really hates Nina, and she’s very judgmental of everybody, including herself, but she always

says it like it is.”

Catherine Keener was chosen to play the part of Paige Walling, the spurned wife who

moves out of the family home after learning of her husband’s interest in Nina, but still attempts

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to preserve her traditional holiday plans. Keener is no stranger to Anthony Bregman, who has

produced four of Keener’s previous films, and who states plainly that he considers Keener “one

of the greatest actresses alive.” “One of her many talents,” he continues, “which is particularly

applicable for this role, is that she’s very good at playing someone who is pissed off, and you

can’t say that about most actors. Something really terrible happens to her at the beginning of

the story, and she’s really enraged for the rest of the movie, and Catherine is someone who is

fun to watch be enraged.” Although Paige’s rage is evident, her character is unique in that she

is separated more from the ensemble than the others, and largely suffers the breakup of her

family on her own. “There’s a confusing rhythm to Paige,” says Keener of the role, “but Julian

was always there to help me find it.” Key to the role is Paige’s obsession with Christmas, which

serves as collateral damage (literally, as audiences will discover) in the fallout of the David-Nina

relationship. “Paige wants to live forever in the holidays,” says Keener, “but the affair

dismantles her idea of what her life is supposed to be like.”

Across the street from the Wallings live Cathy and Terry Ostroff, played by Allison

Janney and Oliver Platt – who receive universal praise from the cast and crew for their ability to

draw great comedic moments out of otherwise dire emotional circumstances. “Oliver and

Allison have comic gifts to spare,” says Julian Farino. “I’m just there to nudge them around and

stay out of their way.” “These are two actors who know how to stay truthful and be broadly

comic at the same time,” agrees Leslie Urdang. Hugh Laurie is equally impressed by his

castmates’ profound comedic sensibilities. “To sit and watch Oliver and Allison do their thing

three feet away is a true joy – you’ve got the best seat in the house, and it’s the greatest

pleasure to see them after admiring them from afar for so long.”

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Like Hugh Laurie and Leighton Meester, Platt and Janney were aided by the fact that

they had crossed paths professionally before, notably on the acclaimed series “The West

Wing.” “I adore Oliver,” says Allison Janney, “and I was very excited at the idea of playing his

wife.” The performance of Cathy, she says, was inspired by her mother and other women she

grew up with. “I always try to say the right thing, but Cathy has no edit button,” she says of her

sometimes caustic on-screen counterpart. “In a way, I’m living a fantasy of how I’d really like to

be.” On a more universal level, Janney and Platt were impressed with the script’s ability to

surprise. Says Oliver Platt: “The whole affair ends up changing everyone in very mysterious

and unexpected ways.” Working with Janney is just as much of a treat for Platt: “We plug into

each other’s sense of idiocy immediately.”

Part of Terry’s biographical past includes a bit of trivia that writer Jay Reiss was

particularly proud of including, and in fact becomes part of Terry’s reaction to his daughter’s

affair with his best friend. Terry can’t help himself from boasting on more than one occasion

that he co-founded the sport of Ultimate Frisbee with a few other college buddies – including

blockbuster film producer Joel Silver. (Silver in fact did help establish the sport as a college

student). Out-of-shape Terry finds himself curiously inspired to return to his game, which was

perfect for Platt, who played the game himself in college and was recovering from knee surgery

at the time of the filming, making his character’s physicality that much more realistic.

That kind of realism wasn’t as easy to come by for the production crew. Although set

during the fall, from Thanksgiving Day to Christmas, the film was shot in the spring, leading to

some interesting challenges on the set. For the most part, mother nature cooperated, although

the Thanksgiving dinner scene was shot on a day where the temperature topped ninety

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degrees, making it all the more uncomfortable for the actors bundled in fall clothes on the set.

“There were no leaves on the trees for the first few days of shooting,” remembers Ian Helfer,

“but then some trees started blooming.” “I’ve never been so conscious of spring and how fast

it happens,” laments Jay Reiss playfully. Still, the effect in the film is seamless, as the fake snow

and holiday decorations managed to transform the location (a suburban cul-de-sac in New

Rochelle) into a thoroughly believable winter wonderland.

But creating a holiday atmosphere meant more than set decoration and carefully

trimmed tree blossoms – it meant fostering an ensemble spirit that would allow audiences to

believe that the Wallings and Ostroffs had known each other for decades. To streamline some

of the production logistics, the producers didn’t provide individual trailers for the actors on set,

instead renting a nearby home where they could all relax and prepare together, often playing

cards while Hugh Laurie tinkered at a piano. Likewise, the screenwriters, who had crafted their

work over the course of nearly two years, were a constant presence on the set (and in fact have

cameos as two of the singers in Paige’s caroling group). This meant that they were able to

consult with either the director or the actors in order to ensure that the quality and tone of the

dialogue fit the individual performance styles, a process much more like episodic television or

professional theatre than conventional filmmaking.

That kind of feeling was fostered most specifically by director Julian Farino. “Julian has a

tremendous esprit de corps,” says Catherine Keener. “He didn’t separate us from each other.”

“He’s really given us room to breathe, but always has very specific notes,” adds Alia Shawkat.

“One always hopes that the tone on the set is the tone you see on screen,” says Anthony

Bregman

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The cast and crew even found a common enemy: the giant snow globe that gadget-

obsessed Terry places on his front lawn. Though they had high hopes for the set piece’s visual

appeal, the device itself turned out to be difficult to manage, requiring far more effort and

manpower to function than anyone wanted. “I hate the snow globe,” says Julian Farino,

refusing to discuss it further. Appropriately, perhaps, the unsightly decoration becomes the

target of Paige’s wrath in one of the film’s more outrageous comic moments, which ultimately

proved to be cathartic for everyone on set. Fortunately, “The Oranges” isn’t quite as brutal on

the holiday season as Paige proves to be. However, its unique take on how the path to

happiness sometimes requires selfishness and unexpected sacrifice is likely to prove to be just

as memorable and hilarious.

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THE ORANGES

ABOUT THE CAST

HUGH LAURIE – David Walling

Hugh Laurie was born in Oxford, England, and educated at Eton College and Cambridge

University, where he took a degree in anthropology. He rowed in the Cambridge and Oxford

Boat Race of 1980 and was elected president of the venerable Footlights Revue. Along with

Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson, Laurie produced “The Cellar Tapes,” which won the Perrier

Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe of 1981 and propelled the trio into a number of

groundbreaking British television shows, including four seasons of “A Bit of Fry and Laurie”;

three seasons of “Blackadder”; three seasons of “Saturday Live”; and four seasons of “Jeeves

and Wooster,” based on the novels of P.G. Wodehouse, which aired in America on

“Masterpiece Theatre” from 1990-1995.

On the big screen, Laurie’s credits include the upcoming holiday animated release

“Arthur Christmas” opposite James McAvoy and Jim Broadbent. He recently completed

production in Papua, New Guinea on the upcoming film “Mister Pip.” Previous feature credits

include the animated films “Hop” and “Monsters vs. Aliens”; “Street Kings” opposite Forest

Whitaker and Keanu Reeves; “Flight of the Phoenix” opposite Dennis Quaid; “Peter’s Friends,”

directed by and co-starring Kenneth Branagh; “Sense and Sensibility” with Emma Thompson

and Kate Winslet; “Cousin Bette”; “The Man in the Iron Mask”; “101 Dalmatians”; and the

“Stuart Little” movies.

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On American television, Laurie portrayed Vincente Minnelli opposite Judy Davis in the

network telefilm “Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows.” He also appeared in “Tracey

Takes On… and Friends,” and his voiceover credits include “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons’

Treehouse of Horror.”

Laurie’s performance as Dr. Gregory House on the hit series “House” has garnered him

two Golden Globe Awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, six Emmy

nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, including the 2011 Primetime Emmy

Awards to be held on September 18, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding

Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series. He has twice been honored by the Television

Critics Association with TCA Awards for Individual Achievement in Drama

Laurie has directed television programs and commercials, including the “House” season

six episode “Lockdown,” composed and recorded numerous original songs, and written articles

for London’s The Daily Telegraph newspaper. His first novel The Gun Seller was published in

both the U.K. and the U.S. to critical acclaim and has been adapted into a screenplay. After

signing a record deal with Warner Bros. records, Laurie recorded the New Orleans blues album

“Let Them Talk,” which has been released internationally and will be released in the US in early

September. Recorded at sessions in Los Angeles and New Orleans, the musical and vocal

collaboration is produced by two-time Grammy Award winner Joe Henry. The performance

documentary about Laurie’s musical passion, “Hugh Laurie: Let Them Talk – A Celebration of

New Orleans Blues” airs on PBS’s “Great Performances” in September 2011.

Laurie was recently named a spokesperson for L’Oréal Paris Men. While filming

“House,” Laurie lives in Los Angeles.

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CATHERINE KEENER – Paige Walling

An accomplished actress at once vibrantly potent and firmly grounded in her roles,

Catherine Keener continues to be a dominant force on screen. Her most recent credits include

such varied films as the thriller “Trust” directed by David Schwimmer; the family film “Percy

Jackson and the Olympians”; and the dark comedy “Cyrus” with John C. Reilly and Jonah Hill.

She has also worked several times with acclaimed independent director Nicole Holofcener,

most recently in “Please Give” with Oliver Platt and Rebecca Hall, and previously in “Friends

with Money,” “Lovely and Amazing,” and “Walking and Talking.”

After “The Oranges,” Keener will be seen opposite Jane Fonda in Bruce Beresford’s

“Peace, Love, and Misunderstanding.” She also recently completed work on David O. Russell’s

“Nailed” with Jake Gyllenhaal, “A Late Quartet” with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Christopher

Walken, “Maladies” with James Franco, and the animated adventure “The Croods.”

Keener’s other recent credits include “The Soloist” Robert Downey, Jr. and Jaime Foxx;

Spike Jonze’s “Where the Wild Things Are”; and Showtime’s “An American Crime” opposite

Ellen Page, for which Keener earned both a Golden Globe and Emmy nomination. Previous

roles include her Oscar-nominated roles in Charlie Kaufman’s “Being John Malkovich” and

Bennett Miller’s “Capote” (as novelist Harper Lee); Barry Levinson's “What Just

Happened”; Andrew Fleming's “Hamlet 2”; Sean Penn's “Into the Wild”; Judd Apatow's “The 40

Year Old Virgin”; Sydney Pollack's “The Interpreter” with Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman;

Rebecca Miller's “The Ballad of Jack and Rose,” opposite Daniel Day-Lewis; Spike

Jonze's “Adaptation”; Andrew Niccol's “S1m0ne”; Steven Soderbergh's “Full Frontal” and “Out

of Sight”; Danny DeVito's “Death to Smoochy”; Neil LaBute's “Your Friends and Neighbors”; and

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the screen adaptation of Sam Shepard's “Simpatico.” She also appeared in four films by Tom

DiCillo: “Box of Moonlight,” “Johnny Suede,” “Living in Oblivion,” and “The Real Blonde.”

Keener’s television credits also include HBO's critically acclaimed anthology, 'If These

Walls Could Talk," directed by Nancy Savoca, and a notable guest appearance on "Seinfeld." On

stage, she starred opposite Edward Norton in the Signature Theater Company's critically

acclaimed off-Broadway revival of Langford Wilson's "Burn This."

LEIGHTON MEESTER – Nina Ostroff

Leighton Meester currently stars as the deliciously devilish Blair Waldorf on CW’s hugely

popular drama, “Gossip Girl,” the series based on the best-selling books and brought to

television by executive producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Because of her success

on the show, it didn’t take long to make the leap onto the big screen. In 2010, Leighton starred

alongside Steve Carell and Tina Fey in the comedy “Date Night” and in the comedy “Going the

Distance” starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long.

Last year, Meester co-starred in “Country Strong” with Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim

McGraw. She was also seen in the thriller “The Roommate” directed by Sonny Mallhi and co-

starring Minka Kelly, “Monte Carlo” with Selena Gomez and Katie Cassidy, and the recently

released comedy “That’s My Boy” alongside Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg.

Meester’s other television credits include guest-starring roles on HBO’s “Entourage” and

Fox’s hit medical drama “House.” She also appeared on shows such as “Shark,” “CSI: Miami,”

“Veronica Mars,” “8 Simple Rules,” “24,” “Seventh Heaven,” “Once and Again,” and “Law and

Order.”

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Raised in Florida, Leighton got the acting bug at age nine, when she played a citizen of

Emerald City in a local production of “The Wizard of Oz.” Two years later, she moved with her

family to New York and soon began working as a model with the Wilhemina modeling agency,

booking a Ralph Lauren campaign shot by Bruce Weber and working with

photographer/director Sofia Coppola.

ALLISON JANNEY – Cathy Ostroff

Displaying astonishing versatility with a wide range of roles, Allison Janney has taken her

place among a select group of actors who combine a leading lady’s profile with a character

actor’s art of performance. Janney was seen this summer in the feature film “The Help,” based

on the best selling novel of the same name. For her role in Todd Solondz's film “Life During

Wartime” she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress from the 2011 IFP/Independent Spirit

Awards.

Throughout her career, Janney has made a handful of memorable guest-star

appearances on television, but she is renowned for her starring role in the acclaimed NBC series

“The West Wing,” where she won a remarkable four Emmy Awards and four SAG Awards for

her portrayal of White House Press Secretary CJ Cregg. Janney has delighted film audiences

with outstanding performances in the Oscar-winning ensemble hit “Juno,” and in the movie

version of the Tony Award-winning play “Hairspray.” Additionally, she appeared in Sam

Mendes’ “Away We Go,” the comedy “Strangers with Candy,” and was heard as the voice of

Gladys in Dreamworks’ animated film “Over the Hedge,” as well as Peach in “Finding Nemo.”

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Janney received a Spirit Award nomination for her work in the independent feature

“Our Very Own,” and starred opposite Meryl Streep in “The Hours,” which received a SAG

Award nomination for Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture. Other feature credits

include the Academy Award winning film “American Beauty” (for which she won a SAG Award

for Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture) as well as “Nurse Betty,” “How to Deal,”

“Drop Dead Gorgeous,” “10 Things I Hate About You,” “Primary Colors,” “The Ice Storm,” “Six

Days Seven Nights,” “The Object of My Affection,” and “Big Night.”

While a freshman studying acting at Kenyon College in Ohio, Janney auditioned for

Kenyon alum Paul Newman and got the part in the on-campus play. Soon after, Newman and

his wife Joanne Woodward suggested she study at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York.

She followed their advice and went on to make her Broadway debut in Noel Coward’s “Present

Laughter” for which she earned the Outer Critics Circle Award and Clarence Derwent Award.

She also appeared in Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge,” receiving her first Tony Award

nomination and winning the Outer Critics Circle Award. Janney was last seen on Broadway in

the musical “9 to 5,” for which she earned a Tony nomination and won the Drama Desk Award.

OLIVER PLATT – Terry Ostroff

Oliver Platt has enjoyed success in film, television and on stage. He can currently be

seen on the acclaimed Showtime series “The Big C” starring Laura Linney, and on the HBO series

“Bored to Death.” His recent film credits include “X- Men: First Class,” “Love and Other Drugs,”

“2012,” Ron Howard’s “Frost/Nixon,” “Year One,” and opposite Catherine Keener in Nicole

Holofcener’s “Please Give,” which won critical acclaim at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and

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Tribeca Film Festival. Other notable film credits include “Casanova,” “The Ice Harvest,” “Funny

Bones,” “Bulworth,” “Married to the Mob,” “Working Girl”, “Flatliners,” “Postcards From the

Edge,” “Indecent Proposal,” “The Three Musketeers,” “A Time to Kill,” “Doctor Dolittle,” “Simon

Birch,” “Lake Placid,” “Don’t Say a Word,” and “Pieces of April.”

Platt made his producing debut on the indie film “Big Night,” which was co-directed by

Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott. He would later re-team with Tucci in “The Impostors.” On

television, Platt was seen playing the role of George Steinbrenner on the hit ESPN miniseries

“The Bronx is Burning,” which earned him a SAG nomination. Other accolades include a Golden

Globe and back-to-back Emmy nominations for his portrayal of Russell Tupper in Showtime’s

“Huff,” as well as an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his

portrayal as White House Counsel Oliver Babish on the popular political drama “The West

Wing.” He was also nominated again for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his

recurring role on “Nip/Tuck,” playing the flamboyant TV producer Freddy Prune.

Platt graduated from Tufts University with a degree in drama, and immediately began

working in regional theater, as well as off-Broadway in such productions as “The Tempest” and

John Guare’s “Moon Over Miami.” He also starred in the Lincoln Center production of “Ubu”

and Jules Feiffer’s “Elliot Loves” (directed by Mike Nichols), and received rave reviews for his

performance as Sir Toby Belch in Brian Kulick’s “Twelfth Night.” Platt received a Tony

nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actor for his work on Broadway in Conor

McPherson’s “Shining City,” which was also nominated for Best Play.

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ALIA SHAWKAT – Vanessa Walling

Success arrived early for Alia Shawkat, and she continues to establish herself as a highly

sought after young actress in both film and television. Shawkat was named one of Variety’s “10

Actors to Watch” for 2009 and one of Hollywood Reporter’s “10 Rising Comedy Talents.”

Shawkat recently wrapped production on two highly anticipated projects: “The To-Do

List,” opposite Aubrey Plaza, Bill Hader, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Donald Glover, and Andy

Samberg; and “He Loves Me,” with Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan, directed by Jonathan Dayton and

Valerie Faris. Shawkat will next be seen starring “That’s What She Said”, a raunchy female

comedy opposite Anne Heche and Marcia Debonis, directed by actress Carrie Preston.

Most recently, Shawkat starred in the Fox Searchlight Pictures comedy “Cedar Rapids”

opposite Ed Helms and John C. Reilly, directed by Miguel Arteta. Shawkat’s other film credits

include Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut “Whip It” with Ellen Page; “Amreeka,” which

premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and was released by National Geographic

Entertainment; “Bart Got a Room,” opposite William H. Macy and Cheryl Hines, in which

Shawkat also served as a producer on the film; “The Runaways” with Kristin Stewart and

Dakota Fanning; the ensemble family comedy “Deck the Halls” with Matthew Broderick, Danny

De Vito and Kristin Chenowith,; and “Three Kings” opposite George Clooney.

Shawkat’s career began at the age of eleven when she landed a leading role on the ABC

Family series “State of Grace.” However, she is best known for her role as Maeby on Fox’s

Emmy award-winning “Arrested Development,” a role she will reprise in the upcoming feature

film. She recently had a recurring role on USA Network’s “Starter Wife” with Debra Messing.

Other television credits also include a starring role in the Lifetime original movie “Not Like

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Everyone Else” and guest starring roles on “Veronica Mars,” “JAG,” “Without a Trace,”

“Boomtown,” and “Presidio Med.”

ADAM BRODY- Toby Walling

Southern California native Adam Brody rocketed to fame starring as Seth on the hit Fox

series “The O.C.,” which ran for four seasons. His film credits include “Thank You For Smoking”

with Aaron Eckhart, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, “In the Land of

Women” with Meg Ryan, “The Ten” with Paul Rudd, Gregg Araki’s “Smiley Face,” “Jennifer’s

Body” with Megan Fox, “The Romantics” with Anna Paquin, and “Cop Out” with Bruce

Willis. In addition to “The Oranges,” his upcoming features include Whit Stillman’s “Damsels in

Distress” with Greta Gerwig, “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” with Keira Knightley

and Steve Carrell and “Revenge for Jolly” with Kristin Wiig and Oscar Isaac.

SAM ROSEN - Ethan

Sam Rosen was last seen in “Stuck Between Stations,” opposite Zoe Lister Jones, a film

which he starred in as well as co-wrote and co-produced. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film

Festival in New York in April 2011. Rosen also appeared in the films “Four Boxes” and “Breaking

Upwards,” both of which premiered at the 2009 SXSW Film Festival. His other film and

television credits include the independent feature “Nobody” and “Law and Order: Criminal

Intent.” On stage, Rosen has performed at The Rattlestick Theater in Lucy Thurber’s “Stay” and

“Tobacco Road” at The La Jolla Playhouse.

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THE ORANGES

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

JULIAN FARINO - Director

Julian Farino was born and raised in London and educated at Cambridge University. He

began directing film documentaries at Granada Television in England, making a sequence of

observational films about drag queens, young classical musicians, children's entertainers and

boxers. “They Call Us Nutters” was a portrait of life on the psychopath's ward of Ashworth

Maximum Security Hospital, and “A Winter's Tale” described life in the coldest inhabited place

on earth, Oymyakon in Eastern Siberia.

In 2000 he directed “7 Up 2000,” a continuation of the multi-award winning

documentary series, featuring seven-year-olds from all over Britain - a project that continued

with “14 Up in 2007.” His film drama in the UK includes an adaptation of Charles Dickens' “Our

Mutual Friend,” which won four BAFTAs including Best Drama; “Bob and Rose,” a romantic

comedy which won Best Series at The British Comedy Awards; and “Flesh and Blood” starring

Christopher Eccleston, which won the Prix Europa for Best Film. Other credits in the UK include

“The Last Yellow” for BBC Films starring Samantha Morton and Mark Addy, and “Byron,” a

biopic of the romantic poet, starring Jonny Lee Miller and Vanessa Redgrave.

Farino came to the United States in 2004 to work for HBO, and directed the majority of

episodes of the first three seasons of “Entourage.” He stayed to work on the series “Big Love”

and “Rome,” and has received four Emmy and three DGA nominations. He is currently

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Executive Producer and director of the HBO show “How to Make It in America,” now in its

second season. “The Oranges” is his first feature film in the US. Farino is based in Los Angeles

where he lives with his wife, the actress Branka Katic, and their two boys Louis and Joe.

IAN HELFER – Co-writer

While auditioning for a Rogaine commercial in 2001, Ian Helfer realized that acting

might not be the most fulfilling use of his time, and began writing screenplays. Since then he’s

been lucky enough to work on movies for Sony, Universal, Paramount and Dreamworks and in

television for Comedy Central, CBS and Fox. Most recently, Ian collaborated on a new movie for

Dreamworks with John Hamburg (“I Love You Man”) and has just completed “Pyrates” for

Summit Entertainment.

JAY REISS – Co-writer

Jay Reiss is a graduate of the Juilliard School’s playwriting program. He is one of the

creators of “The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” which won two Tony

Awards, and made his Broadway acting debut as the word pronouncer, V.P. Douglas Panch. He

has written screenplays for Warner Bros, Paramount and Universal Pictures. He is currently

adapting the documentary “A Complete History of My Sexual Failures” into a narrative film for

director Jay Roach. His first film as director, the short “Dead Cat,” recently premiered at the

Tribeca Film Festival.

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ANTHONY BREGMAN - Producer

Anthony Bregman's films include “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Our Idiot

Brother,” “Friends With Money,” “Synecdoche, New York,” “Please Give,” “The Tao of Steve,”

“Lovely & Amazing,” “Human Nature,” “The Extra Man,” “Thumbsucker,” “The Savages,” “The

Ice Storm,” “The Brothers McMullen,” “Trick,” Mexican science fiction extravaganza “Sleep

Dealer,” and punk rock monster movie “Love God,” the world’s first digital film. His upcoming

projects include Lawrence Kasdan’s “Darling Companion” and Stephen Frears’ “Lay the

Favorite,”

In 2006, Bregman founded the New York City-based production company Likely Story,

which he currently runs with Stefanie Azpiazu. Prior to Likely Story, Bregman was a partner at

This is That for four years, and spent ten years as head of production at Good Machine, where

he supervised the production and post-production of over thirty feature films, including “Sense

and Sensibility,” “Eat Drink, Man Woman,” “Walking and Talking,” “What Happened Was…,”

“The Wedding Banquet,” and “Safe.” Bregman teaches producing at Columbia University’s

Graduate Film School, and is on the board of the IFP.

Bregman's movies have won numerous awards at the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTAs,

Gothams, Indie Spirits, and Cannes, Berlin, and Sundance Film Festivals, among others. At the

end of 2009, Roger Ebert named “Synecdoche, New York” the Best Film of the Decade.

LESLIE URDANG – Producer

Leslie Urdang is the Producer and President of Olympus Pictures, a production company

chaired by Dean Vanech that finances and produces low budget features and develops and

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produces films of all budget sizes. Olympus' first feature, “Adam,” with Hugh Dancy, Rose

Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Frankie Faison and Amy Irving was released by Fox Searchlight in 2009.

Recent projects include the Oscar-nominated “Rabbit Hole” with Nicole Kidman and Aaron

Eckhart, and Mike Mills' “Beginners” with Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and Melanie

Laurent. She is currently producing “Mr. Pip,” starring Hugh Laurie. Urdang founded Serenade

Films and produced the Independent Spirit Award nominated film, “12 and Holding,” directed

by Michael Cuesta starring Jeremy Renner, “The Great New Wonderful,” starring Maggie

Gyllenhaal, “Game 6,” starring Michael Keaton and directed by Michael Hoffman and “The

Narrows” directed by Francois Velle.

Some of Urdang's other producing credits include “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,”

starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Kevin Kline, and Stanley Tucci; “Me and Veronica” starring Elizabeth

McGovern and Patricia Wettig; and “People I Know” starring Al Pacino. Urdang was also a

producer for Robert Redford's company, Wildwood Enterprises and for Gary Ross' Larger Than

Life. At both companies she developed several projects including Walter Salles’ “Motorcycle

Diaries.”

In the theatre, Urdang founded and continues to be a Producing Director of New York

Stage and Film that for over twenty years has developed and produced the new works of

hundreds of artists for Broadway and theaters throughout the country. Some of these include

the Tony Award winning plays “Sideman” and “Tru,” and most recently John Patrick Shanley's

Pulitzer and Tony Award winning play “Doubt.” Urdang lives with actor Jon Tenney.

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DEAN VANECH – Producer

Dean Vanech is Chairman and CEO of Olympus Holdings, LLC based in Morristown, NJ.

Olympus Holdings is a private firm engaged in the electric energy industry (Olympus Power),

merchant banking (Olympus Capital Investments), and entertainment (Olympus Pictures and

Olympus Theatricals). Mr. Vanech holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

(Marketing and Finance) from Western New England College in Springfield, MA. Mr. Vanech

serves on non-profit boards including Citizens Schools New York, The Chatham Day School in

New Jersey, The New York Stage and Film Company in New York, and The UCLA/Archaeological

Institute of America’s Site Preservation Task Force in addition to co-managing a private

foundation.

Olympus Pictures (CA) and Olympus Theatricals (NY) have emerged in a relatively short

time span as leading production companies in film and theater respectively. Olympus Pictures

produced “Adam” (2009 Sundance award-winner), “Rabbit Hole” (2010), and “Beginners”

(2011), the upcoming “Mr. Pip,” and many other projects in development. Olympus Theatricals

produces plays in New York and London, including “The 30 Steps” (2008), “A View From The

Bridge” (2010), “Arcadia” (2009), “The Seagull” (2008), and “The Little Dog Laughed” (2010) in

addition to other projects.

Olympus Power was established in January 2007 and is the successor to Delta Power

Company, LLC. Founded in 1997, the principals of Olympus Power built Delta Power into a

leading U.S. independent power producer, which owns interests in 32 operating power plants

across the U.S., with over $3 billion of assets and the responsibility for operating projects with a

gross capacity of over 3000 MW of electricity generation. Delta Power has in its project

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portfolio: natural gas, biomass, oil and coal fired power projects as well as hydroelectric

facilities. Its mix of generation facilities included cogeneration projects, peaking facilities and

base loaded utility style plants. As a consequence of the sale of Delta Power to Arroyo Energy,

LP (a unit of Bear Stearns) in January 2007, Olympus Power succeeded to Delta’s indirect

investment interests in six power projects and added the York Haven Hydroelectric Project to

its business in 2007.

Olympus Capital Investments is a private equity company formed in 2008 to focus on

growth capital investments in emerging and established middle market companies. OCI invests

in common and preferred equity, membership interests and convertible debt in public and

private companies. OCI has completed four investments with a diverse portfolio in digital

entertainment, manufacturing and service related businesses.

SAM HOFFMAN - Producer

During a twenty year career in the New York film industry, Sam Hoffman has produced,

directed or assistant directed numerous films, shorts, second units and commercials including:

“The Royal Tenenbaums,” “School of Rock,” “The Producers,” “Donnie Brasco,” “Dead Man

Walking,” and “Groundhog Day.” He recently executive produced Wes Anderson's “Moonrise

Kingdom” for Indian Paintbrush, to be distributed by Focus Features. In 2010, his book Old Jews

Telling Jokes, based on his website of the same name, was released by Random House. It is

currently in its third printing. The audio book version received the Audie award for the best

humor recording of the year. The videos on the website, oldjewstellingjokes.com, have been

viewed over 15 million times. In 2012, Hoffman will be making his feature directing debut with

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a project inspired by the website. He lives in New York with his wife Andrea Crane and their two

children.

STEFANIE AZPIAZU – Executive Producer

Stefanie Azpiazu is the Head of Production and Development at New York-based

production company Likely Story. Most recently, Stefanie was an executive producer on the

Paul Rudd comedy “Our Idiot Brother,” which was released this summer by the Weinstein

Company. The film was directed by Jesse Peretz and has an all-star comedy cast that includes

Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott and Steve

Coogan. She also served as co-producer on the latest film from Lawrence Kasdan, “Darling

Companion,” starring Kevin Kline, Diane Keaton, Dianne Wiest and Richard Jenkins, which will

be released by Sony Pictures Classics in 2012.

Previous films produced include Nicole Holofcener's critically acclaimed film “Please

Give,” which was nominated for a 2011 WGA Award for Best Feature Screenplay, and “The

Extra Man” starring Kevin Kline, Paul Dano and Katie Holmes, directed by Bob Pulcini and Shari

Springer Berman. As a production executive, Azpiazu oversaw production on Charlie Kaufman's

“Synecdoche, New York,” Michel Gondry's “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” Mike Mills’

feature debut “Thumbsucker,” and Nicole Holofcener's previous two films “Friends with

Money” and “Lovely & Amazing.”

Prior to working in production, Apiazu started her career as a story editor at USA FILMS

and in acquisitions at October Films. Likely Story's upcoming slate includes films by Charlie

Kaufman, Bennett Miller and Jesse Peretz.

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GEOFF LINVILLE – Co-Producer

Geoff Linville attended Stanford University on an athletic scholarship, and graduated in

2000 with his degree in English. He began his career working as an assistant to Leslie Urdang at

Robert Redford’s Wildwood Entertainment, where he worked in script development as well as

on the film “People I Know,” starring Al Pacino, Kim Basinger, Tea Leoni, Ryan O’Neal, and

Richard Schiff. In 2002, Geoff moved to Universal, where he initially worked in development for

Gary Ross’s Larger Than Life Productions. He later moved into assisting Gary on the production

of his Academy Award nominated film, “Seabiscuit.”

In 2005, Linville became the Director of Production at Serenade Films, an equity-

financed Production Company founded by Leslie Urdang, Michael Nozik, Amy Robinson, and

Michael Hoffman to produce low budget, artistically relevant feature films in which both the

artists on screen and off could share in the sales proceeds from their work. Linville has

continued to serve at Serenade, overseeing elements of physical & post production as well as

delivery of Serenade’s slate of films which include: “The Great New Wonderful,” “Twelve and

Holding,” “Game 6,” “The Narrows,” and “Adam,” the first Olympus Pictures production.

Linville continues to serve at Olympus Pictures as Vice President of Production, working

on Olympus' “Rabbit Hole,” starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart, directed by John

Cameron Mitchell and “Beginners,” the Mike Mills film starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher

Plummer, and Melanie Laurent.

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STEVEN FIERBERG, A.S.C. - Director of Photography

Steven Fierberg has two films premiering this year at the Toronto Film Fest: “The

Oranges” and “Ten Year,” starring Channing Tatum and Rosario Dawson, directed by Jaime

Linden. Fierberg previously collaborated with Julian Farino when they created the look and

feel of HBO’s hit series “Entourage,” of which Fierberg shot the first 25 episodes. They also

collaborated, along with “Entourage” producers Mark Wahlberg and Steven Levinson, on the

pilot for HBO’s “How to Make It in America,” depicting the life and times of artists,

photographers and designers in New York’s lower east side.

Fierberg’s latest release, Ed Zwick’s “Love and Other Drugs,” had the cinematography

singled out for creating an elegant and beautiful vision of Anne Hathaway in a passionate love

affair with Jake Gyllenhaal. Just prior, he filmed director Joel Schumacher’s poignant “Twelve.”

He recently collaborated with another “Entourage” alumnus, director Mark Mylod, in shooting

the pilot for the new ABC series “Once Upon a Time in America.”

Other credits include Alex Cox’s “Repo Chick” and “Searchers 2.0”; Sally Potter’s “Rage”

with Steve Buscemi, Jude Law, and Dame Judi Dench; and Steven Shainberg’s “Secretary” with

James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal; “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4,” “Scenes from the Class

Struggle in Beverly Hills,” and additional photography for Baz Luhrmann’s “Moulin Rouge.” His

work on the miniseries “Attila” earned him a nomination from the American Society of

Cinematographers for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography.

Fierberg also shoots many commercials and music videos, winning a Latin Grammy for

Robi “Draco” Rosa’s “Mas y Mas.” His music videos include work with Dr. Dre, Fab Five Freddy,

Queen Latifah, David Lee Roth, F. Gary Grey, Tim McGraw and Snoop Dogg. He has done Draco's

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concert DVD and other number one videos “Dancing in the Rain” and “Lie without a Lover”; as well

as Addy winning commercials.

A native of Detroit, Fierberg went to Stanford University as a National Merit Scholar

before moving to NYC, where he shot independent and 'punk noir' films for directors such as Paul

Morrissey, Scott and Beth B, and (additional photography for) Alex Cox. Expanding into studio

features and television, he worked with director Bryan Singer on the pilot of “Football Wives”; shot

all episodes of “Kingpin,” the groundbreaking NBC series about the Mexican drug trade; MOW’s

and mini-series for the major networks, and dramas for “Hallmark Hall of Fame.” He has taught

“Visual Storytelling” and other workshops for more than a decade at the Maine Photographic

Workshops, as well as classes at NYU and AFI.

JEFFREY M. WERNER – Editor

Jeffrey M. Werner began his career as an assistant editor for Martin Scorsese and David

Mamet. After working on three Scorsese projects, he got his editing break on Michel Gondry’s

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” Since then he has edited several narrative features

including Lisa Cholodenko's “The Kids Are All Right,” which was nominated for four Oscars and

won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture in the Musical or Comedy category. For his work

on the film, Werner was nominated for an A.C.E. Eddie award. Other features include Disney's

“Prom,” Chris Gorak’s Sundance thriller “Right at Your Door,” Julie Delpy’s “2 Days in Paris,”

Alex Rivera’s Sundance sci-fi thriller “Sleep Dealer,” and Larry Charles’ non-fiction comedy

“Religulous” with Bill Maher.

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DAN DAVIS – Production Designer

Dan Davis grew up in Canada and studied Architecture in London at The Architectural

Association. After college, he moved to New York and worked for architects for a few years and

was thoroughly bored. A friend hired him to draft on a movie project and he's been at it ever

since, working for many years as an art director in New York on films including Martin

Scorscese's “The Age of Innocence,” Woody Allen's “Radio Days,” and many others. His first

break as a designer was working for Ted Demme on “The Ref” and “Beautiful Girls.” His other

credits include “You've Got Mail” for Nora Ephron and “In Her Shoes” with Curtis Hanson. He

recently completed the feature “Lay the Favorite” for director Stephen Frears. He also has

enjoyed working in television, particularly HBO's “How To Make It in America” with Julian

Farino.

ROBIN URDANG – Music Supervisor

Robin Urdang began her career in the music industry working as an assistant at the

music management company, Rising Star Enterprises in New York City. She later relocated to

Los Angeles and began working with The Manhattan Transfer. She realized that the most

interesting part of work was the production of music videos, shows, television and film and was

later introduced to Robert Kraft who she joined as his consultant to work on the film “The

Mambo Kings.”

After that, Urdang began to independently music supervise films and started her

company, Reel Music. Her credits include “Out to Sea,” “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge,” “The

Prince and Me,” “Glitter,” “Adam,” “Rabbit Hole,” “Beginners,” and more recently added

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television to her credits with the hit USA series “Burn Notice,” “Brothers & Sisters,” and “The

Good Guys.”

Urdang has also worked as a music consultant for Warner Independent Pictures and The

Weinstein Company, where she consulted or music supervised for the films such as “The

Reader,” “Piranha 3D,” “Shanghai,” and “Nine,” among others. She is currently the music

consultant for Olympus Pictures. She has been nominated for Best Music Supervisor for the

HMMA Awards and is actively working on the launching of the Guild of Music Supervisors.

LIKELY STORY – Production Company

Likely Story is a New York-based production company founded by Anthony Bregman in

October 2006. Their latest movie, “Our Idiot Brother” starring Paul Rudd, hit theaters

nationwide on August 26. The company recently wrapped production on “Lay the Favorite”

starring Bruce Willis, Rebecca Hall, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, directed by Stephen Frears and

written by D.V. DeVincentis.

At the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, the company premiered Nicole Holofcener’s “Please

Give,” which was subsequently distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, and Robert Pulcini and

Shari Springer Berman’s “The Extra Man,” released by Magnolia Pictures. The company

recently signed a first look deal with graphic novel and comic book publisher Top Shelf

Productions. Additional Likely Story productions include the Lawrence Kasdan-directed

“Darling Companion” (Sony Pictures Classics), Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut “Synecdoche,

New York” (Sony Pictures Classics), Alex Rivera’s “Sleep Dealer” (Maya Releasing), and David

and Alex Pastor's “Carriers” (Paramount Vantage).

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OLYMPUS PICTURES – Production Company

Olympus Pictures was founded in 2007 to finance and produce low budget films and to

finance the development of feature films at all budget levels. Olympus provides an extremely

supportive environment for filmmakers and quality entertainment in a wide range of genres.

Olympus' first feature “Adam,” written and directed by Max Mayer, starring Hugh

Dancy, Rose Byrne, Peter Gallagher, Frankie Faison and Amy Irving, was released by Fox

Searchlight in 2009. Recent projects include the Oscar-nominated “Rabbit Hole,” starring

Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, and Diane Weist, directed by John Cameron Mitchell from David

Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer Prize winning play; and “Beginners,” writer and director Mike Mills’

latest feature, starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and Melanie Laurent.

Olympus is developing a film with Hwy61 inspired by the life of Sal Masekela; “Peony,”

an adaptation of Pearl S. Buck’s novel; “Wendy and the Lost Boys,” by Jon Robin Baitz; and

“Spin” with Rob Morrow, adapted from the book by Robert Charles Wilson.

Olympus Pictures is also affiliated with Olympus Theatricals, LLC, an independent

commercial theater production company. Both companies are subsidiaries of Olympus

Productions, LLC which is owned by Olympus Holdings, LLC, an independent firm engaged

through its various subsidiaries and affiliates in energy, commercial finance, and entertainment.

Recent projects include the Oscar-nominated “Rabbit Hole,” starring Nicole Kidman,

Aaron Eckhart, and Diane Weist, directed by John Cameron Mitchell from David Lindsay-

Abaire's Pulitzer Prize winning play; and “Beginners,” writer and director Mike Mills’ latest

feature, starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and Melanie Laurent, as well as the

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upcoming Andrew Adamson film “Mr.Pip” starring Hugh Laurie and “Thanks for Sharing” with

Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, and Gwyneth Paltrow.