Charles Miller

Sunrise West Productions co-founder Charles Miller focuses on producing, writing, and directing.  His latest project, First Flight, is the story of the rush by various groups around the world to invent the airplane at the dawn of the twentieth century.  The project is being developed into a mini-series.  Charles created the television series, Exploring America's Ruins, which is currently in development with the cable channel, History. The project is a co-production with Turnpike Pictures and features Charles as the host, a new creative venture for him. More typically behind the camera, Charles has worked as a producer for the televised Women's Image Network Awards. Two films Charles produced are currently on the international film festival circuit.  Broken Circle, stars Emmy winner Michael Badalucco (The Practice, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Summer of Sam) along with Laura Ceron (E.R.) and Delilah Cotto (Empire).  Charles has recently re-teamed with Badalucco and collaborator Aaron Sawyer to develop the idea for television.  Trail End, a 35mm production shot entirely in Charles' home state of Kansas, stars Emmy nominee Barry Corbin (Northern Exposure, War Games, One Tree Hill). Charles wrote, produced, directed, and edited the award-winning short film, A Song for Honest Abe, a mock documentary about an American folk singer who sets the great speeches of Abraham Lincoln to music--rewriting them a bit for creative purposes. The film features original music composed by Charles and recording artist Mimi Chen.  Charles also produced The Wind Effect, featuring Abe star, Kathy Christopherson, with Emmy-nominated actors Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives, Melrose Place) and William Devane (24, The West Wing, Knots Landing), plus the venerable Grace Zabriskie (Twin Peaks, Norma Rae, The Big Easy). A writer interested in character-driven material, Charles' screenplays include Journey for a Dead Friend, a story of three separated friends in their late twenties taking a trip together that was postponed since high school; The Pork and Beans Society, a drama/comedy about seven teenagers in a small town in Kansas; Rhyoliters, an off-beat romantic comedy about a Madison Avenue advertising executive who travels back in time; Impending Matrimony, which follows an ensemble of couples through the struggles, failures, and successes of relationships; and Sunset Motel, a series of shorts set in a hotel room over the course of fifty years. Among the several industry professional organizations to which he devotes time, Charles is a charter member and past president of Midwest Entertainment Connection, Inc., a nonprofit charitable corporation linking the entertainment industry communities of Los Angeles and the Midwest.  He has worked with the Kansas Governor and testified before the Kansas Legislature to promote film industry growth in Kansas.  Charles studied Music and Communications at Washburn University, where he shot commercials and shorts while also becoming a national champion public speaker, student body president, and graduating first in a class of 3,000.  After further Music Composition study at the University of Kansas, he entered the University of Southern California Graduate Cinema Production Program where he was a national Phi Kappa Phi Fellow while developing his filmmaking skills.  Once in Los Angeles, his music career took hold.  His score to the short, The Performance, with composer Kevin Brenneman, launched a recording career when the twosome formed the band, Middle Allens.  Their first album included the single, No More Time. A native of the small communities of Montgomery County, Kansas, Charles grew up reading the plays of fellow native William Inge and shooting stills of the countryside.  Though he prefers most aspects of the city life in Los Angeles, he remains a dedicated fan of the hapless Kansas City Royals baseball team. EMAIL

Tara Flynn

Tara brings her experience and talents to SWP and serves as Director of Development.  Prior to her work with SWP, she amassed many credits in production and in development at the studio level. Starting as Production Secretary for the Soap Opera Update Awards for Lifetime Television in the mid-nineties, Tara soon transitioned to Production Assistant work for many episodes of the ongoing special series, Live By Request, on A&E Networks.  Moving up to Production Coordinator, Tara took a position for one season on the Disney Channel show, Out of the Box.  Soon thereafter, her experience with live television and music resulted in her acceptance of a position—again as Production Coordinator—for VH-1’s Hard Rock Live. Expanding her experience to include work in independent documentary film, Tara signed on as Associate Producer for Toxic Comedy Pictures’ Blue Vinyl.  Among her many duties with the production, Tara planned and executed a festival strategy for the film that resulted in its acceptance at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival and ultimate pickup for distribution by HBO. Returning to Los Angeles, Tara applied her production skills to theater.  Devotees of the Los Angeles theater scene will remember her as the Co-Producing Artistic Director of Circle X, for which she produced Marley's Ghost (a walk-through theatrical experience at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery). Still with Circle X, she then directed the award-winning Sperm by Tom Jacobson.  Tara also worked as a producer and director in conjunction with the Shakespeare Festival LA as part of the National Endowment for the Arts' Shakespeare in American Communities initiative. Tara’s experience with many aspects of the business prepared her for her work today in development.  In 2005, Tara returned to the network world by accepting a position as Development Associate for Brancato/Salke at ABC Television Studios—a position she maintains today when not working on her projects for Sunrise West.  Included in her many capacities at ABC, she has served as part of the production team for the television movie, Football Wives, completed in early 2007. Tara is co-producer for the upcoming ABC Television series, Prince of Motor City, starring Andie MacDowell, Aidan Quinn, Rutger Hauer, and Sharon Lawrence. She joined SWP in 2006 and became Director of Development in 2007. EMAIL

Elise Rothberg

Elise Rothberg is co-creator and co-owner of the monthly short film festival, Short Mondays. Known for screening high-quality short films, Short Mondays has become a place that people in the industry attend to find the “next big thing”. Directors and writers have been hired for their first full-length feature jobs; actors, writers, and directors have obtained representation; and cinematographers and sound people have been hired on various projects because producers, agents, and investors saw their shorts at the festival. Elise is currently represented as a writer and producer by The Collective. With her Short Mondays co-creator, Elise has written several works for the screen. Her feature film screenplays include Grooming Holly, a romantic comedy; Killing Dave, a thriller/comedy; and How The Cooper Street Kids Saved Christmas, a children’s story. Currently Elise is working on another romantic comedy and a science fiction screenplay, along with two television concepts: a fictional "behind-the-scenes" piece, and a comedy/drama. A born and bred New Yorker, Elise chose to attend UC Irvine and graduated in three years, summa cum laude, with a BA in Theater. After a year back in Manhattan, she drove across the country by herself on a month-long road-trip, returned to California and began working at a movie trailer company. During her time there, she learned to edit and had the opportunity to write and produce ads for television. This led Elise to work freelance for various trailer companies to develop a system for film transcription. Today, her system is an industry standard. An avid cook and reader, Elise also makes her own makeup and skin products from natural ingredients. She’s happy to drive anything, as long as it is a convertible. EMAIL

Aaron Sawyer

After attending one year at Nebraska Wesleyan University in his home state, Aaron Sawyer earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Directing at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, where he graduated as a member of Phi Kappa Phi.  At the university, Aaron initiated a school-wide recycling program, organized panel discussions, and was an integral part of abolishing the university's censorship of student postings regarding the discussion of the tragedy in New York, student hate crimes, and the abuses of school officials toward students. Aaron has written and directed several short plays, experimenting with the boundaries of the stage in increasingly intimate and visceral ways.  One of his works, Manslaughter, which parodies the life ethics of the dinner table against normal human interaction played at the Shelterbelt Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska.  After college, Aaron directed acclaimed theatrical productions in Kansas, Illinois, and Nebraska, before directing Two Rooms by Lee Blessing at the equity house New Stage Theatre, in Jackson, Mississippi. After marrying his wife, Brindin, Aaron directed live television broadcasts for the Ultimate Shopping Network before gravitating back to the literary world with the Paradigm Agency.  Aaron subsequently spent time expanding his knowledge at the management company, Relevant Entertainment.  Though he remains involved in several company projects, Aaron is currently taking a leave of absence from the Los Angeles area to pursue an advanced degree in Cinema and Theater at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. EMAIL

Kimiah Wyer

Co-founder Kimiah Wyer (sometimes credited as Kim Modir) was educated at UCLA, where she was active in theater and film production, both as a producer and an actress.  After working for the marketing division of the World Films Institute, she moved into the casting arena as a representative for Mitchell / Ray Casting.  There she helped to coordinate several productions for Motion Picture Corporation of America, including the Laura Flynn Boyle and Steven Baldwin hit, Threesome, and the thriller, Pumkinhead 2.  During this time, she worked closely with producers Brad Krevoy and Steve Stabler. Moving forward with that experience, she accepted a position in the international marketing division at MGM, where she learned more about the business end of the film industry.  This led to Kimiah’s acceptance of a management position with the satellite-based programming service, DirecTV.  Never one to stay settled, she left to pursue further challenges as a producer.  Her most recent accomplishment is the recently released album, Angels Sing: Pride & Glory, a collection of patriotic songs sung by children which she produced though her music company, Children's Productions. Additionally, she has been active in regional theater, including the LA production of Wanna' Bet?  An American born overseas, Ms. Wyer came to the U.S. in 1979.  She lived briefly in the small community of Coffeyville, Kansas, and has lived in Los Angeles since.  She and her husband, Dean, have two children, Nina and Thomas. EMAIL

Michael Woods

Michael Woods received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Conservatory of Theater Arts at Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri.  While at the Conservatory, he starred in, produced, and directed numerous plays, as well as wrote a one-act play, The First Time, which won the Founders Award at the Midwest Black Theater Festival.  Michael brought his extensive classical theater training to Hollywood, where he guest starred on such television shows as Simon & Simon, L. A. Law, 227, China Beach, The Young and the Restless and a host of commercials and films.  Frustration with "type casting" drove Michael to attend the USC School of Cinema-Television, where he earned his Master of Arts degree in Production.  While at USC, Michael was one of four students selected annually to direct one of the school's major short film productions.  His voodoo mythological tale, The Power, received wide industry acclaim. Michael served as a producer on SWP’s short film, A Song for Honest Abe, a mock documentary about an eclectic folk singer who sets the great speeches of Abraham Lincoln to music--rewriting them a bit for creative purposes.  Michael's screenplay, The Last Gunfighter was a winner at the Best of the West, Western Screenplay Competition.  A prolific writer, Michael is currently working on a western novel, as well as writing a new screenplay, Year of the Beast, which is a supernatural thriller. In addition to his duties with Sunrise West, Michael maintains a position as  Senior Legal Trademark Administrator at Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.  He and his wife Penelope, have two sons, Jason and Ethan. EMAIL