Tony Winner Sara Ramirez Producing New Film Starring Matt McGorry & Darby Stanchfield

jes films (lead by producers Jodi Schoenbrun Carter and Evie Whiting) and 1022m announced today that Sara Ramirez, the Tony Award-winning star of "Grey's Anatomy," has joined the producing team of the new feature film Loserville.

The film stars Chris Bellant, Natalie Hall ("Pretty Little Liars"), Sarah Jes Austell, Jamie-Lynn Sigler ("The Sopranos"), Zuzanna Szadkowski ("Gossip Girl"), Brian J. Carter (In Stereo), with Matt McGorry ("How To Get Away with Murder") and Darby Stanchfield ("Scandal"). Rounding out the cast are Brendan Dooling ("The Carrie Diaries"), Marco James ("The Vampire Diaries") and Jonathan Lipnicki (Jerry Maguire). The film is currently in post-production after filming earlier this summer in Westchester County, New York, with an editing team led by Academy Award-winner Richard Halsey (Rocky, Edward Scissorhands, Beaches).

It was also announced today that Loserville will feature a brand new single by Ramirez, a Tony Award-winner for her role in the Broadway musical Spamalot.

"Loserville follows in the steps of the high school movie classics we all grew up loving such as Sixteen Candles, Heathers, Mean Girls, and Easy A," commented Schoenbrun Carter. "We couldn't be more excited about the talented cast we've assembled led by Darby Stanchfield, Matt McGorry and Jamie-Lynn Sigler. Working with Academy Award-winner Richard Halsey has been a master class in film-making. Having the multi-talented Sara Ramirez join our producing team and contribute a song to the film is more than we could have ever imagined."

Written by Bellant & Lovell Holder (who also directs) and Pietro Tebaldo, the film was cast by Nancy Nayor and Lindsey Weissmueller and edited by Richard Halsey and Colleen Halsey. Other members of the creative team include Production Supervisor Paul Hart-Wilden, director of photography Alan McIntyre Smith and composer Cormac Bluestone.

Loserville follows a dorky high school outcast named Chuck (Bellant) as he navigates the wild and confusing days of his senior year. Chuck must face the challenges that he and friends are growing apart; that his mother (Stanchfield) has decided to date a younger man (McGorry) who just happens to be the school's gym teacher; and that his dream girl the brilliant, beautiful and popular Melissa Mercer (Hall) barely acknowledges his existence. His plan to capture Melissa's heart once and for all by befriending her younger sister, Mary (Austell), is complicated by the fact that a viral video of Mary is the talk of the school. Loserville is a unique take on the teen movie genre full of laughs while tackling the important issue of bullying that is an epidemic among teens today.

BIOS

DARBY STANCHFIELD (Evelyn MacDonald) is a talented actress whose sharp wit and striking beauty has garnered attention on some of television's most compelling series. Darby is currently on the ABC hit, "Scandal" as the loveable White House Press Secretary and Olivia Pope's (Kerry Washington) loyal team member, Abby Whelan. This summer, Darby completed three films. The Rendezvous opposite Stana Katic and Raza Jaffrey. The indy feature Loserville starring alongside Matt McGorry. Lastly, Carnage Park written and directed by Mickey Keating and also starring Alan Ruck and Ashley Bell. Other television credits include recurring roles on AMC's, "Mad Men" and in ABC's crime thriller "Castle;" a recurring role as 'Shannon Gibbs' on CBS's military drama "NCIS;" and a spot on CBS's action-packed series "Jericho" where she played 'April Green.' In addition, Darby has appeared in roles across a host of successful television series including "Burn Notice," "CSI: Miami," "How I Met Your Mother," "CSI: New York," "The Mentalist," "Private Practice," "Bones," "Nip/Tuck," "Without a Trace," and "Monk." In film, Darby's credits include Adrienne Shelley's critically acclaimed Waitress, opposite Nathan Fillion and Keri Russell, and an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray co-starring opposite Josh Duhamel. Darby recently wrapped production on the period piece Medicine Men, opposite James Le Gros and Allan Corduner, which was written and directed by Guy Malim. The film explores what happens when an Old Western town is beset upon by a plague. Darby plays the town nurse, 'Clementine Bell.' The film will be released in 2015. Darby can be heard in a recording of Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues with Josh Radnor and Justine Bateman, part of an ongoing series of radio plays LA Theatre Works produces for NPR. Originally from Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Darby is a graduate of The American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco where she received a Master's degree in Fine Arts. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

MATT McGORRY (Coach Casey Harris) stars as Asher Millstone in ABC's hit series "How to Get Away with Murder" produced by Shonda Rhimes and created by Peter Nowalk. The series will be returning for its sophomore season this fall 2015. He can also be seen playing the post-military newbie corrections officer John Bennett in the Emmy nominated Netflix original series "Orange is the New Black;" season three became available on Netflix in June. Matt recently appeared in the film How He Fell in Love, written and directed by Marc

Meyers, which released on June 11th of this year. The film was nominated for Best Dramatic

Feature and Best Film at the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival. This year Matt was also seen

starring alongside Ashley Benson in the Branden Kramer dramatic thriller Ratter.

Upcoming film projects include the Lovell Holder comedy Loserville, in which Matt plays

Coach Casey Harris. Loserville follows a dorky high school outcast as he navigates the

wild and confusing days of his senior year. Other television appearances include TNT's upcoming drama series "Public Morals" produced by Steven Spielberg and Edward Burns, Emmy nominated crime drama "Elementary," CW's well-known series "Gossip Girl," the USA original series "Royal Pains," CBS Emmy nominated crime drama "Person of Interest," and Comedy Central's "Onion SportsDome." Matt McGorry's background in comedy began during college when he was a member of the well-known sketch group, "Emerson Comedy Workshop". After graduating in 2008, Matt went on to appear in CollegeHumor.com videos and years of improv performance after graduating from the prestigious UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade) Improv Theatre Program. Matt previously spent time as a fitness expert and has been featured in Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Life & Style and NY1. McGorry was born and raised in New York City. He attended LaGuardia High School, the

"Fame" school, as a drama major. Following LaGuardia H.S., he attended the Theater

program at Emerson College in Boston, MA.

CHRIS BELLANT (Chuck MacDonald, Producer, Co-writer) Film credits include the Warner Bros. thriller Into the Storm, Fairfield with Juliet Landau, and Living with the Dead with Selenis Leyva, Chris Riggi, and Robert Clohessy. He was nominated for best actor in a feature film for The Backseat at the International Indie Gathering in Cleveland. He can also be seen on the A&E series "Those Who Kill". New York theater credits include: Thieves with Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Unhealthy, Snow Angel by David Lindsay-Abaire, and Daniel Talbott's Extraordinary Things with Rising Phoenix Rep. He has also starred in Annie Baker's The Aliens at the Stonington Opera House and the West Coast premiere of The Optimist by Jason Chimonides. Upcoming projects include: the feature film The Lost Year, and Gray, a new play by Daniel Talbott.

NATALIE HALL (Melissa Mercer) Natalie Hall's recent feature work includes, leading roles in The Curse of Sleeping Beauty, The ADK director Shoja Azari, and Summer of 8. Television work includes a series regular role on the CW drama "Star Crossed," a recurring arc on the HBO series, "True Blood," a recurring role on the hit series "Pretty Little Liars," guest leads on "The Good Wife," "CSI," "Royal Pains," and "Law & Order: SVU." Natalie had the lead role in the indie feature Plus One for Dennis Ileadis that made its debut at SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas.

SARAH JES AUSTELL (Mary Mercer) is a New York based actor who starred in the World Premiere of Fist in Mouth at Cherry Lane Studio Theater. She also starred in the West Coast Premiere of Jason Chimonides' play The Optimist at Elephant Stages, as well as The Birds with One Year Lease Theater Company in the mountains of Papingo, Greece. Her other theatre credits include: The Cherry Orchard (Director: Bob Moss) and Friend of the Devil (Director: Laura Braza). Sarah Jes received her training at The NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

JAMIE-LYNN SIGLER (Coach Aileen Russo) first captured audiences when she appeared on HBO's critically acclaimed drama "The Sopranos" as mafia daughter, 'Meadow Soprano.' Now the extraordinary talent is lighting the screen displaying her vast range of acting chops. Sigler's recent film credits include Indie films Broken Tail Light, Divorce Invitation, I Do, and Jewtopia. Other film credits include Homie Spumoni, a comedy co-starring Donald Faison, Joey Fatone, and Whoopi Goldberg, Lovewrecked, opposite Amanda Bynes and Chris Carmack, and the thriller Dark Ride, in which she stars. Dark Ride tells the story of a killer who, ten years after he brutally murdered two girls, escapes from a mental institution and returns to his turf; a theme park called 'Dark Ride.' Sigler most recently starred on the NBC comedy "Guy's with Kids." Executive produced by Jimmy Fallon, the popular sitcom told the story of three thirty-something dads trying to hold on to their youth while navigating fatherhood.Additional TV credits include recurring roles on HBO's hit series "Entourage," ABC's hit comedy "Ugly Betty," as well as character arcs on "How I Met Your Mother, " "Last Man Standing," and "Dads." Sigler starred as 'Meadow Soprano' for seven seasons on HBO's Emmy-Award winning drama "The Sopranos." Her performance on the show earned her the 1999 and 2000 Hollywood Reporter Young Star Award for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series, as well as two ALMA Award nominations for Best Actress in a Drama Series (2001 & 2002.) She also starred in the original mini-series "The Gathering" co-starring Peter Gallagher, Kristin Lehmann, Jenna Boyd and Peter Fonda. Sigler's talents extend to the stage as well. She made her Broadway debut as 'Belle' in Disney's Beauty and the Beast in October 2002, remaining in the role through February 2003. In the summer of 2001, she starred in the national tour of Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella opposite Eartha Kitt. Additional theater roles include New York regional productions of Annie, The Wizard of Oz, The Sound of Music, The Wiz, and Gypsy. A native of New York, Sigler divides her time between New York and Los Angeles.

ZUZANNA SZADKOWSKI (Janice Rappaport) played "Dorota" in the CW's hit drama series "Gossip Girl" and was voted #7 in Rolling Stone's "50 Reasons to Watch TV." Currently she can be seen as "Nurse Pell" on the Cinemax series from Steven Soderbergh, "The Knick." She appeared on the fourth season of HBO's "GIRLS" as "Priya". Other television credits include "Elementary," "Guiding Light," "The Sopranos," "Law and Order," and "Law and Order: Criminal Intent." Film credits include Growing up and Other Lies, Loserville and Butterflies of Bill Baker. Zuzanna can be seen this fall in The Comedy of Errors as part of the Public Theater's Mobile Shakespeare Unit. Other theater credits include: Nora and Delia Ephron's Love, Loss and What I Wore Off Broadway and on tour, Olly's Prison at A.R.T. directed by Robert Woodruff, Benno Blimpie at A.R.T. Institute, and Spring Awakening in Moscow. She received a B.A. from Barnard College and an M.F.A. in acting from the A.R.T./MXAT Institute at Harvard.

BRENDAN DOOLING (Richie Covington) is best known for the series regular role of 'Walt' in the CW Network series "The Carrie Diaries," he is also known to the under ten crowd as the voice of the new holiday favorite (and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade float) 'Chippey the Elf,' from the TV movie Elf On A Shelf: An Elf's Story. Brendan can be seen in the feature films Demolition, Charlie, Trevor, and A Girl Savannah (dir. Ty Hodges,) as well as the Sundance 2013 film, Breathe In (dir. Drake Doremus, with Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones.) Other credits include television shows "As The World Turns" and "Unforgettable" and stage productions of The Full Monty, The King & I, and Jesus Christ Superstar, amongst others.

BRIAN J. CARTER (Ted Busby) can be seen in the upcoming features The Family Fang (dir Jason Bateman), Sex, Death and Bowling (dir Ally Walker) and The Preppie Connection. Other features credits include In Stereo, Santa Con and the short Penelope Chase. Carter has appeared on television shows including "Blue Bloods," "Veep," "Deadbeat," "The Americans," "Pan Am," "Law & Order: SVU," "Law & Order," "Guiding Light," and "One Life to Live." He has upcoming roles this fall on Marvel's "Jessica Jones" and "Person of Interest." His stage career launched with the original production of the Pulitzer Prize©-winning Off-Broadway hit Wit (original production, MCC Theater/Union Square Theatre) which remains one of the most critically acclaimed productions in Off-Broadway history. Other stage credits include Vigil at the DR2, Broken Fences at Ballybeg Theatre, Waning Moon Over Bensonhurst for MCC Theater and In the Shadow of the Glen and The Dybbuk both at Marvell Rep; and Why Bother? and Years May Go By at Paradise Factory. He has worked at many acclaimed regional theaters including, Westport Country Playhouse, Cleveland Play House, Actors Theatre of Louisville and Virgina Shakespeare Festival.

MARCO JAMES (Ryan Alvarez) was born in Orange County to a Spanish father and UK-born mother. As a result of his international parents, he spend his childhood traveling between the US, Mexico, and UK. With the constant travel, Marco used TV & Film to pass the time and this fascination evolved into Marco's passion for acting. Marco is probably best known for his role of 'Liam' on CW's "Vampire Diaries," wherein he played Nina Dobrev's love interest for her final 2 seasons on the show. He also garnered attention for his recurring role of 'Alex Trimble' on "The Client List." His film credits include the comedy/drama- Sex, Death, and Bowling, starring along aside Adrien Gernier and Selma Blair. Most recently Marco finished shooting the independent coming of age feature- Pitching Tents. Marco currently resides in Los Angeles.

JONATHAN LIPNICKI (Franklin Hope) made his film debut in 1996's Jerry Maguire as the son of Renée Zellweger's character. He subsequently appeared on "The Single Guy," and "The Jeff Foxworthy Show," as well as episodes of "Dawson's Creek" and the sitcom "Meego." He then starred in the film Stuart Little, playing a boy whose family adopts a talking mouse, a role he reprised in the film's sequel. Lipnicki also played the lead role in the film, The Little Vampire and starred opposite Li'l Bow Wow in the film Like Mike, which was released two weeks before Stuart Little 2. He recently appeared on the comedy "Motherlover" on the YOMYOMF Network.

JODI SCHOENBRUN CARTER (Producer) founded 1022m in the fall of 2012. 1022m currently has diverse roster of management clients who work widely across TV, Film, and the legit stage. Schoenbrun Carter's first feature film as a producer Sex, Death and Bowling a film by Ally Walker staring Adrian Grenier, Selma Blair, Bailey Chase, Drea de Mateo, and Mary-Lynn Rasjkub will be in theatres November 6, 2015. 1022m has over 10 additional projects in development or preproduction for film, TV and the stage. Prior to the founding 1022m, Schoenbrun Carter led four award-winning theatres MCC Theater, Vineyard Theatre and Signature Theatre Company, and Westport Country Playhouse, alongside Artistic Directors Joanne Woodward and Annie Keefe. Schoenbrun Carter has also worked in the commercial theatre for Daryl Roth Theatrical Management most significantly with management responsibilities for Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron's Love, Loss, and What I Wore She also was a producer on the off-Broadway production of Morris Panych's Vigil.

EVIE WHITING (Producer) is a graduate of Princeton University and Vanderbilt University School of Law. While in law school, Evie served as President of the Art and Cultural Property Association and as Vice-President of the Entertainment and Sports Law Society. She was also on the Articles Selection Committee of the Vanderbilt Law Review and published a student note on the intersection between dance and U.S. Copyright Law. She began her career as a corporate associate at Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP in New York and currently works as an entertainment finance attorney in Los Angeles.

LOVELL HOLDER (Director, Producer, co-writer) graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton University, and he then received his MFA from Brown University/Trinity Repertory Company. He has worked as a theater director and actor on both the east and west coasts. Most recently, he produced the feature film Some Freaks, starring Thomas Mann, Lily Mae Harrington, and Marin Ireland. He is thrilled to now make his feature directorial debut with the film Loserville. He currently resides in Los Angeles.

SARA RAMIREZ (Producer) Tony Award© winner Sara Ramirez is known to viewers as orthopedic surgeon Dr. Callie Torres on ABC's top-rated television drama "Grey's Anatomy." Prior to "Grey's Anatomy," Ramirez was seen in the Broadway smash-hit Monty Python's Spamalot as Lady of the Lake, for which she earned both a Tony Award© for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, and an Outer Critics Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical. Ramirez graduated from the Juilliard Drama School. Shortly after graduation, she made her Broadway debut starring in Paul Simon's The Capeman. Following that, she starred on Broadway in Fascinating Rhythm and A Class Act, as well as Off Broadway in The Vagina Monologues. For the past 3 seasons, Sara has been the voice of 'Queen Miranda' in the Disney Channel animated series, "Sofia The First." She has also appeared on NYPD Blue, Law & Order: SVU, Third Watch, and Spin City, in addition to several pilots. In Spring 2011, Ramirez captured a whole new audience when she performed the most prominent songs on the special music event episode of "Grey's Anatomy" and released her own EP on iTunes. In 2015, Sara was awarded the Ally For Equality Award by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. In addition to her role as a member of the True Colors Fund's Board of Directors, she supports non-profit organizations like the Human Rights Campaign and the California Writing Program's "I Write the Future" campaign.

RICHARD HALSEY (Editor) & COLLEEN HALSEY (Editor) It was the ambition of Richard Halsey, A.C.E., "to become an editor by 30, win the Academy Award by 35, and be directing by 36." He was 28 when he made that his goal and eight years later, in 1976, he and Scott Conrad, A.C.E., co-edited the classic, Rocky, for which they won an Academy Award. After Serving in the Military in 1963 he got a placement at 20th Century Fox in the editorial department and started assisting on the popular series Peyton Place he later became the main editor of the show. When Peyton Place ended in 1969 he had got a job as assistant editor on a movie called The Landlord that the Mirisch Company was producing. Then Halsey worked as an assistant editor on various features including Bob Rafelson's cult classic Five Easy Pieces, eventually landing his first major editing credit, Payday (1973) starring Rip Torn, which was a critical success. This spurred Halsey's hiring as editor on Mazursky's Harry and Tonto (1974) starring Art Carney who won the Best Acting Oscar that year. During that period, he also worked on Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (for Sam Peckinpah), edited W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings, and Next Stop, Greenwich Village (directed by Mazursky). During the '80s, he worked on such films as Down and Out in Beverly Hills, which was the first picture he worked on with his future wife, Colleen. He also worked on Mannequin, and Paul Schrader's classic crime drama, American Gigolo. At the beginning of the '90s, Halsey worked on Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands which was the first of numerous films that Halsey edited with Colleen. They included Sister Act and So I Married an Axe Murderer. For nearly four decades, Halsey has lived in the Hollywood Hills under the Hollywood sign, where he has had an editing space that has changed from the film to the digital era. Today he is still editing with Colleen and is now training his daughter, Morgan.

NANCY NAYOR (Casting Director, Co-Executive Producer) began the first 14 years of her career as SVP of Feature Film Casting at Universal Studios. There she worked with such filmmakers as Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Oliver Stone, Sam Raimi and John Hughes. Since then, as President of Nancy Nayor Casting she has cast such films as Road Trip, Whole Nine Yards, Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Grudge, Ouija, The Boy Next Door, Nim's Island and the upcoming Kidnap starring Halle Berry. Nancy casts a variety of studio and independent features as well as television pilots and series, and is currently casting Before I Fall for Awesomeness Films.

LINDSEY WEISSMUELLER (Casting Director) Lindsey's casting director resume includes several independent features including Balls Out (starring Nikki Reed, Jake Lacy, Kate McKinnon, Beck Bennett) which was released by MGM this summer, Someone Marry Barry (starring Tyler Labine, Lucy Punch and Damon Wayans Jr), Jake Squared (starring Elias Koteas, Viginia Madsen, Mike Vogel, Jane Seymour). Her favorite movies usually fall into the category of small character-driven dramas or comedies. She loves working with actors and discovering exciting new talent. Lindsey is currently casting CollegeHumor's first cable TV series for Tru TV, "Adam Ruins Everything," which started shooting in LA Fall 2015. Lindsey frequents local improv shows and likes to attend local theater when she is not working too late! She also loves documentaries, her husband, Zach and their Greyhound, Stanley. Recently wrapped projects: Sleight, Desert Rose, Girl Flu; Untitled Celebrity Death Pool Feature; and Lazer Team.

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