Creators & Writers

KEVIN KAUFMAN (Creator/Sketches/Composer/Producer) Mr. Kaufman was Executive Director and founder of Broadway on Sunset (BOS), a non-profit organization that conducted programs and workshops of new musicals under the aegis of the Songwriters Guild of America. Broadway veterans who have participated in these programs included Tony-award actor Donna McKechnie; Tony-award director/choreographer Grover Dale; and Tony-nominated choreographer, Vincent Paterson.

Kevin also produced two BOS West Coast Musical Theatre Conferences that were profiled in the Los Angeles Times, and received a commendation from Mayor Richard Riordan for Artistic Excellence. Participants included Tony Award winner Jason Alexander (Jerome Robbins' Broadway), composer Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel), composer/lyricist Michael John LaChiusa, (The Wild Party Marie Christine); Librettist Dean Pitchford (Footloose); Actor Harry Groener; and Arranger/Orchestrator/Musical Director Harold Wheeler (27 Broadway musicals).

As composer, Kevin's Halloween musical, The Little Witch of Wichita (Heuer Publishing), has received 11 productions nationally including Los Angeles' acclaimed Geffen Playhouse. Kevin received a BA in Music from C.C.N.Y and studied composition & arranging at the Grove School of Music in Los Angeles. He is a member of ASCAP.

SYDNEY GAIL STAYDEN (Creator/Sketches/Producer) is developing for Broadway Now, Voyager, the musical, adapted from the same novel as the 1942 Warner Bros. movie made memorable by Bette Davis. She is also bringing to Broadway the musical, Fun With Dick and Jane, adapted from two hugely successful Columbia/Sony movies. FWD&J will bring famous couples to Broadway in the roles of Dick and Jane. In 2000 Stayden produced Broadway on Sunset's West Coast Musical Theater Conference inviting participants - keynote speaker Julie Taymor (The Lion King); CNN's Larry King; director/choreographer Rob Marshall (Chicago); composer Henry Krieger (Dreamgirls), and many other Broadway veterans.

Stayden co-wrote and co-produced the feature film Red Roses and Petrol starring Malcolm McDowell, which was distributed by WorldWide Motion Picture Corp. She is currently developing with her producing partner RKO, a remake of the 1941 Jean Arthur comedy The Devil and Miss Jones. Stayden also produced: I Could Never Have Sex With Any Man Who Has Such Little Regard For My Husband; and My Man Adam for TriStar.

NEAL SHUSTERMAN (Lyrics/Sketches) Award-winning author Neal Shusterman began his professional writing career shortly after graduation from college, when his humor column was picked up by Syndicated Writer's Group, a national feature syndicate, making Neal, at 22, the youngest syndicated columnist in the nation. Neal made his mark as a successful novelist, screenwriter, and television writer. His over 25 published books have received many awards from the International Reading Association, and the American Library Association, garnering a myriad of state and local awards across the country. In the wake of his book, Kid Heroes, Neal served as a celebrity judge for Hasbro's Real American Hero Search, along with actor Christopher Reeve, and Admiral Richard Truly, the former head of NASA. Neal's talents range from film directing (two short films he directed won him the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Awards) to writing music and stage plays. Neal also developed two successful "How to Host a Mystery" game for teens, as well as five "How to Host a Murder" games. Neal wrote several prime-time specials for the "Goosebumps" TV series, including "The Werewolf of Fever Swamp," and wrote for the "Animorphs" TV series. Neal is also adapting his novel Downsiders as a TV movie for The Disney Channel. His most recent book, Everlost, published Fall 2006, was sold to Universal Studios to be made as a feature film, with Mr. Shusterman writing the Screenplay.

ROB BATTAN (Lyrics/Sketches) Rob was the lyricist for "Lamb Chop on Broadway" starring Shari Lewis; "The Charlie Horse Music Pizza" on PBS; and wrote the parody lyrics to "Fiddler on the West Hollywood Roof."

STEPHEN COLE (Lyrics) Stephen is an internationally produced, published and recorded writer. He is the winner of the prestigious "Edward Kleban Award" as Most Promising Librettist of 2000. His musicals include: THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER; AFTER THE FAIR produced in 1999 at the York Theatre Company, Outer Critic's Circle Nomination for Best Off-Broadway Musical; CASPER, which toured in 2001 starring Broadway legend, Chita Rivera; CONTINENTAL DIVIDE, adapted form Sinclair Lewis' "Dodsworth," which premiered in Texas starring Hal Linden and Dee Hoty; GROSSINGER'S, which also premiered in Texas and starred Gavin MacLeod and Ruta Lee; and TIME AFTER TIME. Stephen has penned special material for Chita Rivera, Christine Baranski, Marlo Thomas, Tyne Daly, Rosie O'Donnell, JoAnne Worley, Michael Rupert, Liz Smith, Michele Lee, Valerie Harper and many others. Stephen is the author of "That Book About That Girl," the unofficial companion to the famous and innovative Marlo Thomas sitcom from the 1960's (Renaissance Books 1999).

JOHN EVEREST (Lyrics/Sketches) The late Mr. Everest's produced shows as librettist/sketch writer and lyricist include: I French Kissed a Zombie; the musical revues, Scaling Everest and American Twistory; Mark Twain in Love, directed by veteran stage and screen actor/dancer, Gene Nelson; 81 Proof, a topical musical revue; and The Right Guywith composer Vernon Duke (April in Paris).

ROB MEURER (Lyrics) first came to prominence on the Grammy-sweeping debut album by Christopher Cross, with whom he has since written and produced several albums. He served as Music Director for Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre and Billy Crystal's A Comic's Line and has also worked with Carole King, J.D. Souther, Jennifer Warnes, and Van Dyke Parks. Rob has written four musicals with The Knack lead guitarist Berton Averre, including Jungle Man!, which was given two sellout productions by Stage One in Wichita, and Robin Hood: The Untold Story, which was featured in the ASCAP/Disney Workshop and is slated for the 2009 L.A. Festival of New American Musicals. Rob and Berton have also written songs for playwright Mark Saltzman's Set Up and Punch, which opens at The Blank Theatre in L.A. in April 2009.

ADAM OVERETT (Lyrics) Adam is a member of the Lehman Engel Musical Theater Advanced Workshop at BMI, where he won the 2002 Jerry Harrington Award for Excellence. His musical, CALL IT COURAGE based on the Newbery Medal-winning novel by Armstrong Sperry, was a 2005 New York Musical Theatre Festival designee, as well as a finalist for the ASCAP Workshop, the Bloomington Playwriting Contest and other awards. It was given a staged reading at the York Theatre in 2004, and was featured on the Bound For Broadway concert series at Merkin Concert Hall in 2005. Adam has also authored the musicals THE FIREBIRD and SEEING THE LIGHT; and several plays, including PASSPORT, STANDING GUARD, and THE BIRDBATH. A graduate of Yale University, he studied dramatic literature and music, and won the John Golden Prize for New Musicals.

TONY REITANO (Sketches) One of the original actors of the early workshops with American Twistory, Tony began contributing material soon thereafter. He wrote episodes for TV - They Came from Outer Space and Animation - Bonkers. Current projects include contributing writer on Homicide for the Holidays (an interactive whodunit) in Madison, WI; and several screenplays in development. As an actor, Tony performed on stage across the U.S. and in film and television. In commercials, he was Vince the Crash Test Dummy in the award-winning Safety Belt campaign. You could learn a lot from a dummy -- buckle your safety belt!

PETER ROBERTS (Music) A multiple award winning producer and songwriter, over 200 of his songs were recorded and released by various artists, including La Toya Jackson, Daechelle, George Benson, ATC, Bryan Duncan, Lou Bega, Jimi Jamison's Survivor, The New York Voices, Irene Cara, Lisa Frazier, the Roberts Bros. among others. Peter's song "Fearless" won the Pop Category of the 2007 Billboard World Songwriting Competition as well as the People's Voice of the International Songwriting Competition 2006. Peter's songs were on the charts in different genres like Pop, Rock, Dance, Smooth Jazz and Christian.

SANDY SHERMAN (Lyrics) is a lyricist/songwriter with an extensive list of credits including songs, in a variety of musical styles, featured in numerous popular films, T.V. series and artist compilations. "The Little Witch of Wichita" for which she is the lyricist, is an award winning family musical performed in many theaters nationally including the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles where she was also co-producer. Her children's songs have delighted millions of children and include songs for Disney Records, Buena Vista Videos, LeapFrog Toys, Disney Channel, Shari Lewis, The Children's Television Workshop and Hal Leonard songbooks.

GERRY STOBER (Music), a native of Montreal, Canada has been involved in various aspects of the global music industry, garnering world-wide acclaim and awards as a songwriter, producer, publisher, musician and vocalist. He also heads his own music production and publishing company. Artist credits include: No Mercy – multi-platinum worldwide; Aaron Neville – Grammy nominated album "Devotion"; The Jets; The Commodores; Jack Wagner; Jennifer Love Hewitt; Audrey de Montigny – Canadian Idol finalist; Eve; and Jane Fostin – nominated for "Les Cesaire de la Musique" award in Paris, France 2001; His music has also appeared in commercials including: Mattel/Barbie; Kraft/General Foods Nestle Crunch; Coke; Florida Marlins; Process Gruyere Cheese; Korean Airlines; and California Avocado Commission.