Our Team

Starla Christian
Producer | Assistant Director  |  Editor

Starla Christian has produced over a dozen feature films, and has been the production designer and art director for many more, which have been featured on Amazon, Netflix, The Hallmark Channel, and Lifetime.  Some of these include the film series “A Cowgirl’s Story,” including “A Cowgirl’s Song,” starring Cheryl Ladd, the award winning indie sci-fi thriller “Destination Marfa” starring Tony Todd, and the Amazon breakout film “Christmas Break In,” starring Danny Glover and Denise Richards.  She raised the finances, produced and starred in her first feature film “Deadland Dreaming” in 2007 under her flagship production company Speed of Light Productions and also produced “The Savior” which received 2nd place in The Feel Good Film Festival online awards, and “Lovely” which was named “Best of Fest” at the Arizona Black Film Showcase. She has been a Lead Scenic Painter, Designer and Art Director on feature films including “Shadow Puppets,” starring Tony Todd and Joleen Blalock, “He Was a Quiet Man,” with Christian Slater and William H. Macy, and the hit television series “Heroes,” among many others.  Starla has a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre/Scenic Design from The University of Texas at Austin.

Laura Perez
Director | Producer | Writer

Laura has worked on a diverse range of feature films, music videos, educational videos and documentaries. She co-wrote, co-produced, and was the lead actress in one of the first nationally distributed bi-lingual feature film “Harvest of Redemption” which won the Best Foreign Feature award at the International Family Film Festival in Hollywood. She considers “Harvest” her film school, because it taught her the nuts and bolts of filmmaking while utilizing a modest $25k production budget. Laura has a Juris Doctor from St. Mary’s University School of Law, a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a minor in Communications, and an Associate’s Degree in Theatre. Along with “The Place in Between,” Laura is currently producing and directing a feature documentary entitled “American Orange,” which explores a cancer-ridden citrus producing community that housed an Agent Orange producing plant during the Vietnam War. Laura has been a screenplay judge for Final Draft’s Big Break Script Competition, The American Screenwriter’s Association International Screenplay Competition, and Scenarios USA’s “What’s The Real Deal” Screenplay Competition. She has earned grants from the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts for her creative ventures.

Valerie Villarreal Michelson
Producer | Writer | Actor

Valerie has been a SAG/AFTRA actress in both Los Angeles and Austin for over ten years. Studying under acting coaches Connie Cooper, Brian Reise and Anthony Meindl, she has showcased her skills in various television pilots and films. Some of her credits include films such as Welcome to Hollywood…Florida, Blanco Boys, Birds of a Feather, Blood Shot, Let Me Eat Cake, Sixufus, The Lucky 7, and The Meat Market, as well as theatre productions including Agnes of God, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Extremities. Valerie’s performances in The Lucky Seven and The Fantastic Escape garnered her a best supporting actress nomination and best ensemble cast award respectively. While in Los Angeles, Valerie opened up her own talent agency and represented high caliber actors, several of which gained roles on Shameless, Chuck, Criminal Minds, Ugly Betty, and Modern Family, to name a few. Valerie has a BA from The University of Notre Dame and a masters degree in Education.

Sarah Grace Villarreal
Associate Producer

Sarah Grace Villarreal earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Communication Arts from St. Mary’s University and the University of the Incarnate Word with focuses on film and video production. She has worked on national television series including American Idol, and interned in the story development department of Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios. She has worked as a faculty associate for National High School Institute’s Film and Video Program in Chicago for three consecutive summers.  She currently works as a freelance content creator in Los Angeles, CA.