Our Staff

Our resources can call on a wealth of talent in the Hollywood Community. We have experienced writers, directors, actors and technical consultants - all with first hand knowledge of a variety of disabilities.

Here's just a small sampling of our consultants.

Grant Albrecht Cindy Allen Tracy Ashton David Balkin Claudia Blair Rick Boggs Robyn Brooks Bill Chott Gabriel Cordell Mike D’Amore Marcia DeRousse Bryan Dilbeck Gene Feldman Toby Forrest Jenni Gold Jason Goulet Dawn Grabowski Eileen Grubba Robert David Hall Janis Hirsch Pamela Jansen Gerri Jewel Diana Jordan

Nancy Becker Kennedy Mitch Longley Lynn Manning Amit Mehta
Danny Murphy
Autianya Pasqua Jack Patterson Mark Povinelli Rich Redlin Rosi Reed Allen Rucker Teal Sherer
John Siciliano
Evan Somers Ann Stocking Chris Thornton
Alan Toy
Jim Troesh
Gail Williamson Danny Woodburn
Marcus York

Our resources can call on a wealth of talent in the Hollywood Community. We have experienced writers, directors, actors and technical consultants - all with first hand knowledge of a variety of disabilities. Here's just a small sampling of our consultants.
Robert David Hall	An Interview with Robert David Hall. You're currently head of the PWD unit of the Actor's Guild. What's the talent pool like? We're just like the rest of SAG's gene pool. We have a few stiffs, but we have some really terrific actors as well- not just all disability types, but all casting types. Young children. Elderly. You need a burly ex-football player, a romantic lead, a nerd? We get 'em. A dainty prom queen, a gorgeous professional woman, we've got her, too. There’s some amazing, highly- trained, well-qualified actors in the PWD population. How do producers access PWD performers? Currently they can utilize SAG or the Media Access Office...I believe, also, that a service like this one (V.A.S.S.) can get you headed in the right direction. All I care about is the end result-seeing greater inclusion of Performers with Disabilities in main-stream media. What's your tip for thinking outside the casting box? Try sometimes casting a PWD actor for a role where that disability is invisible or unimportant. For example, a wheel-chair user can be placed in a regular chair if the scene calls for the character to remain seated. Also, it’s not ALWAYS necessary to “explain” why somebody has a disability or is disabled! In so-called “real life,” people rarely come up and ask me about my disability. It’s become kind of a cliché in TV and Film to make the disability some dramatic story point. It’s not always required.
People with disabilities come in two types: those with a great sense of humor and those with an outrageously great sense of humor. Tracy Ashton, from the hit show My Name is Earl, has both. Marlee Matlin Actor Member VASS Advisory Board	V.A.S.S. Consultant Team		Dan Murphy, president. Danny Murphy is a hardworking actor and producer, appearing in many of the Farrelly brother films. Since coming to Los Angeles, he has been very active with the Media Acces Office (MAO) which helps performers with disabilities break into the acting industry. Danny is also highly supportive of the Christopher Reeve Foundation (CRF). www.dannymurphy.com Lynn Manning, consultant. Lynn Manning is an award winning playwright, poet, actor, Paralympic Silver Medallist and former Blind Judo Champion of The world. He accomplished all of this after being shot and blinded in a Hollywood bar at age 23. Lynn was Technical Advisor to ABC/Bochco cop drama, BLIND JUSTICE. www.lynnmanning.com Jim Troesh, consultant. Jim Troesh is a writer, actor and technical consultant, who first gained promience on the hit television show HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN in the recurring role of a quadriplegic attorney. He has also served as a consultant for disablities on the pilot Titus-Special Unit. In his spare time, he works with The Moving Targets, LA's Political Comedy Improv Troupe. Jim not only busts up audiences with his humor, but he also enlightens them about the untapped potential of people with disabilities. www.jimtroesh.net Eileen Grubba , consultant. Eileen Grubba is an actress, writer and casting consultant. Currently , she serves as the Casting Director for the new ABC DreamWorks show “Miracle Workers” which is airing Monday nights on ABC. Through her work, stories, scripts & TV shows, Eileen wants to shine a light on the gifts that people with disabilities have to offer. www.eileengrubba.com
	Grant Albrecht Cindy Allen Tracy Ashton David Balkin Claudia Blair Rick Boggs Robyn Brooks Bill Chott Gabriel Cordell Mike D’Amore Marcia DeRousse Bryan Dilbeck Gene Feldman Toby Forrest Jenni Gold Jason Goulet Dawn Grabowski Eileen Grubba Robert David Hall Janis Hirsch Pamela Jansen Gerri Jewel Diana Jordan	Nancy Becker Kennedy Mitch Longley Lynn Manning Amit Mehta Danny Murphy Autianya Pasqua Jack Patterson Mark Povinelli Rich Redlin Rosi Reed Allen Rucker Teal Sherer John Siciliano Evan Somers Ann Stocking Chris Thornton Alan Toy Jim Troesh Gail Williamson Danny Woodburn Marcus York
	V.A.S.S. Advisory Board
	Jason Alexander Actor/Producer David H. Balkan Writer/Producer Ricky Blitt Writer Christine Bruno Disability Advocate, NonTraditional Casting Project Gloria M. Castañeda Program Director/Casting Liaison Media Access Office/EDD Peter Farrelly Writer, Director, Producer Carol Goldwasser Chairperson of the Diversity Committee Casting Society of America Robert David Hall CSI Regular Cast Member Chairman, SAG and AFTRA PWD Julie Hutchinson Senior Vice President – Casting Universal Studios Donna Isaacson Executive V.P. - Feature Talent 20th Century Fox	Penny Marshall Producer/Director Marlee Matlin Actor Rick Montgomery, CSA Olivia Raynor, Ph.D. Director, Tarjan Center Director, National Arts and Disability Center Angel Rivera National Director Affirmative Action & Diversity Screen Actors Guild Allen Rucker Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) WGA Disability Committee Jeffrey M. Schwartz M.D. Research Psychiatrist, UCLA Evan Somers Writers’ Guild of America (WGA) WGA Disability Committee Gail Williamson Executive Director Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles