Makenna began her career in entertainment at
the early age of six when she began appearing
in television commercials and starred in her
first feature-length film Plight of the Living
Dead. Her role in as Deandra in Cook County
marks her as an up-and-coming young actress
with a bright future.

Polly graduated from Vasser College with a
BA in Film and Theatre. She also attended
the Oxford University School of Drama and
is a member of The Actor’s Studio. Polly
has built a strong acting resume with recurr-
ing roles in television shows such as Line
of Fire and Undressed, as well as guest
starring roles in shows that include ER, The
Handler, 7th Heaven, Strong Medicine and Cold
Case. She is also known for her roles in
films such as What Matters Most and Dirty
Dancing: Havana Nights.

Born in Houston, Texas, Ryan began his per-
formance career as a musician. At 18 he
moved to New York City where he made a
name for himself playing bucket drums
in the city’s subways and clubs. In 2003,
Ryan played opposite Emile Hirsch in the
film The Mudge Boy. He also appeared in
Rhythm of the Saints and Broken Flowers.
The following year Ryan played opposite
Colin Farrell and Sissy Spacek in A Home
at the End of the World. He also returned
to the screen opposite Emile Hirsch in
the well-received film Imaginary Heroes.
Some of Ryan’s other film credits include
The Flavor, In From the Night, Flakes,
Sleepwalkers and The Pacific and Eddy. Ryan
is also well-known for his recurring role
in the hit television show The O.C

A classically trained actor, Anson made his
feature film debut in the starring role of
the independent movie Tully. He next starred
in the movies Crossroads and City By The Sea.
Some of Anson’s other film credits include
Pool Hall Junkies, Urban Legends: Final Cut,
In Her Shoes, Everybody Loves Mandy Lane
and the HBO Project Green Light film The
Battle For Shaker Heights with Shia LeBeouf.
While Anson is best known for his film work,
he has made several appearance on popular
television shows such as Ally McBeal, Third
Watch, Law and Order, Sex and the City, and
Smallville. He also starred in the ABC drama
Line of Fire and recently starred in the made-
for-TV movie The Two Mr. Kissels. With a
Master of Fine Arts in Acting from Columbia
University, Anson is an expert clown coach
and has also built a strong stage acting
resume, performing opposite Alan Cumming
in Jean Genet’s Elle and in the controversial
production of Terrence McNally’s play Corpus
Christi.

Ruddy is a native Texan and a classically-
trained actor who teaches drama at The
University of Houston and annually appears
the Houston Shakespeare Festival. He has an
impressive filmography that includes movies
such as RoboCop 2, Friday Night Lights, The
Alamo and Ray. His television career includes
roles in the made-for-television movies
Streets of Laredo and Into the West. Ruddy
recently appeared in the Academy Award-
winning film No Country for Old Men.

Brandon is another native Texan. He began
his film career opposite Paul Newman in
Blaze. He has also had leading roles
in hit films such as Powder, RoboCop 2,
A Perfect World, She Gets What She Wants,
The Alamo, Jeepers Creepers and The
Rookie. Brandon has also established a
strong television career with guest appear-
ances in shows such as Prison Break and
Friday Night Lights, as well as the made-
for-television movie Into the West. Brandon
was also recently seen in the Academy
Award-winning film No Country for Old Men.

Born and raised in Fargo, North Dakota,
Scott received a Master of Fine Arts in
Acting from Columbia University. He was a
member of the Groundlings for two years and
is also a stand-up comedian. His acting
career includes roles in films such as 50
Ways to Leave Your Lover and Poolhall Junkies.
He has also performed in multiple webisodes
and shorts and has had guest starring roles
in the television shows Monk and The Rob
Nelson Show.

Our good friend JD passed away on January
29, 2009. He was an outstanding actor with
roles in television and in films such
as Friday Night Lights and The Man Who
Came Back. More importantly, however,
JD was a genuine, kind and soft-spoken
family man who was an absolute joy to be
around.

John grew up in Waco, Texas, graduated from
Baylor University and has covered the NFL for
the Houston Chronicle for 33 years.
He's an avid film fan who has appeared in
movies like The Rookie, The Longest Yard,
Invincible and The Game Plan. John is a
contributor to ESPN and the NFL Network.
His work has been featured in Sports
Illustrated, The Sporting News and NFL.com.
John is a member of the Pro Football Hall
of Fame Selection Committee and the Texas
Sports Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
He's a past president of the Pro Football
Writers of America. In 2006, he won the
Dick McCann Memorial Award and is enshrined
at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in
Canton, Ohio. He can be heard on six weekly
sports talk shows in four cities, including
Houston and Nashville.

David is also from Houston, Texas. He
graduated from the University of Texas at
Austin in 1991. He received his JD from
Texas Tech University, School of Law in
1996. For the following ten years David
practiced law in Dallas and Houston. During
the final year of his legal career, he wrote
the script for “Cook County” and soon after
quit the practice of law. “Cook County”
marks David’s first venture into the world
of filmmaking. He has since written multiple
feature-length scripts, as well as writing
and directing a short film.

Branan was an Eagle Scout from Rome Georgia
before studying Art History at The University
of the South and Film at Syracuse
University. Since moving to New York ten
years ago he has held numerous positions in
television, as well as short and feature film,
including head of special effects makeup for
the BBC's miniseries "Smallpox: Silent Weapon",
Director of Photography for the feature
film "New Guy" and as Editor on projects
ranging from multiple feature films and
commercials to productions for The Discovery
Channel. He continues to freelance wherever
he is needed. In between freelance jobs he
enjoys writing stories and working on his
own short films and documentaries.

Brad is a native Houstonian who studied fine
art at Houston's School for Performing &
Visual Arts and the University of Houston.
He is a skilled cinematographer who has
worked as a director of photography on
feature films such as Torque, Addams Family
Reunion, Winter Break and Love and Mary.
He is also well-known for his work in
commercials and music videos. He has shot
video for performing artists the likes of
Britney Spears, Moby, Eminem, Ashlee Simpson,
George Michael, Mariah Carey and Ricky Martin.
In 2002, Brad won an MTV Video Music Award
for Best Cinematography and was the director
of photography on the Eminem video that won
MTV's Video of the Year. Brad also won a CSC
Award for Best Cinematography in a Music
Video in 2005.