filmmaker BIOS

Hilari Scarl
Executive Producer/
Director

Jeff Gatesman
Director of Photography/

Paul Lucas
Producer

Karen Ballard
Photojournalist

Kubilay Uner
Composer

Hilari is the founder of the Young Players Ensemble and has directed, written and produced Young Players Ensemble original productions with young people from all over the world.  With over 75 acting credits (including Off Broadway, The Kennedy Center and the Brooklyn Academy of Music) and dozens of directing and producing credits, Hilari has been featured in an article in New York Casting and won a BOSS award for outstanding work in the theater. 

She has performed, toured and taught nationally with the National Theatre of the Deaf, Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp; spearheaded a drama program at Hollygrove, an orphanage in Los Angeles; and worked in development with Djimon Hounsou’s film production company.  She was also the Executive Director of the drama program for three seasons at OMNI Camp (formerly the Samantha Smith Peace Camp), an international peace camp in Maine.  Hilari was a finalist for the 2002 Heideman Award for playwriting from the Actors Theatre of Louisville as well as for her solo show, Girl from Nowhere, which she wrote, acted and produced for the Edge of the World Theatre Festival. 

She wrote and acted in a short film project, In the Middle of a Movie, premiering at the Helsinki Film Festival in 2004.  Her short story about the project was selected to be published through the Finnish National Gallery/Museum of Contemporary Art.  She is a member of AEA, EIF (Entertainment Industry Foundation), IDA (Independent Documentary Association) and listed in the 2004 edition of Who’s Who in America.  Hilari has produced TV shows for CBS, The Learning Channel and Fox.