ACTOR-WRITER-DIRECTOR

Kelly A. Turner is an award-winning film and TV actor (2x ‘Best Actress’ award-winner for her lead role in ‘The Housewife’), a Sundance finalist screenwriter, director-producer of the 10-episode streaming docuseries ‘Radical Remission,’ and actor-writer-producer of the 2x ‘Best Dramatic Short’ award-winning short film, “The Housewife,” which is a proof-of-concept for a feature film presented by KAT Productions.

Kelly is also a New York Times bestselling author with books translated into 23 languages. She holds a B.A. from Harvard University in English Literature (with a focus on screenwriting) and a Ph.D. in cancer research from the University of California, Berkeley. A trained screenwriter, Kelly has written 2 TV pilots and 3 feature scripts, one of which was a finalist for the Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab.

WRITER-PRODUCER

Lisa Laing is a film producer and screenwriter, as well as an award-winning novelist under the pen name Lisa McLuckie. Published titles include Love Song (Instrumental), Love Story (Confidential), Love Me Not, and Love Letters. After graduating from Wesleyan University with a double major in theater and economics, Lisa started her career in live theater, including acting, singing, directing, and stage management. She then earned her MBA from the University of Chicago and enjoyed a career in management consulting and marketing before returning to creative endeavors.

Most recently, Lisa produced the 2x ‘Best Dramatic Short’ award-winning short film, “The Housewife,” which is a proof-of-concept for a feature film presented by KAT Productions.

WRITER & MUSIC SUPERVISOR

Sarah Lahey, PhD received her doctoral degree in English Literature with a focus in 19th-century archival research from Northwestern University. Prior to that, she received her MA in Humanities from the University of Chicago, where she studied American and British literature and completed her Masters' thesis on Samuel Coleridge's 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner.' She received her BA in English Literature from Harvard University.

In addition to being a full-time English teacher at New Trier High School – Illinois’ #1-rated public school – Sarah is also a freelance writer, having written numerous historical articles about her hometown of Lake Geneva, WI for AT THE LAKE magazine. Previously, she was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Northwestern University. At KAT Productions, Sarah is currently co-writing NEWPORT OF THE WEST, a TV series based on the history of Lake Geneva.

PRODUCTION & WARDROBE DESIGN

Melissa R. Turner hails from the fashion industry as a senior eCommerce and retail leader with 20 years of merchandising experience in product selection. She has worked for a range of specialty and value retailers including Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Lucky Brand, and Nixon, and has deep knowledge and experience in product strategy, category positioning, purchase path, and where to recommend technical enhancements to increase conversion.

At KAT Productions, Melissa lends her extensive experience in the fashion world to her wardrobe and production design work. She enjoys working closely with each writer, director, and actor to fully understand the character and the world of the story, and she builds her designs in collaboration with the creative team. Melissa graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a major in graphic design and is also an amateur photographer.