Cast & Crew
Alexandra Slade
Diane
Alexandra Slade is a theatrical actress out of San Diego. She has worked on productions that include “Chicago,” “BLISS” and “Oklahoma!” Her performances have been throughout the county at Cygnet Theatre, Scripps Ranch Theatre, San Diego Musical Theatre, New Village Arts, Barnstage Company, Welk Resort Theatre, Diversionary Theatre and Coronado Playhouse. Alex has previously worked on the local 48 hour film festival as well as another independent short film titled “5150.” Her performance on Friend of the World is her first feature length appearance.
Alexandra joined the cast after scheduling delays and rewrites of the script. Her character Diane was catapulted into the aftermath of a war zone which was a challenge for her as an actress. The emotional rollercoaster that her role brought to screen was rewarding to watch. Her experience on stage allowed for her to get comfortable on set, especially since her co-star, Nick Young, was also heavily involved in theatrical plays. She brought a detailed performance to the film and carried it from start to end. Alexandra delivered a crucial character in an original format that audiences will find very satisfying. Her devotion to this project was loyal and we could not be more proud to have her on board.
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Nick Young
Gore
Nick Young started acting at a young age, appearing in school productions, backyard productions, living room productions – just about anywhere that could draw an audience. In college, he majored in drama but joined the Tucson Fire Dept., allowing him to act in small roles film instead of the long hours that stage acting required. After 28 yrs. as a fireman, he retired in 2008 and now is a full time stage and film actor in San Diego, CA. One of Nick’s more recent works was on a short 48 hour film called “Con Boys,” which took home first place in 2016 and went on to represent San Diego at Filmapalooza 2017. Before Friend of the World, Nick worked on several films throughout the 80s and 90s.
Nick was one of the first cast or crew signed on to this project. The director was looking for an intimidating actor with a demeanor and discovered him through the local community. Nick was given plenty of freedom with the role and delivered with a performance many would only expect from a Hollywood A-lister. Nick was very committed to this project upfront and his execution made for an entertaining and memorable accomplishment we can all watch for years to come.
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Brian Butler
Writer, Director, Producer
Around age nine, Brian started shooting movies in San Diego with his brother and cousins, creating homemade gore effects to be used in absurd shorts that blended elements of horror and comedy. These films would evolve over the years into high school and college, where Brian attended the BADA acting intensive and directed Stephen Adly Guirgis’ play “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot”. Brian then began to team up with local filmmakers to create shorts that were more narrative-focused than before (though still absurd, and still involving his brother Dan and cousin Kevin). These two shorts, “Hatred” and “The Phantom Hour” were followed by Brian’s first feature film as writer/director, “Friend of the World”, which was shot almost entirely at Gray Area, a San Diego studio run by long-time collaborator Luke Pensabene. Brian teamed up again with this group of family and fellow filmmakers for the upcoming follow-up to “Friend of the World”, a grungy neo-noir feature titled “Fruitful Mold”.
Brian’s passion for filmmaking is only equalled by his love of acting. He has been acting full-time in professional film and theatrical productions since 2014. Notable credits include leading roles in the feature “South of 8” (dir. Tony Olmos) and the Ion Theatre production of Annie Baker’s “The Aliens”. He is currently based in Los Angeles while continuing his San Diego acting and filmmaking collaborations. He studied Theater at San Diego State University and starred alongside internet magician Zach King in the short film ‘Zach King’s Day Off,’ which has massed more than six million views on YouTube over several weeks. He is also known for his stage roles, including: Hugo in “The Nutcracker”, Kevin in “Stage Kiss” (New Village Arts), and Titus in “Titus Andronicus” (SDSU).
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Kerry Rossall
Executive Producer
Kerry Rossall has been an active working stuntman and stunt coordinator for more than forty years. He has worked on some of Hollywood’s biggest pictures that include Sully, Air Force One, Ocean’s Eleven, The Abyss, Die Hard with a Vengeance, The Green Mile and 12 years a Slave. He has been working in the industry for more than forty years and has doubled for actors such as Robert Duvall and Harrison Ford. Kerry was nominated for three Taurus World Stunt Awards for his work on Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, a film early in his career which he had an on screen role. Before Friend of the World, Kerry produced a couple films with his colleague, director Eric Chambers.
Some of the filmmakers had previously worked with Kerry on other projects. After collaborating, he became interested in the early drafts of the script and eventually signed on as executive producer. He helped plan and prepare throughout pre-production and supervised during filming, which helped keep the crew on schedule. He was also very generous with his contributions to the film’s budget. The project would not have reached the desired result without him. He is a valued asset to the team’s success.
Luke Pensabene
Co-Producer
Luke Pensabene is an actor, producer, production designer and the founder of Gray Area Multimedia in San Diego, CA. A former lance corporal for the US Marines in Afghanistan, Luke brings his A-game in every film he works on. His notable works include the crime thriller features “South of 8” and “Fruitful Mold.” Luke has also acted in several short films including “Fletcher and Jenks,” a 48 hour film that landed him nominations for a San Diego Film Award and a GI Film Festival Award. In addition to the follow up feature film “Fruitful Mold,” he produced a short film, “Graduation Afternoon,” directed by Rob Padilla, Jr and adapted from a Stephen King short story by author Marie D. Jones. Just before the 2020 pandemic, Luke produced a film local to San Diego called “Hacksaw,” a feature directed by Anthony Leone that won Best Slasher Film at the Monsters of Horror International Film Festival.
Luke was the co-producer and location manager on “Friend of the World.” He helped plan and prepare much of the massive schedule and helped out significantly with much of the project’s production design. He has a brief cameo in the film as well and helped make the project go above and beyond the limitations that filmmaker’s can run into sometimes.
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Ray Gallardo
Director of Photography
Ray Gallardo is an independent film director and cinematographer from San Diego with his production company, Infrastructure Productions, LLC. He is most well known for directing “Callejero” and “At the Frontera,” two feature films out of Mexico. Ray worked on these with his colleague, actor Martin Santander along with Gerardo Taracena (Apocalypto) and former boxers Carlos Palomino and Yaqui López. His short film, “Entrenched: Prologue,” was an official selection that screened at the 2019 San Diego International Film Festival. He has worked on several other shorts to help promote Horrible Imaginings Film Festival. Before Friend of the World, Ray’s latest work includes “The Fifth of November” and “Buy Roses For Me: The Prologue,” two shorts that finished up their festival run in 2020.
Ray was brought on to the project later in pre-production. Before his involvement, the crew was unable to find a director of photography available within their shooting schedule. While filming, he worked diligently with the director matching the desired storyboard and never letting a moment go to waste. A master of his craft, Ray’s photography skills really helped bring the magic of this film to life. His skill with the camera really brought the film to a whole new level.
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Belle Santillan
Assistant Director
Belle Santillan previously worked on screen with small parts in the director’s first short film, “Hatred,” and the feature film “South of 8.” She played a faceless woman in the short, and a bank teller during a heist in the feature. After gaining some experience in the independent film scene, Belle became interested in helping out off screen. She went on to help compose music for an unreleased short and eventually signed on as the assistant director for “Friend of the World.”
Belle’s tasks included much of the organizing, planning and scheduling during pre-production and not allowing the crew to fall behind once principal photography had began. She handled much of the paperwork and contracts required for the cast and crew. During a scene that required extras on set, Belle helped get in touch with them, collecting their information all while providing transportation information to and from the studio. She was very careful with the storyboards for each scene, double checking with the director on scenes to make sure all angles were covered. While in post-production, Belle helped formulate a plan which allowed for the cast and crew to resume filming pickups utilizing the best use of their time. Without her commitment to this project, the crew would have been in over their heads.
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Daniel N. Butler
Visual Effects, Sound
Daniel N. Butler is an inspired filmmaker and digital marketer who spends much of his time looking at film from the audience’s perspective. He strives to achieve desirable visuals and audio so viewers can emotionally connect with the filmmaker’s vision, something many independent films lack. Daniel has previously worked with much of the the crew on this project and fills the gap when it comes to multitasking. Before Friend of the World, Daniel’s most recent work can be experienced in his brother’s short film “The Phantom Hour” and Australian singer-songwriter Chantelle Barry’s music video “Not Here.”
Working in close proximity of the director on set, Daniel kept an active presence recording sound, supervising visual effects and taking behind the scenes photos of the cast and crew. While in the post-production process, he rendered a number of visual effects, followed by sound design and eventually the mixing process. After the film was completed, Daniel took on the additional tasks such as promotional media and press releases. This was so the film’s target audience could have knowledge about its existence and release. He made a brief cameo appearance and also helped the project’s follow up feature film, “Fruitful Mold,” which he has a small on screen role.
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CJ Martinez
Special Effects Makeup
CJ Martinez is a self taught body paint artist who specially designs glow in the dark paintings and special effects makeup. His special effects makeup has kept him busy on several films, including the director’s first short film “Hatred.” He was also a production designer for the feature film “South of 8,” a film that he made a brief cameo appearance in as well. CJ’s love for the magic that practical special effects deliver makes him a vital and essential asset to the growing film industry among independent filmmakers. He has an upcoming project with some of the cast and crew from “Friend of the World.” It is a feature film called “Mike & Fred vs the Dead,” starring Felissa Rose, written by James Cullen Bressack and directed by Anthony Leone.
CJ was brought on to the set to help create a practical blend to the story’s special effects, that would later be enhanced with visual effects in post-production. Without his practical magic on set, the professionalism of the project would have suffered tremendously. CJ’s experience with blood designs allowed him to work quickly and efficiently without harming the attention to detail of his efforts. He worked passionately with the director on each specific scene, including an eerie but necessary part where he decorated the floor with corpses.
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