Stream the curated UCLAxFilmFest 2024 Official Selections here!
In this musical comedy based on a true story, a feisty Angeleno learns that a bear has infiltrated her neighborhood just as Los Angeles is emerging from the pandemic. Determined to avoid another lockdown, she takes matters into her own hands and attempts to trap the bear herself.
Director's Statement:
This is a story about the things we cannot control.
Crew
Jessica Redish - Director/ Writer/ Choreographer/ Co-Lyricist
Jessica Redish is an award-winning director, writer & choreographer in her third and final year of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts’ MFA Program. She has been referred to
as a “rising star” by Medium.com because of her accomplishments with her award-winning short films and music videos. Her body of work ranges from contributing choreography to The Smashing Pumpkins' International Tour to her short films The Last Croissant and AIRWAY winning Best Director and Best Comedy awards. She also works as a comedy writer for Michael Bay and Adam Goodman’s Invisible Narratives.
Her most recent success is her newest film, Exit, Pursued by a Bear, a short movie musical which she wrote, directed, choreographed, and co-wrote lyrics with composer Michael Mahler. The film
received placement in the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts and Raindance Film Festivals as one of six winners in the 2022 Stage 32 Short Film Contest.
She currently completed post-production on her short film cat., about a woman who signs up for a dating coaching service in search of her soulmate and ends up marrying a cat. The project is a 2022 Shore Scripts Short Film Fund Finalist, a 2023 ScreenCraft Film Fund Second Round Quarterfinalist, and a 2020 Women in Media CAMERAderie Semifinalist.
Jessica attributes her ability to work with actors and capture great performances because of her theatre work for which The Chicago Tribune named her production of Merrily We Roll Along as one of the top ten Sondheim productions in Chicago, putting her on a shortlist with Hal Prince. She is also the winner of the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Choreography for Silence! The Musical! a musical parody of The Silence of the Lambs.
Laura Schein - Actor
Laura Schein (Jen) is an actor/writer/lyricist based in Los Angeles who broke into the biz at 13 in the first national tour of Ragtime. She is the co-creator of the acclaimed new musical Emojiland (New York Times Critics Pick; Richard Rodgers Award Finalist; Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle, Off-Broadway Alliance Nominee), and originated the role of “Smize.” She co-wrote the original songs for the Emmy-Nominated stop motion Disney holiday film Mickey Saves Christmas (2023 HMMA nomination for Best Song) and the Paramount+ feature Honor Society, and was on the music team for the animated feature UglyDolls, for which she co-wrote the Kelly Clarkson/Janelle Monae duet “Unbreakable,” shortlisted for the 2020 Academy Awards. She’s also an actress/lyricist on the musical feature Marriage Material, in development with Chernin Entertainment, based on the short film acquired by Fox Searchlight. She’s currently developing the stage musical Miss Hysteria (Official Selection - 2023 ASCAP Musical Workshop). As an actress, Laura has guest starred on FOX, Showtime, ABC, CBS, Amazon and SyFy, was a series regular on the YouTube Originals comedy series Sing It!, and can be seen in the upcoming indie feature Grizzly Night. She’s the recipient of an LA WebFest Outstanding Lead Actress nomination and the 2023 ASCAP Foundation Lucille & Jack Yellen Award. Find her online @thelillaura and at www.thelillaura.com.
Michael Mahler - Composer/ Co-Lyricist
Michael Mahler is a Richard Rodgers award-winning composer/lyricist. His work has been represented on Broadway in Miss Saigon (additional lyrics); on Netflix in My Little Pony: A New Generation (music/lyrics); and on stages worldwide in An American Tail, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, October Sky, The Secret of My Success, Hero, and others (music/lyrics). Upcoming projects include Night at the Museum (lyrics; music by Alan Menken). Michael's work is available via MTI, Broadway Licensing, Dramatic Publishing, and GIA publications.
Sean Segal - Score & Orchestral
Sean Segal (Orchestrations) is a Composer-Musician from Los Angeles, California with a demonstrated history of working in the music industry. He is the composer for "My Spy: Eternal City (2024)," and is credited for additional music for the docuseries “Boys In Blue” (Showtime) as well as on the upcoming documentary “Madu” for Disney. His work can also be heard on the soundtracks for "Second Act" (2018, Jennifer Lopez) and "Heels" (Starz). He is a recent graduate of USC's Thornton's Department of Screen Scoring program.
Behind the Scenes:
- Year2022
- Runtime6:33
- DirectorJessica Redish
- ScreenwriterJessica Redish and Michael Mahler
- ProducerJessica Reddish and Tanner Medding
Stream the curated UCLAxFilmFest 2024 Official Selections here!
In this musical comedy based on a true story, a feisty Angeleno learns that a bear has infiltrated her neighborhood just as Los Angeles is emerging from the pandemic. Determined to avoid another lockdown, she takes matters into her own hands and attempts to trap the bear herself.
Director's Statement:
This is a story about the things we cannot control.
Crew
Jessica Redish - Director/ Writer/ Choreographer/ Co-Lyricist
Jessica Redish is an award-winning director, writer & choreographer in her third and final year of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts’ MFA Program. She has been referred to
as a “rising star” by Medium.com because of her accomplishments with her award-winning short films and music videos. Her body of work ranges from contributing choreography to The Smashing Pumpkins' International Tour to her short films The Last Croissant and AIRWAY winning Best Director and Best Comedy awards. She also works as a comedy writer for Michael Bay and Adam Goodman’s Invisible Narratives.
Her most recent success is her newest film, Exit, Pursued by a Bear, a short movie musical which she wrote, directed, choreographed, and co-wrote lyrics with composer Michael Mahler. The film
received placement in the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts and Raindance Film Festivals as one of six winners in the 2022 Stage 32 Short Film Contest.
She currently completed post-production on her short film cat., about a woman who signs up for a dating coaching service in search of her soulmate and ends up marrying a cat. The project is a 2022 Shore Scripts Short Film Fund Finalist, a 2023 ScreenCraft Film Fund Second Round Quarterfinalist, and a 2020 Women in Media CAMERAderie Semifinalist.
Jessica attributes her ability to work with actors and capture great performances because of her theatre work for which The Chicago Tribune named her production of Merrily We Roll Along as one of the top ten Sondheim productions in Chicago, putting her on a shortlist with Hal Prince. She is also the winner of the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Choreography for Silence! The Musical! a musical parody of The Silence of the Lambs.
Laura Schein - Actor
Laura Schein (Jen) is an actor/writer/lyricist based in Los Angeles who broke into the biz at 13 in the first national tour of Ragtime. She is the co-creator of the acclaimed new musical Emojiland (New York Times Critics Pick; Richard Rodgers Award Finalist; Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle, Off-Broadway Alliance Nominee), and originated the role of “Smize.” She co-wrote the original songs for the Emmy-Nominated stop motion Disney holiday film Mickey Saves Christmas (2023 HMMA nomination for Best Song) and the Paramount+ feature Honor Society, and was on the music team for the animated feature UglyDolls, for which she co-wrote the Kelly Clarkson/Janelle Monae duet “Unbreakable,” shortlisted for the 2020 Academy Awards. She’s also an actress/lyricist on the musical feature Marriage Material, in development with Chernin Entertainment, based on the short film acquired by Fox Searchlight. She’s currently developing the stage musical Miss Hysteria (Official Selection - 2023 ASCAP Musical Workshop). As an actress, Laura has guest starred on FOX, Showtime, ABC, CBS, Amazon and SyFy, was a series regular on the YouTube Originals comedy series Sing It!, and can be seen in the upcoming indie feature Grizzly Night. She’s the recipient of an LA WebFest Outstanding Lead Actress nomination and the 2023 ASCAP Foundation Lucille & Jack Yellen Award. Find her online @thelillaura and at www.thelillaura.com.
Michael Mahler - Composer/ Co-Lyricist
Michael Mahler is a Richard Rodgers award-winning composer/lyricist. His work has been represented on Broadway in Miss Saigon (additional lyrics); on Netflix in My Little Pony: A New Generation (music/lyrics); and on stages worldwide in An American Tail, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, October Sky, The Secret of My Success, Hero, and others (music/lyrics). Upcoming projects include Night at the Museum (lyrics; music by Alan Menken). Michael's work is available via MTI, Broadway Licensing, Dramatic Publishing, and GIA publications.
Sean Segal - Score & Orchestral
Sean Segal (Orchestrations) is a Composer-Musician from Los Angeles, California with a demonstrated history of working in the music industry. He is the composer for "My Spy: Eternal City (2024)," and is credited for additional music for the docuseries “Boys In Blue” (Showtime) as well as on the upcoming documentary “Madu” for Disney. His work can also be heard on the soundtracks for "Second Act" (2018, Jennifer Lopez) and "Heels" (Starz). He is a recent graduate of USC's Thornton's Department of Screen Scoring program.
Behind the Scenes:
- Year2022
- Runtime6:33
- DirectorJessica Redish
- ScreenwriterJessica Redish and Michael Mahler
- ProducerJessica Reddish and Tanner Medding
