The Team

Kyle Smith, Writer/Director
Stephen Paratore, Producer
William Adashek, Cinematographer
Lily Shapiro, Production Designer
Brian Wessel, Editor

Kyle Smith
Writer/Director

Kyle Smith grew up in Columbia, Missouri and graduated from Northwestern University in 2006. He was heavily involved with Block Cinema, an on-campus repertory theatre, and wrote movie and music reviews for both the school paper and as a freelancer.

Stephen Paratore
Producer

Stephen Paratore graduated Magna Cum Laude from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Fredonia in 2006 with a major in Television and Digital Film Production and a minor in Corporate Finance. He is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society and has produced numerous student films. After graduating SUNY Fredonia, Paratore began working at WCTV in Tallahassee, Florida where he directed live prime time television shows for both CBS and Fox. Paratore is currently interning at Scott Rudin Productions at Disney Studios and Carol Baum Productions in Beverly Hills. He is a recipient of the 2008 Filmanthropy Scholarship Competition for his short film highlighting the Central City Community Outreach organization.

William Adashek
Cinematographer

Will Adashek is a cinematographer and lighting designer based in Los Angeles. He has designed the lighting for more than 150 live theater projects in the United States and abroad, including recent productions of the new musicals Rise Up and Anyone But Me in Edinburgh, Scotland, Working for the Los Angeles-based ETC Theatre Company, and the world premiere of Banyan for the AATC in San Francisco. As a cinematographer, Will recently completed the short comedy The Hill, shot in rural Ohio, in addition to various short films at the American Film Institute, where he is currently a cinematography fellow. Will is a rare native of Los Angeles, and is a graduate of Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio where he earned degrees in economics and theater. More

Lily Shapiro
Production Designer

Lily majored in architectural studies at Mount Holyoke College. Her subsequent work in the field of community development introduced her to filmmaking. This led her to pursue her interest in design at the AFI.

Brian Wessel
Editor

Brian obtained his BFA in Media Productions at IU in London, England, where his thesis film was screened at the BAFTA theater at Picadilly Circus. He has experience in production and post-production on documentaries, music videos, and several shorts. Brian has edited seven short films while at AFI.