The Crew
Moni Wood, Writer and Director
Moni Wood is a writer, director and producer based in Los Angeles. Before embarking on her career in the entertainment industry, she worked as a college program coordinator and student advisor for The Ohio State University where she also majored in theater and creative writing. She was active in regional and summer stock theater. After moving to Los Angeles, she continued her education at UCLA extension with a certificate in television writing.
As an experienced assistant and producer working in a variety of dynamic and creative environments, she gained valuable experience of knowing how to make a production day run as smoothly and efficiently as possible, and she brings that expertise to the film set. Inspired by the recent WGA and SAG strikes, she is active in organizations and initiatives that work to bring fairness and equality to those working in film and television. She also has participated in mentorship programs for young writers, working with them to find their voice and translating their unique stories to the page.
With a passion for scripted TV, her pilots have received notable recognitions. She placed as a Finalist for the CBS Diversity Institute Writers Mentor Program, and a Semi-Finalist for the NBC Writers on the Verge Program and Page Awards International Screenwriting Awards. She specializes in character-driven one-hour dramas, often laced with comedy, that showcase female leads and diverse stories. She also has an affinity for period pieces.
She is currently in development of two podcast series, a scripted mystery radio drama and the return of her TV chat podcast, The TV Sect Podcast.
Moni started Party Goose Productions, to help develop unique stories from diverse voices, and bring positivity back to the entertainment industry. SMALL TOWN is her film directorial debut.
Samantha K Henderson, Producer
Samantha K. Henderson is a Freelance Producer and host of The Creative Seat podcast. Recognized for her solid technical skills, unparalleled creativity, and keen eye for detail, Samantha’s portfolio of work spans a diverse range of projects. Samantha has an MBA in Finance from San Francisco State University, CA and won the Producers Choice Award at the A Place Called Sacramento Film Festival in 2019, demonstrating her dedication to her work and excellence in the industry. Her recent films, The Magic Ticket (2023) and Smashed (2021), have been screened at several festivals, including the Burbank International Film Festival, the LA Independent Women Film Awards, the Broad Humor Film Festival, the Nevada Women’s Film Festival, and the Pan African Film Festival. Samantha believes Small Town’s story is relatable and will receive a warm welcome by many audiences.
Tulin Ozturk, Producer
Jordan Pardes, Cinematographer
Jordan’s is a man of many pictures, but not so many words.
The Cast
Phillip-Charlie Daniell, Eddie
Phillip-Charlie Daniell, originally from Dallas, Texas, has been involved in entertainment since the age of 10. With a strong background in theater, Charlie moved to Los Angeles in 2019 and has worked hard to stay busy ever since. He’s had several great roles in award winning features and shorts, and has enjoyed many guest star roles on TV.
Kathryn Byrd Steinhaus, Waitress
Kathryn has loved to perform as long as she can remember. According to her mother, she was directing her own fairytale versions from the ripe old of age of four, assigning the starring roles to herself (no surprise there) and regulating her mother to all the other roles. And if mom didn’t get her lines right, well, let’s just say, it was not a happy work environment.
Fortunately, Kathryn matured into a more patient performer and continued to study theater in high school, college and beyond. She has appeared in numerous stage productions in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties. She worked with the children’s theater groups, Imagination Machine and Havenlight. Her longest performing stint was at the Bird Cage Theater at Knott’s Berry Farm where she appeared for 29 seasons in their holiday versions of “A Christmas Carol” and “Gift of the Magi”. She has more recently appeared in the feature film, “No Greater”, and numerous commercials, industrials and short films.
Kathryn received a BA in Drama from UC Irvine and trained at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa and The Drama Studio in London, England. She and her husband have been married for 36 years and have three adult children and four adorable grandchildren. Kathryn is eager to begin work on “Small Town” with its well-written script and touching subject matter. She hopes she can successfully bring the role of the Waitress to life, showing both her heartache and hope.
Ashly Covington, Amy Sue
An avid photographer from childhood, Ashly has spent most of her free time cultivating her passion of creating images of live music and portraits of awesome people doing awesome things. Her background as a hand model has served her well in the world of onset photography. Knowing how to interact with crew and move around a set along with her unique eye, ability to blend into the background and laid back personality has helped her find success quickly in the competitive world of Unit Still Photography. Clients trust her to create images that tell the stories and save the emotions from the moment. Ashly has been published in numerous publications including; PDN, The Village Voice, The LA Times, Theater Mania, and RVA Mag (among others).
Growing up in Virginia, Ashly’s first love was acting and she started pursuing her dream at a young age. When she was 12 she landed a spot as one of WTVR TV 6’s For Kid Sake Ambassadors. There she learned about public speaking and news broadcasting along with being one of the co-stars for a Saturday afternoon children’s TV show. She also acted with the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Theatre with Children for Children program and in many productions throughout her high school and college years. She was very active as a Theatre Major at James Madison University working in all areas of production from lighting & costume design to directing. As an actress at JMU, Ashly played a wide range of characters from Arkadina in “The Seagull” & Climene in “School for Wives” to (her favorite) Lady Nannycoo in “The Frog Prince.” After college she planned to pursue acting when her hands were first noticed by a local agent. She suggested a place for Ashly to experience her very first manicure and within a few weeks booked heron a job for Wintergreen Resort and Ashly’s career as a hand model began to takeoff. Walk through any store and you can see Ashly’s hands all around-from the product packaging for Betty Crocker, Incoco and Hamilton Beach to brochures for Nextel and AT&T. Turn on the TV and you can catch her hands picking up bottles for Pepsi, setting down buns for McDonald’s or opening cans for Campbell’s Soups.
