The filmmakers behind Pretty Dead Girl hail from a wide variety of backgrounds from Broadway to the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television, and points in between; these are their biographies.

Shawn Ku's career as an award-winning choreographer, director, and actor has culminated in his quirky musical short, Pretty Dead Girl, an official selection of the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Off-Broadway, Shawn directed and choreographed the Asian-American historical musical, "Making Tracks," as well as numbers for "The King and I." Shawn's lead performance in the independent feature film Samsara won Best Actor from the American Film Institute in 2003; Miramax is slated to release the film in Spring 2004. Last year Shawn was recognized as a Top Ten Director in Coca-Cola's Refreshing Filmmaker Contest for The Midnight Showing. He also received the Cinema Circulus and Edward Small directing scholarships from the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television. [back to top]

Summer Lopez is an award-winning producer from the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television where she received the Stephen Gentry scholarship for her work. She was also among the Top Ten finalists in Coca-Cola's 2003 Refreshing Filmmaker Contest as producer of Featuring Wayne. Summer has worked in feature film and television script development at Sid Ganis' Out of the Blue at Sony Pictures Entertainment and also at the management production company Anonymous Content. Formerly, Summer executive-produced original web series for DaimlerChrysler, Martha Stewart, and Johnson & Johnson for Spitting Image Studios. [back to top]

Prior to Pretty Dead Girl, Carla Blair produced Self Sabotage (2003), a Fox Searchlight/Searchlab short film. She has also produced and directed two documentaries: Crossing the Gender Line which looks at the lives of drag queens in Southern Indiana and A Separate Voice, a lively story about the Traditional and Orthodox Chassidim in Brooklyn, NY. A Separate Voice won the Humanitarian Award at the Long Island Film Festival and aired on PBS. Carla works with producer Summer Lopez at Hysterical Films where they are developing several features and the TV series, "Me, Jane." In addition to her work at Hysterical Films, Carla produces and edits commercials, fashion videos and runway shows every season for clients such as Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, and Vera Wang during New York's Fashion Week at Bryant Park. [back to top]

Alice Brooks' work includes award-winning features and short films, commercials, and music videos, spanning formats from Super16 to anamorphic 35mm to HD24p. After graduating from the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television, Alice has worked extensively on both the East and West Coasts. Most recently she completed the independent feature, The Hillz (starring Paris Hilton and Jesse Woodrow), and an HD short for Paramount Pictures starring Bruce Davidson and Fisher Stevens. Alice just wrapped the feature Grand Junction this winter in Colorado. She is currently shooting Monday. [back to top]

Chad Galster is an award-winning filmmaker whose editing credits include the Student Emmy-winning short, Ocha Cups for Christmas and the feature film Dry Cycle. He served as staff editor at Silhouette Films where he edited documentaries. In 2003 he edited a DaimlerChrysler finalist film that premiered at Sundance. While at the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television, Chad was awarded the Harold Lloyd Directing Scholarship for his film Zero's Quandary. His most recent film, Code, is a 35mm melodrama hitting the festival circuit in Spring 2004. Other films directed and edited by Chad include State of Nature and The Inquisition. [back to top]

John Collins expertise in architecture and design create an award-winning synergy that has brought him international recognition. His recent work in theatre design includes "Salome," "Much Ado About Nothing," and "The Peach Blossom Fan" - the latter is scheduled to open Summer 2004 at the Disney Concert Hall. As a film production designer, among John's credits are: The Pin, Fortunate Son, Sui Generis, and Bezerker. He recently received an honorable mention from the U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology for his entry into the Prague Quadrennial. John holds degrees from the Volgograd Academy of Architecture and Engineering and the California Institute of the Arts. [back to top]