Company Directors
Patricia Payne, principal and founder
Australian-born Patricia Payne began her career
packaging live extravaganzas with major international talent for
Celebrity Circuit Pty Ltd in Australia and New Zealand before moving to
the UK as an agent for Burnet Silk Talent Agency. In Toronto, Canada
she was President of Trainco Talent Agency before setting up Patti
Payne Casting where she worked with an array of major U.S., Canadian
and British actors. Her entrepreneurial background includes founding a
multi-site acting school in Canada. Since that time she has focused on
writing and producing as President of Dorian Films, Inc., a company
which created, wrote and produced hundreds of hours of television
series and features. It is the parent company of NoHo
ProductionCompany. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America
west, Australian Writers Guild and Screen Producers Association of
Australia. For the Term of His Natural Life,
a six-and-a-half hour miniseries written and produced by Patricia and
her partner, Wilton Schiller, was shot in Australia, and stars Colin
Friels, Anthony Perkins, Samantha Eggar and Patrick Macnee. The
production broke all ratings records in Australia, rated in the top ten
programs in the U.K. when it aired on BBC-1, and continues in
distribution worldwide, which now includes DVD, VOD, and iTunes
internationally*.
Patricia produced the comedy adventure feature film California Dreaming
starring Dave Foley, Lea Thompson and Patricia Richardson, now in
worldwide distribution with Fox International; executive produced a
segment of the feature “Girls Girls Girls” (Women on Top Productions) soon to be released; and produced a major multimedia story app to be launched July 2012.
*See www.forthetermofhisnaturallife.com
Wilton Schiller, company director
Wilton Schiller is a writer and producer with 45 years experience
in network television, studio feature films and independent film
production. He began his career in radio in Chicago, came to Hollywood
as a literary agent with MCA, then moved into writing and producing
primetime US network television programs for ABC, NBC, CBS, Paramount
and Universal. He wrote television drama for the BBC and the British
independent networks, taught screenwriting at UCLA and pioneered
international co-productions. He has served on various WGAw committees
and specializes in international treaties and entertainment
opportunities.
Affiliates
Dorian Swerdlow, business consultant
Dorian Swerdlow is currently with Ernst & Young in their
Transaction Advisory Services Group, a division which advises companies
in Mergers and Acquisitions. He was a principal with global management
consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton for the past 10 years. He has
advised many of the world's largest corporations on a variety of
operations strategy issues. His experience includes a stint as COO of
ShareMax, where he led a successful restructuring of the company from
an unprofitable software developer to a profitable provider of
analytical services to large companies. His earlier career as an
electrical engineer included designing components for NASA's Space
Shuttle and Space Station programs. He has an MBA from the MIT Sloan
School and Management and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical
Engineering from the University of California, San Diego. Dorian has a
long relationship with NoHo's principals and consults independently
throughout the United States.
Lew Hunter, Chairman Emeritus and Professor of Screenwriting, UCLA Department of Film and Television
Lew Hunter presents workshops nationally and internationally in
screenwriting and story development. He was a network executive for NBC
and ABC, Story Executive for Walt Disney Productions, and a
writer/producer for companies such as ABC, CBS, NBC, Canadian
Broadcasting Company, Columbia TV, Paramount and Warner Bros. His book,
Lew Hunter's Screenwriting 434, is an essential text in universities around the world. He conducts an ongoing writing colony in Nebraska. www.lewhunter.com
