Director
Aprill Winney
Aprill was born and raised in the Sequoia National Forest of Central California. After graduating from the University of California, San Diego with her degree in theatre, Aprill moved to Chicago to work in its thriving theatre scene. For four years, Aprill worked as a dramaturg for theatres such as Steppenwolf, Goodman, Naked Eye and Uma Productions. With Disposable Theatre, she directed several plays and performance art pieces, including Information For Foreigners, by Griselda Gambara, and bits and scraps. It was bits and scraps, at Chicago's Around the Coyote Arts Festival that got her noticed by a local film producer who asked her to participate in the feature film collaboration Brushfires. Brushfires, produced by Splitpillow Films, was an official selection at the Phoenix International, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Chicago Gay and Lesbian Film Festivals. Currently, Aprill resides in Los Angeles where she makes her living as a Script Supervisor, continually learning from other directors' triumphs and mistakes.
Producer
Adam Pray
After graduating with a degree in film production from Humboldt State University, Adam moved back to his hometown, Chicago, and began working for Harold Ramis (Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day) at Ocean Pictures. He has since worked consistently in the film and television industries in a wide range of positions — most notably as the Assistant to Oscar-winning producer Lindsay Doran on Stranger Than Fiction. Adam has also produced several short films and music videos. Counting Backwards is his first feature and he is currently in development on his next feature, Bourbon Club, which goes into production in Chicago this spring.
Writer
Ryan Tavlin
Ryan was raised in Queens, but has also spent significant time in the midwest. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Ryan began his career as a writer, actor, and producer for New York theatre. His produced credits include the A.E. Hotchner Award-winning play, Somewhere, There's Still Good News and the recent crowd-pleaser, Treaty of Long Island City. He currently resides in Los Angeles, attends UCLA's School of Film and Television (MFA), and is actively developing numerous follow-ups to Counting Backwards, undoubtedly his proudest accomplishment.
Editor
Robin Gonsalves
Robin's career began while she was earning a film degree at Chapman University. Much of her time there was spent cutting anything she could get her hands on including the short, Fight of the Fly, which was showcased at many film festivals across the country, winning praise from audiences and the attention of AintItCoolNews.com, which dubbed it "the perfect short film."
When she wasn't in her own editing room, she was assisting in professional cutting rooms on such films as About a Boy, and The Shape of Things. Upon graduation she began working in the post production office of Marc Forster's Oscar-winning film, Finding Neverland. Since then, she has remained with the creative team of that film, working as Forster's assistant on Stay and in the cutting room with her mentor, Academy Award-nominated editor Matt Chessé, on Stranger Than Fiction. She's currently assisting Chessé on Forster's next film, Kite Runner, to be released next fall.
Director of Photography
Joseph R. Fitzgerald
While studying cinematography at Southern Illinois University, Joe got an early start in the business working on commercials in Chiacago during his summers away from school. After graduating in 2002, he began working in various departments in feature films, reality TV and commercials. In 2004 he moved to Los Angeles and began operating camera for reality TV and independent features. At the start of 2006, Joe moved back to Chicago where he worked as 2nd Unit DP on a feature called Tapioca, and got his first feature as cinematographer on Counting Backwards. Currently he is preparing to DP his second feature, Bourbon Club.
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