Our Network

Welcome to the Blu Star Network

Below you will find our ever-growing database of neurodivergent visual artists from around the world. These artists specialize in all sectors of the filmmaking industry; from screenwriting to sound design. Please feel free to read more about them and their exceptional work. 

Vincent Young

Producer

Vincent Young is an award-winning film and music producer born and raised in Thousand Oaks, California.  Young is the Founder and CEO of CTY Productions, as well as a senior attending the University of Arizona, set to graduate in May 2023 with a specialty in Film and Television and Business Administration and Marketing.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Carmen Vincent

Writer, Director

Through video production, editing, and documentary filmmaking, Carmen Vincent amplifies the human experience by drawing out people’s authentic, diverse stories. 

She uses her experience with non-visible disabilities, including OCD and ADHD, to pursue her work with creativity, empathy, and curiosity. Because of these disabilities, she is skilled at divergent thinking, attention to detail, and identifying the value in people. Carmen is committed to challenging stigma by proving that people with disabilities like hers are reliable, talented, and effective collaborators.

  

Max Lecanu-Fayet

Screenwriter

As an actor and writer on the Autism Spectrum, Max exemplifies a person’s inherent ability to transcend perceived disability. Max is passionate about storytelling and screenwriting. Some of his fascinations include history, royal genealogy, maps, elevators, and trains.

Max is a kind person and works well with others. He believes his neuro-divergence gives him a unique perspective on the world. His hope is to share that perspective with others from the stage and on the screen. His first project with Blu Star Productions is as an actor in Extraordinary Character.

 

Vyn Lane 

Writer, Director

Vyn Lane is an award winning narrative writer and director that focuses on bringing new perspectives and intensity to his work, namely through his lived experiences of neurodivergency and background with formal arts. Having graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor’s in Art Studio and working out of Kentucky, Vyn specializes in stylized horror and begins his process with fiction before adapting the stories to the screen. Though the heart of his work is created on the foundation of fantasy, he is interested in other modes of storytelling and wishes to advocate for the space of those with passions and struggles like his own.

 

Ethan Marr 

Content Creator

Ethan is an artist, drummer, and actor. He expresses his perspectives and individuality through the arts. His view of the world is unique and is expressed through the lens of autism, with a personal warmth and a sense of joyful innocence. Please join Ethan as he embarks on this creative journey to make a positive difference in the world around him.

Learn more about Ethan’s art at his website: https://www.ethanmarrperspectives.com

 

ALAN BROCKINGTON

Screenwriter

Born and raised in San Diego, California, Alan had a passion for happiness in his creativity and storytelling. He likes to get out and take whatever is expected of him with no fuss. Alan expresses his feelings and emotions through his talents. That is why Alan’s positivity makes him the most awesome person in the world.

You can check out more of his work at his website, https://payhip.com/b/LKe1O

 

Spencer Sharpe

Voice Actor

Spencer is a voice over artist from West Des Moines, Iowa. He started voice acting five years ago. Spencer is a graduate of Grandview University with a BA in Theatre. His focus is on voice over, podcasting, and narration. Spencer specializes in professional voice for radio, television commercials, video games, animation and narration. 

 

  

James Dann 

Director, Producer

 

James Dann is a director and producer with over 10 years of international documentary experience. From persecution in Pakistan to homelessness in Las Vegas, James has worked on a variety of projects which allows unheard stories to be told and new worlds opened up to a global audience. James runs New Take Films, a documentary production company based in Manchester. 

 

Find out more about James at his website 

 

www.newtakefilms.com

 

  

Jenna A. Bush

Writer, Editor

Jenna is a documentary editor and writer with experience in features, shorts, and docu-series. Jenna considers herself an intuitive storyteller and emotional translator. Jenna credits her neurodivergence for her ability to recognize patterns and connections in raw footage and weave them together in a way that feels effortless. Jenna’s heightened sensitivities and background in music lend a powerfully emotional, almost musical flow, to her  edits. Jenna’s experience as filmmaker for nonprofits continues to fuel her work in post-production as well. 

Learn more about Jenna’s work on instagram:

 

Julia Muniz

Producer

Multidisciplinary Brazilian artist based in Los Angeles, Julia Muniz advocates for JEDI+ (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Belonging) storytelling in front of and behind the cameras. Julia is a Telly Award-winning Producer with a PBS American Masters documentary Elsa in partnership with other artists with disability, an exhibited Director of Photography in +25 countries, and a Crowdfunding Manager for an Academy Awards Live Action Shortlisted film focused on immigration and human rights.  

Learn more about Julia’s work on instagram: 

 

Gerard Riley

Actor

Gerard Riley was born and raised in Far Rockaway NY on New Years Eve (December 31st) 1987 and had a interest in Acting ever since as a kid. Ever since June 2001 to this very day he has been a strong active member of his church Full Gospel Tabernacles Drama Ministry the among the many roles he played were King Herod,Joseph(husband of Mary) and Jesus Christ. On September 22nd 2020 he the Nero diverse Acting company called Epic Players recommended by well-known voice over actor and teacher Paul Liberti. He started in four of their Off-Broadway productions Almost Maine, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Tartuffe and Romeo And Juliet
and is staring in their upcoming production of Spring Awakening 

 

Sydney Kurland

Writer, Actor

Sydney Kurland (she/they) is an NYC-based writer and performer. Her recent writing credits include: Somebody In Bumf*ck, Montana Loves Me (Workshop, NYU Tisch; Presentation of excerpts, Purple Light Productions), In The Time It Took To Complete A Half-Assed Attempt At A Calc Worksheet (Production, Broke People Play Festival; Currently a Finalist for Spectrum Theatre Ensemble’s 2025 Neurodivergent Play Festival), and The Toy (Duluth Playhouse ‘What She Said’ Festival). Her works have also been produced and developed with Epic Players, Full Circle Theater Collaborative’s New Works Festival, Scripps On Stream’s New Play Festival, and the NYU Tisch 24 Hour Play Festival. Her TV pilot, The “Academy,” which was inspired by her experiences at a residential treatment boarding school for troubled teen girls, was recognized as a semi-finalist for the 2022 Humanitas Prize Carol Mendelsohn College Drama Award. Sydney is also a resident company member of Epic Players, the Brooklyn-based neurodiverse theatre company with whom she performs often. Sydney earned her BFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU Tisch and is staring in their upcoming production of Spring Awakening 

 

Amanda Delalla

Writer, Actor

 Amanda DeLalla is a NY based writer and actress. She holds a B.S. in Comm. Arts from St. John’s University and is a proud member of The Dramatists Guild with aspirations to also branch into film. As a theatrical writer, she’s penned a musical (based on a 1990s Britcom) as well as four full-length dramas. Her work has been presented in a variety of venues, including Lincoln Center, The Tank, All for One Theater, Snug Harbor, and the Chain Theatre. Amanda uses her experiences with living on the autism spectrum to craft stories about emotional resilience and optimism.

Learn more about Amanda’s work on instagram:

 

Sean McGowan

Actor

Sean McGowan has dreamt of being an actor since the time he could speak. He is part of EPIC Players NYC for the past three years and has been in 2 of their productions:  The 26th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Into The Woods. He has a funny,  effervescent personality and is willing to do any role. He also has enjoyed acting in community theater, drama in high school and a drama program at his
summer camp. In addition, he enjoys basketball, personal training, boxing, is a surfer, a swimmer – and even became certified Nassau county lifeguard! 

REbecca Faith Quinn

Actor, Writer, Content Creator

Rebecca “Riki” Faith Quinn is an autistic actress, screenwriter, and content creator. She loves to highlight previously overlooked aspects of the autism spectrum, such as romance, sex, and comedy. 

Learn more about Rebecca’s work on instagram:

 

 

 

 

 

Nathan naranjo

DIGITAL ARTIST

Nathan first dove into the world of entertainment in the mid 2000’s and it wasn’t long before Nathan realized that it was exactly what he wanted to do with my life. Since then, he’s worked with many projects, all of which push him to be more creative each time. He knows how important it is to be innovative when it comes to work.

Tyler Berman

Voice Actor 

Tyler Berman is a professional voiceover actor on the autism spectrum. Growing up with countless animated movies, cartoons and video games, he has developed both original voices and impressions of characters that have shown his interest in voiceover. Tyler has trained under his mentor Cathy McAuley for nearly 4 years and has gone through the levels of Spectrum Laboratory’s voiceover department and encourages all on the spectrum interested in voiceover to follow suit. Gigs Tyler has booked include Sundance Film Festival, the ongoing father in Speech Kingdom E-Learning App, the voiceover announcer for the Autism in Entertainment Conference and a few others. Tyler hopes to go into voiceover for animation and video games full time with his character voices expertise. To hear his demo reels, read more about him or to reach out, visit 

Andre Stewert

Director, Actor

From an early age, this director was just built different, his first time playing silvius in Shakespeare’s “as you like it” (2002) to a church play in (2012) called “midnight cry”, he just moved differently, then
jumping into the haunted house industry (2003-2013) opening the door to being in a mockumentary called “zombie next door” (2014), he also jumped into the podcast game for a show called “uncool” (2015-2018), then he jumped into comedy doing a dozen different skits on YouTube before the pandemic, the panic drove him to write “torture for two” (2021) and what’s more crazy is he’s autistic and filming during a time where everyone else was locked down, that alone makes him different from everyone, he lives for creativity and a challenge.
Instagram: @andredoesntknow

Samuel Katz

Writer 

Samuel Katz is an M.A. graduate from Loyola Marymount University whose background in writing consists of diverse projects ranging from script coverage to researching for keyword-optimized articles. Maintaining a broad skillset has been an exceptionally valuable source of professional development. However, his specific interest in becoming a part of the entertainment industry stretches back to Samuel’s lifelong passion for creative collaboration. In this regard, handling submissions for the BlueCat Screenplay Competition was a dream come true, though he credits his independent gigs even more for keeping his skills sharp as someone who can both generate ideas and accurately reflect those of others. 

Learn more about Samuel’s work on LinkedIn

 

(8) Sam K. | LinkedIn

 

 

 

Andrew Turney

Animator

Andrew Turney is an animator who graduated from Exceptional Minds in 2018. Andrew has worked on countless animation projects such as The Secret of the Huntress (2024) and Woodstock or Bust (2019). Andrew has extensive experience with both Adobe photoshop, Adobe animation, After Effects, Maya, and ToonBoom Harmony. 

matthew Mckinney

Screenwriter

“I’ve applied long and hard on many jobs and internships. I’ve run the clock on opportunities and always wonder about my capabilities. I have a photographic memory, an open heart, a gift of gab, and yet meek at times. But overall I am a writer and want to take assistant jobs or higher to succeed at crafting scripts. At Culture Slate, a website dedicated to franchise entertainment news, I worked with a team in the writer’s room to craft a comedy sketch show that is out on Youtube April 12th. I already have about 7 scripts under my belt, not including shorts and literary pastimes. I love fantasy, but value all genres in their own rights and would like to enliven other people’s stories. Not to mention, I’ve worked for Entertainment Lab talent management, as well as at the Newport Beach Film Festival as newsletter and event employee”
https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-mckinney24/
Instagram: @mcmatthewkin

Atticus Jackson

Actor/Writer

“My name is Atticus Jackson and I’m a 24-year-old genderfluid autistic. I fell in love with film and music all at once when I first saw Singin’ in the Rain. That moment set my life’s trajectory. I immerse myself in music to make my life a musical, constantly writing my own soundtrack, and every character I embody is like a treasured sibling. As I learn stunts, special effects, and more, my love for film grows, and the greater my desire to share it is. “
Instagram:
@composer_atticus_jackson

Michael A. Levine

Writer, composer

Michael A. Levine is a screen composer, songwriter, and screenwriter. He scored Cold Case for Jerry Bruckheimer, Star Wars Detours for George Lucas, and Siren for Freeform television. He worked for Hans Zimmer on Batman Dark Knight, The Simpsons Movie, and Dunkirk. He has written and produced songs for Lorde and Roberta Flack, and wrote the theme song to Resident Evil 7 Biohazard. Eight-time ASCAP award winner and a former Governor of the Television Academy, he also wrote the screenplay for The Aspirant, which won 20 festival awards and praised by Gore Verbinski, Vicky Jenson, Matt Groening, and Wim Wenders.

Instagram: @ michael_a_levine

 

 

 

Chris Meija

Animator

“I am an American-Peruvian individual on the Autism spectrum born in 1990 and raised in the suburban San Gabriel Valley area of Southern California. I enjoyed spending many hours of American animation on the TV set, ranging from Disney animated movies to TV cartoons from Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. In addition Nintendo video games in the 1990s and 2000s also filled my imagination and inspired me to tell stories through drawings. From drawing on a chalkboard to self made comic books and a high school animation class these hobbies have all inspired me to eventually get into the world of animation, storytelling, and film-making. I enjoy telling stories about myself and my observation of the world, 90s-2000s nostalgia, and Latino culture (mostly Peruvian stuff).”

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrismejiatoons/

Brian Urquhart

Animator, Artist

“I am a storyboard artist/character designer/animation artist currently in search of a job. I graduated from Exceptional Minds in 2022 with a certificate in storyboarding. I also graduated from Otis college of Art and design in 2018 with a B.A in Animation. I was a Nicktern in 2017 as a production assistant for Spongebob. I was a participant in the animation project, Myth-Logic, which won the Marvel of Media award in 2020 sponsored by the museum of the moving image. I participated in the 2022 Anijam project at exceptional minds. I like drawing, animation, movies, going to museums, going to amusement parks, etc. “

 

Jacob Cupp

Screenwriter

Jacob is a Malibu based screenwriter on the autism spectrum. Spending a lifetime imagining stories inspired him to go to film school and earn a Bachelor of Arts in Writing for Screen & Television from Pepperdine University in 2023.  He specializes in writing science fiction and science fantasy, with a particular interest in the monster, space opera and cosmic horror subgenres. Jacob’s experiences living with Asperger’s and OCD lead him to create stories with a unique perspective on life and society. He views science fiction as a medium to explore the great problems facing the world and to imagine a kinder, wiser future for humanity.

Instagram: @jacob.cupp

Cyrus Jabbari

Filmmaker

“As an award-winning filmmaker and content creator, Cyrus strives for directing films that hypothesize our future based on current events and films and videos with a tongue-in-cheek tone. First studying film in college, he picked up various film positions. With this, he made use of any advanced techniques and equipment that will help with realizing his or others’ visions as meticulously as necessary. Helping to show how those in the spectrum can make great films, He always directs as professionally as possible while not taking himself too seriously, with a few of his films dabbling in themes relating to autism.”

Website: www.cyrusjabbari.com

Instagram: @jabbaricyrus

 

 

 

Aryn Porras

Voice Actor

Aryn Porras is a neurodivergent, non binary voice actor from SoCal with 5+ years of experience, and is known for their work as co-host on Spirit of Innovation, as well as providing the voice of Sheila in the JDS Studios production of Grease. They’ve first went viral after creating a voice over redub of a short clip from the 80s anime, Voltron: Defender of the Universe as a terrified mother and a young child, that has garnered over 28 thousand views on TikTok and 4 thousand on YouTube, and continues their work with a wide range of voices, from young children to motherly figures, even androgynous, bubbly, calm, feisty, villainous, and authentic/professional.

Website: https://arynporrasvo.wixsite.com/aryn-porras—vo

Instagram: @aryn.animexdisney

Julian Grajczak

Editor, producer

“What started with acting classes turned into a passion for editing those onscreen. With a Bachelors Degree in Film Production from California State University, Northridge, I work mostly as a freelance film editor, though I’m hoping to expand and learn how to produce as well.”

Instagram: @jbells123

Website: https://www.jagfilmproductioncompany.com/

 

Jaelen Cole

Animator

 “My name is Jaelen Cole. I have previously attended West LA College under the Computer Science Major. Currently, I am attending Cal State East Bay studying under the Art Major with a focus on Interaction and Game Design with some Animation and Music learning on the side. I aspire to be a video game designer and/or animator. I am extremely passionate for video games and animation and I always wanted to make my own form of these types of media. I’ve gained some experience working with various software and under different programs, but I have yet to find work in a major studio. It will be no doubt difficult, but I have the ambition and determination to see it through and fully realize my goals.”

Website: https://jaecole056.wixsite.com/jaelencole

pATRICIA pOWELL

sCREENWRITER

Patricia Powell is from Santa Ana, California. In 2001, she was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. Before finding her home in Tennessee, she lived in El Paso, Texas, and Sun City West, Arizona. She served in AmeriCorps from 2012-2013 and 2021-2022 through the Martha O’Bryan Center (Nashville) and Hands On Nashville. She attends The Fellowship church in Mt. Juliet and is an avid volunteer with Saddle Up! She has been a Junior League of Nashville member since 2018 and a Partners in Policymaking Graduate. She adapted her book, Cowboy Dreams, into a screenplay to provide a female perspective on Asperger’s syndrome/autism.

Website: https://www.nashvilleautismpeersupport.org/

 

 

 

 

Gideon Pianko

Actor

“My name is Gideon Pianko, I am involved with EPIC players and have been involved since the beginning, I recently played Lord Capulet in their production of Romeo and Juliet.  I also took an acting course with Eva Volitzer and was in a short film that someone in my class did which I will include here.  I love acting and have enjoyed it since my childhood.  I have learned a lot more about acting through EPIC and the last course I took, I would of course love to learn more and continue to grow”

Acting Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=strGipkc1o8&t=2s