Mission
Future Facing Films is a social impact film company using comedy to interrogate the technologies that are shaping our society and our future.
Why comedy, though?
We value protecting the freedom and equity of communities by holding the government and companies accountable...
but that doesn’t sound very funny.
Humor is able to surprise us – highlighting issues and technologies we often accept or ignore. Our comedies spark conversations and cultivate curiosity.
Does this sound like you?
We're looking to expand our teams and our community.
Contact us at info@futurefacingfilms.com
Emily Lyon
Founder, Executive Producer
Emily Lyon is a director, producer, and editor of social impact stories. Her superpower is translating heavy topics into stories that land for the audience. Last fall, she co-created the Social Impact Writers Lab with Emmy-winning producer Adnaan Wasey. In 2020, she was selected for the first U.S. cohort for the Creative Climate Leadership created by Julie’s Bicycle. Currently part of The Civilians R&D Group, she is developing a card game around environmental justice and community collaboration.
As Associate Artistic Director of Hedgepig Ensemble, Emily is also currently curating the second round of Expand the Canon - a call to action for gender equity in classical theatre – a program she helped create and launch. She also recently joined the first junior board for the Young Entertainment Activists (YEA!) which seeks to change the culture and content of Hollywood.
Future Facing Films intersects Emily's passions: media, community, and equity. And, of course, attempting to be funny. You can find out more about Emily's past work at EmilyALyon.com.
Amy Blackman is an actor, writer, and producer living in New York City. Most recently, she starred in The Mint Theater’s The Daughter-In-Law by D.H. Lawrence. Her TV credits include appearances on HBO’s The Deuce, NBC’s New Amsterdam, and CBS’s Madam Secretary. Stage credits include Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Angels in America, as well as leading roles at The Old Globe, Cleveland Playhouse, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse, Gulfshore Playhouse, and Tantrum Theater. She is also a proud member of the Hedgepig Ensemble’s Expand the Canon 2021 & 2022 reading committee.
Amy cares deeply about the mission to highlight the absurdities and inequities around facial recognition technology with curiosity through comedy. She holds a BFA from the University of Michigan and an MFA from The Old Globe/University of San Diego. Find out more at www.amyblackman.com and follow her on Instagram @amyblackman.
Amy Blackman
Executive Producer
Mike Mroch
Executive Producer
Mike Mroch is a New York based director, writer, producer, & production designer. He is the creator & showrunner for the short web series, In The Time Of. Mike is a graduate of Columbia College Chicago where he received a BFA in Directing and Scenic Design with a Minor in Art History.
As an arts manager, Mike served as the Managing Director of Strawdog Theatre Company in Chicago from 2011-2017 and was the Managing Director of Animus Theatre Company in New York from 2017-2020.
Directing and Design portfolio can be found at www.mikemroch.com and follow him on Instagram @mike_mroch.
Funny Face Films generate a sense of urgency around facial recognition technology, its rapid development, widespread usage, and potential dangers – through comedy.
Ricki Lynée is an award-winning New York City-based actress, writer, and producer. She is the co-owner and Head of Development at Nuanse Entertainment and is a resident artist with New Light Theater Project. Ricki is a graduate of CUNY Brooklyn College where she studied Theatre and studied acting at HB Studios, AADA, and New Federal Theatre. She officially embraced her passion for filmmaking with the award-winning webseries “Anthology,” produced by Nuanse Entertainment in 2013.
In her free time, Ricki proudly works as a Standardized Patient portraying case studies through simulations, and educating medical students/professionals, while helping to reform the way women of color are perceived and treated throughout the healthcare industry.
As an advocate for diversity in film, theatre, and media, Ricki seeks to inspire younger artists; trailblazing by creating stories and embodying characters that challenge social norms. She is committed to authoring a body of work that prioritizes inclusivity, bold choices, and craftsmanship. More info about Ricki is available at rickilynee.com.
John Ball III is a goofy Boston-born actor/creative. He’s acted in a decent amount of comedy on-stage and in front of the camera. His favorite roles are the weird ones where you wonder what he was thinking and oftentimes he can’t give you an answer (I legitimately don’t know). He received a BFA in Acting from Hofstra and Doctorate in Comedy from all the choices he’s made. He strives for social change, collaboration & supporting those who need support.
Lanee’ Sanders is a Brooklyn based writer, director and performer. She is a staff writer on the upcoming Untitled Charlamagne tha God show on Comedy Central. She currently serves as the Sketch Program Director and a teacher at the Magnet Theater where she also performs Friday nights with her veteran sketch team, The Nitro Girls. She improvises all over the city with her all-black team of superfriends, Good at Sports. She was a Featured Writer for CollegeHumor, she is a contributor at Reductress and she was a Writer's Assistant for Netflix's sketch comedy show, Astronomy Club. She has also worked in a number of law firms, and it's frankly astounding how little she can tell you about any law.
What I'm passionate about conveying:
I think it's important that we not provide any additional invasive tools, such as facial recognition, to monitor and abuse the disenfranchised.
Tessa Flannery is a writer/performer/producer based in Brooklyn. She is a University of Glasgow graduate and teaches public speaking at CUNY. She is passionate about audio and children's media; Tessa writes, performs, designs and produces at Girl Tales Podcast. Her play, 'TENTACLES' won Best Writing at Pittsburgh Fringe and Staff Pick & Best Multimedia at FRIGID NY. As a filmmaker, she won 'Best Film' and 'Best Directing' for two short films in the Home Alone Film Challenge.
What I'm passionate about conveying:
I'm excited to continue to develop 'Neighborhood Watch' with collaborators Lanee' Sanders and Randy McKay. I hope to use humor to fight injustice and inequity.
Randy McKay is a writer, performer, and designer based in Brooklyn, NY. After graduating from Pratt with a BFA in Communication Design, he landed a coveted job at CollegeHumor. While at CH Media, he became an expert at combining his skill in design with his natural sense of humor to make an impact.
Randy's passion is using satire to tell stories about the Black experience — dismantling our monolithic understanding of the Black community, one searing joke at a time. His work has been published on McSweeney's, Collegehumor, and Clickhole.
As a sketch writer, improviser, and actor, Randy has performed at UCB, Caveat, The Magnet Theater, The Kraine Theater, and more.
What I'm passionate about conveying:
The idea that unregulated facial recognition systems in the wrong hands can lead to problems that disproportionately affect people of color.
Jordan Randolph is a Brooklyn-based writer, director, actor, and producer with a passion for telling stories of people with traditionally marginalized voices and backgrounds.
She has produced, directed, and written sketch for Magnet Theater, UCB, and BoogieManja Sketch Collective. Her sketches have appeared on the Toronto Sketchfest stage, as well as on The Truth Podcast. She also co-wrote the web series “Six Story Walk-Up” and wrote and produced her 2019 short film “Coney Island,” which won Best Screenplay at the Reale Film Festival.
As an actor, Jordan has appeared off-Broadway, in commercials, short films, and web series, and in many improv shows around the city.
Kayte Zhang (pronounced like “Kate” an d not “Katie) has a background in musical theater and has performed in theater and musical theater productions throughout the US. More recently, Kayte has been a writer and performer on Magnet Theater’s house sketch team Milwaukee! since 2018. Online, you can find Kayte in the web series Three Chinese Sisters, which she also wrote and produced, and Negative Space, which she co-wrote. Kayte’s writing can also be found on humor sites Aww Magazine and Broadway Beat. Kayte works in nonprofit arts development during the day and spends lots of time with her two dogs.
Sabra Shelly - Originally hailing from NC, Sabra Shelly is an actor, teacher, coach, and producer in NYC. Although one of her most memorable roles was Jacob Marley (circa 6th grade), most recently she was seen in the New York Theatre Festival as The Monster Under the Bed AKA Amanda John, and on the webseries Naturally Super, a fanfic series in which she plays Sam Winchester. Sabra is thrilled to be working with Future Facing Films and supporting their mission. When not juggling All The Things, she can be found stalking adoptable pups on social media. IG: @sabra_shelly www.sabrashelly.com
John Russell is best known to New York audiences as John Willoughby and John Dashwood in the long running off-Broadway hit Sense and Sensibility. Also for Bedlam: The Seagull and Saint Joan. Other New York: They Promised Her the Moon (Theatre at St. Clement's), Hunter Gatherers (Duo Theatre), The Arsonists (DCTV Firehouse, directed by Emily Lyon), The Jazz Singer (Metropolitan Playhouse). Regional work at Berkeley Rep, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and the Theatre at Monmouth. TV: HBO's Love Life.
Qasim Sonson is a 20 year old actor and writer from Brooklyn. He is a rising junior at SUNY Purchase College with a major in Theatre and Performance and a minor in Screenwriting. Qasim has been immersed in theatre for many years as an acting student, with a particular interest in classical work and comedy. He has recently forayed into writing, and has found that he loves it as a newfound way for him to tell stories, and express his opinions. He loves comedy, and aspires to either be on or write for a great sitcom in the future.
What I'm passionate about conveying:
I'm excited about conveying topics in this piece that I care about deeply, and that I feel are underrepresented in the media.
Edward Wosu is an actor going to Brooklyn College, just finishing up his sophomore semester and studying in a BFA for acting. His interest in acting arose from his passion and love for pro wrestling. Through enjoyment of the stories he’d see on TV from wrestling, he became enamored with stories he can tell using his own body, voice and mind. Edward not only wants to be a great actor, but a great storyteller in general, and is comfortable in whatever role he’ll take to enhance a story's creation. He’s excited to work on this upcoming project and hopefully more in the future.
What I'm passionate about conveying:
I’m ecstatic to get to work on this project because I believe that what my friend and I made here is really important from an artist perspective and a sociopolitical one. There are certain topics that are addressed that have personally affected me and that disproportionately affect people like me.
Daniel Petzold is an actor and writer living in Minneapolis with his partner Sara and his kitten Fred. Recently, he got pistol whipped by a masked man in an episode of FBI on CBS, which was thrilling. He’s performed Off-Broadway in Switzerland (59e59), and Pushkin (american vicarious). Regionally, he’s performed with The Old Globe, Berkeley Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Florida Studio Theatre, The Magic, Aurora, and Shotgun Players among others. MFA: The Old Globe/University of San Diego. www.danielpetzoldactor.com @_danielpetzold
What I'm passionate about conveying:
I'm interested in the precise moment when a person changes their priorities. When do we prioritize our convenience over our values?
Montgomery Sutton is a Queens-based actor, writer, director, DP, and producer. As the founder of lupo blu productions he has worked on short films, documentaries, music videos, and promotional videos for clients including Canal+, College and Community Fellowship, Common Cause New York, Shakespeare Dallas, the Gilbert Theater, the Noel Pointer Foundation, the Shakespeare Society, and Second Thought Theatre. He won Best Screenplay at the 2018 Sparrow Film Project for the short film Between the Lines, co-written with Laura Piccoli, for which he was also nominated for Best Director. Learn more at lupoblu.com and montgomerysutton.com.
Contact us at info@futurefacingfilms.com