Drawn By Pain - Cast and Crew

Cast and Crew

• Jesse Cowell (Creator/Director) – Full bio below.
• Erica Langworthy (Animator/Designer) – Erica graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design with a degree in traditional and 3D animation. When the idea of drawn by Pain was presented to Erica, her love for animation motivated her to leave her home in Ohio and move to New York City to dedicate herself wholeheartedly to the film. Langworthy designed the look of the animated characters, created the motion graphics for the title sequences, did the site design for the web and drew each and every frame of animation in the film. In her spare time, she plays video games and works as a digital artist professional.
• Marissa Parness (Adult Emily) – Marissa is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy (2003) in Michigan and the Circle in the Square Theatre School (2005) in New York with a degree in Musical Theatre. Her acting interests include film, theatre, musical theatre, improvisation, and comedy. Her first breakthrough role was playing Emily Waters in Drawn by Pain. Says Cowell about her performance in the series, "Marissa Parness, in many ways, made the film possible. In every scene Marissa left her heart and soul on the screen and I will be forever grateful for her week in week out effort. If every experience in working with someone is this easy – I cannot wait to make more films. She is currently seeking representation in New York City."
• Elizabeth Plevy (Young Emily) – Information pending.
• Guy Rader (Douglas) – Guy graduated Suny At Albany in New York in 1997 with a Bachelor's degree in Theatre, then completed his Masters in acting at Kent State University in Ohio in 2000. In addition to his acting career, Rader works as a director of media services for The FeedRoom, Inc. in New York, a "pioneer in online video communications, and a market leader in live video and rich media asset management." In his recreation, Guy plays washboard and vocals in a NYC-based jug band called "The Drunken Swimmers."
• Michael Speer (Father) – Michael began acting at a young age but shelved these pursuits for a career in teaching at a high school level. When he decided to return to acting, he preferred the intimacy of the set over the stage and thus auditioned for the role of the father in Cowell's Drawn by Pain. Since this role, Speer has also landed the role of George Mitchel in the 2008 film "Because of You," directed by John Bianco. Speer comments that he prefers to play the role of the villain because "they're fun and nobody really gets hurt, but you can pretend, and that's the beauty: I love to pretend." (6:56 -7:03) Speer finds acting inspiration in the works of Constantin Stanislavski and Michael Chekov. (5:30-5:38)
• Sharon Hawk (Mother) – Like Parness, Sharon Hawk also graduated from the Circle In The Square Theater. Besides Drawn by Pain, her credits include her role as "Kitten" in the 2008 film "Eat Your Heart Out," directed by James Tucker, as well as the 2010 movie "L.L." directed by Amos Kollek.