About Us
A raw and intimate look into the workings of what it means to be a family navigating the waters of mental illness. Our fractured family of GOOD SIDE OF BAD seeks to find stillness, peace, and comfort in a chaotic world.
Meet the Team
"I strongly believe that to have true empathy and compassion for another person, you must learn to see yourself in that person."
- ALETHEA ROOT, DIRECTOR
ALETHEA ROOT
Director - Writer - Producer
Alethea Root is an award-winning producer and director. She produced the Emmy®-winning short film, A LOVE STORY. Her feature film directorial debut, PART TIME FABULOUS, streaming on Amazon, won eight film festival awards, including two Audience Choice awards, the Film4Change award, and the Exploring Humanity award.
JULES BRUFF
Writer - Producer - Actor
The first feature Jules wrote, produced, and acted in, PART TIME FABULOUS, streaming on Amazon, won numerous awards, including two Best Actress awards for her performance, 2 Audience Choice awards, the Film4Change award, and the Exploring Humanity award. She can be seen in projects ranging from David Fincher's ZODIAC to S.W.A.T on CBS to Award-Winning comedy FOR MURIAL with Mindy Sterling.
CONNIE JO SECHRIST
Producer
Connie Jo is an Actress and Emmy® Nominated Producer based in Los Angeles with considerable experience in Theatre, Television and Film. She grew up in the San Fransisco bay area and is currently studying Producing for Film and Television at UCLA. She is a Co-Founded of the Coven Film Festival, devoted to films by emerging women and non-binary filmmakers. Her most recent short film, “Bourn Kind: The Tiny Kindness Project” had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June. She is also currently working on a coming of age feature film that is set to film in London, UK next spring.
JENNY NAPIER
Producer
Jenny Napier has over 15 years producing experience, from starting out in Los Angeles to filming features, commercials, and docs all over the map. After graduating from San Francisco State with a film degree, she started her career at Sony Pictures Animation and eventually moved over to film development working for a variety of independent production companies in Hollywood, including Eleven Eleven Films (THE KILLING ROOM, THE GRAND, THE DIVIDE) and Hollywood Gang Productions (300, THE DEPARTED).
KATIE VON TILL
Producer
Katie Von Till holds the distinction of being the 4th official voice of Disney's SNOW WHITE since the inception of the character in 1937. She voices the princess for toys, video games, theme parks, and animated programs. No stranger to on-camera work, Katie currently recurs as Kimberly the newscaster on YOUNG SHELDON, and is among the recurring comedy sketch players on Conan. Other TV appearances include NCIS, THE MIDDLE, ANGER MANAGEMENT (recurring), HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, COMMUNITY (recurring), and more. You've likely also seen Katie in many national commercials. On film, she played the ghost in THE HUNTED starring Josh Stewart and was seen in film festival darlings ZOMBIE PROM and TIMER.
CIERA DANIELLE
Writer
Ciera Danielle is an award-winning actress, screenwriter, and filmmaker. She began in theater; and has now traveled worldwide, working in film with artists such as James Franco, Lou Diamond Phillips, Dale Dickey, Mark Pellegrino, and more. Her desire to create profound and inspiring content led to her screenwriting and directorial debut of the feature film DAISY'S, streaming on Amazon. She won Best Screenplay and Best Actress awards for her work on DAISY'S.
MARK DAVID
Cinematographer
Mark David is an award-winning American Director, Cinematographer, and Producer who currently resides in Los Angeles. He is a member of the Director’s Guild of America, The International Cinematographer’s Guild, and the Producer’s Guild of America. David started his career in Texas when he directed his first indie feature film, SWEET THING, a dark southern drama in 1997. He has directed eight additional feature films and shot over 35 feature films as a cinematographer.
EDGAR BURCKSEN
Editor
Edgar Burcksen, ACE, NCE, moved to California after a successful career in The Netherlands with more than 15 features and a Dutch Film Festival Award. In California, he became the visual effects editor for THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER and DIEHARD 2. Burcksen's collaboration with George Lucas on the pilot YOUNG INDIANA JONES AND THE CURSE OF THE JACKEL earned him an Emmy® for best editing. Burcksen edited 500 NATIONS, a CBS miniseries about Native Americans hosted and produced by Kevin Costner.
Meet the Cast
"Our main characters all have different points of view about their upbringing and family dynamic. When adapting the screenplay, I discovered that the act of overcoming these differences and reconnecting as a family results in genuine positive change for the siblings."
-ALETHEA ROOT, DIRECTOR
LEXI SIMONSEN
Florence
Lexi Simonsen is an Actress, Writer, and Content Creator. She grew up in Kansas and moved to Los Angeles when she was 17 years old to pursue a career in the industry. She danced competitively from age 5-18 before deciding to pursue acting full time. She graduated from Hussian College Los Angeles with a BFA in Acting for Film and Television in May 2020. She can be seen in the Netflix action film THE 2ND as Erin Walton, starring Ryan Phillippe, and films YEAR OF THE FOX and ADDY DADDY. Her TV credits include THE RESIDENT on FOX and S.W.A.T on CBS. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband.
TESS HARPER
Mary
Tess Harper was nominated for the Golden Globe® for Best Supporting Actress for her first film role in TENDER MERCIES and for the Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actress in CRIMES OF THE HEART. Her other film appearances include FLASHPOINT, ISHTAR, FAR NORTH, and NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, which won her a Screen Actors Guild Award®. She also had a recurring role on the first three seasons of BREAKING BAD.
JULES BRUFF
Sara
Jules was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and raised in Oakland, California. She was awarded a Best Actress Scholarship while earning her Bachelor in Fine Arts at CU Boulder. Upon graduation, she was cast as the title role in Steven Luff's independent feature film VIRGINIA. The first feature she wrote, produced, and acted in, PART TIME FABULOUS, streaming on Amazon, won numerous awards, including two Best Actress awards for her performance, 2 Audience Choice Awards, the Film4Change Award, and the Exploring Humanity Award. She can be seen in projects ranging from David Fincher's ZODIAC to S.W.A.T on CBS to Award-Winning comedy FOR MURIAL with Mindy Sterling.
ALEX QUIJANO
Peter
Alex Quijano can currently be seen as Mike, Ricky’s father, on ABC’s series HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL. Other TV credits include recurring role of Officer Bryson on FRESH OFF THE BOAT, recurring role of Mateo on ONE DAY AT A TIME, series arc on Netflix’s 13 REASONS WAY, plus guest roles on LUCIFER, THE FOSTERS, TRAINING DAY, and AQUARIUS. A college baseball player and biology major, Alex never thought he’d end up acting. Since moving to LA, his mentors have been Lesly Kahn, Larry Moss, and Nancy Banks. He attended Summer at Steppenwolf Chicago, class of 2013. Theater credits include GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES (Portland, Maine) and BETTY’S SUMMER VACATION.
MYLES GRIER
Dennis
Myles Grier is an American actor & filmmaker of Nigerian descent with a diverse and eclectic background spanning the arts. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Myles began acting on stage at age 11. After graduating from Atlanta’s top performing arts high school, DeKalb School of the Arts, his experience continued into commercials, as well as visual arts and tv/film production. Since graduating with his BFA in theatre performance and relocating to Los Angeles, Grier has broadened his horizons with guest appearances on some of television's hit series including FOX's LETHAL WEAPON, NBC's GAME OF SILENCE, Freeform's THE FOSTERS, and more. Also a producer, Myles honed his creative and executive skills while assisting Oscar nominated producer Lee Daniels day-to-day in 2018.