Bios

Eric D. Howell Writer/Director

Eric began film production at age 10 with his father’s 8mm camera. He learned the basic language of cinema by making animated and action/adventure shorts. By age 18 he acquired his first industry job. For many years, being based in the “small market” town of Minneapolis played as an advantage as he was allowed to wear multiple hats on both independent and studio films. From camera operator, stuntman, and locations scout, to dolly grip, director and producer, he has experienced every role involved in the production of a motion picture. Credits include: THE MIGHTY DUCKS, SUGAR & SPICE, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, IRONWILL, A SIMPLE PLAN, UNTAMED HEART, JOE SOMEBODY, FARGO, NORTH COUNTRY, FACTOTUM, OLDER THAN AMERICA, and many more.

Eric’s producing and directing experience began with an award-winning short film titled “The Interview”. It made history by becoming the first motion picture to be shot on film and debuted on the Internet. The film was an official selection at the Santa Barbara International, and the New York Independent Festivals. Following this success, Eric was recruited to direct 2 seasons of a nationally syndicated action/adventure children’s television series.

Currently, Eric continues to stunt coordinate and second unit direct feature and commercial projects. In addition, he works as a producer, director, videographer, and editor on short film and corporate projects. Eric often travels to the most impoverished regions on Earth to document the children who live there. He is currently involved in the development of several feature projects including an anthology about child soldiers around the world.

See a sample of one of Eric’s short films here.
Here’s another recently completed project.

Producer – Marsha Trainer

Marsha brings experience from both the studio side and the independent arena to ANA’S PLAYGROUND. In the last year she was the financial controller/consultant on OLDER THAN AMERICA, an independent Native American film that was just accepted into the IFP Rough Cut Labs that filmed and posted in Minnesota. Also, she worked on THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD, a soon-to-be-released title starring John Malkovich.

Prior to that, Marsha was a physical production executive at Walden Media, where she helped oversee such productions as BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, HOW TO EAT FRIED WORMS, and CHARLOTTE’S WEB. She segued into that position from a job at Crusader Entertainment, working on SAHARA and the much lauded film RAY. Earlier posts at Miramax Films in production finance and with Oscar-winning creative producer Donna Gigliotti cemented her desire to marry financial sensibility with diverse, humanitarian and creative content.

Before deciding on a career in film, Marsha taught school in rural Louisiana as part of the Teach For America program in the early years of its existence. Later, she coordinated photo shoots for Target and Dayton/Hudson/Marshall Fields while residing in the Twin Cities.

Producer – Jillian Nodland

Jillian began her production career 18 years ago working on Ted Turner’s Goodwill Games in Seattle. Since then she’s worked extensively in production management on a broad range of projects from small corporate videos to large internationally broadcast events including five Olympic Games, two World Cup Soccer tournaments, the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Super Bowl, Rose Parade and a Presidential Debate. Independent films have included feature length Arnold’s Park (Producer) and The Sundial Field (Line Producer & Unit Production Manager) which won the “Best Short Film” award at the Hollywood Film Festival in 2002. She is currently based in Minneapolis / St. Paul where she co-owns and manages business affairs for Picture Factory, Inc. which offers complete production services and is noted for it’s specialized camera systems.

Supporting non-profit, community based efforts is a priority for Jillian who is a founder of the Minnesota chapter of Women in Film & Television Intl. (WIFTI) where she served as a Board Member for three years. She actively supports the MN Film and TV Board as well as Shoot in MN and has organized fundraising efforts for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and an Equal Exchange Fair Trade Program for children’s education in her community.