Yuri Tsapayev,Producer, Director, Writer
Yuri Tsapayev was born in Simferopol, Ukraine. Growing up in the world of music, theatre and films, Yuri was groomed for a life in the arts. He studied music at the Simferopol School of Music and graduated from the State University of St. Petersburg with Master Degree in Science. Yuri first started making films in St. Petersburg while studying at the University, developing a taste for darkly comic stories and brooding, often surreal imagery using an 8mm camera. During Russia's famous Perestroika period, he established fine art galleries in Novgorod, Tver and Moscow. In the late 1990's Yuri published a newspaper "Artodox" dedicated to arts and culture. With his friends in Tver, he established a movie production company "Beliy Svet," which is now a very successful film studio. Yuri moved to San Francisco in 2001 to pursue a career as an art dealer. He traveled extensively throughout the United States exhibiting his collection of contemporary Russian art. Despite his focus on art, Yuri did not forget his musical roots: during this same time, he composed and recorded three albums under the name "Indie Knight." In 2008, while attending The Hollywood Film Institute, he made an impressive transition to film making with the sensitive and critically acclaimed short film "Tick Knock," which won 3rd place in the 72 Hour International Film Challenge and also was officially selected for the Barcelona and Chicago short film festivals in 2009. Driven by a passion for film making, Yuri quickly honed his skills and earned a reputation for his stylish visuals that complemented complex story lines. Early in 2009, he put it all on the line to make the feature film "Contractor's Routine." In order to build sets consistent with industry standards and codes and work within his budgetary constraints, Yuri pursued licensure as a general contractor in order to manufacture necessary props for his film. Yuri is currently working as director Paralux Productions' next psychological drama, "A New Job For a Banker," which is slated to be produced late in 2011.
Brooke Dooley, Production Manager / Line Manager
Now resident in San Francisco, Brooke Dooley was born and raised in Tracy, California. At the age of eight, she wrote, directed and starred in her own “home-grown” television show based out of her garage. At sixteen, she took a job as a legal assistant at a family law office for four years, which laid the foundation for her strong work ethic. At nineteen, Brooke moved to San Francisco to pursue an education in media production at San Francisco State University. She served as Associate Producer on an East Bay documentary, Perfect Effort, was an Education Intern at the California Film Institute, and in 2009 produced over a dozen short films. “Contractor's Routine” is her first full length feature as a line producer. She is now in pre-production for another SF independent feature shooting early 2010. All of these experiences have given her the knowledge, skills and capacity to be creative and collaborative, along with a growing awareness of the seriousness of filmmaking.
