MARY JAMES

Raised in New York by a theater actor father and playwright/author mother, Mary James has storytelling in her blood. Following her father's advice, Mary pursued a career "behind the camera," and by the age of 25, she was producing her first television show in Los Angeles – 180 half-hour episodes of the legendary series Divorce Court.

From there, Mary went on to work at CBS, HBO, Paramount, Viacom, Disney, Dick Clark, and Kushner-Locke, to name a few. Serving as Head of Production at Kushner-Locke, she budgeted and developed feature films and TV shows and was in production development at Dick Clark Productions.

Emmy nominated for best pre-school series on the PBS television series, It's A Big Big World, Mary helped bring to life 40 episodes of the eco-friendly CGI-puppet show set in a tropical rainforest. Also, for PBS, she produced 40 half hour episodes of the highly regarded The Dooley and Pals Show featuring live action kids and life-size puppets who learn about outer space with their alien friends. For Viacom, Mary served as Executive in Charge of Production for 26 half hour episodes of the live-action series, Superboy.

Additionally, she produced over 100 episodes of the nationally syndicated daytime series Trial by Jury, starring Raymond Burr. Her earlier career credits also include the films Poker Alice, featuring Elizabeth Taylor and Missing in Action III, starring Chuck Norris. With HBO, Mary worked on the Glory Years series and 1st & Ten, a serial starring O.J. Simpson. She also garnered attention doing 500 celebrity-hosted interstitials of unsung American heroes for prime time on CBS Television’s American Portrait.

While raising her children in New York, Mary founded and ran several companies, including her own production company where she produced commercials and promotional films for some of the largest corporations, including SAP, ARCO, Tiffany & Co., and Timex. After selling another profitable business in 2017, Mary decided it was time to pursue her passion of creating quality and responsible family entertainment with her company, Grab Bag Entertainment.

MICHAEL TORRES

Michael's knack for developing ideas for children and family entertainment comes naturally. He has been happily married for 34 years and raised three children who inspire him every day. Michael’s diverse background and range of influences as a Puerto Rican boy growing up in the Bronx, New York and later, Miami helped mold his imaginary and visual skills, offering a unique advantage in a business where diversity and insight are paramount. His visionary spirit is complemented by his extraordinary work ethic and personal integrity.

Michael’s passion is not only for creating content but also for recruiting a team of talent to execute each project. He has partnered and collaborated with some of the best award-winning producers, writers, and directors in the world, developing quality intellectual properties ranging from preschool shows to game shows to feature films. Michael has partnered with the NBA creating the world’s first professional sports game show endorsed by the NBA, and currently has the preschool television series Furmaids in development with ViacomCBS.

MICKEY GILL

Since the day he was old enough to reach the dial, Mickey has been obsessed with television. And by age 10, he had recorded all the TV show theme songs, listening to them every day. A graduate of the Ringling College of Art & Design, he has enjoyed a career as an award-winning Designer and Art Director working for advertising agencies and corporations like Scholastic. With over 40 book titles to his name, Mickey has reached millions of children with bestselling book series like Coke or Pepsi? and Dude Diaries.

Because of his years behind the camera, directing photo and video shoots, speaking to his audience via TV seemed like a no-brainer. As a Creative Director, he is parlaying his children’s publishing and art direction experience into creating both family fun shows and television series. Mickey is currently developing game shows out of his book series as well as a tween sci-fi comedy and a mystery comedy-drama.