THE TEAM

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Previous to forming Ardvella Entertainment in 2020 Stephanie also served as Executive Vice President of Acquisitions and Production at Cinelou Films where she worked for 9 years. At Cinelou Films/Cinelou Releasing, Stephanie Caleb oversaw all project acquisitions and creative advertising for the studios’ self-distributed films. Notably,  Stephanie co-produced and supervised all creative advertising for the Screen Actors Guild®, Broadcast Film Critics Association® and Golden Globe® nominated film Cake, starring Jennifer Aniston. Additionally, Stephanie supervised all creative affairs for titles including: Mr. Church starring Eddie Murphy and Britt Robertson, Burn Your Maps with Vera Farmiga, Jacob Tremblay and Virginia Madsen, The Yellow Birds starring Alden Ehrenreich, Tye Sheridan, Jack Huston, Jennifer Aniston, and Toni Collette, The Comedian starring Robert De Niro, Leslie Mann, Edie Falco and Danny DeVito, and Nightmare Cinema with Mickey Rourke.

In addition Stephanie spent 8 years working as President of Creative Affairs and Acquisitions at After Dark Films. In this time, she acquired, and headed all creative advertising efforts, for over 76 horror/action films, including the Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez action-thriller Getaway, the Michael Douglas thriller Beyond a Reasonable Doubt and all titles under the After Dark Films umbrella including After Dark Horrorfest and After Dark Action that have been released through multiple studios including Warner Bros., Lionsgate, Fox and Anchor Bay.

Stephanie began her entertainment career in marketing. For four years as Manager of Marketing at Los Angeles based advertising firm BLT & Associates, she oversaw print creative on a variety of the ABC Network's content. Afterwards, she created her own print production and design firm, Aardvark Inc. Her clients have included Sony International, New Line Cinema, ABC, CBS, ESPN, CNN, Anchor Bay, After Dark Films, Autonomous Films and Cinelou Films. Additionally, Stephanie is the official entertainment specialist on the board of the National Arthritis Foundation and a volunteer with Outfest’s Writers Mentorship program.

She currently has various projects in Pre-Production including, George Romero’s Twilight of the Dead, The Spirit Box with Jane Seymore and Wildflower.

Franchesca Lantz was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Louisiana State University in 2005.  She furthered her education to receive a Film degree in 2007. Franchesca worked at Fox Sports before moving on to The Collective, Tower Hill Entertainment, Mandate Pictures at Lionsgate, Movie Package Company, and eventually After Dark Films.  After Dark was one of the largest horror brands at the time, known mainly for producing and distributing horror films through its famous Horror Fest.  The company eventually went on to produce action films through their Action Fest entity.

In 2014, Franchesca was named Vice President, Marketing & Development for the newly formed Cinelou Films. Cinelou’s first film entitled Cake, starring Jennifer Aniston, earned nominations from Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild, and Critics Choice in 2015, as well as helping to bring awareness to the often-ignored issue of chronic pain. They went on to produce numerous prestigious dramas including, Mr. Church, starring Eddie Murphy; Burn Your Maps, starring Vera Farmiga; The Comedian, starring Robert De Niro; and The Yellow Birds, starring Alden Ehrenreich and Jennifer Aniston. Following the success of those films, Franchesca decided to branch out into new and exciting opportunities in filmmaking. She has served on the board for Outfest and often volunteers her time and expertise to up and coming filmmakers to help them grow careers in the industry.

In 2018, Franchesca joined the newly formed production and financier company Don Kee Productions as Head of Development. Since joining the company, she has helped to grow Don Kee into a name to look out for in the world of indie filmmaking. Upon arriving at Don Kee, she has produced or executive produced several films including the Dixie-Mafia crime drama ARKANSAS starring Liam Hemsworth, Vince Vaughn, and John Malkovich; the action comedy THE COMEBACK TRAIL starring Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Zach Braff, and the conspiracy thriller WANDER, starring Aaron Eckhart, Tommy Lee Jones, Katheryn Winnick and Heather Graham.

In 2021 Franchesca launched Ardvella Entertainment with her producing partner Stephanie Caleb.  Ardvella has 3 films on deck for 2024, and much more to come

As VP of Development, Shadley Grei brings 20+ years of industry experience in both NYC and Hollywood, most recently with ABC Studios where he expanded his role with the legal team to include project scouting for ABC and the launch of Disney+. He has also pitched projects to Disney TV Animation, HBO, Warner Brothers, Paramount, 20th Century Studios, NBC Universal, Facebook, and Netflix. As a creative consultant, he has worked with Hasbro, OneWorld Films, Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden, ghostwritten six books, and done coverage on more than 500 scripts. Shadley has written and produced several stage productions and been invited to participate in The Moth MainStage. He’s currently in pre-production on his first film as a writer-director, producing a horror film, and recently launched Cow Shark Games, which will release Bad Ask - “A childish game for questionable adults” - in June 2022.

James Gibb has been an active film and TV producer for over 25 years. Starting his career at the BBC in London 1989 James quickly progress through the production ranks while working on hit TV series and prestigious dramas. During the 90’s James line- produced TV series “The Knock”, and feature film “Darkness Falls”, thereafter James went on to produce “Circus” for Sony Pictures.

In 2000, James move to Los Angeles and has enjoyed a prosperous career Producing, Exec Producing and Co-Financing over 30 films and TV shows: His credits include the 3 time academy award winner “Whiplash" staring Miles Teller and JK Simmons, award winning and box office hit “Hacksaw Ridge” staring Andrew Garfield and directed by Mel Gibson, the box office hit “That Awkward Moment” staring Zac Efron and Miles Teller, the period action thriller “Ironclad” staring Paul Giamatti and Kate Mara, “The Exception” staring academy award winner Christopher Plummer, the action thriller “In the Blood”, the NBC 12 part 1 hour TV series “Siberia” and feature film “Replica’s” staring Keanu Reeves.

More recently James produced the feature film “The Weekend” for Lionsgate, Co-produced “The Outpost” TV series for The CW and recently partnered with actor Ian Somerhalder to Produce the 10pt TV series “Vwars” for Netflix.
In 2022, James completed 8 part TV series Harry Wild, staring Jane Seymour for Acorn/AMC, ZDF and BBC worldwide.

In development James has partnered with Amber Heard on Beast a True Crime series and Thriller horror series Night’s of The Living Dead by George Romero with actor James Roday Rodriguez (Psych) attached to star and produce. James is currently in early pre-production on action feature film Black Circle starring Tom Hopper and Exec Producing action thriller Black Demon starring Josh Lucas.

RJ Enriquez began his professional career working for the noted action and horror studio After Dark Films, the nation's leading horror film distributor. His experience in legal and business affairs at the studio led him to work closely on the intricacies of projects such as HorrorFest, and ActionFest (see below), as well as major motion pictures like “Getaway,” starring Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez and Jon Voight. This also gave him extensive contact with studios such as Warner Brothers, Lionsgate and HBO. He is deeply involved in the promotion of LGBTQ+ filmmakers, including donating his time and expertise to Outfest. While also working in the public education sector at Cal State University, Monterey Bay, RJ is honored to be joining the launch team of Ardvella Entertainment as Senior Manager of Business and Creative Affairs.

ActionFest films:

- “Dragon Eyes” - Jean-Claude Van Damme

- "El Gringo” - Scott Adkins, Christian Slater

- “Philly Kid” - Wes Chatham, Devon Sawa, Michael Jai White

- “Stash House” - Sean Farris, Dolph Lundgren, Briana Evigan

-  “Transit” - Jim Caviezel, James Frain, Elisabeth Röhm 

- “Enemies Closer” - Jean-Claude Van Damme, Tom Everett Scott, Orlando Jones

- “Bullet to the Head” - Sylvester Stallone, Sung Kang, Christian Slater, Jason Momoa

Prior to joining Ardvella Entertainment as a Producer, Lester had been an Executive Producer for over 10 years at various creative agencies and production companies in both LA and NY including Syndrome Studio, Greenhaus, The Ant Farm, Kaleidoscope Films, Bemis Balkind and Grey Entertainment. 

As Executive Producer, Lester oversaw the creative development, production and post-production for original content, main title sequences, motion graphics, VFX and editorial for feature films and television shows in addition to the creative advertising campaigns.

Some of his work include: Warcraft, Fury, Entourage, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Insidious Chapter 3, Brazen, 

Holiday Rush, Cake, Need for Speed, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, Extraction, Mr. Church, Into The Badlands, The Magicians, Girls, True Blood, and Real Time With Bill Maher.

He currently has projects in pre-production including Odium and Twilight of the Dead with Ardvella Entertainment.

Max Jacobs, a blooming filmmaker and storyteller, studied Film & TV at the University of Wisconsin Madison. His creative journey began with the captivating drama-comedy feature film Watch Out in 2022, followed by the mind-bending psychological thriller Through The Looking Glass in 2023. Watch Out (2022) won best action film at the Los Angeles Film Awards in 2023. 

As the founder of the Badger Film Group in Madison, WI, Max led a community of 60+ film enthusiasts in producing independent shorts, documentaries, and features, fostering emerging talent. His industry experience includes editing and development roles at Park Slope Productions and contributions to acclaimed series like Alaskan Bush People. 

Max's expertise spans from production assistant roles on Law and Order and Blue Bloods to Camera Assistant and Assistant Editor on Jesse Eisenberg's I'll Be Right There (2023). He further excelled as an Assistant Editor at Open Swim in Manhattan, NY and as a videographer at the extensive Long Island radio network Connoisseur Media. 

The versatile skills that Max possesses shone in live television broadcasts, impacting events like the CrossFit Games, US Open and Dick Clark’s Times Square New Years Eve event. Max's journey exemplifies creativity, leadership, and a profound dedication to the art of storytelling, positioning him as a trailblazer shaping the future of film and television.