LaSHAE MARTIN (Carla)

LaShae is a multitalented film, television, theater and commercial actress whose credits include Out of Sight and host of the Comcast Annual Heritage Day Celebration. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, LaShae fueled her passion for acting by performing in high school theatre productions and local cable commercials. She began her training and career with the Detroit Repertory Theater playing various characters in their Biannual Showcase. After graduating from Pratt University, LaShae made New York her permanent home and began pursuing acting as a profession. She began training with some of New York’s most prestigious acting teachers. Soon she began to attract the attention of casting agents and independent filmmakers. LaShae’s performance as Carla in Layla’s Girl marks her first lead role in a feature film. She brings a persuasive enthusiasm to any role she takes on, and her poignant performance as Carla is the beginning of what is sure to be a long and memorable career.


RICHARD GANT (JB)

Richard became a part of Layla’s Girl through a chance meeting with the film’s screenwriter, Rashim Cannad. He has enjoyed a long and fruitful career in theater, television and film. Over the course of more than 25 years he has appeared in TV shows such as NYPD Blue, Smallville and Eve. Notable film appearances include Kingdom Come, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Rocky V, and cult favorite The Big Lebowski. He can be seen in the upcoming Lesser of Three Evils.


THEO WILLIAMSON (Charles)

Theo is active on stage and on screen. His most recent stage performance was in the award-winning play Intimate Apparel. His work in that play earned him the Detroit Repertory Theatre Subscribers' Award for Best Male Actor. Other credits include Ron Milner’s Checkmates, Purlie in Ossie Davis’ theatre classic Purlie Victorious, and Perilous Times.

Theo recently wrapped the feature film Office Outbreak. He has worked with Nicole Sylvester on two previous projects, having appeared in minor blues, produced and directed by Nicole, and 17000 Block, produced by Nicole. His numerous independent film performances include Guilt, From Venus, No Way Out, L.O.V.E., MVP and Brewster Projects.


WALTER HARRIS (Odai)

Born and raised in Detroit, Walter has always had a knack for performing and improvisation, talents that led him to make the decision to become a professional actor. Walter has always shown a wide range of versatility, most notably on the sketch comedy series SwitchplayTV.

Other acting credits include numerous TV commercials and films including The Retreat and 17000 Block, produced by Nicole Sylvester. Stage performances include The Invisible Husband, Bingo the Show, and several main cast and touring company performances with Second City Detroit.


RHONDA FREYA ENGLISH (Kay)

Rhonda’s considerable stage credits include: Stop Kiss (Best Play of the Year & Best Supporting Actress Nomination), Orphan Train (Best Ensemble Performance Award & Best Play of the Year) and Bourbon at the Border (Best Dramatic Performance Nomination). Most recently, she was a main cast member in the long-running hit play, Menopause the Musical.

Rhonda has film and television credits that include: the Emmy Award-winning television special Never Lose Your Hope, the sitcom pilot of Torres, Perez & Brown, and the Jeff Daniels-directed film Super Sucker. 

CREW

NICOLE SYLVESTER (Director)

Nicole began her professional career in the advertising department of a cable company but soon made the transition to film. Nicole’s passion and experience in filmmaking have resulted her first feature film. Layla’s Girl follows one woman’s journey toward peace and healing after the death of her estranged mother. 

Nicole honed her filmmaking skills by working on independent films in New York before returning home to Michigan. Her debut film, a short titled The Stop, was accepted into competition at the Detroit and Windsor International Festival of Film, and her sophomore effort, minor blues, a highly profound and diverse film about on-the-edge musicians was accepted in the East Lansing Film Festival and the Meet Martell at the Movies Film Festival. Nicole is also a talented producer, having recently completed two films – a feature length urban drama, 17000 Block, distributed by UrbanWorks, and a Japanese-inspired short, Big Girl Lost. 

Nicole’s years of experience have garnered her many accolades and awards. She received the Cable ICE award for her special, The North American International Auto Show, and her insightful documentary, The Lonely Eagles: Airmen of Tuskegee, was nominated for both a national Cable ACE and a Cable ICE Award. Her short film The Stop won best short at the Cinema Shorts Internet Film Festival and minor blues won top honors at the Meet Martell at the Movies and the Motor City Film Festivals. She is also the recipient of three Public Benefit Corporation grants for film productions.


ALISA R. LOMAX (Producer) 
Alisa worked extensively as a production manager or coordinator for ten years before becoming an independent producer and director. Projects she has worked on include feature and short films (Timequest, minor blues), television programs (Shape Up Michigan, Babesworld, A Moment in Our History), and commercials and industrials for clients such as Ford Motor Company, Kmart Corporation and Marygrove College.

Alisa is also a filmmaker, having produced and directed her first film, reality, and having directed a second film, Big Girl Lost, which was produced by Nicole Sylvester. Currently, Alisa is working on a documentary about a group of middle school girls as they participate in a two-year program to help them transition into their teen and adult years. Upcoming projects include a feature film and a television series, both to be produced by Nicole.


RASHIM CANNAD (Screenwriter)
Rashim met Nicole Sylvester at the Acapulco Black Film Festival. The two expressed an interest in working together and that collaboration resulted in the screenplay for Layla’s Girl. The screenplay is Rashim’s first feature-length script to be produced, and he is currently working with a number of independent film producers on other feature projects to be produced over the next few years.

Rashim has also worked in the independent film world as a producer. He wrote and produced the short parody Pulp Reality, starring Lanre Idewu, and the short thriller Hit Me, starring Morocco Omari, which will be seen on the 2006 festival circuit. Rashim’s next project is a feature film that his production company is developing based on one of his scripts. 


T. DOMINIC COCHRAN (Director of Photography)
Dominic has over ten years of cinematography experience. Upon receiving his film degree, Dominic began shooting independent films, including the feature length film titled Mind Bound, which made its world debut at the prestigious Cannes Film Market, with subsequent invitations to the British International Film Festival and numerous others. He filmed all the Detroit-area footage for MTV’s BioRhythm documentary for Eminem. Dominic is a partner in Ahptic Productions and has since fulfilled the role of DP for numerous award-winning film, video and industrial projects.