About The Filmmakers

ADAM McKAY (Director/Screenplay by/Story by/Executive Producer) co-wrote and directed Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, which he followed up by co-writing, directing, and executive producing Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

McKay co-wrote both films with Will Ferrell. The two had been longtime friends since spending several years together on "Saturday Night Live," where McKay served as head writer and the creator of many of that series' most memorable sketches and short films from 1995-2001.

Along with Will Ferrell and Chris Henchy, McKay started the comedy site Funny or Die, which now gets 35 million hits a year. McKay also wrote and acted in The Landlord, which starred his then-20-month-old daughter, Pearl.

Born in Philadelphia, he trained in improvisational theatre with the Second City and Upright Citizens Brigade performance groups in Chicago. He also wrote for Michael Moore's TV show "The Awful Truth."

JIMMY MILLER (Producer), founder of The Miller Company and currently a principal in Mosaic Media Group, manages some of the most sought-after comedy talent in the industry, including actors Jim Carrey, Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen.

He has also helped shape the careers of some of the most talented writers and directors in the comedy genre, such as Jay Roach of the Austin Powers trilogy, Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers; Judd Apatow, of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Superbad; Adam McKay of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Anchorman; and Steve Rudnick and Leo Benvenuti of The Santa Clause trilogy and Kicking & Screaming.

Miller's film producing credits include Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Elf, Semi-Pro, and the current release Get Smart.

He is currently in production on the adventure comedy Land of the Lost, starring Will Ferrell, and the romantic comedy She's Out of My League.

JUDD APATOW (Producer) made his feature directorial debut with the 2005 summer box-office smash The 40-Year-Old Virgin and followed up with the Universal release Knocked Up. His next film as a writer, director and producer is Funny People, starring Adam Sandler, Leslie Mann, and Seth Rogen, which will start production in September.

Apatow recently co-wrote the hit film You Don't Mess with the Zohan. He also recently produced April's Forgetting Sarah Marshall, last December's comedy Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (a film he also co-wrote), last summer's Superbad, the summer 2006 hit Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and 2004's Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

Apatow also produced and co-wrote the story for this summer's Pineapple Express and serves as producer of 2009's Year One.

Apatow's credits on the small screen include the critically praised, award-winning series "Freaks and Geeks," as well as the series "Undeclared," which was named one of TIME magazine's Ten Best Shows of 2001. Apatow also worked as a writer, director, and producer on the award-winning and widely acclaimed series "The Larry Sanders Show."

Born in Syosset, New York, Apatow aspired to become a professional comedian at an early age. While still in high school, he created a radio show and began interviewing comedy personalities he admired, including Steve Allen, Howard Stern and John Candy. Inspired, he began performing his own stand-up routines by the end of his senior year.

DAVID HOUSEHOLTER (Executive Producer) previously collaborated with Will Ferrell on Semi-Pro for New Line Cinema, on Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby for Columbia Pictures, on Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy for DreamWorks, and on Elf for New Line Cinema. For DreamWorks, Householter executive produced 2007's hit comedy Norbit, starring Eddie Murphy, and the Reese Witherspoon/Mark Ruffalo romantic comedy Just Like Heaven. He also served as Co-Producer/Unit Production Manager on the 2003 Paramount sci-fi film The Core, directed by Jon Amiel, as well as the teen action movie Clockstoppers for Paramount and director Jonathan Frakes.

Householter began working on films in 1984 as a set production assistant on Wes Craven's seminal horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street and soon took the next step up the ladder as a second assistant director on Paul Verhoeven's Robocop. His credits as a first assistant director include Drugstore Cowboy, The Marrying Man, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Heavyweights, and The Nutty Professor. As a unit production manager, Householter worked on a number of projects, beginning with The Chamber and including such films as Mystery Men and Little Nicky.

OLIVER WOOD (Director of Photography) most recently worked on the films The Bourne Ultimatum, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Fantastic Four, The Bourne Supremacy and Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. The London-born cinematographer began his career in 1970 with The Honeymoon Killers and went on to work on an array of television and film projects that includes the television series "Miami Vice" and the motion pictures Die Hard 2, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Rudy, Terminal Velocity, Mr. Holland's Opus, Celtic Pride, 2 Days in the Valley, Face/Off, Switchback, Mighty Joe Young, U-571, The Bourne Identity, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, I Spy, National Security and Freaky Friday. He is currently filming The Surrogates for director Jonathan Mostow.

CLAYTON HARTLEY (Production Designer) most recently designed the films Semi-Pro and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. His many other credits as production designer include Kicking & Screaming, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and American Wedding. Beginning his career as an assistant art director on The Return of the Living Dead and Hoosiers, he became an art director on such motion pictures as Getting Even with Dad, Jerry Maguire, The Other Sister and Double Take, and co-designed Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous. He also was production designer for the television series "Going to California."

BRENT WHITE (Editor) worked with Adam McKay on Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and with producer Judd Apatow on The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up as well as on the television productions "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared." He began his career as an editor for the Sundance Film Institute's summer lab program and has assisted on such films as The Milagro Beanfield War, Glory, Fluke and Home for the Holidays. His other credits as editor include A River Runs Through It, "And The Band Played On," Matilda, Wildflowers, Panic, The Slaughter Rule, and the television series "Desperate Housewives."

SUSAN MATHESON (Costume Designer) started her costume career by designing for Barbie. The Vassar College graduate went on to design costumes for both film and theater. Most recently, she has designed costumes for Semi-Pro, The Kingdom, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Other credits include the films Best Laid Plans, Crazy/Beautiful, Blue Crush, and Friday Night Lights.

In a decade, JON BRION's (Music) film music career has developed in exponential proportions. Brion is a singer, songwriter, composer, music producer, and instrumentalist. As a performer, he plays an instrument or two ... or three ... or four ... or even five, simultaneously on stage. With his multifaceted musicianship and knack for improvisation, Brion has become popular in both the music and film industry.

As a film composer, Brion recently scored and wrote songs for the comedy film I (heart) Huckabees. In 2006, he composed the score to The Break Up. He also composed the score to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, for which he received a Best Score nomination by the World Soundtrack Awards. Additionally, Brion also composed scores for the recent films Punch-Drunk Love (2001) and Magnolia (1999), the latter of which earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Score.

High in demand as a producer and studio musician, Brion often finds himself working with a number of major industry names, collaborating with artists that include Kanye West, Dido, Macy Gray, Rufus Wainwright, The Crystal Method, Jude Cole, Susanna Hoffs, Sam Phillips, and the Eels. Brion contributed much of the sound on Aimee Mann's two solo albums and produced Fiona Apple's debut album "Tidal." He also produced much of Apple's second album.

In addition to his collaboration with top artists, Brion as a performer has released his own work. His first solo album, "Meaningless," was released in 2001. He had previously released "Ro Sham Bo" with his former band, the Grays, which included popular Jellyfish guitarist Jason Falkner.

As a live performer, Brion is well known for his live one-man improvisational act at the famous West Hollywood nightclub Largo. Every Friday night for the past eight years, fans and newcomers have come to see Brion's popular show, which consists of his multi-instrumental performance, song improvisations (often mixes of songs shouted from the audience), and eclectic cover versions of songs by Cheap Trick and the Beatles.

Brion's versatile talent is no surprise. His father was director of Yale's concert and marching bands, and his mother was a singer for various jazz bands. After leaving his hometown of New Haven, Connecticut, Brion moved to Boston. In Boston, he fine-tuned his melodic and improvisational skills, eventually leading to periodic studio work in California, where he eventually moved in the '90s.

Brion is currently in the studio recording a second solo album.

HAL WILLNER (Music supervisor) is among the most eclectic and original producers in contemporary music, helming a series of wildly ambitious concept albums that tapped the talents of artists running the gamut from pop to jazz to the avant-garde. Born in Philadelphia in 1957, he first earned notice in 1981 with "Amarcord Nino Rota," a tribute to the legendary composer best known for his collaborations with filmmaker Federico Fellini. In addition to contributions from pop icon Debbie Harry and jazz-piano great Jaki Byard, the collection also featured appearances by then unknowns Wynton Marsalis and Bill Frisell. That same year, Willner also signed on as the music supervisor for the long-running NBC sketch comedy series "Saturday Night Live," a position he holds to this day.

"That's the Way I Feel Now -- A Tribute to Thelonious Monk," a showcase for acts ranging from Dr. John to Joe Jackson to John Zorn, followed in 1984, and a year later Willner launched "Lost in the Stars -- The Music of Kurt Weill," which featured contributions from Sting, Tom Waits, and Lou Reed. A year later, after turning to film, he worked on a pair of 1987 projects: Heaven and Candy Mountain. Willner earned considerable notice for "Stay Awake," a tribute to the classic music of Walt Disney's animated films that featured Ringo Starr, Sun Ra, and Sinead O'Connor. Music for animated films remained one of his preoccupations in the years that followed and, in 1990, he assembled "The Carl Stalling Project," a collection of vintage cartoon scores from the legendary Warner Bros. studio composer. (A sequel appeared in 1995.)

In 1989, Willner began a stint as producer on the innovative but short-lived syndicated television series "Michelob Presents: Night Music," followed in 1992 by "Weird Nightmare -- Meditations on Mingus," another all-star tribute, this time featuring Elvis Costello, Keith Richards, and Henry Rollins. A year later, he collaborated with filmmaker Robert Altman on the acclaimed Short Cuts, a working relationship that extended to 1996's Kansas City and its accompanying "Robert Altman's Jazz '34." After wrapping up 1998's "Closed on Account of Rabies: Poems and Tales of Edgar Allan Poe" (spotlighting performances by Iggy Pop, Ken Nordine, and Jeff Buckley), Willner signed to Howie B.'s Pussyfoot label to release his proper solo debut "Whoops, I'm an Indian!"

Other record-producing assignments followed, notably albums for Lou Reed ("Ecstasy," Warner Bros.), and Laurie Anderson ("Life on A String," Nonesuch), as well as a series of live-event tributes to Edgar Allan Poe, Allen Ginsberg, Harry Smith, Lenny Bruce, and the Marquis De Sade. These tributes featured an incredibly diverse group of performers including Lou Reed, Wynton Marsalis, Elvis Costello, Will Ferrell, Gavin Friday, Beck, Steve Earle, Anthony and the Johnsons, Marianne Faithful, David Johannsen, Chloe Webb, and Philip Glass.

More recent music supervision projects in film include building a score from obscure Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman recordings for Gus Van Sant's Finding Forrester, collaborations with Bono, Daniel Lanois, and Brian Eno on Wim Wender's Million Dollar Hotel, and Adam McKay's Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, both starring Will Ferrell.

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