Robert James – Producer/Writer/Director
A midlife career change took Robert from being a novice videographer to a burgeoning filmmaker that began with Film Production classes at City College San Francisco in 2009.
An internship with a documentary filmmaker quickly launched Robert into his first short film for which he co-directed, produced and wrote. Library of Dust went on to festival acclaim and awards. After creating NuReality Productions based in Berkeley CA, Robert began work on a series called The Night Minister that completed production after shooting for 6 years, and is in development now. During this time, Robert also made his first feature documentary film, RUMINATIONS about a reclusive drag performer from the 1960’s. VERASPHERE: A Love Story in Costume, came next. This 20-minute short film explores themes of Love, Survival, Art and Community. This short film led to a feature film launching in the summer of 2020 called Mrs. Vera’s Daybook. Robert is drawn toward provocative and edgy subject matter. All of his films involve artistic creation while exploring themes of mental illness, sex & religion, gender identity and long-term AIDS survival.
Nick Blond – Writer/Editor
Since moving from Humboldt County to the SF Bay Area in 2011, Nick Blond has worked as a freelance videographer, capturing and editing commercial productions, corporate events, music videos, and award winning documentaries including Ruminations (2018), VERASPHERE: A Love Story in Costume (2019), and King of the Road (2019). Though focusing primarily on editing, Nick has worn almost every hat in the industry at one point or another. With a wide range of projects under his belt, Nick finds most of his passion in telling lesser-known stories that educate, challenge, or otherwise make an impact on viewers and promote positive social change.
Rudy Behrens – Cinematographer
Rudy Behrens is a Bay Area cinematographer and editor and Mrs. Vera’s Daybook will be his third film with NuReality Productions.
Rudy loves working on projects like Mrs. Vera’s Daybook that focus on passionate weirdos that follow their vision through any extreme. He hopes to one day be such a figure himself.
Steven Clark – Composer
Steven Clark is a native Bay Area composer and producer who creates genre-bending music for theater, film, games, commercials, and the concert hall. His music has been performed by Earplay, the Arditti String Quartet, the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra; his film scores have been heard at the Sundance Film Festival; and he’s produced remixes for Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Green Day, the Black Eyed Peas, and many others. Steven has a Ph. D. in music composition from U.C. Berkeley and in his spare time he manages the Audio Design team at Google Nest. Steven has marched proudly with Verasphere since 2013.
Andy Cowitt – Composer
Andy is a songwriter/multi-instrumentalist with East Bay pop combo, Special Ghosts, and a longtime member of the Immersion Composition Society. He recently performed several of his original Golden Gate Park songs at the online celebration of the park’s sesquicentennial. Andy has pranced along with the Verasphere for many years but isn’t really sure how many. Twelve maybe? Thirteen? He is currently sheltering in place with his goofy dog Blue and husband Michael.
Michael Wertz – Illustrator
Michael Wertz is a noted Illustrator, Professor at the California College of the Arts, and Friend of Judy. He hails from the dense forests of Northerncalifornialand, where he once met a lion, a tiger, and a bear. He loves bold, bright colors in all formats, but his preferred method at the moment is screenprinting. His work has been recognized by Communication Arts and American Illustration, and he has worked with clients like The DeYoung Museum, The New York Times, and Camper Van Beethoven. His book Golden Gate Park: An A to Z Adventure can be found at bookstores now. Because of the Verasphere, he has marched in the parade every year since 2005. He misses you.