:: amp: the cast ::

Home | The Film | The Cast | The Making Of..

Christopher Rossi (Writer / Director)
Christopher is a graduate of Cornell University and an actor and writer. In addition to Amp, written work includes Hardcore Amateur, Amanda Kane, and Failure. As an actor in New York he has performed in numerous off-Broadway plays and 'indie' films. He is a member of Tom Gilroy and Lili Taylor's Machine Full Theater Company. Amp is his first directorial effort.

Amir Proushani (Producer)
Amir Proushani is a graduate of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television. Splitting his time between directing and producing, Mr. Proushani has had success with short films before, winning an MTV Award in 1999 for HERE IT COMES.

Reza Safai (Frick)
Reza is a professor of Film and Theater at Antelope Valley College. He received his Bachelor and Masters degree in Acting from The University of California Los Angeles. Reza is the co-founder of the Opiyummy Film and Video group which led to the making of five independently produced films and documentaries. He has acted and starred in several plays throughout the Los Angeles area. He continues to be a key actor in many independent films including Push, F-Stops and Don Quixote. Mr. Safai also wrote, directed, and starred in Transplant - a one person show. Mr. Safai has also worked for five years in Palo Alto with Community Association for Rehabilitation (C.A.R.) as a volunteer and recreational specialist. He is the host of The Simple Stage, a forum for artists to present and receive feedback on plays.

Josh Welsh (Stewart)
A member of the Actors Studio, Mr. Welsh has studied acting with Salome Jens, Barry Primus as well as the Strasberg Theater Institute in Los Angeles, and at the Wilma Theatre in Philadelphia. His theater credits include "The Subscription" and "The Collaborators," both written by Josh Worth and directed by Maureen Weiss, and "Amp," written and directed by Chris. Mr. Welsh also starred in Thomas Hurlimann's "The Envoy" directed by Martin Magner at the Marilyn Monroe Theatre. Mr. Welsh works at IFP/LA where he is the Filmmaker Lab Administrator. Before moving to Los Angeles, Mr. Welsh earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from Johns Hopkins University and taught at Swarthmore College.

Talia Zapien (Marisol)
Talia is an actress and native LA resident. She recently had a co-starring roll with Edward James Olmos on the PBS network's American Family. She looks forward to more work in Film and Television.

Lisa Wiegand (Director of Photography)
Lisa Wiegand graduated summa cum laude from Wayne State University with a degree in film and television. She moved to Los Angeles in 1993, where she enrolled at UCLA, eventually earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in cinematography. In 1999, the UCLA film festival honored Lisa with its award for best cinematography for her work on Jornada del Muerto, a period drama directed by Matteaus Szumanski. Lisa's other credits include Shopping for Fangs, her first 35mm feature. Lisa was featured by FilmMaker Magazine as an "important new face" in independent filmmaking. Already a rare commodity as a woman cinematographer, LisaÕs expertise branches out even further with the use of the digital format. In her free time, Lisa teaches cinematography at Loyola Marymount University and Cal State University at Long Beach as well as her alma mater, UCLA.

Michael "Cowboy" Witczak (1st AC / Key Grip / Gaffer)
I am from Oregon. I am 22. I drive a Dodge Ram. My favorite actor is John Wayne. My favorite director is John Ford. My favorite cinematographer is Janusz Kaminski. I graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2002 with a degree in Film Production. I came to Los Angeles two months after I turned 18. I first realized that I wanted to make movies when I was 8 years old after I watched The Adventures of Robin Hood, the Michael Curtiz classic from 1939. I want to be a cinematographer. My favorite drink is Jack Daniel's. If you need to know anything else, call me because I'm not sure.

Anna Khaja (2nd AC / Boom operator)
Anna is a graduate of the UCLA school of Theater, Film, and Television. She is an actress by trade. Recent television work includes a co-starring role on Lifetime's For The People. Theater and summer stock includes Pentecost at the Evidence room, Soldier Girl at the Whitmore-Lindley and Ockham's Razor at Trade city and Noises Off in Montana. Film work includes the award winning indie Man, Woman, Film.

Melinda Redfoot (Sound Technician)