CHICK'S CAST AND CREW
 

USTH:  How many people are in the crew of Chick ?
KS:  It depends.  We shot 7 fully-produced episodes – the first five that aired and two more that will appear towards the end of season one.  During that shoot, we had a crew of probably thirty or forty.  During the video blog section of the series, oftentimes it's just me out there shooting.  Which needless to say can get a bit crazy.  I wish I had someone shooting behind the scenes footage of the craziness I go through getting some shots at times.

USTH:  Who made the costumes that the characters wear in Chick ?
KS:  I came up with the basic concept for the Fantastica costume, and Rachel Stivers, our great costume designer, helped me realize the vision.  Most of the clothes are from the actors' own wardrobes with embellishments from us.  Wildfire and the character of Dot, who hasn’t appeared yet, had a few more pieces we created specifically for their characters.

USTH:  Who does the art for your series in terms of opening credits, logos, and promotional art?
KS:  Well, it's often a one-woman show over here.  I designed the Chick logo a couple of years ago.  And created the concept for the opening animated credit.  Shot myself in front of green screen with the help of my producer Kimberly Huie and then sent the footage off to our great visual effects guy Justin Herrmann to turn it into the animated logo you see at the beginning of each episode.  Any other art connected to the project, I did.

USTH:  Who are the other actors in Chick ?  Are they friends of yours from the acting community, or did you hold a formal audition process to cast Hunter and Wildfire?
KS:  We held formal auditions for the roles of Hunter, Dot and Leonard who show up later in the season.  Melissa De Sousa, who plays Wildfire, and I have been friends for years.  She's quite an established actor in her own right but when she read the role of Wildfire, which gets much more interesting in season two, she said she wanted to play her.  I was thrilled since I love her work and loved the idea of Wildfire being a sexy, latin vixen.  Kimberly Huie plays a hilarious Jamaican, wannabe superhero named Herricane Furie who shows up in Episode 14 of Chick.  I fantasize about having all my hot, female actor friends playing different superheroes as the show progresses.  I just want to have fun with this project, and sharing it with my friends who've toiled along with me in the entertainment business is awesome.

USTH:  Any other crew members you'd like to give special mention or thanks to?
KS:  I genuinely loved every cast and crew member on this project.  If I had to mention a couple of people…
Sandra Valde, our cinematographer, really made the visuals of Chick come to life.  We were in sync from the very beginning.  I got a lot of inspiration for Chick from the French film Amelie.  At the very beginning of my first meeting with Sandra to discuss the project, she mentioned Amelie as a visual reference for the series not knowing I’d been referencing that film for months.  With me wearing so many hats on this production, she made my life much easier.
Kimberly Huie, our producer, was also the production designer for Chick.  She honored our mandate to be a green film production while also making the world of Chick come to life through the environments we created.  Kimberly is an actress by trade but my gut told me she was meant to be a part of this project.  So one night when I was over at her house, I told her I felt she was meant to be a part of the project but I didn't know how.  She immediately blurted out "production design," and even though she'd never done that job before, I knew she'd be perfect.  We really clicked during production, and when we had to do reshoots, I asked her to come on board as a producer.  She has been my major support system.  I'm not sure what I would do without her.
Barbara Fisher, our co-producer, is also an amazing support system.  She’s the positive, inspiring voice during those times when I’m second guessing myself.  A true Chick believer.