Meet the Crew

Phyllis Toben Bancroft | Edward James Gage | Boris Schaarschmidt | Timothy D. Harris | Sara Hunter

Phyllis Toben Bancroft - Producer - Award-winning filmmaker Phyllis Bancroft has been successful as a writer/director and producer in several disciplines, including film, television, theater, and the Internet.

She is the recipient of BET Network’s prestigious ‘Lens on Talent” award. With the $100,000 award she co-wrote, produced and directed BURNED, an emotionally wrenching film that tells the story of a female fire fighter and Air Force veteran who returns from the Iraq war suffering from PTSD. Currently in post-production, BURNED is scheduled to air on BET this summer.

Previous to BURNED Ms. Bancroft produced SPENT, a heart breaking story of a woman whose consumerism leads to tragedy. The film is the recipient of numerous honors and has been screened at more than 30 film festivals. Honors include a “Best Short Film” award, being screened at Lionsgate’s annual screening series (“Expose Your Shorts”), and being named a Finalist at the USA Film Festival.

In addition to producing a total of five short films Phyllis has also produced the web series ERNIE’S GIRLS, a comedic look at modern marriage and fatherhood through the life of ‘Ernie,’ a husband and father who is teeming with testosterone and drowning in a sea of estrogen. Hilarious and moving, it has been the recipient of several honors, including the 2010 L.A Web Series award for “Outstanding Achievement” and being an official selection of the 2010 Pan African Film Festival.

Ms. Bancroft has studied at some of the most prestigious cultural institutions, including the AFI, where she received an MFA in Producing; Columbia University, where she studied Advanced Film Production with ‘Indy’ legend James Schamus (Focus Features); and Lincoln Center’s Directors Lab.

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, she began her entertainment career with acting studies at New York’s prestigious Circle in the Square and Circle Rep theaters. Her first directing credits were in theater. She has directed over 25 plays, many of which she developed and work-shopped at venues that included Playwrights Horizons, the Smithsonian Institute, and the Harold Clurman Theater.

As an artist her goal is to use the various media, including film, television, theater, and the Internet to entertain audiences while shedding light on topics close to her heart.

Edward James Gage - Creator / Writer - Edward James Gage, the creator, writer and lead actor of the series is a character actor. He wrote Ernie's Girls as a vehicle to utilize his own talents. Mr. Gage was born and reared in Los Angeles. He attended Centennial High School in Compton before enrolling in Cal State, Fullerton University where he played football and majored in Biology. After college he went to work as a Private Investigator/Body Guard/Bounty Hunter, a career he enjoyed for several years; until he decided to put away his badge and pursue his love of acting. In his 17 years in the industry he has had guest appearances on such television shows as The Office, My Name is Earl, That's So Raven, ER, Friends, Bones, Mad TV, Malcolm in the Middle (8 times) and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia to name a few. He has also appeared in such films as Die Hard 4, Proud American, Remarkable Power, The One, Money Talks and An American Crime. Mr. Gage has written several films and television pilots (two of which reached the semi-finals of the 2008 Page International Screenwriting Competition), and is the creator, writer and star of the web series and soon to be TV pilot 'Ernie's Girls.'

Boris Schaarschmidt - Director - After earning a B.A. in Cinematography at the University of Applied Sciences in Dortmund, Germany, and successfully screening his short films WET SHAVE and PROJECTIONS in numerous national and international film festivals, Boris Schaarschmidt came to the US to attend the American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles. He graduated in 2007 with an MFA in Directing.

Awarded with an annual scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and with the Pat Hitchcock O’Connell Scholarship Award for his AFI project 1916, Boris was one of only a few directors at AFI who was given the opportunity to direct two thesis films: GREEN and SPENT. Both films did very well in the festival circuit and SPENT just recently won the BET Lens on Talent Award 2010 worth $100.000 towards a new project.

Boris is currently directing a series of webisodes called ERNIE’S GIRLS and is in pre-production for the horror/comedy THE DEVIL IN THE KITCHEN while getting his first feature length script MAUJA on the way.

For more information visit www.borisschaarschmidt.com.

Timothy D. Harris - Associate Producer - Versatile and talented are the words used to describe Timothy D. Harris. Timothy or Tim, who hails from Memphis, Tennessee, has been acting off and on his entire life. He began his acting career at a young age appearing in several church and school plays throughout his home town. Later in life, Timothy relocated to Los Angeles, California to continue to pursue his career within the commercial, film and television industry. Tim Harris has appeared in a number of television shows and films which includes: Committed, Las Vegas, Kath and Kim, Rita Rocks, Conspiracy and Katt Williams: American Hustle. Tim Harris is currently working on various acting projects that are set to go into full production. He is also expanding his talents in the industry as a producer. His latest production project that is in the works is entitled “Ernie’s Girls”. Remember the name, Tim Harris, coming to a theater and a television set near you.

Sara Hunter - Marketing Intern / Web Manager - After graduating from Hendrix College, with a degree in anthropology, Sara moved back home to Southern California. Since her first gig as a production assistant, Sara has been finding her way through the business.

She has been a production assistant on several films and is now the marketing intern for Ernie's Girls.