The Gillder Frontier will produce the feature film “Seclusion” written by Ross Mihalko.
Ross Mihalko
Ross Mihalko is a queer writer, director, author, and lyricist who has been weaving words into worlds for well over 20 years. He’s written for major motion picture studios and independent producers, developing pieces and programs for museums, schools, and nationally recognized performing arts camps around the world.
In his early career, Ross shared his love of dramatic storytelling as a theatre teacher, working with students ranging from preschool through college. He taught playwriting at the world-renowned Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp in Steamboat Springs, CO. From there he went on to head up the dramatic arts program at Summit School in Winston-Salem, NC, where he was a dramaturg and director of such classic Broadway shows as: Bye Bye Birdie, The Music Man, Annie, Guys and Dolls, and Oklahoma. Even after he left the program, Ross was invited to create several original play series for the school, including The Mystery Club and Y.A. Academy plays, which were later published and performed throughout the world via Samuel French and Playscripts. Ross was also the writer, director, and producer of the one act play collection, Jung Girls In Freudian Slips, which was performed Off-Broadway in New York City.
After moving to Los Angeles in 2011, Ross worked directly with Lionsgate as a co-writer for the English translations of several direct to video foreign animated feature films including: Snowflake The White Gorilla, Wings, Frog Kingdom, Birds of Paradise, The Little Penguin Pororo’s Racing Adventure, and Heroes. Additionally, he created, wrote, and voice-acted in the original short animated educational series The Healthy Heroes for Hanesbrands, Inc. in North Carolina.
As a filmmaker, Ross co-created an experimental short film, An Ounce of Mother, which was an official selection in the 13th annual Boston Underground Film Festival and won “Best Film Shot on a Mobile Device” in the world’s first iPhone app film festival. He was also the co-writer and lyricist for the musical comedy short film, Texas Annie: The Legend of the Moan Ranger, which made its World Premier at the Dances with Films festival in Hollywood June 15, 2018 and has had the honor of appearing in such festivals as: Cindependent Film Festival. Cinekink, The Female Eye Film Festival, Women Texas Film Festival, and the Speed Art Museum, among others. The feature screenplay version of Texas Annie, co-written with Jennifer Howd, was nominated for Best Feature Screenplay at Cindependent Film Festival 2019.
Ross is also the co-writer of the short horror film Serial Dater, which has been programed into several 2019 festivals, including Seattle’s Crypticon Horror Festival, Little Terrors Short Film Festival, The Horror/Thriller/Suspense Festival, FilmQuest, Atlanta Horror Film Festival, and the iHorror film festival. It’s also a finalist for the LA Crime and Horror Festival.
His original children’s novel series, The Saga of Sadie Shipsinker, is currently seeking publication while he works on his next book: Mythic Ally – A Tale Of Nun’ya Business.
You can learn more about Ross and his work at www.rossmihalko.com.