MEET THE TEAM

THIS FILM STARTED AS MOST THINGS DO; WITH A VISION.

Let's meet the two visionaries behind Flipp'd.

Krissa Hosto: Writer/Co-Director

Krissa Hosto (she/her) is a Missouri State University graduate with a BFA in Acting for Stage and Screen, but her skills expand far beyond acting. She was a writer, a director, and a creator. She spent years writing things that would never see the light of day, but in her senior year, one of these fun 'mess-around' scripts really stuck to her. The idea wouldn't leave her alone, and pretty soon Krissa was pulling together a group of artists from across all majors to bring Flipp'd to life. "When I started writing Flipp'd, it was with nothing but the intent to examine how it feels to be young, alive, and unsure of anything. And when I finished writing Aidy and Cara's story, I did so in the hopes that they would inspire people to take a chance on the unknown." Krissa served early on in the process as the team's Creative Director, breathing life, depth, and color into the story. Krissa knew she wanted to act in it, so the search for a Co-Director stretched through most of the Pre-Production process. Once Co-Director Celeste was found, Krissa could focus on bringing her script to the screen. "I've gotten to watch the effect of our film and it's message before it's even been captured."

Parker Rhodes: Producer

D.P. Rhodes (they/them) is a Missouri State University graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Creative Writing, but in Flipp'd their talent shone through being the production's Producer. Parker and Krissa have worked together on set many times, and even met each other on both of their first film sets. "So many of the people who are working on this project I've worked with before, like Krissa who I've somehow worked with on almost every project I've been a part of." Upon reading the first draft, Parker was insistent on Flipp'd and making it happen. They took to their role like a fish to water, doing everything a good Producer should do, and so much more. "Something I've really loved about working on Flipp'd was being able to collaborate and make something so cool, and the new challenges it has provided me as a producer."

FLIPP'D IS MORE THAN ONE PERSON'S STORY.

It is the story of all of us.

Writer Krissa Hosto brought the story of "Flipp'd" to colleague and confidante D.P. Rhodes in the winter of 2023, and since then the two were convinced that they had stumbled onto something special.

When I started writing it, I was experiencing a time in my life where I was losing myself. I had always been a confident, outgoing, and self-assured person, but lately I had started fearing the future and doubting myself. I had lost sight of all the things in life that make it so special. Aidy and Cara became my way of pulling myself out of that mindset and reminding myself of my own values: Life is special because you make it special.

The script bloomed over multiple drafts, re-edits, and late nights, and the characters grew and grew. At this point in time, they had no plan for a cast, a crew, or even a means of producing anything. They were denied access of any equipment from their school, and they needed to find a place to start. Much of the early process was discussing what couldn't be done and what could.

We started out with a small budget, so everything needed to be doable. We needed a skeleton crew for those multiple long nights shooting outside; only the essentials. But the two of us also talked about creating the right environment for our team. Knowing we'd have a crew that could bring fun and community on set, we needed to make sure our priority was treating the crew right; we set right to work meal planning for long shoots and partnering with local companies for catering, as well as getting ahead of our scheduling needs.

Hosto and Rhodes partnered on the project, with Hosto serving as the creative eye and Rhodes supplying the logical expertise of how to bring intention to action.

FLIPP'D IS MORE THAN ONE PERSON'S STORY.

It is the story of all of us.

It is our great honor to introduce you to the incredible team behind "FLIPP'D:"

TEAM

Celeste Swick Co-Director

Celeste Swick (she/her) was the incredible Director on-set for "Fipp'd" that brought the vision forth. She worked tirelessly with Krissa to translate the intention into action, and the result has been breathtaking. With a strong and commanding presence on set and her attention to communication among her crew, Celeste brought the film to life. "As an Actor I [was] excited to learn from all my peers in this experience, as well as to create something very authentic to the audience." Despite stepping up to plate brilliantly as Director, Celeste is also an actor in award winning short films. She graduated from Missouri State University with a BFA in Acting.

Charles Sargent Director of Photography

Charles Sargent (he/him) was our DP for Flipp'd, and since day one has brought with him enthusiasm for the project, a keen cinematic eye, and an immediate inspiration for the final product. "The creative vision [was] coming together right before our eyes." Aside from being an incredibly skilled Cinematographer, Charles also works in Springfield as a notable Freelance Photographer in St. Louis and Springfield Missouri and a recipiant of the 2023 "Steven L. Schoen Photographer of the Year" Award. Even with all of this, he is currently still obtaining a degree in Digital Film and TV Production at Missouri State University.

Autumn Girgin

Assistant Director

Autumn Girgin (she/her) served valiantly as the Assistant Director on the set of Flipp'd, bringing her years of experience and keen attention to detail to the production. Autumn graduated with a BS in Digital Film Production, and now attends Missouri State University as a Graduate student in the MFA Writing Program. She is currently working on a feature film saga of her own.

Georgeanna Cannon

Casting Director

Georgeanna (she/her) graduated from Missouri State University with a degree in Political Science, but she is also an outstanding performer with over 18 years of stage acting experience. "This is my first short film, and I cannot be more grateful for my team members." A previous attendee of the BFA program with Krissa, George was immediately recognized by her and Parker as the perfect person with the discerning eye needed for casting this film.

Sarah Hinkson

Social Media Manager/BTS

Sarah Hinkson (she/her) is our fearless Social Media Manager for the Flipp'd Production. Sarah graduatd from the Missouri State University BA/BS Theatre Program. She also took her talents behind the scenes on set to capture much of the promotional footage you'll be purusing through on our site. "This will be my first time taking pictures on a set. I'm looking forward to working with this amazing cast and crew!"

James Oetinger

Gaffer

James Oetinger (he/him) was the mastermind behind Flipp'ds impeccable lighting, working as our on-set Gaffer. James graduated from Missouri State University with his Bachelor of Science in Digital Film and TV Production.

Em Wiltfong

Costume Design

Em Wiltfong (she/they) was our costumer on set for Flipp'd, resposible for the eyegrabbing and color popping ensembles on screen. Along with pulling the costume pieces, several pieces, including Aidy's iconic rainbow knit sweater, were hand made by theirs truly. EM took their Degree in Fashion Design and founded Jam Jar Clothing. Flipp'd is honored to partner with Jam Jar on this film.

Caroline Sluss

Head of Audio

Caroline Sluss (any/all) captured the sounds of Flipp'd and helped us make magic. They currently attend Missouri State University majoring in Digital Film and TV Production, having worked with many members of the crew before.

"From the beginning we talked about me acting in the film as well as directing it. It was an idea that I entertained, because I wanted to direct just as much as I wanted to act, and I just wasn't sure if I could do both, as this was my first time directing for film. As we got deeper into the process and came out with a pretty solid draft of the script, I realized that I definitely wanted to act. We weren't sure which character I would play, but they were both such a close part of me. We decided we would leave it up to casting."

And boy did casting make the right call with Mara. Let's take a moment to appreciate our wonderful cast...

CAST

Krissa Hosto as Aidy

Krissa Hosto (she/her) plays Aidy, the quirky and introspective college student looking for someone who understands what she is going through... and perhaps ends up finding something more? Krissa graduated with a BFA in Acting on Stage and Screen, a Minor in Philosophy and Communications, and an Acting on Camera Certificate. She has made several appearances in the theatre scene in Chicago, as well as over fifteen short film credits. Described as fire in a bottle, Krissa's performances are warm and inviting but hissing with heat, shedding a light on what, in life, needs to be seen.

Mara Kolberg as Cara

Mara Kolberg (she/her) plays Cara, the confident yet guarded college student that ends up bonding with Aidy over the course of a night in ways neither of them expected. Mara graduated with an Acting BFA, a Minor in Dance, and an Acting on Camera Certificate, exploring facets of working around the camera and on-stage. Mara recently starred in a new short film, visual campaign and, set to star in another upcoming short film. Described as a Mary Poppins Bag of Activities, she loves trying something new or telling a fun life story.

Kait Hernandez

as Laurie (Extra)

Czyz Bledsoe

as Jace (Extra)

Kyle Stoddard

as Mark (Extra)

Jachin “Yaya” Liké

as Carson (Extra)

Charlie Foy

as Sammi (Extra)

Charles Sargent

as Bouncer

Victoria Campos

as Alex (Extra)

Sarah Hinkson

as Marnie (Extra)

More to come...

We had a fantastic team of extras and background actors that have made working on this film a pleasure, and will be paying tribute to them here soon. Until then, feel free to find them in our BTS gallery by clicking HERE!

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