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Production Bios
Allen L. Sowelle – Writer/Director/Editor
Under the Abyssinian Moon banner, co-founder Allen Sowelle recently wrote, directed, and edited a 24p DV project titled “60 Seconds of Distance.”
The urban drama focusing on the trials and tribulations of formerly incarcerated youth featured and integrated cast of SAG actors and former gang members.
Seasoned actor Gary Dourdan (CSI), essayed the role of prison poet Dylan. Dourdan was also featured in Sowelle’s first 35 mm film short, unromantic comedy,
Wanted: Soulful Energy Xchange, starring Mari Morrow (Beauty Shop & National Security).
Sowelle also was hired by WWE films to rewrite dialogue and for character development in the Lion’s Gate release, See No Evil.
The horror film directed by acclaimed music video director Gregory Dark is slated for release in Fall 2005.
In 2004, Sowelle, an alumnus of the Dr. Bill Cosby Screenwriting Fellowship, Sowelle’s screenplay Slipping Into Darkness, is currently
under development for Gregory Dark’s Sharkworks Entertainment and Abyssinian Moon Productions. Gary Dourdan is attached for the lead role.
Sowelle’s editing credits include, Discovery Channel’s hit series Monster Garage, a DVD added value featurette for the Will Ferrell hit Elf,
America's Most Wanted, and other Discovery Channel documentaries.
A former high school teacher and Gang Interventionist, Sowelle earned his Bachelor's Degree in World Literature and
Journalism at UC Santa Cruz, as well as completed work on his Master's Degree in Teledramatic Arts & Technology at CSU Monterey Bay.
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Lizette Jamison - Producer
Lizette freelances in television production and as a Producer in television and film. She is the Line Producer (35mm feature film projects) for Mark Hicks’ First Place Productions, and through her partnership with Abyssinian Moon Productions, Lizette most recently produced a National commercial for Proflowers.com (shot on 35mm), and Wanted: Soulful Energy Xchange.
Wanted: Soulful Energy Xchange has screened at the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival, Pan African Film Festival,
Africa In The Picture in The Netherlands (Amsterdam), was selected into Hollywood Black Film Festival, and recently picked up by The Russell Simmons Hip Hop Channel, and
RAI – Italian Television.
Recent projects include The 46th Grammy Awards, The 19th Annual Stellar Awards, The Gospel of Music with Jeff Majors for TV One,
a new National Cable Network, The 3rd Annual BET Awards, BET Walk of Fame Honoring Aretha Franklin,
Producer on the 20th Television/FOX Pilot Really Live with Jamie White (of Star 98.7),
Associate Producer on CBS’s Survivor: Thailand Finale & Reunion, Associate Producer on the Italian short film,
A Pena Do Pana starring Vincent Schiavelli; The 17th Annual Stellar Awards, The 2001 Essence Awards, and
The 2001 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, Show Producer on the first season of Oh Drama, for BET, and Segment Producer
on the King World talk/variety program, The Roseanne Show. Other projects include Rysher Entertainment’s Nash Bridges,
and early in her career she worked on the Disney feature film George of The Jungle and the Warner Brothers feature film Sphere.
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Kim Nelson – Executive Producer
For six years, Kim Nelson has taught poetry at the Log Cabin Ranch, a juvenile detention facility, with WritersCorps.
She is also area coordinator and field poet for California Poets in the Schools in the Santa Cruz area. She has been teaching
poetry to the designated at risk population who are incarcerated, in group homes, at clean and sober schools, alternative high
schools, homeless shelters, et al for the last 11 years. She also teaches elementary school students, and has been a guest poet in
many situations, including Soledad Prison. She founded the Countywide High School Poetry Competition in Santa Cruz, now in its 11th year,
and now produced by Poetry Santa Cruz.
She co-hosts the Poetry Show on KUSP public radio in Santa Cruz, and often showcases the work of youth and those incarcerated.
Kim is a graduate of Columbia University, studied acting with Anna Deavere Smith, theater with a National Living Treasure family in
Japan, and drumming with master drummer Abdulai in Senegal, Africa.
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Daniel Agemotu served 17 months at Log Cabin Ranch detention facility.
While he was there he attended Kim Nelson’s WritersCorps
writing workshops and represented the Ranch as a finalist in San Francisco poetry slams, as well as at the national
WritersCorps slam in Washington D.C. Since completing his program at the ranch Daniel has been
working in construction, as well as with kids through a community program.
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Maurice Harger graduated from his program at Log Cabin Ranch several years ago.
Also a student of Kim Nelson’s writing workshops, Maurice worked on the collaboration between
WritersCorps and Co-Lab (a San Francisco State project), with both Kim and painter
Victor Cartegena, creating paintings that include text. One of his paintings was used as the image on the annual postcard
WritersCorps distributes for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. He also wrote an essay for the
WritersCorps website. His paintings are featured in 60 Seconds of Distance.
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