MEET THE CREW
The team behind
Rose Hanish is an actor and screenwriter based in New York. She may be known, most recently, from writing/producing her dark-comedy short film, Walter (Dances With Films Festival NYC 2024), and stage-managing/producing the experimental theatre piece, PRUNE (FringePVD 2024, winner of “Audience Favorite: Social Commentary” award). Rose graduated from Emerson College in May 2024 with a degree in Theatre & Performance, and she seeks to blend her practical knowledge of theatrical acting with her previous experience of directing actors on film.
Rose Hanish
Writer, Co-Director, Cast
Julia Cross
Julia Cross is a Boston-based director and screenwriter who brings a theatrical lens and steadfast commitment to the aesthetics of every project she works on. In 2024 she graduated from Emerson College with a B.A. in Media Arts Production and a Minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies. Her most recent film, “Compulsive” (2025) uses dance and music to explore a young woman’s lesbian awakening. She aims to explore queerness, performance, and sex in her genre-straddling and music-driven work.
Co-Director
Sannette Gaia is one of the producers for ‘Benchwarmer’. Hailing from Salem, OR, now based in Brooklyn, NY, her credits span across plays and music videos to short and feature length films working closely with clients such as Vogue Giambri’s Bebop Productions, Alexi Wasser, Sophia La Corte, along with multiple short film credits which have participated in festivals such as NYLFF, Miami Film Fest, & more. She graduated from NYU’s Tisch in 2023 with a degree in Film & Television and a minor in Public Relations. In 2024, she launched her own LLC. titled ‘Bleeding Dove Pictures’
Sannette Gaia
Producer
Lida Everhart graduated Emerson College with a major in Media Arts Production and a minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Her directorial projects have screened at Chattanooga Film Festival, Big Apple Film Festival, and GRRL Haus, and her producing portfolio includes music videos and short film projects. Her noteable producing projects include her own thesis "Something's Wrong With Kit", the proof-of-concept pilot "Bunk Beds", and the queer fantasy short "Cauldrons and Kickflips".
Lida Everhart
Producer
Alexa Back is a New-York based Director and Producer whose focus lies in comedy, grief media, and television. She's produced multiple short films including "Something's Wrong With Kit", an official selection of the Big Apple Film Festival and Boundless Film Festival, her film "Bunk Beds", a proof-of-concept pilot for a limited series, and more. She graduated Emerson College with a major in Media Arts Production and a minor in Journalism. Her interest in queer storytelling contributes not only to her film work but also to her Journalism, with published articles featuring prominent queer figures.
Alexa Back
Producer & Second Assistant Director
Sarina Lopresti is a 1st Assistant Director based in Los Angeles, originally from Wisconsin and Vermont, with a BFA from Emerson College in Boston. With 1st AD experience on over three dozen projects- from commercials and music videos to award-winning short films- Sarina brings focus, structure, and sharp coordination to every set. Their passion lies in supporting visionary filmmakers by creating the space and systems needed for creative freedom to thrive.
Sarina LoPresti
First Assistant Director
Olaa Olabi is a first-generation Syrian-American cinematographer based in Brooklyn, NYC. She developed a passion for documenting the world around her at a young age, capturing the nuances and intimacy of human emotion on the family camcorder. This early love for storytelling through the lens has evolved into a style that continues to prioritize the initial values of authenticity and emotional depth. Her latest feature, Lady Parts, has earned widespread acclaim on the festival circuit, including the Jury Award for Comedy Vanguard Feature at the Austin Film Festival. Her short film No Other Gods But Me also garnered recognition, winning award such as Best Narrative Short: Jury Special Mention at the Atlanta Film Festival and was also featured on NoBudge where it remains one of the top-viewed films.
Olaa Olabi
Director of Photography
Katie Heaton is a spatial designer with 10 years of film, stage, and installation experience. Hailing from both Brooklyn and the Bay Area, she continues to work bicoastally in the narrative and commercial worlds. Her work has been featured in Elle, Paper, and Timeout Magazine, as well as in association with The Rockwell Group and Austin Film Festival. Combining her interests in painting, arts research, and literature, Katie builds immersive worlds for narrative projects.
Katie Heaton
Co-Production Designer
Alex Chambers is a New York-based multimedia designer with a passion for reimagining how language takes shape visually, particularly in film design. Over the past three years, she has collaborated across disciplines with clients such as Nike, IKEA, and A24, as well as with the Atlantic Theater Company. She loves to create authentic visual worlds through the small details and is excited to bring this passion to Benchwarmer.
Alex Chambers
Co-Production Designer
Sam Hahn
Casting Director
Sam Hahn is a casting director & filmmaker from South Florida, currently based in Atlanta, GA. His work often explores teen characters, darkly comedic tones, and LGBTQIA+ stories. As both the casting director & filmmaker, he helmed Faggo, starring Ivy Wolk & Ethan Poisson, and Paper Tiger, starring Heather Matarazzo & Valeria Cotto. He brings a filmmaker’s perspective to the casting process, and he is passionate about collaborating with actors who will elevate character-driven material, especially in queer and genre spaces.
Tris Arthur
Intimacy Coordinator
Tris Arthur is a NYC-based intimacy coordinator and independent filmmaker personally committed to work that explores the relationship between queer identity and the surrounding world. As a Film Intimacy Professionals-certified IC, she strives, through all of her work, to create a safe and positive environment within the queer filmmaking community. Wicked Queer audiences awarded her short film Lying in Bed Alone, Breathing the Best in Show award for Experimental Shorts, and a jury of industry professionals awarded her music video The Way I Feel Inside the Outstanding Music Video prize at the Emerson College annual student awards. Recently, her short film Weather premiered at SAFICXS International Lesbian Short Film Fest in Buenos Aires, Argentina.