Billy Porter

Executive Producer

Billy Porter is an award-winning actor, singer, director, composer, and playwright. He won an Emmy Award for Lead Actor in POSE, and most recently received his third Emmy nomination for this role. A Hollywood Walk of Fame inductee, Porter has numerous theatre credits, including the role of "Lola" in the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, which he originated in 2013 and for which he won the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards, as well as the Grammy for best musical-theatre album.

Recently, Porter appeared in Amazon's Cinderella re-make, the second season of CBS All Access' THE TWILIGHT ZONE, and AMERICAN HORROR STORY: APOCALPYSE. He also recently starred in OUR SON alongside Luke Evans, and directed an episode of Fox's anthology series ACCUSED. His directorial debut ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE was released on July 22nd on Amazon Prime Video.

Stafford Braxton

Owner - "Santas Just Like Me"

A native of Yorktown, VA, now residing in Huntersville, NC, Stafford Braxton, Jr spent almost a decade as a campus minister at VCU. Starting as a professional photographer, Stafford later formed his current business venture as a Santa broker.

For the past eleven years with Santas Just Like Me, Stafford has provided Santas of color for various Christmas celebrations including parades, tree lightings, visiting ill children, and sleigh-bys. This year, Stafford launched a non-profit, Santas Just Like Me Too, focusing on providing no-cost Santa visits, toys, food & clothing for those finding it difficult to provide a traditional Christmas for their families.

Santas Just Like Me Santas Just Like Me Too

Soulful Santa Maurice

Santa - "Santas Just Like Me"

Soulful Santa is a real-bearded, more slender Santa, providing professional Soulful Santa Claus portrayals, visits, and related Santa Claus services for individuals, families, groups, particular needs situations, and corporate events locally, nationally, and internationally.

He has been an actor, stage performer, and entertainer for many years including extra work in "Iron Man 3." Soulful Santa has been a Professional Santa since 2019 and has had solid bookings each year working with "Santas Just Like Me."

Santa Warren

Santa - "Santas Just Like Me"

Judy, Warren's wife, and he, started to notice that once his beard got more grey than black, kids would sometimes stop and stare briefly at him, especially around mid-December. A friend of theirs who had been a Santa for years commented that he might enjoy being a Santa.

Then one day, out of the blue, Stafford Braxton, acting on a new business idea to bring a Santa of Color to a mall, approached Warren about being a Santa of Color for kids in the area, and being part of their family portrait history.

Santa Bill

Santa - "Santas Just Like Me"

Santa Bill embodies the Christmas spirit, bringing joy and wonder to children and their families. His love for the holiday season, kindled in childhood with Santa's spectacular mall entrances, now finds expression in his own portrayal of Santa.

In a role once lacking diversity in his native Virginia, Bill proudly stands as a Black Santa, offering a figure with whom people of color can identify and celebrate during the festive season.

John Maringouin

Director Of Photography

John Maringouin is an American film director. His debut feature, "Running Stumbled," received a Spirit Award nomination. John's second feature, "Big River Man," is about endurance swimmer Martin Strel's 2007 attempt to swim the entire Amazon river.

The film won multiple 2009 documentary awards including the Cinematography Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. In 2016, Maringouin won the Special Jury Award for Best Editing in Sundance's World Cinema Documentary Competition for his work on "We Are X."

Michael Montes

Composer

Michael Montes is a Peruvian-American composer of music for films, album projects and all other media. He is known for his wide musical range and depth of experience in a vast number of scoring situations.

Over the course of his career he has scored over fifty films, released seven personal albums and written music for thousands of TV commercials. Film scores include Alexander Olch's The Windmill Movie, Sophia Takal's Always Shine and Joan Stein's Oscar nominated One Day Crossing.

Alexandra Berger

Producer

Alexandra is a New York City-based producer, filmmaker, and co-director of the upcoming feature documentary "Speedbag." Her documentary feature "Danland" premiered in 2012 and was released on Netflix.

Alex's short film "Why Be Kind" was released on Upworthy on Inauguration Day 2017, and asks children to talk about the meaning of kindness. Alex was also the Director of The Fifth Night Screenplay Reading and short Film series at The Nuyorican Poets Cafe.

D.J. Gugenheim

Executive Producer

DJ Gugenheim, with 20 years of production and development experience, recently finished producing Billy Porter's feature directorial debut ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE.

While President of Andrew Lauren Productions he produced Claire Denis' HIGH LIFE, starring Robert Pattinson and Juliet Binoche and Brady Corbet's VOX LUX starring Natalie Portman and Jude Law.

Avi Zev Weider

Director & Producer

Avi is a New York-based filmmaker and the co-director of the upcoming feature documentary "Speedbag," director of "Welcome To The Machine" (SXSW), "I Remember" (Sundance), story producer of "Ghostbox Cowboy" (Tribeca), producer of "Danland" (Slamdance), and was the associate producer on the films "Scott Walker" (BAFTA) and "Cinemania."

Avi's feature film project ZEROES AND ONES was selected for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab. He is the recipient of awards and grants from IFP, NYFA, NYSCA, Jerome, Harnisch, and the Sloan Foundations. Avi was also selected by The Film Society of Lincoln Center as part of their Emerging Visions program.