Ebertfest 2023: Frank Oz and Derek DelGaudio Screen In & Of Itself, Rita Coburn Spotlights Marian Anderson and More! | Festivals & Awards

Oz has directed “The Dark Crystal” (With Jim Henson), “The Muppets Take Manhattan“, “Little Shop of Horrors“, “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels“, “Housesitter“, “What About Bob?”, “The Indian in the Cupboard”, “In & Out“, “The Score”, “Bowfinger“, “The Stepford Wives”, “Death at a Funeral”, and “In & Of Itself”.

DEREK DELGAUDIO, creator/subject

Derek DelGaudio is an author, director, and sleight-of-hand artist. DelGaudio created the award-winning theater show and film, “In & Of Itself.” 

He wrote the acclaimed book, AMORALMAN, served as the artist-in-residence for Walt Disney Imagineering, and co-founded the performance art collective A.Bandit. 

He is currently an Affiliate Scholar at Georgetown University and co-conspirator at Deceptive Practices, a creative firm that provides “Arcane Knowledge on a Need-to-Know Basis.”

JAKE FRIEDMAN, producer

Jake Friedman is a manager and producer who has contributed to numerous #1 albums, sold-out tours, and critically acclaimed works in music, theater, and film. 

He launched his own record label at the age of 19 and led We Are Free Management for a decade. 

In 2019, he co-founded Crush Works, where he manages artists across multiple disciplines while producing notable works like “Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself” on Hulu/Disney+ and “Neal Brennan: Blocks” on Netflix.

VANESSA LAUREN, producer

Vanessa Lauren is a producer of award-winning theater and film productions. She was a creative producer for the arts education platform Marky and produced several record-breaking crowdfunding campaigns for films such as “Super Troopers 2“, “Anomalisa“, “MST3K”, and Alex Winter’s Zappa documentary. 

She served as executive producer for Neal Brennan’s “Blocks” for Netflix, after producing its successful off-broadway run at the Cherry Lane Theater. 

Most notably, she produced the groundbreaking theater show and award-winning film, “In & Of Itself”, directed by Frank Oz. Vanessa is based in New York City, where she strives to elevate the arts and entertainment industry.

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