Katrina Elias

Katrina Elias was born Katrina Olivia Elias in Barranquilla, Colombia by Lebanese and Colombian parents who immigrated to Cleveland Ohio when she was a year old. Her parents immediately embraced American ideals for themselves. At the age of twelve she experienced culture shock when her parents moved the small family to Miami, Florida. Although, she had visited Colombia, this would be her first experience living among a Hispanic majority, a development she eventually learned to love. During her teen years, she would fulfill what would be her purpose, to tell stories. As well as a school journalist, Katrina dedicated all her energy and saved allowance to modern dance productions to tell stories through her explorative choreography and music-mixing set and costume design.

Her art took on a performance level through her college years at the University of Tampa and later at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale where she graduated. For the next ten years she would study the art of acting and tell stories through the characters she would portray. She has since appeared in many stage plays, seven short films, four TV guest-star appearances, and six full-length feature films. Some of her credits include, "Boston Public," "MD's," "Orleans," "Black Noir," "Stealth," "A Night Out," "A Girls' Guide to Chaos," "Play On," and tens of commercials.

Acting provided her with the on-set experience to write and produce "Dreamkeeper," which she shot on 16mm in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1998. Katrina has also written four full-length features, one of which was a selection in 2001 by The New York International Latino Film Festival and MTV Films. In her continued writing efforts, she wrote and sold "Bel & Ricky," a family situational comedy pilot with an option for three episodes. She is the writer of the award-winning comedy of errors stage play, "Abuelo's Legacy" a 2004 Imagen Nominee (starring Liz Torres) which was produced by Nosotros, The Jude Shaw Theatre Company, and the Fort Worth 5th Annual Hispanic Playwrights Festival in 2003. It has been recently chosen by the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts in Los Angeles, for its 'Summer Table-Read Series' June 21, 2004.

"Red Colombian Sky," a one-act stage play she wrote this year was adapted for film and shot on 35mm in March, where Katrina made her directorial debut. Besides writing, she fully enjoys being involved in every aspect of stage and film production, from set and costume design, to picture and sound editing. "Red Colombian Sky" will be released on July 1, 2004 as a short film entry for festivals worldwide.

Ms. Elias was ranked 56 in the Stage Play category of the 72nd Annual Writer's Digest Competition selected from 18,244 writing entries in 2003.

Katrina is an alumnus of the Writers Boot Camp two-year television and film writing program, a member of Nosotros, Nalip, The North Hollywood Jaycees and the Screen Actors Guild.

SOLD WRITTEN WORKS	-"Bel's Cuban Christmas" TV Pilot One-hour Comedy, The Latino American Film Makers Series, Badami Productions 2003

OPTIONED WRITTEN WORKS	-Three One-Hour Comedies for the Latino American Film Makers Series, Badami Productions 2003

PRODUCER CREDIT OF WRITTEN WORKS	-"Dreamkeeper" 16mm Short Film, Francis James Prods. 1999
	-"Abuelo's Legacy" Comedic Stage Play 2003(also produced by four independent producers)

PRODUCER CREDIT OF OTHER WORKS	-"Red Colombian Sky" 35MM Short Film, Jude Shaw Co. 2004 (First time work as director)
	-"Smiley's Cafe" Dramatic Stage play, Renegade Theater 2003
	-"A Night Out" Dramatic Stage Play True Brew Theater, New Orleans 1998
	-"A Girls Guide To Chaos" Art Act Theater, Miami, Florida 1997

SPEC WRITING	-"Dreamkeeper" Full Length Screenplay, 1996 (short 16MM film produced)1998
	-"Delta Storm" Full Length Screenplay, 1997
	-"Red Fish" Full Length Screenplay, 2000
	-"Dead Heat" Full Length Screenplay, 2001
	-"Abuelo's Legacy" Live Theatre, 2003 (theatre show produced by four independent producers)
	-"Red Colombian Sky" One-Act Play 2004 (short 35MM film produced)
	-"Will and Grace" Half-hour Situational Comedy Spec, 2004
	-"Joan of Arcadia" One-Hour Drama Spec, work-in-progress 2004

"The tightest script of the evening was Katrina Elias' Red Colombian Sky...Elias has done a nice job of getting a lot of solid context, passion and conflict into a short script." Star-Telegram, Dallas-Ft.Forth

"...fast paced situational comedy, contains appealing characters portrayed by a committed cast...genuinely amusing chaos...a very funny show." LA Weekly

"...this familia romp plays primarily for fun - and - succeeds. But it does not touch lightly on the issue of cultural biases in some highly amusing way..." Star Telegram, Fort Worth, TX

"Written with hot-blooded pizzazz...a spicy taste of chaos and passion..." Tolucan Times

"...Legacy slew of racial jokes provide much of the hilarity, fueled also by physical comedy and glimmer of something spiritual." NoHo LA