Friends of Ashes to Films
The Friends of Ashes to Films are a group of entertainment industry professionals who are supporters, advisors and all around wonderful people who believe in our mission.
Rider Strong
After being cast in Les Miserables at nine years old, Rider Strong began his career as an actor, best known for his roles on Boy Meets World and the cult horror film, Cabin Fever. Moving behind the camera, Rider wrote and directed short films that played over 60 festivals worldwide and won both audience and juried awards. He returned to his roots, this time as a director, for three seasons of the Emmy-nominated Girl Meets World. In addition to his screenwriting, Rider’s fiction and essays have appeared in The Believer, Bullet Magazine, Whiskey Island, and more. His play Never Ever Land premiered at Theatre Unleashed in Los Angeles in the fall of 2019. He is the creator and co-host of the podcasts Literary Disco and Pod Meet World, the latter of which has garnered over 35 million downloads and spawned a national tour.
Andrew Carlberg
Named by Variety (alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mindy Kaling, Ryan Coogler, Beau Willimon, and Olivia Wilde) as one of “Hollywoodʼs New Leaders,” Carlberg is an Academy Award and Emmy Award winning film, television, new media, Broadway and Los Angeles stage producer. Andrew’s extensive credits include, but aren’t limited to, ABC’s Castle, DirecTV’s Full Circle, Broadway’s Romeo and Juliet and Side Show, the Neil LaBute penned feature films Some Girl(s) and Dirty Weekend, actress Jennifer Morrison’s feature directorial debut Sun Dogs (Netflix 2018), the 2018 and 2021 Official Sundance Selection The Blazing World (short and feature), SXSW Grand Jury and Audience Award winner The Fallout (HBOMax), the documentary UNICORN TOWN (produced alongside NFL superstar Christian McCaffrey), and the 2021 Academy Award nominated Live Action Short Film Feeling Through.
Notably, Carlberg was the producer of Skin, which won the 2019 Academy Award for Live Action Short Film.
Alexandra Barreto
Alexandra Barreto has been working as an actress, writer, producer, and director for over twenty years. She most recently produced LATE BLOOMERS starring Karen Gillan through her Los Angeles based production company, We’re Doin’ Great. The film premiered at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival and was released theatrically by Vertical. Alexandra also produced the New York Times Critic Pick TOO LATE which starred Academy Award nominees John Hawkes and Robert Forster and secured a worldwide deal from Netflix.
Alexandra wrote and directed WELCOME TO THE 90s, a segment in Shudder’s horror/comedy anthology SCARE PACKAGE 2: RAD CHAD’S REVENGE. Her directorial debut LADY HATER premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and was named “Top 5 not to be missed shorts from the Tribeca Film Festival” by Forbes. She directed the Audible Original Series CUT AND RUN starring Meg Ryan, Rachel Bloom, and Sam Richardson.
As an actress, Alexandra guest starred and/or recurred on television shows spanning all genres from “Pushing Daisies” to “Justified” to “Parenthood” to a five year run on “The Fosters.” She most recently recurred on the FX breakout hit, “Mayans MC” and CW’s “All American.”
Alexandra is a Film Independent, Gotham, and Sundance Institute Creative Producing Fellow.
Toby Wilkins
Toby Wilkins is an award winning British filmmaker known for directing the horror film Splinter (2008) as well as multiple television projects, and Sundance Festival short films. Wilkins’ extensive background in post production, editing, and visual effect will be an invaluable resource for Ashes to Films.