People
Bennett Chabot
He first got on stage in middle school. Since then, he has appeared in a myriad of theatrical productions. He played Winston in an adaptation of George Orwell’s “1984,” opposite his brother (ironically the villain who betrays and tortures Winston). He also played Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.”
He is now a member of the Class of 2009 at Olin College of Engineering, where he feels that he doesn't play nearly enough bass, or listen to enough music, or see enough rock shows - but he’s trying. He likes “an absurd variety” of rock music, sprinkled with some electronic, folk, and bluegrass. Current hot items on his playlist are The Mars Volta, Nickel Creek, Coheed and Cambria, and Muse.
He says that he admires, “movies that find a way to be original and interesting in the face of so many recycled ideas and devices. I won't lie, though, I give movies a huge benefit of the doubt, and as with people, find something to like about most of them.” His recent and all-time favorites include I Heart Huckabees, Fight Club, The Princess Bride, Garden State, Sin City, Amelie, Un Long Dimanche de Fiancailles, and Adaptation.
After earning his engineering degree, Bennett doesn’t know where he’ll go next. Until then, he'll be acting, playing, singing, running, skiing, hiking, and traveling as much as he can.
Aja Munsell
Her first acting experience was in fourth grade, a minor role in The Emperor’s New Clothes. She took minor roles in Meet Me in St. Louis, The Wizard of Oz, and Episode 51. Her first starring role was as Abigail Williams in The Crucible, followed by Bianca in The Taming of The Shrew. She also starred in a small video production out of Emerson College called Lost and Journey. She played the role Perdita. In the future, she hopes to be a film actress, but her backup career is to run a gourmet candy store.
Outside of acting, she enjoys reading books and watching movies. She is also a self-proclaimed computer nerd. Some of her favorite movies include Garden State, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and most comic book movies. As far as music goes, she’s particularly interested in movie soundtracks, because she likes the variety.
Andrew Tsang
The role of Chris is played by Andrew Tsang of Davis, California. He’s also a member of Olin's Class of 2009, majoring in systems engineering. He comes to Yellow Lights with the least acting experience of any cast member, but this doesn't hold him back.
His acting career began with a minor role in the musical Remember Tomorrow, providing some comic relief in an otherwise serious play. He played a nerd. When Yellow Lights is finished, he won’t be pursuing acting as his career, but he’d like to continue acting in minor roles for fun.
Andrew is a generally laid back guy. He’s very interested in photography – he started off with an old film camera, but his graduation gift, a Canon Rebel XT, gave him a push in the direction of digital. When he isn’t shooting and cataloging his photos, he enjoys sports, especially Ultimate Frisbee and football. His favorite movies include Top Gun and Back to the Future – “the classics,” as he says. Mae, Something Corporate, Death Cab for Cutie, the Decemberists, and the Get Up Kids are some of his favorite bands.
Amanda Hurley
Amanda Hurley plays the role of June. Amanda was born in California, but she was raised around Boston. Amanda is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, where she studied drama. She plays the guitar and drums, and she really enjoys indie concerts. She also likes reading a lot.
While she considered majoring in psychology, she is no stranger to acting – she has been acting since age 5, when her interest in television got her parents to take her to a summer theater camp, where she performed in Annie. She has also performed in Macbeth, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, and Peter Pan. At age 13, she was in the BU film Collapse. Her favorite films include Garden State, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Zoolander, Donnie Darko, and Amelie.
Amanda is also interested in playwriting and screenwriting, and would ideally like to write her own sitcom.
Tom Kochem – Producer, Writer
Tom Kochem was born in Belmont, Massachusetts. An alumnus of Olin College in Needham, MA with a degree in mechanical engineering, he has always been interested in film and video. His original interest was in special effects, but he also worked on crew for high school plays. After taking a digital art class, he decided to purchase his own personal camera, tripod, and editing software. Working on several short documentaries gave him formal experience with direction, production, and editing. He co-produced The Olin Experience, a short documentary about student life at Olin College, with Kevin Tostado in the spring of 2005. He then moved on to produce Leading The Way, a similar documentary.
He describes himself as athletic, playing virtually any sport. He's been a Red Sox and Patriots fan as long as he can remember. He also enjoys reading when he gets the chance, but film, video, and his engineering career take up most of his time. He works as a mechanical engineer at a product design firm in Cambridge, and he operates an independent production company on the side, which is currently working on two feature films.
Some of his favorite movies are Good Will Hunting, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, About a Boy, and Stranger Than Fiction. He loves Family Guy. He is also an avid fan of the Halo game series, and is eagerly awaiting the release of the movie adaptation - if it can ever be agreed who's paying the anticipated $150M+ price tag. His favorite bands include Eve 6, Relient K, Zero 7, Audioslave, and the Goo Goo Dolls.
Check out Tom's web site at tomkochem.com.
Kevin Tostado – Director, Writer
Kevin Tostado is a native of San Diego, California. Along with Tom, he was a member of the inaugural class at Olin College of Engineering in Needham, MA.
Kevin has always been into film and video. Beginning in his freshmen year at Olin, he wrote and produced three episodes of Olin Update, a show about Olin College that aired on the Needham public access cable channel. Kevin also worked with Tom to produce The Olin Experience. He also owns a ridiculous collection of DVDs (hundreds). Now a graduate of Olin College, Kevin is working as a Camera Production Assistant on the telenovela Saints & Sinners for the new channel MyNetworkTV. He hopes to someday start his own production company.
Outside of engineering and film, Kevin has always been an athlete. He was a kicker, punter, and quarterback on Patrick Henry High School’s varsity football team. He played intramural soccer, football, and frisbee at Olin. He’s also a huge San Diego Chargers and Padres fan.
Kevin’s favorite movies include Garden State, the Indiana Jones and Star Wars series, and Moulin Rouge. For music, he really likes Ben Folds, Maroon 5, Imogen Heap, Keane, Jack's Mannequin and Linkin Park.
Check out Kevin's web site at kevintostado.com and his IMDB page.