Equal parts absurdist comedy, mystery, and documentary, SPARKS is a web-based serial about humans and technology. The story follows 30 year-old Sarah Sparks in her quest to serve the tech-dependent citizenry of New York as a freelance technologist. Her special "connection" with technology, however, takes her far beyond simple repair jobs, and into both the lives of her clients as well as some of the city's darkest, most chaotic corners.

Annie J. Howell (Co-Writer/Director, Cinematographer) has written and directed short films that have played internationally on the film festival circuit, including at SXSW, Newport, Full Frame and Clermont-Ferrand. Her work has aired on the Sundance Channel, PBS, and the Independent Film Channel, and as part of the ITVS web series, FutureStates. Her screenwriting work has been the recipient of a Nantucket Screenwriters' Colony fellowship and the Grand Prize Award at IFP's 2008 Independent Film Week. Annie earned an MFA at NYU’s Graduate Program in Film and is currently Assistant Professor of Film at Ohio University. She has also taught at Duke University and at The New School, where she was the founding director of the Graduate Certificate in Documentary Media Studies.

Lisa Robinson (Co-Writer/Director, Editor) works as a screenwriter and director. Her feature project SYNAPSE received the Sloan Foundation Feature Production Award and is in development with company Salty Features. Her writing includes an IMAX project MIND BLAST for the Blue Man Group that is currently in pre-production. She has written and directed three short films that have screened at film festivals around the world including Cannes-Directors Fortnight, Telluride, Edinburgh and Clermont Ferrand. She is the recipient of the Martin E. Segal Prize, the Digital Media Lab Award for Excellence (from Japan), and a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship. She received her MFA from NYU’s Graduate Film Directing Program in 2000 and is currently Assistant Professor of Film at Long Island University.

Sarah Hudnut (Sarah Sparks) is a Los Angeles-based actor. Her work also includes shows at the Ahmanson Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival (four seasons), Westport Country Playhouse, Portland Stage Company, and The Sundance Theatre Lab. Favorite stage roles include Catherine in David Auburn’s PROOF, Agnes in Eric Bogosian’s RED ANGEL, and Sorel Bliss in Noel Coward’s HAY FEVER. Sarah has appeared on numerous television shows, including Medium (CBS), Surface (NBC), Judging Amy (CBS), Sex and the City (HBO), ER (NBC), Diagnosis Murder (CBS) and Joint Custody (WB). She can also be seen in the Ed Burns film, PURPLE VIOLETS. Sarah received a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Northwestern University and a Master of Fine Arts from New York University.

Andre Holland (Leon) has appeared in plays with The Public Theater/Shakespeare in the Park, Playwrights Horizons, and Georgia Shakespeare Festival; and, in the films, MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA directed by Spike Lee and SUGAR co-directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden. His Broadway debut was in the role of Jeremy Furlow in the acclaimed revival of August Wilson’s JOE TURNER’S COME AND GONE.  He also appeared in Tarell Alvin McCraney’s THE BROTHER/SISTER PLAYS at The Public Theater in New York. André earned an MFA in Acting from New York University.

Mary Beth Peil (the Guru) is currently a recurring regular on CBS’s THE GOOD WIFE. Prior to that, she was seen on Broadway in the acclaimed revival of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, NINE (Outer Critics nomination) and THE KING AND I (Tony nomination). An Obie Award winner, her off Broadway credits include: HEDDA GABLER (New York Theatre Workshop), LATER LIFE (Playwrights Horizon) and SYLVIA (Manhattan Theatre Club). Her regional credits include THIRD STORY (LaJolla Playhouse), 33 VARIATIONS (Helen Hayes nomination), A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY (Arena Stage) and SWEENEY TODD (Kennedy Center). Her television credits include THE REAGANS and playing Grams on DAWSON’S CREEK, and her film credits include MIRRORS, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS and THE STEPFORD WIVES. Mary Beth is a member of the Atlantic Theatre Company.

Joel Mumma (Composer) has written music for several film projects in addition to SPARKS. Of note, his work aired on the Documentary Channel in 2008 and in 2009, and he scored a short film for an online television series entitled FutureStates, which was produced by Independent Television Service (ITVS). Additionally, his music for the short documentary, BLIND FAITH, won for best score at the Hot Docs International Film Festival in Toronto in 2007. He will graduate from the University of Rochester in the spring of 2010 with a bachelor's degree in Brain and Cognitive Sciences.

Amir Husak (Sound Designer, Web and Tech Support) is a multi-media artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Since 2001, he has worked across a variety of time-based media. His works have been featured at such diverse places as Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit (U.S.A.), TV Cultura (Brazil), Sarajevo Film Festival (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Kultur im Sommer (Germany), and Detroit Docs (U.S.A.). As a musician, Husak has published works on various music labels, including releases on the renowned electronic music label Kompakt (Cologne, Germany) and Contraphonic/No Karma Records (Chicago, U.S.). His collaborative work includes projects with New York's pioneer video artist Paul Ryan (Raindance, Radical Software) and Berlin-based sound artist Sebastian Meissner (Klimek/Random Inc.).  Husak is a co-founder and editor of the web showcase nocommercialvalue.org

Kevin T. Allen (Additional Sound Design) is a filmmaker and sound artist. He has created sound installation work for the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Third Coast International Audio Festival, Film(less) Festival, and Deep Wireless Festival of Radio Art. Kevin’s films have shown at the Museum of Modern Art, Margaret Mead Film Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival and Portland Documentary and Experimental Film Festival. His film KIEU won first prize at the 2006 Black Maria Film Festival and was featured on Michigan Public Broadcasting.

Erin Shigaki (Web/Logo Design) founded Purple Gate Design in 2001. She has practiced design in New York City firms since 1996. Erin earned a BA degree in East Asian Studies from Yale University. She did additional design and fine art study at the American University in Washington, DC; the Yale Summer Program in Graphic Design in Brissago, Switzerland; School of Visual Arts; Cooper-Union; Lower East Side Print Shop and the Torpedo Factory. Erin has also taught printmaking and after-school art programs in NYC public schools on the Lower East Side.