Meet Fairy's Team

Hollis McLachlan, M.Ed.

Executive Producer

Hollis McLachlan has a unique skillset as both a Master’s level Early Childhood Educator, and an experienced film professional. She co-owns the reputable Chickadee childcare centers in Maine, which have been recognized as the "Best of" in her state within the first 2 years of operation. Hollis and her business partner, Amy Crowley, have expanded their mission through the creation of "Fairy's House", furthering the impact of gentle, loving programming for toddlers on a national scale. Hollis is also the Founder of the Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival, which has been operating for over 10 years.

Jim Picariello

Writer/Director

Jim Picariello is an award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker whose feature scripts have been optioned and are in the top 1% and 2%, of all time, on the screenplay ranking website, Coverfly. These scripts have also been highly placed in prestigious contests, such as The Black List, The Nicholl Fellowship, Stowe Story Labs, The Austin Film Festival, and many more.

Jim broke into the industry from rural, coastal Maine. His short films have been selected by dozens of film festivals, and have won, in total, 15 top awards. Jim even wrote and shot a short for Sesame Street, which was aired and viewed by millions of children!

Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers: Brian Torbeck, Erik Toerbeck, & Robin Erlandsen

Puppeteers

Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers is a puppetry troupe based in Bar Harbor, Maine, and comprised of three siblings - brothers Erik and Brian Torbeck, and sister Robin (Torbeck) Erlandsen. Founded in 2000, Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers performs at festivals, schools, libraries and theatres in the United States and Canada. They write and create all the shows they perform, and have received three Citations of Excellence from UNIMA-USA, the highest national award in puppetry.

Amy Crowley, M.A.

Producer

Amy Crowley holds a Master’s degree in Child Development from Tufts University, and brings her research-based knowledge to the development of "Fairy’s House". She is the Co-Owner, along with Hollis McLachlan, of the Chickadee childcare centers in Southern Maine, which have recently been recognized as Best in State for their industry. With her extensive volunteer experience managing budgets for children's theatre productions in Maine, and her expertise as the Financial Officer of Chickadee, Amy is invaluable to the "Fairy's House" production team.

Mark J. Parker

Line Producer

Mark J. Parker is an award-winning indie filmmaker & producer, and has filled a gamut of other professional roles in the entertainment sector, including editing and casting. He graduated from Fordham University and received a certificate in Producing from NYU’s School of Professional Studies. Mark has worked on TV series and films, from interning at Sesame Street to working on 30 Rock. Mark is also a casting director for the 8 seasons of the popular ABC hidden camera series, “What Would You Do?”. After working in New York for 14 years, he moved to southern Maine in 2020, where he continues to produce content including his podcast and short films. Many of his short films are available to watch online HERE. You can also find his entertainment podcast, “Release Date Rewind”, wherever you listen to podcasts or watch on YouTube!

Anne Hentschel, M.A.

Producer

Anne Hentschel earned her Master's degree from the Tufts University Eliot-Pearson Depart of Child Study and Human Development, where she studied children's media. Prior to graduate school, she worked as a toddler teacher in Boston. Anne is also a 2024 Fred Rogers Writers' Neighborhood Fellow! She has been an integral member of the "Fairy's House" team since its inception in early 2023, and is a driving force behind the Early Childhood research and practical production development.

Connor Perry

Production Designer

Connor Perry creates theatre sets, museum exhibits, art, and music. He studied sculpture and design at the Cooper Union in New York City. With a focus on designs for education, Connor has contributed to several projects for the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine. He thrives with building environments for learning, play, and communal experience. See more of his incredible work HERE.

Erika Minervino

Costume Designer

Erika is a fashion designer and seamstress. She began her fashion career in high school, studying Fashion Merchandising at the Portland Arts and Technology High School. She continued her studies at Savannah College of Art and Design, earning a Bachelor's degree in Fashion with a minor in Accessory Design. After graduating she returned to Maine and worked with Jill McGowan for a few years. She taught classes to fashion students at PATHS and Maine College of Art. She most recently worked for designer Roxi Suger of Angelrox/ Sugar. She is currently a stay at home mom raising her two sweet little babes. Erika has participated in many local fashion shows over the years and continues to offer alterations and custom designs.

Sonja Mereu

LADFF Director

Sonja Mereu is the festival director of the Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival, and a member of the Producers Guild of America. Sonja is also currently a Post Production Producer at Paramount in Los Angeles.

She spent her first years after college teaching at a Special Education High School. During that time, Sonja started producing short films and music videos.
She soon found herself working full-time in production, where she produced several feature films, short films, commercials and music videos in addition to Line Producing/UPMing numerous productions.

She joins the “Fairy’s House” team as a member of the advisory board for authenticating the script drafts to accurately represent the diversity of our world.

Set design concept.

By Connor Perry

Nicholas Ybarra

LADFF Program Director
Nick is a filmmaker, podcaster, and Program Director for the Los Angeles Diveristy Film Festival. He joins the “Fairy’s House” team as a member of the advisory board for authenticating the script drafts to accurately represent the diversity of our world.

"Do you believe in fairies? Say quick that you believe. If you believe, clap your hands!"

- James M. Barrie