Industry Profiles and Q&As

Renee Zhan AB '16 is a Chinese-American director and animator from Houston, Texas. In her films, Renee is primarily interested in exploring topics of identity, obsession, and the inner monster —all things beautiful, ugly, and squishy. She is an alumnus of the Sarabande Foundation, BAFTA crew x BFI Network and Berlinale Talents, and her short films have screened and won awards at festivals internationally, including AFI Fest, Locarno, TIFF, Telluride, SXSW, an Annie Award nomination, BAFTA LA shortlist, and the Jury Prize for Animated Short at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. She is currently developing her first feature with BBC Film.

Kim Onah, hailing from Staten Island, NY, is an actress, writer, and singer currently based in New York City. She graduated from Harvard University with an AB in English and Music. Despite her parents’ best efforts to persuade her, Kim still isn’t getting a Computer Science degree or pursuing a traditional career.

Kim began singing at the young age of 8 years old. She studied voice and piano at the Staten Island Conservatory of Music until she moved to Cambridge, MA for college in 2011. During her time at Harvard, Kim sang in and arranged for an a cappella group, The Harvard Callbacks. She also performed work with Oberon @ ART, Loeb Drama Center (Mainstage & Experimental Theater), Farkas Studio, Adams Pool Theater, Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, and the Umbrella Theater in Concord, MA.

Favorite credits include: & JULIET (Broadway), BEAUTIFUL (Tour Company), AIDA (as Aida), GUYS AND DOLLS(as Sarah Brown), ALL SHOOK UP (as Lorraine).

Kim's interests outside of music and theater include writing, traveling, eating, and s

Ken Liu AB '98 JD '04 is an American author of speculative fiction. A winner of the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy awards, he wrote THE DANDELION DYNASTY, a silkpunk epic fantasy series, as well as short story collections THE PAPER MENAGERIE AND OTHER STORIES and THE HIDDEN GIRL AND OTHER STORIES. His latest book is ALL THAT WE SEE OR SEEM, a techno-thriller starring an AI-whispering hacker who saves the world. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Liu worked as a software engineer, corporate lawyer, and litigation consultant. Liu frequently speaks on a variety of topics, including futurism, machine-augmented creativity, history of technology, bookmaking, and the mathematics of origami.

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Susanna Wolk is a NYC-based director. She is currently the Associate Director of the hit Broadway musicals & JULIET (Broadway, US Tour, Toronto upcoming) and JUST IN TIME, which was her 7th Broadway show to date. She directs and develops new plays and musicals and has also worked in TV and indie film. Susanna graduated from Harvard, where she studied English and Dramatic Arts. Find her @susannawolk on social or susanna-wolk.com

Cort Cass is a Vice President of Drama Development at 20th Television. He previously served as Vice President of Drama and Comedy Development at ABC Signature and has spent the last 20 years in various positions within the Walt Disney Television company. In these positions, Mr. Cass develops and oversees series across broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms. His half-hour series credits include Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated comedy BLACKISH, HELLO LADIES, and HAPPY ENDINGS. His drama credits include the ABC/ HULU series DEATH AND OTHER DETAILS, QUEENS, and PROMISED LAND. He has packaged and sold projects to every major buyer across town, and his unique background as a high-level creative executive in both the comedy and drama departments has allowed him to build exceptional relationships across the talent, executive, and representation communities.

Mr. Cass helped recruit many of the studio’s biggest talent deals through the years including: Kenya Barris (BLACKISH, GROWNISH), Lee Eisenberg & Gene Stupnitsky (JURY DUTY, HELLO LADIES, TROPHY WIFE), Simon Rich AB '06 (MAN SEEKING WOMAN, MIRACLE WORKERS), Dave Bernad (JURY DUTY, WHITE LOTUS), Matt Lopez (PROMISED LAND), Zahir McGhee (QUEENS) and Marc Webb (THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, 500 DAYS OF SUMMER).

Mr. Cass began his tenure at ABC Studios in 2004 as an assistant/coordinator in both the comedy and drama departments and was promoted to manager in 2007. He previously worked at Creative Artists Agency. Mr. Cass started his career as an author, publishing THE REDHEAD HANDBOOK and THE BLONDE BIBLE for publishing house Blue Mountain Arts. He graduated from Harvard College in 2003, where he developed deep relationships with the comedy community as a member of THE HARVARD LAMPOON. His annual BEEFSTEAK charity dinner at Vibiana raises $20k for the LA FOOD BANK. He currently resides in Sherman Oaks with his daughter.

Recently named one of BROADWAY'S WOMEN TO WATCH, Haley Bennett AB' 13 is an NYC-based Music Supervisor, Conductor, Arranger, & Coordinator. She is currently the Associate Music Supervisor for all North American productions of the hit musical & JULIET, as well as the recent Broadway premier of REDWOOD starring Idina Menzel. In addition to her supervision work, Haley serves as the Associate Music Director / Conductor for the Broadway production of & JULIET, playing keyboards and/or conducting nightly in the pit. Additional Broadway credits include: DIANA: THE MUSICAL, COME FROM AWAY, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE, DEAR EVAN HANSEN, ANASTASIA, BANDSTAND, PARAMOUR, FINDING NEVERLAND, PIPPIN, & THE GERSHWINS’ PORGY AND BESS. International/National Tours include: ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, ALADDIN, COME FROM AWAY, HAMILTON, RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA, and PRINCE OF BROADWAY. 

Haley also works as a Music Supervisor and Coordinator/Contractor for various NBCUniversal projects, including the annual Upfront presentation at Radio City Music Hall. There, she has supervised performances featuring artists including Kelly Clarkson, Jimmy Fallon, Seth MacFarlane, Michael Bublé, John Tesh, and Little Big Town, as well as full live orchestras of 30-60+ musicians, both at Radio City Music Hall and in the iconic SNL Studio 8H. She served as the Music Coordinator for SCHMIGADOON! on Apple TV+ and Associate Music Coordinator for NBC’s broadcast of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR LIVE IN CONCERT, worked on PETER PAN LIVE!, and has been a Music Coordinator for the annual RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR’s 37-piece orchestra for 8+ years. Haley has also been the Music Contractor for the Ogunquit Playhouse since 2021.

As an Album & Recording Coordinator/Supervisor, Haley has overseen many original Broadway cast recordings, including the Grammy-nominated MJ: THE MUSICAL, DIANA: THE MUSICAL, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, ANASTASIA, ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE, and the Grammy Award-winning DEAR EVAN HANSEN. In 2022, Haley collaborated with Jimmy Buffett and Frank Marshall to supervise, arrange, and orchestrate TALES FROM MARGARITAVILLE, the inaugural show for Jimmy Buffett's Margaritavillle at Sea cruise line.

Haley holds a BA in Psychology (Cum Laude with High Honors) from Harvard University, with minors in Dramatic Arts and French, as well as a Certificate in Music Production from Berklee College of Music.

Alison Haskovec is a film and television executive living in Los Angeles, CA. Currently an independent producer, Haskovec previously worked in the Original Independent Film Group at Netflix, specializing in family films, where she oversaw the development and production of numerous productions released on the streaming service, including NIGHTBOOKS starring Krysten Ritter, MIXTAPE starring Julie Bowen, and FEEL THE BEAT starring Sofia Carson. Prior to that, she was SVP Development and Production at Silvertongue Films where she set up CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG at Paramount Pictures. At Scott Free Pictures, she developed the 8-part mini-series WORLD WITHOUT END and identified the book that Discovery’s first scripted show, KLONDIKE, was based upon. Originally from Cambridge, MA, Haskovec is a volunteer head mentor for the Young Storytellers organization and a graduate of Harvard College.

Cynthia is a New York-based music director and pianist. She is currently serving as the Associate Music Director for the upcoming Broadway musical DEAD OUTLAW, nominated for 7 Tony Awards this season.

She is a member of the Broadway music team for the eight-time Tony- and Grammy-winning production of Anaïs Mitchell’s HADESTOWN. In addition, she has played keyboard for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular and has played around the world as a sidewoman and pianist (Hollywood Bowl, Lexington Symphony, Dallas Symphony at the Bravo! Vail Festival, Denver Symphony). 

In the film world, Cynthia served as the Associate Vocal Supervisor for SPIRITED, an Apple TV+ movie starring Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, and Octavia Spencer, as well as the third season of Hulu’s ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING starring Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short.

Other select favorites from the theatre realm include Gloria Estefan’s BASURA (world premiere in 2026), LEMPICKA, THE OUTSIDERS, THE JONATHAN LARSON PROJECT, BACK TO THE FUTURE, the 2022 Broadway revival of COMPANY, the 2022 Broadway revival of FUNNY GIRL starring Lea Michele, SUFFS at the Public Theater, THE LAST FIVE YEARS from Out of the Box Theatrics, FROZEN 1st National Tour, MOULIN ROUGE at the Emerson Colonial Theatre, IN THE GREEN at Lincoln Center Theatre, and WITNESS UGANDA at the Wallis Annenberg Center. In a past life, she was a software engineer and a Harvard grad.

Soprano Allison Charney’s operatic career began following the national finals of the Metropolitan Opera Competition with her debut at the New York City Opera as Musetta in LA BOHÈME. She has gone on to sing dozens of leading soprano roles in opera companies throughout the country, earning a reputation for her “vocal agility, lush sound and dramatic portrayals” of the lirico-spinto roles in her wide-ranging repertoire. Concert highlights include her debut with the Lviv National Philharmonic in the middle of the war in the spring of 2024, her Carnegie Hall debut in the spring of 2022 as a featured soloist in the new composite song cycle, FORGOTTEN VOICES and guest appearances at Alice Tully Hall and Avery Fisher Hall, with the esteemed Philadelphia Orchestra and with the Boston Pops under the baton of Alan Gilbert (AB '89). 2025 concerts for Ms. Charney included a guest performance with the North Bohemian Opera Orchestra in Czech and the Verdi REQUIEM with the Dallas Symphony, both under the baton of her long-time collaborator Benjamin Loeb (AB '89). Following the success of her iTunes and Amazon classical chart-topping chamber music recordings, Ms. Charney's first solo vocal album, ALIKE (MY MOTHER’S DREAM) will be released in the summer of 2025. She is a co-creator of the series HER/MUSIC; HER/STORY, launched at Steinway Hall in 2019 and currently showcased in a four-part radio series on WQXR.  Ms. Charney is an active recitalist and master teacher and is the artistic and executive director of the innovative concert series, PREFORMANCES™️. During the pandemic, Charney pivoted to the virtual stage where her concert and conversation series, SEASON OF HOPE, launched the centennial year of New York City's historic Town Hall, which then presented her OPERA AT HOME adaptation of Verdi's OTELLO - the first installment in her OPERAS IN SHORT series. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude with highest honors from Harvard University, she went on to earn two graduate degrees in music from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. Ms. Charney now lives in New York with her husband and their two sons.

Laura Kennedy is CEO of Avalon, the talent management and production group based in London, Los Angeles and New York. Avalon represents a prolific roster of artists and produces live shows and television series including CATASTROPHE, LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER, STARSTRUCK, TASKMASTER and WORKAHOLICS. Prior to joining Avalon, Laura was COO at Lionsgate Television Group where she headed operations, strategy and M&A. Laura started her career at Avalon in talent management. She has an A.B. from Harvard College in English and American Literature, an MBA from Harvard Business School and s

Morgan Lehmann (AB '12) is a comedy writer who grew up on a pig farm in Houston, MN (pop. 983). A graduate of UCB’s improv program, she started her career as an assistant on 2 BROKE GIRLS, before writing for THE COOL KIDS and BLESS THIS MESS and developing half-hour sitcoms with CBS, ABC, and Freeform. Most recently, Morgan has found success in the feature space, selling her first feature in a multi-way bidding war.