The Co-Founders
Michelle Cohen
(co-founder) is a writer, producer, director, singer, actress & coach, whose diverse talents have been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, MTV, NPR’s “All Things Considered”, and in People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, The Chicago Tribune, and The Washington Post.
Most recently, Michelle created & co-hosted the "It's Cool to be HOT Party!" celebrating World Menopause Day with her company's brand MenOpop. Michelle produced the off-Broadway megahit, Schoolhouse Rock Live!. She garnered extra attention for her youth and gender and was featured in a short film documentary about Gen Xers defying the stereotype of laziness and taking the world by storm.
Michelle was the general manager for the NYC premiere workshop of George Furth and Doug Katsaros‘ musical The End and produced Emmy Laybourne’s comedy The Miss Alphabet City Beauty Pageant and Spelling Bee plus the six short films integrated within the evening.
Her directing career includes the one woman show, Toasted, which won San Francisco’s “Best of the Fringe” award along with directing, writing and producing her short film Beyond Belief. She also directed & produced Dan Elish’s musical Just Desserts at Fordham at Lincoln Center.
Most recently, Michelle was instrumental in bringing Jeff Corey’s memoir, Improvising Out Loud: My Life Teaching Hollywood How to Act to print through University Press of Kentucky with an introduction by his former student, Leonard Nimoy and art work by Jack Nicholson.
For decades Michelle has given workshops, lectures and private sessions, assisting countless clients on their life journeys and empowering them to identify their own inner guidance.
She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence and attended the British American Drama Academy in London.
Peter Daniel Straus
(co-founder) is a multi-media producer & creative, whose work has been featured across New York, regional and international theaters and venues, as well as feature films and TV. He is also an actor, comedian and variety performer,
His career began with touring America as a Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Clown. He's been a featured comedic performer at the Metropolitan Opera, and had several original comedy spots on The Late Show with David Letterman. TV roles include the season finale mystery man villain on ABC's Deception. Feature films include Ballbuster with Jerry O'Connell and the cult comedy Hurriance Bianca: From Russia with Hate with Rachel Dratch. Peter is also widely known for his evergreen commercial as Kit Kat’s tiny "Vampire." Most notably, he has a wide and devoted audience through appearances on Impractical Jokers and Keeping Up With The Kardashians as "Pierre the Mime."
Peter has produced several short films, plus the feature film Lust Life Love, featuring Bill Irwin and Jake Choi. He’s produced countless special events, one of his favorites was producing the special circus talent for Aretha Franklin and her celebrity packed 73rd Birthday Celebration at The Ritz Carlton.
He is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, and his training spans the British American Drama Academy to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ Clown College.
Peter’s ability to break through cultural and language boundaries have made him an in demand artist from Japan to Norway to China to Israel and countless lands in between.