Staff Bios | My Entertainment World

Staff Bios

Kelly Bedard

Managing Editor

Kelly graduated from Boston University with a degree in television writing, but what she really acquired in those 4 years away from her beloved Toronto was a body of television review work consisting of 1000+ posts and labeled My TV, mostly the product of hours watching Buffy instead of writing essays. Her overdeveloped love of Shakespeare and musical theatre led her to create sister site My Theatre in 2010. My Cinema and My Bookshelf (now, My Books) followed, as did My Sports Stadium (now, My Sports) when her baseball obsession got the better of her. New additions My Music and My Games rounded out the family and led to the creation of umbrella site My Entertainment World, where the thorough reader can gain an impossibly detailed understanding of Kelly’s every thought and feeling. About Everything. Kelly works as a TV writer, playwright and couch potato in Toronto, is a devoted disciple of the school of Sorkin and would like to thank Joss for his inspirational audio commentaries.

Rachael Nisenkier

Senior Staff Writer- My TV, My Cinema, My Books

Rachael spent four years studying film and slackerdom at Boston University, before taking her pop culture knowledge and penchant for binging on teen dramas on the road. She’s lived in the home of The Wire, the birthplace of The Simpsons, and the land that gave birth to Pedro Almodovar, but she’s now residing in Southern California, which has no connections with pop culture whatsoever. She’s a writer by day and may or may not be a superhero by night. Rachael is the head writer for My Cinema and the founding author of My Books as well as one of the original contributors to My TV.

Brian Balduzzi

Staff Writer- My Theatre (Boston)

Brian is a struggling law student by day, quirky theatre reviewer by night. He is a former neuroscientist, actor, director, and teacher, turned into a taxing, run-loving, Shakespeare-spouting twenty-something in Boston, Massachusetts with an unquenchable craving for loaded cheese fries, margaritas, and hush puppies. He aspires to be the epitome of an oxymoron. Brian heads up My Theatre’s Boston Division.

Borah Coburn

Staff Writer- My Books, My Cinema, My Theatre (Boston)

Borah Coburn is an aspiring actress, sometimes singer, and abusive allitera-holic. She dabbles in other creative arenas as well–particularly the visual arts and clothing/costume design. She really likes Shakespeare, Faulkner, and Joss Stone (that woman is barefoot. All the time!). She holds a BA in English from Boston University.

James Melo

Staff Writer- My Theatre (Boston/Connecticut)

James Melo is a medieval history major and theater enthusiast, both on stage and off. He specializes in the study of medieval England, and is obsessed with Shakespeare. When not driving himself crazy with school work, he can be found reading, fencing, or riding his bike.

Jason Hellerman

Staff Writer- My Cinema, My Sports

Jason graduated from Penn State university and is now Pursuing his MFA in Screenwriting at Boston University. Originally from outside Philadelphia, Jason can be see at any of the local Boston bars in an out-of-town uniform rooting for the wrong team. In his spare time he likes to yell at the people who get questions wrong on Cash Cab, find new coffee shops, and walk in the park. Besides a strong background in Film, Jason is also the proud owner of an extensive comic book collection and a high cholesterol level.

Vincent Perretti

Staff Writer- My Music

After studying film for a few years at Pennsylvania State University, Vince left college after a job opportunity opened at a production house in New York. He’s been in Brooklyn ever since – mostly because it reminds him of his hometown in Philly. It’s got your morning drunks, your walk-down-the-street-bar lifestyle all of us love so much and a river runs through it. Get it? Regardless, most of his days are spent editing, but in his free time he pursues a career in directing/shooting music videos.

Leeman Kessler

Staff Writer- My Games

Born in Nigeria, schooled in the States and United Kingdom, and currently treading the Toronto boards, Leeman Kessler is a member of Monkeyman Productions and a dedicated geek. His favourite roles include HP Lovecraft, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and King Kong. When he’s not acting, gaming, karaokeing, or drooling in front of Netflix, he…well okay, he doesn’t do a whole heck of a lot else. Just ask his wife.

Elizabeth Ramirez

Staff Writer- My Games

Elizabeth is currently finishing her English degree at Boston University and should therefore be working on a paper (there’s always a paper due soon). Instead she acts in and directs theater, plays video games until late at night, watches way too much Netflix, and generally tries to do too much of everything while being as lazy as possible.

Rebbekah Vega Romero

Staff Writer- My Theatre (NYC)

Rebbekah Vega Romero is thrilled to be joining the team of writers at My Theatre! She has recently moved back to New York City to pursue her career as a singer and actress. While earning her B.A. at Boston University, she appeared in student productions of Sweeney Todd, Spring Awakening, As You Like It, On the Razzle, and Into the Woods, among others. Professional acting credits in Boston include Arcadia (Chloe, Bad Habit Productions), Romeo and Juliet (Benvolio/Paris, Independent Drama Society), A Civil War Christmas (Student Ensemble, Huntington Theatre Company), and The Taming of the Shrew (Ensemble, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company). She’d like to thank Kelly for this opportunity to engage with the theatre community in a new way. Rebbekah heads up the My Theatre’s NYC Division.

Justin Li

Staff Writer- My Cinema (NYC)

Justin Li is an enigma. All that’s really known about him is that he’s sometimes known as the guy with a dragon tattoo. His hobbies include playing with fire, and kicking hornets’ nests. Apparently, the thing he hates the most is writing short, quirky bios of himself. Plus he lives in Toronto.

Tom Farndon

Contributing Author- My Games

Tom Farndon is a level 27 college student, graduating with a major in English and a minor in Business Administration. When he’s not fighting the forces of evil and essay deadlines, you can find him earning experience points in real life via boxing practice and giving kayaking lessons. Tom is the founding author of My Games.

Saiya Floyd

Contributing Author- My TV

Saiya is currently a senior at Boston University, studying film and television. When she’s not busy procrastinating, she writes screenplays, and hopes to one day make money doing this. Saiya likes TV, movies, plays and naps.

Joe Longpre

Contributing Author- My TV, My Cinema

Joe is an amateur screenwriter for film and television and holds a useless Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. After abandoning the sciences, he studied screenwriting in Vancouver before returning to Toronto to pursue his career in the entertainment industry. He loves TV, movies, Alan Moore’s graphic novels, and chocolate chip muffins.

Maddi Chapin

Contributing Author- My Theatre (Boston/NYC)

Maddi Chapin currently attends Boston University, where she studies English and sees too many plays. She likes Shakespeare, Tom Stoppard, and talking about A Song Of Ice And Fire to anyone who’ll listen and some people who won’t.

Jess Couture

Contributing Author- My Sports

Jess is a senior at Boston University studying Severe Special Education and Deaf Studies. When not in the classroom Jess can be found at Fenway Park watching her beloved Red Sox, at the Garden with the Celtics, or at any theater in the Boston area in the audience, on stage, or backstage. She also can be found tracking the score of the Green Bay Packers, The New Orleans Saints, the Boston Bruins, and AC Milan (during regular football season) or team Italy (during the world cup).

Lauren Keiffer

Contributing Author- My TV

Lauren is a BU graduate. She enjoys keeping things lighthearted. If you were to wonder what she would prefer to watch, your best guess would be some sort of cartoon. She likes a vast variety of TV shows, from PBS’s Arthur to Showtime’s Dexter. Some of her guilty pleasures include 90210 and America’s Next Top Model.

Tessa Cernik

Contributing Author- My TV, My Theatre (Toronto)

Tessa Cernik is currently exploring her desires to become an Anglo-Saxon warrior princess by studying Medieval Literature and History in Halifax, Nova Scotia. When she is is not translating forgotten tongues, she is producing plays for the King’s Theatrical Society and watching ridiculous amounts of television, to the detriment of her social life.

Ann Fitzhenry Bedard

Contributing Author- My Sports, My Books

Ann is an occupational therapist and marathon walking coach living in Toronto. She loves fashion, cooking, painting, theatre and traveling, and is working on her plan to become a “Type B”
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Tim Collins

Contributing Author- My TV, My Books

Tim is one of the many twenty something post-college wanderers who is still trying to figure out his life. At the moment, he is an educator by day, book reader by evening, and TV watcher by night. Tim lives in Boston and never plans on leaving.

Chris Behmke

Contributing Author- My Sports

Chris Behmke is the best hugger you’ll ever meet. He has a child-like sense of wonder and excitement for far more than is socially acceptable, but his life, and your life are better for it. Chris recently graduated Boston University with a degree in International Relations but has decided that following his dream to become a performer is way more fun, if also way more insane. Because Chris is such an effervescent human being and he does theatre, everyone thinks he’s gay. Go to a sports game with him and you’ll be convinced otherwise. When it comes to sports, blood is in the air and the beast is let out of the cage.

Michael Bedard

Contributing Author- My Sports

Michael is a Certified Personal Trainer and Chief Fitness Officer (CFO) for Forever Active, a company that specializes in promoting physical activity and fitness in men over 50. Michael holds an MBA from Laurier University . He enjoys all sports, especially baseball (notably The Toronto Blue Jays) and marathon running. His goals are to run the Boston Marathon and live to see the Blue Jays win the World Series. Head to www.forever-active.com for great fitness and nutrition tips, personal training info and to join the Forever Active interactive community.

Alyxandra Harvey

Guest Author- My TV

Alyxandra is a young adult author and poet who lives in an old Victorian house in Ontario, Canada with a few resident ghosts who are allowed to stay as long as they keep company manners. She loves medieval dresses, used to be able to recite all of “The Lady of Shalott” by Tennyson, and has been accused, more than once, of being born in the wrong century; she believes this to be mostly true except for the fact that she really likes running water, women’s rights, and ice cream. Among her favourite books are The Wood Wife by Terri Windling, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, and of course, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Elizabeth Bennet is her hero because she’s smart and sassy, and Mr. Darcy is, well, yum.  Aside from the ghosts, she also lives with her husband and their dogs. Alyxandra Harvey is the author of award-winning young adult series The Drake Chronicles as well as the novels Haunting Violet and Stolen Away. http://alyxandraharvey.com/

Special Thanks To:

The Bedard Family- for support
Rachael Nisenkier- for help
Aaron Kropf (Stratford Shakespeare Festival)- for faith
Linn Øyen Farley (Drollic: Useful Design)- for guidance
Daniel Malen (The TV Addict)- for inspiration
Sorkin, Whedon, Berlanti, Katims, Rhimes, Shakespeare, Stoppard, Mamet, Brown, Schwartz, Lloyd Webber, Reiner, Soderberg, Fincher, Marshall, Halladay, Hill, McDonald, Patchett, Dahl, Seuss, the Boys, the Loaf, Ms. Swift and so many others- for motivation