One Goat Bios

Gavin Black, Producer

Gavin Black hails from Texas where he graduated from Baylor University with a BA in Radio/TV/Film. In 1998 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue filmmaking and began his career as assistant to the president and producer at Norann Entertainment, which produced the feature films The Joyriders starring Martin Landau, and ExtremeDays.

Gavin stayed with the Norann executives while forming a new theatrical distribution company in 1999 called Providence Entertainment. During his time there, Gavin held positions in several areas including marketing, post-production, and finally became Director of Development & Acquisitions where he sought out scripts for production and finished films for distribution.

From there, Gavin joined Promenade Pictures, headed by CEO Frank Yablans, former president of Paramount Pictures. First serving as Director of Development & Acquisitions, Gavin was promoted to Vice President of Physical Production where he would oversee the production process for all of Promenade’s films.

Through his career, Gavin has spent hundreds of hours working on several dozen productions from television shows such as HBO’s Deadwood and NBC’s Las Vegas to feature films including The Princess Diaries 2 and Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator. He worked as 1st Assistant Director on film projects such as a branded short film for TaylorMade Golf and a short film called The Feast, a finalist in the 168 Hour Film Festival in Los Angeles and official selection of the 2005 Los Angeles International Short Film Festival. 

Gavin Black is a co-founding partner and producer for One Goat Productions in Los Angeles.  He recently completed directing and producing the short film Feeling Fat, currently in post-production.

Email Gavin:
gavin@onegoat.net

Michael Costner, Producer

A native of Los Angeles, Michael Costner grew up in and around the film industry. In college, he decided to pursue business and earned his undergraduate degree from Pepperdine University in Malibu with a Bachelor of Science in International Business with a Marketing Emphasis.

He continued his studies at the London Program of the Pepperdine University School of Law where he studied the legal aspects of independent filmmaking. During his time in London, Michael worked for British entertainment law firm Goodman Derrick, reviewing contracts and participating in contract negotiations while also getting a chance to have a hand in story development.

Back at Pepperdine in Malibu, Michael finished law school, earning a Juris Doctorate degree. After spending time learning on the set of Open Range, he moved back to London where wrote his first screenplay based in part on his travels around Europe and Turkey.

Once again stateside, Michael took a position with Sony Pictures in Culver City as the executive assistant to the Senior Vice President and the CAO. But still intrigued with story and writing, Michael enrolled at the Act One: Writing for Hollywood program in Hollywood where he studied writing while developing his own movie projects and screenplays.

Michael has experience on movie sets as an Assistant Director, and most recently worked on a branded short film for TaylorMade Golf.  He produced a short comedy entitled The Feast, a finalist film in the 168 Hour Film Festival in Los Angeles and official selection of the 2005 Los Angeles International Short Film Festival.

Michael Costner is a co-founding partner and producer for One Goat Productions in Los Angeles.  He recently completed directing and producing the short film Feeling Fat, currently in post-production.

Email Michael:
michael@onegoat.net

Zena Dell Schroeder, Producer

Zena Dell Schroeder studied film and theatre at the University of Washington in Seattle. After moving to California, she continued her studies at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena where she graduated with a Performing Arts degree. From there she went on to earn a Bachelors degree in Honors Literature from California State University at Northridge.

Zena worked successfully as an actress in theatre, independent films and national commercials before transitioning behind the scenes as a writer of plays and short films. Her play, Happy Holidays. Pending, was produced at the acclaimed Actor's Co-op in Hollywood. She won a Silver Award and a Telly Award for her short film, The Haunted Heart, which was produced by Family Theatre Productions in 2001.

In 2000 Zena joined film distributor Providence Entertainment where she worked as Executive Assistant to the CEO while continuing to write and act. In 2002 she took the position of Associate Director for Act One: Writing for Hollywood, a writer training program where she became a frequent lecturer at various conferences across the country.

Zena has worked as script supervisor on several film projects and continues to write while teaching acting at Village Christian's Fine Arts Academy in Sun Valley. She also teaches on the art and craft of writing as an adjunct professor at Covenant Christian College in Chattanooga.

Zena is a co-founding partner and producer for One Goat Productions in Los Angeles. Her most recent short film, Feeling Fat, is currently in post-production.

Email Zena:
zena@onegoat.net