CAST BIOS
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Bill Allard
William David Paul Allard graduated Phi Betta Kappa from the University of Vermont in 1971. He got his Actor’s Equity card that same year. The only C Bill ever got was from a Design Instructor who lied about the ability to draw effecting his grade. Bill shunned an invitation from Harvard Medical School after determining that a career in medicine would not provide him any serious challenges. Bill was awarded a Masters Of Fine Art in Directing from the Univeristy of Iowa but changed his mind about a life with no challenges. A doctor could always buy food. A doctor would never be homeless. Bill enrolled in the University of Iowa Medical School but requested an leave of absence to travel to San Francisco with Duck’s Breath Mystery Theatre to get rich and famous. Bill formed Duck Spots in 1978 to tackle the challenge of getting rich and famous producing quality comedy products featuring Duck’s Breath Mystery Theartre writing and performing talents. Bill is sitll trying to prove to his wife of 40 years, Margaret, that he made the right career choice. |
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Dan Coffey
Dan Coffey is retired and lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Most of the time he has nothing to do and all day to do it, nowhere to go and all day to get there. Every once in a while he will climb onto his motor scooter and ride around in the hills, taking pictures of vegetation. When he's not doing that, he's writing books, the latest of which is Glass Eater, published by Rocketscience Press. He also writes a blog, Geezersabroad.com.
Dan Coffey is retired and lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Most of the time he has nothing to do and all day to do it, nowhere to go and all day to get there. Every once in a while he will climb onto his motor scooter and ride around in the hills, taking pictures of vegetation. When he's not doing that, he's writing books, the latest of which is Glass Eater, published by Rocketscience Press. He also writes a blog, Geezersabroad.com.
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Merle Kessler
After a boyhood and teenhood spent in the Dakotas and Minnesota, Merle Kessler grabbed a couple master’s degrees at the University of Iowa, then hooked up with Duck’s Breath Mystery Theatre and migrated to San Francisco. As part of that group, he helped create hundreds of sketches, radio programs, and television shows. He also co-wrote much of Dr. Science with Dan Coffey (remember that one, kids?) and played his straight man, Rodney. He also came up with Ian Shoales, the fast talking social critic that some people believe turned into a real little boy. His pieces have aired on All Things Considered, Nightline, KCRW, KQED, and been published in the New York Times, among other places. He has also written plays, books, a movie, teevee, video games, yadda yadda. Now he is an old broody man. Get off his lawn. |
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Leon Martell
Leon was raised on a little farm in Vermont (really!), went to UVM, met Bill Allard, and then went on to U. of Iowa. Both got their MFAs, bonded with the other Duck’s Breath guys (Purely a Platonic thing.) and headed for San Francisco. Besides the Duck’s Breath thing, Leon started writing plays... got into The Bay Area Playwrights Festival, and with wife Beth Ruscio (not a purely Platonic thing) was invited to L.A. and wrote/ acted in the Padua Hills Playwright’s Festival. He teaches writing at UCLA Extension, and theater history at AMDA- L.A.. He writes “Family Audience” plays that interact with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. He’s writing a commissioned piece about what it means to be “American” for the 24th Street Theater in L.A. It’s called “I.C.E.” and will probably get him deported... back to Vermont.
Leon was raised on a little farm in Vermont (really!), went to UVM, met Bill Allard, and then went on to U. of Iowa. Both got their MFAs, bonded with the other Duck’s Breath guys (Purely a Platonic thing.) and headed for San Francisco. Besides the Duck’s Breath thing, Leon started writing plays... got into The Bay Area Playwrights Festival, and with wife Beth Ruscio (not a purely Platonic thing) was invited to L.A. and wrote/ acted in the Padua Hills Playwright’s Festival. He teaches writing at UCLA Extension, and theater history at AMDA- L.A.. He writes “Family Audience” plays that interact with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. He’s writing a commissioned piece about what it means to be “American” for the 24th Street Theater in L.A. It’s called “I.C.E.” and will probably get him deported... back to Vermont.
Jim Turner
Jim Turner schlepped around forever in his life and career path until he stumbled into Duck’s Breath where, suddenly his life as the perpetual class clown somehow, miraculously, made sense. He created Randee of the Redwoods because of his desire to be a musician but not willing to actually learn an instrument. This, coupled with seeing a very stoned performance by “the Fish” of “Country Joe and” gave birth to Randee. MTV picked Randee to run for President in 1988. Doesn’t seem so silly now, does it? Jim moved to LA in 1990, had a son, got married (in that order), and fleshed out a modest, but productive, career as an actor playing a variety of best friends, men’s magazine publishers, doctors, lawyers, priests, and fathers – each one of them as socially inept & physically awkward as the rest. He now, somehow, makes his living being a type 1 diabetic.
Jim Turner schlepped around forever in his life and career path until he stumbled into Duck’s Breath where, suddenly his life as the perpetual class clown somehow, miraculously, made sense. He created Randee of the Redwoods because of his desire to be a musician but not willing to actually learn an instrument. This, coupled with seeing a very stoned performance by “the Fish” of “Country Joe and” gave birth to Randee. MTV picked Randee to run for President in 1988. Doesn’t seem so silly now, does it? Jim moved to LA in 1990, had a son, got married (in that order), and fleshed out a modest, but productive, career as an actor playing a variety of best friends, men’s magazine publishers, doctors, lawyers, priests, and fathers – each one of them as socially inept & physically awkward as the rest. He now, somehow, makes his living being a type 1 diabetic.
PRODUCER BIOS
Hillary Allard
Art Director
In what had been described as a modern medical miracle, Hillary Carberry Allard was born with a paint brush in one hand a track pad in the other. As could have been expected, today Hillary is a visual designer working in both physical and digital media specializing in logo design for San Francisco companies. Since joining the Allard clan Hillary has contributed her artistic eye to the development and creation of Duck Spots projects such as the iBook series Comedy Magazine. Besides being a producer on the Ducks Breath Mystery Theatre Grand Finale, Hillary designed all the graphic elements that appear in the film. Hillary is also the owner of Fishbow Designs, which sells merchandise with a San Francisco attitude across the Bay Area. Hillary’s daughter, Isla Allard, is a future Duck spots producer and President of the United States.
Art Director
In what had been described as a modern medical miracle, Hillary Carberry Allard was born with a paint brush in one hand a track pad in the other. As could have been expected, today Hillary is a visual designer working in both physical and digital media specializing in logo design for San Francisco companies. Since joining the Allard clan Hillary has contributed her artistic eye to the development and creation of Duck Spots projects such as the iBook series Comedy Magazine. Besides being a producer on the Ducks Breath Mystery Theatre Grand Finale, Hillary designed all the graphic elements that appear in the film. Hillary is also the owner of Fishbow Designs, which sells merchandise with a San Francisco attitude across the Bay Area. Hillary’s daughter, Isla Allard, is a future Duck spots producer and President of the United States.
Steve Baker
DBMT Manager (1976 - )
Steve Baker (manager, 1976-) has spent a lifetime in the arts and journalism, from editor-in-chief (whoa) of The Daily Iowan at the University of Iowa in 1972-73 to program director at one of the country's top community radio stations herding cats (as in 175 volunteer broadcasters), KVMR in Nevada City/Sacramento CA the past two decades. In between, there was this Duck's Breath thing, which was successfully maneuvered into both stage and tours ("an American Monty Python"-=Newsweek), radio (NPR's "All Things Considered" 1980-90 & a variety of projects with CPB & NEA funding), took individual characters into various other media (Dr. Science into books & an Emmy-winning Fox TV series, Ian Shoales books and Nightlive/World News Now/The Movie Channel). He even got the Ducks on a late night version of George Schlatter's "Laugh In," where NBC censors mercilessly banned a sketch done daily before family audiences on the streets of San Francisco. Whew, all that plus producing 100 hour-long national radio shows featuring the late folksinger/storyteller/labor activist U. Utah Phillips, "Loafer's Glory: The Hobo Jungle Of The Mind" (1997-2002) and winning four creative community radio awards til they gave up giving them out. What a show-off. "We went to San Francisco in search of fame, fortune and middle age," Baker notes. "So far, we're still one for three."
DBMT Manager (1976 - )
Steve Baker (manager, 1976-) has spent a lifetime in the arts and journalism, from editor-in-chief (whoa) of The Daily Iowan at the University of Iowa in 1972-73 to program director at one of the country's top community radio stations herding cats (as in 175 volunteer broadcasters), KVMR in Nevada City/Sacramento CA the past two decades. In between, there was this Duck's Breath thing, which was successfully maneuvered into both stage and tours ("an American Monty Python"-=Newsweek), radio (NPR's "All Things Considered" 1980-90 & a variety of projects with CPB & NEA funding), took individual characters into various other media (Dr. Science into books & an Emmy-winning Fox TV series, Ian Shoales books and Nightlive/World News Now/The Movie Channel). He even got the Ducks on a late night version of George Schlatter's "Laugh In," where NBC censors mercilessly banned a sketch done daily before family audiences on the streets of San Francisco. Whew, all that plus producing 100 hour-long national radio shows featuring the late folksinger/storyteller/labor activist U. Utah Phillips, "Loafer's Glory: The Hobo Jungle Of The Mind" (1997-2002) and winning four creative community radio awards til they gave up giving them out. What a show-off. "We went to San Francisco in search of fame, fortune and middle age," Baker notes. "So far, we're still one for three."
Mike Baldwin
Filmmaker
Lowering expectations on three continents the Michael Baldwin's unavoidable "Chaotic Goodness" can be traced back to Long Beach in the late 1960's. His child hood was suitably unimpressive with the exception that it played out on the grimy and dangerous streets of Tokyo Japan. After brief incarcerations at both Stanford and San Francisco State University Michael ran afoul of the Ducks Breath Mystery Theatre's hooligans in the late 1980s and people in the know will shift blame from his mysterious upbringing to the afore mentioned comedy troupe for his irreverent 'and nonsensical brand of Unique Media Foolery (c) TM and rampant use of run-on sentences in his Bio. A contributing Writer Type, Director Type, Editor Type, Fabricator and Actor Type; Michael's "Chaotic Goodness" and "Unique Voice(s)" can be found contributing to a swath of ABC, Tech TV, Public Access, Sky TV, AIN, COmcast, ZDTV, Infomercials, Sales Tapes, Films, Home Movies and now Duck Spots features. Although if this film doesn't do well his next project is likely going to his suicide note. He can lick his eyebrows (c) TM.
Filmmaker
Lowering expectations on three continents the Michael Baldwin's unavoidable "Chaotic Goodness" can be traced back to Long Beach in the late 1960's. His child hood was suitably unimpressive with the exception that it played out on the grimy and dangerous streets of Tokyo Japan. After brief incarcerations at both Stanford and San Francisco State University Michael ran afoul of the Ducks Breath Mystery Theatre's hooligans in the late 1980s and people in the know will shift blame from his mysterious upbringing to the afore mentioned comedy troupe for his irreverent 'and nonsensical brand of Unique Media Foolery (c) TM and rampant use of run-on sentences in his Bio. A contributing Writer Type, Director Type, Editor Type, Fabricator and Actor Type; Michael's "Chaotic Goodness" and "Unique Voice(s)" can be found contributing to a swath of ABC, Tech TV, Public Access, Sky TV, AIN, COmcast, ZDTV, Infomercials, Sales Tapes, Films, Home Movies and now Duck Spots features. Although if this film doesn't do well his next project is likely going to his suicide note. He can lick his eyebrows (c) TM.
Martin Spencer-Davies
Video & Audio Capture
Martin Spencer-Davies was born in London, England and moved to San Francisco where he met Mr. Bill Allard who persuaded him over the years to shoot the Ducks Breath boys in various ridiculous skits. He now has horrible PTSD-style flashbacks of Merle Kessler in a pink dress singing "The hills are alive with the Sound of Music" getting closer and closer and closer....
Video & Audio Capture
Martin Spencer-Davies was born in London, England and moved to San Francisco where he met Mr. Bill Allard who persuaded him over the years to shoot the Ducks Breath boys in various ridiculous skits. He now has horrible PTSD-style flashbacks of Merle Kessler in a pink dress singing "The hills are alive with the Sound of Music" getting closer and closer and closer....
DIRECTOR BIOS
Bill Allard
Co-Director
It takes two people to make a quality film. A producer and a director. The producer does everything needed to turn the script onto a quality film. The director makes sure that everything the producer does enhances the quality of the audience film story experience. Sometime one person does both jobs. This is a filmmaker. Sometimes, as in Duck’s Breath Mystery Theare Grand Finale, two filmmakers share the producing and directing responsibilities and try to avoid killing each other. Is there anything better that making a film with your son? No There is not.
Co-Director
It takes two people to make a quality film. A producer and a director. The producer does everything needed to turn the script onto a quality film. The director makes sure that everything the producer does enhances the quality of the audience film story experience. Sometime one person does both jobs. This is a filmmaker. Sometimes, as in Duck’s Breath Mystery Theare Grand Finale, two filmmakers share the producing and directing responsibilities and try to avoid killing each other. Is there anything better that making a film with your son? No There is not.
Richard Allard
Co-Director
Forged in the fires of San Francisco, Richard is the son of Duck's Breath alum Bill Allard and was indoctrinated into all things Duck at birth. After escaping his parental captors, Richard went on to film school at the University of California Santa Cruz and has been an editor/producer ever since. When he lived in New York his clients included the Food Network, Major League Baseball, and various independent film makers. Richard was also an editor on multiple HBO documentaries including The Greatest Silence, and was lead editor on the independent documentary Knighthood. Since returning to California in 2013 Richard has been a Producer/Lead editor at the PAC-12 Network, and a contributor in the development of multiple projects for Duck Spots, most recently as lead editor and producer of the Ducks Breath Mystery Theatre Grand Finale.
Co-Director
Forged in the fires of San Francisco, Richard is the son of Duck's Breath alum Bill Allard and was indoctrinated into all things Duck at birth. After escaping his parental captors, Richard went on to film school at the University of California Santa Cruz and has been an editor/producer ever since. When he lived in New York his clients included the Food Network, Major League Baseball, and various independent film makers. Richard was also an editor on multiple HBO documentaries including The Greatest Silence, and was lead editor on the independent documentary Knighthood. Since returning to California in 2013 Richard has been a Producer/Lead editor at the PAC-12 Network, and a contributor in the development of multiple projects for Duck Spots, most recently as lead editor and producer of the Ducks Breath Mystery Theatre Grand Finale.