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JAIME FERNANDEZ (Gabriel)One night a young Jaime Fernandez attended a comedy club open mic. As he watched amateur comics perform their humorless routines, he was motivated to take the mic and provide the type of comedy the audience had been desperately waiting for. Jaime says, "The sound of the crowd's laughter during my first open mic was an instant gratification that I had never felt before." Making his rounds at New York City's premier comedy clubs such as Caroline's, New York Comedy Club and Gotham Comedy Club, the twenty-something comedian created a brand of stand-up that centers on the unique storytelling of his upbringing by a Puerto Rican mother and Spanish father in New York's Washington Heights. He soon began to dabble in sketch comedy with the Lose Control live comedy troupe. After a year, Jaime easily transitioned from stage to film by becoming one of the Room 28 Comedy founders. As head writer he oversees script submissions and contributes by both penning, directing and starring in reoccurring sketches. Beyond the comedy circuit, Jaime has also starred in several films including “Sandman’s Box”, “Color”, “The Bag”, “Bodega Central”, “Arthouse Film”, and “The Shooter.” He starred in HBO Latino’s anecdote series Habla Ya! Parte 1 & 2 . His writing credits also include co-writing the official 2008 HBO New York International Latino Film Festival commercial which he also starred in. Most recently, Jaime has been cast as the lead actor in a new supernatural webseries called “Linked.” He will be playing Gabriel, a character which Jaime says, “Isn’t too far off from who I really am.” Like the endless amount of characters he creates and portrays, Jaime's talent, both in acting and writing, is sure to win laughs and praise beyond any boundaries.
JERRY DIAZ (Jason)As the oldest son to Dominican parents, Jerry Diaz began demonstrating signs of his artistic talent at an early age. Born in New York City’s Lower East Side neighborhood, Jerry’s family relocated to the Upper East Side where he attended Xavier high school and took special interest in drawing and other forms of art. He won first prize in various local art festivals. After high school, he decided to experiment with his other creative talents, and began his performance career as part of a rap group called “The Pedigree.” It was during his time with the group that Jerry’s skill in both spoken word and writing began to flourish. Years after his shot at the music industry, Jerry redirected his efforts to writing poetry, by which he won several awards. His lyrical ability, combined with his naturally solid sense of humor caused his cousin, Michael Diaz, to ask Jerry if he’d be interested in acting. Jerry, reminded of the Academy Award speech he gave to his mother when he was four, decided to give acting a shot. In Michael’s movie, “Juan Bago,” Jerry played two characters which were praised for stealing the show and which ignited his inner acting bug. He went on to star in independent films such as “Hood Politics” and “The Jolopeo.” But, it was his stage presence with the comedy troupe Lose Control that would allow Jerry to hone his skills in comedic acting, improvisation, writing and direction. After meeting actor and writer Jaime Fernandez in Lose Control, Jerry joined with him and Michael to create their own troupe, Room 28. Through Room 28, a sketch group that performs live on stage and films skits for Internet distribution, Jerry was given complete creative freedom to combine the various talents he has nurtured throughout the years. Along with Jaime, his writing partner, Jerry also penned the script for the 2008 New York International Latino Film Festival promotional commercial as well as starred in it. Joining the cast of LINKED, Jerry found he was able to add comedic flair to his character Jason who is Gabriel's best friend. While he enjoys bringing laughter to the show, he also looks forward to bringing out a serious side. While riding along the success of Room 28 and other endeavors, Jerry will to continue to pursue his acting and writing careers making his presence known for years to come.
LAUREN J. RIVERA (Lynn)Before 2006, Lauren's experience in acting did not include much more than a recurring role as one of the angels in the Nativity Story. Luckily, that took place in grammar school and was not some revival in her later years. It wasn't until college that Lauren performed improv at a student union talent show. Although the acting bug had bit her, Lauren didn't return to acting until her friend Pablo Diaz, Jr. came to her with a script he'd written asking if she'd play the lead, and only, role. The short film titled "Schizophrenia" portrayed Lauren playing 6 different characters and for this she was commended. In the years that followed, Lauren made cameos in the filmed skits of Room 28 and tested her stage skills during a live performance. When LINKED came along she jumped at the chance to play a serious character surrounded by mystery. "Linked opened my eyes to a new genre that I truly enjoyed being a part of."
J.W. CORTES (Ray)J.W. Cortes was born & raised in Brooklyn, New York City in a ‘barrio’ called Sunset Park. After narrowly escaping from high school he desperately sought for a way out of a neighborhood ravished by gang violence and an epidemic known to the world as ‘crack.’ But more importantly what he truly sought - was a change within himself. In the weeks that followed he found what he believed was his opportunity, a sort of ‘one-shot deal’ -he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. A decision he has been quoted as saying, “...at one point it saved my life and at another it almost took it away.” In March of 2003 he found himself over 5,000 miles away from home with nearly a thousand other combat-ready U.S. Marines. It was there, in the middle of nowhere through what he has often described as an epiphany, that he decided IF and only IF he made it the hell out that he would pursue his childhood dreams. Those dreams of course encompassed a career in acting, singing and writing. Since returning back to the ‘world’ he has remained true to his promise, relentlessly attacking the industry head-on. He made his first television appearance on the CBS show NUEVA ESTRELLA AWARDS a bilingual American Idol themed show without the 'Simon.' The year 2007 marked his big-screen debut during the 2007 HBO NY International Latino Film Festival as 'Magic' - a ruthless narcotics dealing father in the Independent Feature Film "44." He also made a cameo as Joaquin Phoenix's trusty club-bouncer in "We Own The Night." We’ll continue to see more of J.W. in the upcoming films “As Good As Dead” opposite of Carey Elwes, “Anima Sola” with Karen Beatrice & “A Kiss of Chaos” as Adam Rodriguez’ confidant. Playing "Ray" in the webseries LINKED brings J.W. into both a new genre and a new realm of entertainment. "Watching this project spread virally is completely new to me." Never limiting his craft to comfort, he rigorously works his other passion thru his writing. With a newly formed alliance we’ll prepare for the launch of his production company SETROC Entertainment TM. Their first of two productions will be screenplay’s written by J.W.
MICHAEL DIAZ (Gary)Michael Diaz is an accomplished writer/producer/actor and director. Born and raised in the Connecticut suburbs, his passion for performing started at an early age. By the time Michael moved to NYC’s Washington Heights, he had starred in projects and films such as “The Preston Lopez Show”, “In Hood Politics” and “Looters.” His experiences in front of the camera soon led to work behind the scenes, assisting in various production roles. He became more interested in the film production process as a whole and began honing his skills in writing, producing and directing. In 2006, Michael combined all his available talents to release the independent film "The Story of Juan Bago." The success of the film led to Michael’s involvement with various projects such as "A Song and a Prayer” (AD), "Erica" (AP), "Color" (Producer), "El Sueno" (Actor), "Awilda and a Bee" (Actor), "Jolopeo" (Producer & AD),"US Sinners" (Actor), and "Alize’s Rap" (Actor), HBO’s “Habla” (Actor), “The Shooter” (Actor), and “Tomate” (Actor). During his whirlwind of a career he also began the formation of Heights Entertainment, a multi-service production company specializing in marketing, public relations and film production. One of HE’s projects has been Room 28 Comedy, a live and online video sketch comedy group, were he serves as both a producer and talent. Michael joins the cast of “Linked” as Gary, a seemingly nice guy. “The best part of working on Linked is interacting with several of my friends in a playing field so far from what we’re used to (comedy.)” With a plate as full as Michael’s, you can be sure you’ll be reading about his endeavors for years to come.
PAUL MAURIELLO (Det. Washington)Born of Italian descent in the Fair Haven section of New Haven, a single father of four, Paul chose the career path of science and technology rather than art, earning both a bachelors and a masters degree in Computer Science. His disinterest for art changed however in March 2003 when his friend, Judy Marte, invited him to see her independent movie entitled "Raising Victor Vargas" and he met part of the cast. It was there and then that his artistic spark was lit and in 2007 he joined Reno Venturi's Actor's Gym and began training as an actor. Having now had a little taste of film ("The Higest Bid","Ditch"), TV (Nutrisystem Commercial, Littering PSA, Life on Mars), theatre ("The Wake"), and now a sci fi webseries entitled LINKED, Paul is excited to see where this new adventure will take him.
LAUREN J. RIVERA (Exec. Producer, Co-Creator, Writer & Director)
Although she's been a writer since the time she could pick up a writing utensil, this is Lauren's first time at being a screenwriter. After co-creating the pilot for LINKED with her friend Pablo Diaz, Jr., Lauren continued to write out the 14 episode series on her own. Inspired by the works of Dean Koontz (her favorite author), Lauren created a world of mystery, super natural occurences and thrill "sprinkled with a little comedy." She's amazed and in awe at the opportunity to bring her writing to life with the work of such an incredible cast and crew.
JONATHAN ALDEBOT (Director of Photography & Producer)Growing up on the "gritty" streets of Washington Heights in New York City, Jonathan Aldebot found a love for filmmaking at an early age. When he was eleven, he picked up his father's bulky VHS video camera and began making shorts, small skits and music videos with friends and family. Never being one to participate in front of the camera, Jonathan was always keen to placing his eye into a viewfinder and watching the action unfold before his lens. He found inspiration in the works of filmmakers like John Carpenter, Steven Spielberg, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino and many more. Further inspiration can be attributed to films he saw on Cinemax’s late night brainless programming. "If crappy movies can be aired on national television, anything’s possible,” was Jonathan’s reasoning. Beginning at Fordham University, Jonathan took his collegiate career to University of Buffalo where he would later receive a B.A. of Media Studies. Besides continuing his education in film, Jonathan also took up the hobby of photography, and both short story and screenplay writing. He hopes to one day publish a collection of his works, including a graphic novel which he’s been developing since his grade school days. After college, Jonathan continued his passion for film as a one man show; creating, directing and producing his own shorts “Who Goes There?” “Just One Night” and “Doors.” Joining the set of Linked as a director of photography, Jonathan was given the opportunity to work with a full creative team. “Having people to brainstorm and create with has been a great experience. The whole project has reminded me how much I love filmmaking.” And you can be sure that, for Jonathan, this is just the beginning.
FULL CAST & CREW COMING SOON!!
