Leadership + Advisors

Since moving to Los Angeles at the age of 19, Zachary has developed a vast knowledge base and network relating to the film and television industry.  After beginning his career as an actor and writer, he quickly realized his true passion lay in producing elite caliber content and with his acting background, directing.   After a decade long break from the industry to pursue the business acumen needed to understand business management, operations and the back end of filmmaking,  he returned to create The Octopi Creative Group. 

With the fantastic team surrounding him, he ensures the quality of work and handles the daily business operations for the Octopi Creative Group and dips his toe into the creative pool whenever the team needs an additional pair of eyes - or, of course, he gets the itch. 

The older of the Brothers McClain writing duo grew up with his brother and family in small town Illinois before graduating with an English degree from the University of Illinois. He later dropped out of law school and dropped into Alaska where he met his future wife. Patrick spent years bouncing around different locations and restaurant jobs before landing back in Chicago and starting his own family. His work week is spent in the trenches of residential mortgage lending, while his passion remains writing. Over the years, Patrick has successfully completed one novel and four film scripts. He also has several other future scripts in various stages of development that he looks forward to producing in the years to come.

Toni Hudson’s producing career has been influenced by some of the best in Hollywood. Working with the likes of, Garry Marshall (prod./writer/dir.), Jerry Bruckhiemer (prod), Robert Benton (prod/writer/dir), Martin Ritt (prod/dir), Stephen J. Cannel (prod/writer/dir),  Glen Larson (prod/writer/dir),  Walter C. Miller (prod/dir),  John Alonzo (DP), to name a few behind the camera. In front of the camera she has worked along side these amazing artists. Sally Field, Danny Glover, John Malkovich, Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Mary Steenburgen, Malcolm McDowell, Rip Torn, Alfre Woodard, Tom Hanks, Jackie Gleason, William Shatner, Heather Locklear, Bert Remsen, Dabney Coleman, Tom Cruise, Paul Newman etc. Spanning 45 years in the business, starting out as an actor, Toni has stayed focused on creating content that uplifts and inspires. Producing her first feature film, in 2020, ‘Charlies Christmas Wish’,  that is distributed by Lionsgate, solidified her passion for making quality art. As a writer, her third book ‘Tinder Love’ is out on amazon.com, ebook and paperback and being developed into a T.V. series. Her screenplay, ‘Living on the Fringe’ is a female driven, love story, dramady. A ‘based on true events’ bio pic of faith, survival and eventually redemption. Toni is a creative content creator. An entrepreneur, a mother to three boys, and a grandmother to twin girls.

With a proven history of exceeding expectations through performance, and a track record of building professional relationships, developing successful strategies, promoting new operational ideas, while managing fast-paced operations and sales environments -  Justin oversees the financial and sales operations of the octopi group. Bringing his unique perspective and leadership to one of the most important areas of our organization. 

Danny Pardo, is an Argentinian-born Film, TV, and Voiceover actor living in Los Angeles. He became an international star in 2015 when Oscar winning Director Juan Jose Campanella cast him as the Series Regular role of Padre Martin for 60 episodes in the Argentinian-produced TV Series ENTRE CANIBALES. Thanks to distribution agreements with FOX-Life, Sony Entertainment Television and YES DRAMA, the show aired in the Latin American markets (Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, etc), Israel, Russia and ex USSR countries. This exposure has made Pardo a recognizable face on the streets of Buenos Aires and a known actor in the other markets. Danny has had strong Starring and Supporting roles playing opposite with star names such as Kiefer Sutherland, Michael Chiklis, David Boreanaz, Wentworth Miller, Susan Lucci, Armand Assante, Danny Trejo, Steven Bauer, Tom Sizemore and Eileen Davidson, Jason Sudeikis, Ed Harris, Julie Bowen, Erik Estrada and many others on TV Shows such as SEAL TEAM, COLONY, THE SHIELD, PRISON BREAK, 24, ALL MY CHILDREN HACIENDA HEIGHTS and many other shows and movies. Son of European immigrants with a rich culture coming from Italy, Spain, Yugoslavia and Argentina and speaking Spanish, English, Portuguese and Italian fluently, Danny has had the chance to perform in these languages in Films, TV Shows, Commercials, Voiceovers, Hosting and Emceeing Live Events. The motto he goes by is “It is not what you do, but actually it is HOW you do what you do that makes a difference”...

The younger of the McClain clan grew up with his older brother, sister, and family along the banks of the mighty Mississippi in west-central Illinois. He left home to attend University of Iowa, where he focused on Comparative Literature and Film Studies. Writing was always a hobby of his since his early teens, but he was able to hone some skills with Screenwriting and Playwriting courses at Iowa. At the time, their film program was rather new, so he transferred to Columbia College in Chicago. He continued his studies there for a year and was able to get great hands-on experience with actual filmmaking, even winning ‘Best Final Film’ in his class for his 10-minute short film. He decided at this point to follow his older brother and experience a bit of the world, starting in Alaska. 

Years later, at his brother’s wedding in Illinois, he met his future wife and then returned to the Pacific Northwest with her. Here, he completed his bachelor’s degree with a major in English and a minor in Spanish from the University of Washington. He now lives in Broomfield, CO with his wife and daughter where he works from home in mortgage lending. When not lending or writing, he can be found hiking with his family or traversing the beautiful Colorado countryside on his bike.

Being able to take ideas and passion and grow them into companies is an exhilarating experience! Jason has done just that during his over 20 years within the business and financial industry. He has taken on many operational and territorial development roles to help companies grow within the market and industry in which they want to flourish.  He has taken a small business and made it a nationally recognized and award winning business. He has also taken a company with half a billion dollar investments and grown it into a publicly traded company. He has accomplished all of this by creating a vast business and personal network, and he has even been called “The Connector”. He fosters great partnerships by bringing people together to create solutions to accomplish their goals.

Jason calls Chicago his home town and wants to see the film production industry grow and thrive here in the Midwest. He sees great growth opportunities and investment potential within this space when the right people make the right product that the whole world wants to see. 

Grace Maren Ryan grew up around visual arts in Columbus, Ohio and started performing as a young commercial actress, which led her to stages as a singer and theatrical artist. She began participating outside of the scene in broadcast journalism as an Arts Producer, explored her own photography business, and started directing for stage and then on screen. She combined her passions to complete a BFA in Film & Television, Directing concentration, at DePaul University where she expanded her network and close relationships in Chicago and in LA as a Production Coordinator and assisted Executives in production offices and development companies. As she’s continued to edit, write and direct, she found her way to assistant directing, script supervising, production managing, and Grace is now leading as a Creative Producer. 

American actor Guy Nardulli has had a wonderfully varied career that only saw him take up acting in his thirties. Since then, he has appeared on some of America's biggest television dramas and soap operas as well as in films as diverse as cult conspiracy thriller Under the Silver Lake , an action movie Call Me King, and starring along side Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot in RED NOTICE. An accomplished all-rounder, he also wrote, produced, and starred in the 2016 low-budget indie flick Last Goodbye.

Nardulli hails from Norridge, a small village in Illinois. His initial career path led him to American football. After playing college football while studying at Elmhurst College, he moved to Italy and spent a season playing American football for the Bolzano Giants in the Italian Football League. A return to the states saw him play for teams in Ohio and Illinois, his career ending with a the Chicago Thunder. From there, he made the unexpected move into dance and joined legendary male dance troupe The Chippendales. This, in turn, led him into acting, and he made his first on-screen appearance as a thug in three episodes of landmark CBS soap opera The Young & The Restless.

Ben Van Ness is the VP/general manager at WGEM, including four TV networks (NBC, FOX, CW, Me-TV), two radio stations (FM 105 & FM 98.9), wgem.com, and the WGEM Home & Living Show. He’s currently a board member of Blessing Hospital, Chaddock, United Way of Adams County, Quincy Public Schools Foundation, Tri-State Development Summit, GREDF, is on the Long Range Planning Committee at the KROC Center, and is the immediate past board member with Hannibal Regional Hospital Foundation. A typical week for Ben is meeting individually and weekly with all eight of the WGEM broadcasting department heads and spending a great deal of time at board related events, sales related calls or community sponsored activities, in the case of all of their counties in Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa. He’s also a husband and father of two daughters in Quincy, Illinois.