Our Crowdfunding Groups
Third best is a CSUN CTVA346 Episodic series that follows Maria, the often overlooked middle child, who is happily coasting through life until she meets a cute mysterious girl who leads her to connect with a part of herself that has been closeted.
A message from the series creator:
My name is Asia Isabella Villani, and I’m the showrunner, head writer, and director of Episode 1 of Third Best. As a child, I was obsessed with television and would lock myself away in my room for hours on end. I’m a late bloomer in discovering my passion for creating stories and wanting to be part of making great television. As a lesbian Latina, Third Best allows me to create representation for those like me, who once struggled, but have now become truly themselves, embracing both their identity and sexuality. I’m excited to see my story come to life with my amazing crew!
Our Crew
Asia Isabella Villani
Director And Showrunner EP 101
Micha Adams
Director Ep 102
My name is Micha I'm a CTVA student with an emphasis in cinematography. I was a photographer for some time before deciding to get a degree in film. I have a passion for lighting and bringing stories to life. I am a director on the episodic "Third Best" and the first AC on "Handyman".
Mateo Ramirez
Director EP 103 And AD EP 101
My name is Mateo Omar Ramirez and I’m the director of episode 3, AD for episode 1, and the co-editor. Currently a TV Narrative Production major with an editing focus, I got my start in high school editing promotional footage for fashion models and music videos for rising musicians. Since then I’ve pivoted to directing and other roles, in addition to editing. I’m excited to help bring Third Best to life.
Daniel Alvarado
Director EP 104
Hi! My name is Daniel Alvarado and I am beyond excited to be part of such a great crew and even more excited to bring such an amazing story to life. I am usually behind the camera as a DP but this time around I'll be directing episode 104 of Third Best, I can't wait!
Nathan Cayanan
Director of Photography
Hello, I'm Nathan Cayanan, the Director of Photography for "Third Best". If you'll ever see me on set, I'm normally hiding behind a camera or a monitor (or crafty on occasion). I can probably recite all the lines in "Chicken Little" and "Bolt" if you asked me to. I'm a U.S. Army Combat Photographer by day and a rave sewer rat by night. Outside of cinematography, I enjoy picking up weights and putting it back down, and showing off videos of my two corgis play-fighting each other. Because I'm merely OBSESSED with my job and this story, I'm beyond excited to bring the world of "Third Best" to life in its camera and lighting.
Keilana Wall
Producer
Hi! I’m KeiLana and I’m the Producer for Third Best. As an avid lover of paperwork and all things organization, I was excited when Asia asked me to Produce this project. I felt this was a powerful story to share, knowing how the importance of representation matters to me, and wanting to give more platforms to women of color and the lgbtq community.
Jennifer Inatomi
Lead Editor
Hi, I’m Jennifer Inatomi, one of the editors for Third Best. I’ve always been passionate about editing and have been working towards being an Assistant Editor after graduating. I’m looking forward to working to make Asia’s vision come to life and focus on representing a queer Latin story.
Duc Le
1st AC And Colorist
My name is Duc Le, and I am a Television Production student specializing in editing at California State University Northridge. Born in Vietnam, I moved to the U.S. at a young age and initially discovered my passion for storytelling through acting. However, over time, I realized that my true strength lay not in performing but in shaping narratives behind the scenes. Editing became my creative outlet, allowing me to craft stories not just through cuts but also through sound and color. Through past projects, I have gained valuable experience in workflow and post-production techniques, and I am eager to deepen my knowledge of sound design and color grading to enhance stories even further As an assistant editor and colorist for Third Best, I am excited to bring this story to life and create a visually and emotionally compelling experience for the audience.
Seamus Hanley
Sound Engineer
Seamus Hanley is a TV production student at CSUN and a multi-faceted filmmaker from the Bay Area, CA. He has experience in writing, directing, editing, and sound, and will be serving as the on-set sound mixer on all 4 episodes of Third Best. Previously, Seamus has worked as an editor and sound mixer on various projects for multiple creatives and his directorial effort, the experimental short film The Search. He's very passionate about media that tells realistic stories about regular people, so he's very pumped to be a part of this project.
