About Red Rhino

Red Rhino is about teenaged Wes Whittaker who gets superpowers... that are really lame. On top of that, he's meets Evangeline, who insists that this is his last timeline, his last chance to save his friends and family... before the timeline collapses and all will be lost.   

 When creating the story, I was almost annoyed that it was about a teenaged boy. Aren't there enough stories about teenaged males who get superpowers? But then I realized... that's the point. In a time when privilege is a buzzword, we don't talk about what you do when you HAVE privilege. Red Rhino became a story about what to do when you have "powers" that you don't really want... and how to use them to support those around you. (And how those around you feel about those powers.) 

About the creator

I'm Meghan Fitzmartin, the creator and writer of Red Rhino. A long-time fan of audio drama, I started listening when I was in elementary school to a Christian radio drama and was struck by the versatility of story able to accomplish while also giving the imagination more opportunities to stretch. Looking back, I think my constant source of audio dramas helped teach me empathy and instill a strong imagination to this day. So I knew that, even if I had no clue how to create an audio drama, I had to try. 

 Red Rhino was born out of a short film I wrote in college about a superhero with really lame powers up against your standard, super cool hero with super cool powers. To me, it was a story about heart vs strength and the privileges we have... even if we think they aren't that great.  

I’ve worked on Supernatural for the last two seasons and counting, learning from some of the greatest minds in genre storytelling. I’ve also written for animation, including Justice Society: World War 2 and Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen Part 1, and comics, including DC Comics’ Tim Drake: Robin series. 

About the Crew

Gloria Iseli (Director) - Gloria Iseli is a Los Angeles based Writer/Director. Some current projects include the indie horror feature The Headless, a recurring monthly comedy show The Witch Hunt at the El Portal Theatre, and the documentary Berlin, 2018, about the 2018 Candidates Chess Tournament. She will be directing A Christmas Cactus, premiering this winter, at Little Fish Theatre.

 La Nita Harless (Producer) - Even though she has been stage managing and producing live and filmed content for close to 15 years, this is La Nita’s first foray into producing an audio drama podcast. Since moving to Los Angeles in 2010, she has spent most of her time in the comedy world producing short films and live sketch comedy as the executive producer for the live, not-so-late-night talk show “It’s Past My Bedtime”, Emphasize the Subtleties Productions, and JustKill Productions. She currently uses her skill in planning and people wrangling in her day job as the Manager of Global Media Operations for NBCUniversal. All opinions are my own.

About the CAST

Jesse Einstein (Wes Whittaker) - Jesse Einstein has appeared on television (The League, Kroll Show, Lopez) and stage (Originating the role of Komitas in Komitas at Atwater Village Theatre, Jared in Paloma at LA Theatre Center, and playing Marvin in Falsettos at Third Street Theatre “Pitch perfect!” - LA Times) and in film where he’s worked with William H Macy, Rhea Perlman, John Rubinstein, and Brittany Snow. He voices commercials and has narrated dozens of widely-distributed audiobooks.

As a filmmaker, Jesse has produced internationally distributed content for Sky TV, Radical Productions, Rock the Vote, Mom+Pop Music, The Media Collective, and Dawn Machine.

Jesse is a member of The Road Theatre and Road Friez Sketch Comedy Team (performing monthly at The Ruby), and is an alum of University of Southern California, The Atlantic Acting School, and New World School of the Arts.

Hershey Wingler (Evangeline) - Since she was a precocious little girl starring in her third grade musical as Mrs. Green, Hershey knew she would be an actor. When asked about a “fall back” career by her aunt and grandmother, Hershey scrunched up her face, confused, and quipped, “Why would I need one?”

That tenacity (and maybe a bit of naivety) led Hershey to pursue acting in her regional market in Texas - booking Friday Night Lights and gaining her SAG eligibility - before making the big move out West.

Hershey easily spans comedic and dramatic roles and has happily been cast as the strong, intelligent, sassy character like Martha Washington in the contemporary original sketch show: The Real Housewives of the Founding Fathers (Second City Hollywood), the sexy, comedic timing like Olivia in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, and more recently, recurring as the brooding, driven cop Carly Campos in Mrs. Fitzgerald is Missing (Amazon Prime).

Armed with considerable acting training, including a degree in musical theatre with an acting and directing emphasis (SHSU) and extensive experience in improv and sketch comedy (iO, UCB), Hershey continues to search for interesting roles to bring to life. Her love for telling a story, becoming a character, and sharing that experience with others has only grown, and finding voice over work has given her another medium in which to do just that. She’s lent her strong diction and smooth voice to several commercials, as narrator to an eerie mystery show, and now as a hard-headed, tenacious, and loving Evangeline in Red Rhino.

In this timeline, Hershey lives and works in Los Angeles and is currently enjoying her most challenging and rewarding role yet - first-time mom to her adorable son, Wyatt. She loves working with the Red Rhino team, and she can’t wait to hear what happens next!

Kimberly Woods (Aislinn August) - Kimberly Woods moved to LA from Delaware, after studying neuroscience and theatre at Princeton University. She does both on-camera and VO work. Her fresh, youthful sound lends itself to animation, commercials, anime and video games, and she can recently be heard voicing Barbie's friend and rival Sal-Lee in the animated movie, Barbie Star Light Adventure, and can be seen starring in the suspense/thriller, BNB Hell.

 Nadia Vasquez (Laura Winters) - Nadia Vazquez a multi-talented actor, voice over artist, and writer with a passion for storytelling. She is a recurring player on TBS's Conan, and can be seen dancing in Pharrell William's music video for the Grammy Award-winning song "Happy." She starred in the short films Conversations With Trees and A J0K is Born, and the popular witchy web show Hotline: The Series. Bay Area native, Nadia left foggy San Francisco to study at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in Los Angeles, and performed with musical improv troupe, Hug Bear. Nadia earned her BFA in Drama at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. Follow Nadia at @itsnadiavazquez!

 Kyle Tye (Buck Whittaker) - Ever since I was a little tyke growing up in Winter Haven, FL, I’ve loved entertaining people whether it was through embarrassing school programs or goofy home movies.  I kept the passion alive throughout high school and college as I performed in numerous plays and student films. Soon after graduating, I moved to LA in 2014 where I’m currently pursuing acting in the entertainment industry.  I’m grateful to have my first theatrical voice-over role in this exciting new series!

 Thomas Hagena (Raleigh Whittaker) - Thomas has completed hundreds of projects that range from cartoons and video games, business, web, education and explainer videos, as well as radio and television commercials for a global audience. He has worked with large brands such as Apple, Crowne Plaza, Dell, Hasbro and Toyota and is currently voicing on-going projects in interactive education and animation. Thomas enjoys coffee shops and the outdoors - specifically hiking, backpacking, and snowshoeing. With his close proximity to several national parks, you may find him on a quick weekend excursion up in the mountains.

 Dylan Welc (Chad Slaymaker) - Dylan Welc is a dramatic screenwriter and currently works as a showrunner’s assistant on the Amazon series, Jack Ryan, created by Graham Roland and Carlton Cuse. In 2016, Dylan won the JHRTS Script competition, which positioned him as an Official Artist of the New York Television Festival later that year. When Dylan isn’t writing, he enjoys playing soccer and chess, rock climbing, and jamming on his guitar - but rarely simultaneously.