Mitch Yapko is the director who makes reality dance with surreality, earning his films spots at over 150 festivals (including a little shindig called Sundance) along the way. With 15 years of bringing characters to life in everything from pilots to web series, he's the guy who finds the extraordinary in the ordinary and turns it into pure screen magic. Thanks to his theater background, he speaks "actor" fluently, coaxing performances that make audiences forget they're watching fiction. When he's not crafting award-winning short films, you'll find him producing commercials for brands like Adidas and Jack Daniels - because even sneakers and whiskey need a good storyteller. Just don't ask him to pick between his festival laurels - they're all his favorites, like choosing between children who all happened to win at Sundance.