Meet the Team

Cheek and Cheese

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We are Cheek & Cheese!

A writer/producer/director duo comprised of Estevan Valdes and Ian Ray, whose singular goal is to simply entertain. Our specialties and styles combine the talent for creating character-driven original narratives that looks to elevate the genre or medium we work on. Because we are filmmakers with skills and experience in all aspects of the process from creative development to directing, shooting, and editing, every part of our work brings the considerations of every element of the craft.

We are devoted to creating enriching and original stories, finding inspiration from acclaimed individuals like Steven Spielberg, Glen Howerton/Rob McElhenney/Charlie Day, and Larry David, whose excellent and unique stories, such as E.T., It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Seinfeld, inspire us today.

But at the end of the day, we strive with each project to make a distinct piece of content that captivates audiences and leaves you changed for the better.

Individual Bios

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Ian Ray

Co-Writer / Co-Director / Co-Showrunner.

Graduated with my BA in Film at the University of Central Florida, I’m a writer, director, and actor with an emphasis on comedy. I'm originally from a small town in Central Illinois. I grew up as a charismatic theater kid, always trying to bring joy to others through entertainment, be it comedy, musical theater, or film. Movies have enchanted me for as long as I can remember, and they continue to. Through the stories I write and the characters I bring to life, I want to invoke in others the same feelings that all my favorite movies have invoked in me.

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Estevan Valdes

Co-writer / Co-director / Co-showrunner.

Currently in the University of Georgia’s MFA Film and TV Program with an emphasis in Writer/Producer. Graduate of the University of Central Florida’s BA in Film. Short Film Decline gained entry and screen at the Orlando International Film Festival. Son of Cuban and Colombian immigrants, I am focused on telling stories of people of color. Film is something encoded in my DNA and I have always believed that the power of story through film can be one of the greatest agents of change.

Carlos Adarve

Producer / Writer

Producer, Fixer, Planner, Engineer, Project Manager, US Naval Officer & War Veteran, Immigrant Child of Immigrants, Bon Vivant, Empath, Kindness Zealot, Fanatically Curious, & ardent believer that someone living a simple life on some far-flung mountain has more to teach us about living a fulfilling life than all the worlds’ gurus.

Other Team Members

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Niyate Patege

Associate Producer for Uno Somos, 1st AD for Lost in Mediocrity.

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Nic SCott

1st Assistant Cameraman for Lost in Mediocrity, Camera Operator / Writer for The Vicious Racket, Editor for Tales of Whoa! Podcast, Director of Photography for High Road.

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Kyle Curtiss

Business Manager for Uno Somos / Production Manager and Location Scout/Manager for Lost in Mediocrity

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