Meet the Team
Steven James
Steven is an OTtG (original tabletop gamer) from 1980. Starting in 7th grade with his friends playing D&D, they soon branched into other role playing games from many genres and continued to play when able into their 20’s.
After high school he attended the University of Iowa earning a B.S. in Psychology and gaining two marketable skills, cleaning classrooms and making pizzas. He still didn’t know what he wanted to be when he grew up and since a career in the janitorial arts was not to his liking (not that there’s anything wrong with them) he opened a small chain of pizza places in southwest Wisconsin. During this time the old gaming friends drifted apart and adulthood prevented regular play. After twelve years slinging dough, he finally realized that he wanted to be a screenwriter. He left the restaurant industry and began to pursue this new dream.
His knack for choosing difficult to market passions had struck again. Since he needed to pay rent, etc., he and some friends re-opened a local 6-screen cinema in Dubuque, Iowa where he met Suzanne Wright and Crescentia Volz. They loved the vibe of the theater and as such were willing to put up with Steven. The three of them and others dabbled in low budget filmmaking. Suzanne and Crescentia were gamers as well and had an active group, inspiring Steven to join and re-ignite his passion for the TtRPG arts.
The theater ran it’s course and Steven re-dedicated himself to the craft of story-telling and pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. With Suzanne as his creative partner, they launched many a genius idea into the universe from tables in Perkins whilst eating pie. Finally coming across a silly little meme about Diners, Drive-in, & Dives which ended up inspiring Tabletop Quest, and the rest as they say, is the future!
Suzanne "Suzie" Wright
IMDB: https://imdb.to/48QO8HU
Suzanne's work in film began working on the marketing for Ghost Player, a documentary about the Field of Dreams Ghost Players. She also co-edited and wrote portions of the book Travels with Ghosts and Other Tales with Joe Scherrman, who produced the Ghost Player documentary. She freelance wrote newsletters and scripts for DreamCatcher Productions.
She help found the Great River Film Initiative in 2009 and was the president of the group until it disbanded due to the pandemic.
With the film initiative Suzanne made a few short films as part of the Get Reel Film Festival, the 48 Hour Film Contest, and Griffinfest. Six of her films have screened at the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival.
Ghost People: Seeing All the People was one of her first commissioned projects. It had a micro budget and helped raise awareness and support for shelters assisting those who are homeless.
Poverty, unhoused, human trafficking, and spirituality are among the more serious topics of the projects she has written or produced.
Tabletop Quest is a project that delves into the lighter side of game play.
Suzanne began playing a ranger in AD&D back in the 80s in Iowa. She soon discovered that the universe of tabletop role-playing games has many genres and settings. Although she now primarily plays clerics using Pathfinder 2e, her favorite character is Patty Jo Pigg, a square dancing, frying pan-wielding pig from the RPG Toon.
Crescentia Volz
Crescentia spent their childhood years on the West Coast, between Washington and California, learning dance, art, costume design, and an appreciation for nature. Adolescence brought a change of scenery, to Wisconsin, where adulthood beckoned.
After a short time adventuring, Crescentia settled for a time in Dubuque, Iowa. It was here that this filmmaker's career began. With a growing family, and a broadening professional network, Crescentia worked on many short films and directed a first feature film, Black Friday (2017), with the assistance of collaborator Jayme Schmitt, and the Great River Film Initiative.
Iowa offered many opportunities in film, theater, and a haunted attraction (Dark Chambers), but a new adventure called in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where Crescentia now calls "home."
Crescentia continues to be an active member in the local indie film community in Lancaster, as well as traveling for projects across the country, from coast to coast.