The Pretty Faces of Our World

Welcome to our cast! The magnificent and talented team who populate the world of The Squirrel King.

SHI NE NIELSON - ROBIN

As the heroine and protagonist of The Squirrel King, Shi Ne brings years of experience and boundless energy to the role of Robin.

A graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Shi Ne has played recurring characters on television shows ranging from ER and Grey's Anatomy, to Law and Order: Los Angeles. Her enthusiasm for life is as infectious in person, as in the character she plays!



JUSTUS ZIMMERMAN - JUSTUS

To the casual eye, the difference between Justus (Just-us) and his namesake character Justus (juice-teuse), may be hard to discern, but while the co-creator of The Squirrel King has spent significant time bumming around the climbing locales of America, he's also spent a good deal of time acting.

With leading roles in the independent features Safe Word and 29,000 Wishes. 1Regret., and commercials, such as USA Today's 4th ranked Super Bowl commercial (House Sitting for Doritos), Justus is a star in the making. He's also perfectly cast as Robin's happy-go-lucky boyfriend, who through delightful ineptitude always seems to land on his feet.

LOUIS DEZERAN - ED

Lou is the perfect man to play Ed, Rusty Springs' municipal-one-man-show. With a rich acting history dating back to roles opposite Tom Selleck in Concrete Cowboys before Magnum P.I. and a recurring role on The Bold And The Beautiful, Louis has seen it all!

In fact back in the seventies, after a role as a founder of Mixed Blood (the first multi-racial Union theatre in America), and while teaching Ron Perlman at the University of Minneapolis, Louis even authored two texts on acting. Beyond his acting chops, Louis is a craftsman with a toolshed second only to the character he'll be playing in The Squirrel King.

BILL WATTERSON - PAUL

You might recognize Bill from national ad campaigns for Burger King, Arby's, Living Social, Chevy and many more, but in Northern Europe he is the face of Jever Beer. For us, however, he will always be Paul, Justus' easy going climbing-bum-come-philosopher friend.

Partnered with Tim Gibbons (Executive Producer of Curb Your Enthusiasm) and New Media rock stars OK Go on the rock 'n' roll comedy project The Kardiac Kids, Bill can be regularly seen in person at a monthly Vaudeville Variety Hour at Second City Hollywood which he produces and hosts.


TONY DOUPE - THE CATBURGLAR

Though we will never see his face, Tony Doupe is the Catburglar. He first met Rufus on Butterfly Dreaming where he played the inscrutable but very memorable Officer Lowry. Since then, Tony has starred in The Off Hours, an official selection at Sundance, and Frayed which was released by Lion's Gate.

With supporting roles in feature films The Ring, and Life Or Something Like It, and appearances on television in Northern Exposure, Unsolved Mysteries and The Fugitive, Tony is a man on the rise.

MIKE MAHAFFEY - BOB

Mike is a professional fight director; choreographing fights for film and stage. He's also a Beverly Hills Playhouse trained actor.

For us though, he is Bob, the Catburglar's inept sidekick. With a background that includes motion capture on The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, and Biohazard: Degeneration (the Resident Evil spin-off), the precision of his movements accentuates his apparently haphazard actions and amplifies the laughs his comic timing already delivers.

KATE McGREGOR-STEWART

Kate has had an illustrious career on both stage (4 Broadway shows, including Tom Stoppard's "Travesties" with the Royal Shakespeare Company) and screen, with prominent roles over the years including mother-of-the-groom to Steve Martin’s Father Of The Bride.

To us though, she is Marcy, the nurturing spirit that guides Ed through the world. From her stage work as therapist Charlotte Wallace in Christopher Durang’s Beyond Therapy (for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award), to her real-life experience as an acting coach to beginners and stars alike, it seems Kate has been preparing for her role in The Squirrel King all her life.

ALIEN ONE AND ALIEN TWO

Last, but by no means least, we have the puppeteers behind Robin's whims, and the keys to the whole series, our lovable Aliens.

With no previous acting experience, but boundless energy, close ties to the director and a willingness to work beyond the traditional call of actors, these whirlwinds of trouble are set to delight!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims