ABOUT US
Carla’s Movie Restaurant is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Carla T. Sramek. Now in its 10th year, we strongly believe in giving artists of all abilities a fair shot. We aim to provide emerging filmmakers and artists with a space in which they can celebrate their work and talent among peers, family, and the community through our various pop-up events.
We have the goal of opening a restaurant in a permanent location that will act as a venue for these events. In 2021, we made CMR accessible with a series of online pop-ups. And now in 2023 we are returning to the community for in person dog centered “pup-ups” at the Rossmoor Farmers’ Market
“ And then I began to realize: entertainment is one of the most important things in people’s lives. Without it they might go off the deep end. I feel that if you’re able to entertain people, you’re doing a good thing.” ”
“Creativity takes courage”
Our Board of Directors
L-R, Don Cardinal, Ph.D, Kraig Scheyer, Richard Rosenberg, Ph.D, and Carl Sramek
President Hilda Sramek
President - Hilda Sramek
M.S. Microbiology, M.S. Counseling
“CMR with Carla, her staff, artists and the community is pure inspiration!”
Previously, Hilda, a native of Argentina, was director of Service-learning at CSULB, and prior to that, research microbiologist at ICL Scientific and Long Beach VA Medical Center.
Vice President - Richard Rosenberg, Ph.D
Ph.D. Behavioral Disabilities and Educational Administration
Richard Rosenberg's work has been with interagency systems change grants linking education, rehabilitation, and developmental disabilities services at the local, state, and national levels.
Currently he is providing technical assistance to the Chapman University Thompson Policy Institute, CA Career Innovations and Project SEARCH.
He has been a faculty member at California State University, Los Angeles in the Education Department for the last 35 years.
Secretary - Kraig Scheyer
Environmentalist, Engineer, and Process improvement expert.
Kraig is dedicated to helping Non-profits improve their business processes.
Treasurer - Carl Sramek
Once an Imagineer, always an Imagineer!
Carl is a Licensed Structural Engineer.
Director - Don Cardinal, Ph.D
Don Cardinal has been an entrepreneur, teacher, and professor dedicated to improving the lives of people with disability through changing the social perception toward individuals who have so much to give to society, yet often are overlooked.
Our Staff
Carla Sramek
CMR Founder
Carla lives by two mottos: “You have to want it!” and “Besides, I’m not a quitter!”
Carla is an artist with a passion for films, and a student of Musical Theatre.
She is currently working on the script for a Passion Play and designing costumes for Orange County Children’s Theatre.
Jacob Siciliano
CMR Media Producer
B.F.A. Film & Electronic Arts, Emphasis in Screenwriting
Jacob has experience in all aspects of the filmmaking process as well as in technical writing, multimedia content creation, videography, and website management. His work is reflected in this website and its design. He also works as videographer and editor for CMR productions.
He is also an Eagle Scout, the highest rank in Boy Scouts.
Taylor Windle
Artistic Director
B.A. Theatre Arts, currently earning M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Drama Therapy
Taylor Windle is a director, choreographer, writer, artist and academic. Within her 10 years of professional experience, she has remained committed to a lifelong pursuit of knowledge and social justice while utilizing the arts to heal, transform and inspire others. Storytelling is her superpower.
Lea Vujicich
Assistant to Carla/Photographer
Lea is an award-winning, published photographer. She has been working with Carla for over 3 years as a personal assistant, event photographer, blog writer, and occasional film crew.
Victoria Melkonyan
Assistant to Carla
B.A. in Theatre Arts, Emphasis in Acting/Performance
Victoria is a multi-hyphenate artist, specializing in acting, writing, and directing. Her work often places an emphasis on untold stories and champions artists of all backgrounds and abilities.
She is very happy to be officially working with CMR & Carla.