Meet The Team Behind
The Mofaya Music School
& Documentary

Mermans ‘Mofaya’ Mosengo

Mofaya's journey speaks to the power of human spirit, the strength of family bonds, and the transformative power of music.

It reminds us that in the face of adversity, we can choose to hold on to our dreams and pursue them with courage and tenacity.

In 2019, Mofaya received his Green Card guaranteeing him permanent citizenship into the United States

Jason Tamba

Jason started playing music at the age of seven. He built his first guitar out of wood and four strings. After learning on his own, Jason proudly earned a degree in classical guitar.

Alongside Mofaya, Jason received his Green Card guaranteeing him permanent citizenship into the United States in 2019.

Jesse Bernstein

Born in New York and raised in Texas, Jesse has always been fascinated with storytelling.
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With a Film degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Jesse moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of working in entertainment.  After building an acting career that has spanned more that two decades, Jesse realized that his true passion was behind the camera. With the ability to provoke thought, capture authentic emotions and shed light on important topics, Jesse found himself drawn to documentary filmmaking.

Andy Weiss

Andy Weiss’ foray into crafting scenes that reflect larger than life characters dealing with over-the-top situations began after his first feature film as a Writer and Producer on the hit MTV series “Punk’d.”

Shortly after he would work alongside George Gallo as Co-Writer and Co-Executive Producer of the feature film MIDDLE MEN and other documentaries.

Most recently, Andy wrote the feature film THE WAR OF 84 for Netflix with Screen Arcade and Move Films producing.

Michael W. Abbott

Michael W. Abbott is a Los Angeles based Producer & Director whose work has premiered at Sundance and Cannes and has also become some of the most watched films on Netflix, Showtime, Hulu and Amazon. Move Films is his production company.

Abbott has produced award winning documentary branded content for Microsoft, Namco-Bandai Games, Marriott Hotels and GM/Cadillac and most recently, Olivia Rodrigo.

Mike Weiss

Michael J. Weiss has 23 years in litigation and transactional practice with expertise in:

Motion Picture & Television Finance, Production, and Distribution.

Served as production, finance, and/or distribution counsel on more than 100 productions.

Represented numerous writers, directors, and producers in thousands of transactions including book publishing agreements, option purchase agreements, shopping agreements, writer and director services engagements, "Life Rights" releases, and estate licenses.

Debbie Vandermeulen

Debbie has 30+ years of experience mentoring dozens of filmmakers. Passionate about translating profound and
meaningful stories into impactful pieces of cinematic entertainment, her films have been recognized at
international film festivals, including Cannes, Sundance, and Toronto. She has chaired, judged, and participated in numerous prominent film festivals around the world.

As Founder of Fusion Features, Debbie has been successful in building enduring collaborative relationships among entertainment, corporate, education, sports, radio, nonprofit, government and community partners. Adept at establishing strategic alliances, Debbie is uniquely able to acquire talent and create win-win strategies.

Scout

Meet Scout, the brave Chihuahua Terrier rescue who not only assisted behind the scenes with her unwavering loyalty and charm but also makes a memorable appearance in the film, showcasing her endearing spirit and dedication to the project.

Mermans 'Mofaya' Mosengo and Jesse Bernstein met in 2023 in Venice Beach, CA when Mofaya was traveling the world and playing music on an O-1 Visa.

Mofaya got the opportunity to return to Africa to move his family to California. Jesse asked if he could document the journey. This is when the idea for the documentary was born.

Mofaya notified Jesse of his dream to return to build a music school for children in his hometown in Kinshasa, DRC. This is when the idea for the school was born.