The Yak Staff

Editorial/Creative Director – Kasey Olmstead was born into the Entertainment world, with a mother that worked in all aspects of productions, from Talent Coordinator on such notables as ‘Midnight Special’ to Producer’s Assistant on many popular Television Series. Ms. Olmstead, following in those footsteps, went on to assist in the Casting and Production Process, as well as the Actor Management Field.  After digging out from under the throws of Hollywood, from her experiences and expertise, she created The Yak. She uses her knowledge in the behind the scenes process, as well as her contacts never left behind to bring readers the most current news and information. When she is not writing and enjoying her online world, Kasey can be found dancing at the beach, climbing Mount Everest, and resting in the shade under the old oak tree… Well, maybe just resting.

Publisher/Senior Producer – David Navarro is a working CLT, proud member of IATSE Local 728 – Hollywood Set Lighting Technicians and Cinematographer. For the past ten years he has been the independent Owner and Operator of “Dream Lighting”, a successful provider of grip, lighting and electric equipment in the greater Los Angeles area. In that time, he has built a resume of well over 400 music videos, commercials, pilots and feature films, having formally lit such notables as: Anthony Hopkins, Adam Sandler, Chris Rock. Ileana Douglas, Jason Biggs, Justine Bateman, Robert Patrick, Jane Lynch and Lauren Holly. He has also lit musical artists such as: Miley Cyrus, Adele, Leona Lewis, Will.i.am and Dave Navarro. He has had projects in national release and on-air such as; “Black Waters of Echoes Pond”, Car Warriors on SPEED, Sports Science on ESPN, Fact or Faked [Paranormal Investigators] on Syfy and Fact Checkers Unit (FCU) a web series for NBC. Within all, David continues to strive to bring his extraordinary vision to the entertainment industry. To learn more about David, you can visit his website HERE.

Executive Editor/News Director – J.D. Montgomery accidentally stumbled into the world of entertainment when he first joined the Yak’s team all the way from medical school on the isle of St. Maarten. Entertainment media is probably the last place you’d expect a 3rd year medical student to wind up in, but YakkityYaks is where he’s at. J.D. used his fast-paced learning style to quickly further himself as one of the Yak’s top entertainment contributors. While he has no background in the entertainment industry, he is an avid fan of television, movies, and music and his passion for the exciting world of entertainment translates into his wide array of reports.  When J.D. is not writing, you can find him busy studying for his medical boards and wandering the halls of the hospital … not Grey’s Anatomy or House, MD style (fortunately or not). He also has a BS in Neuroscience and is always looking for ways to channel his medical background for the Yak. Too bad he’s not a vet.

Contributors:

Trina: Trina is a Big Brother and Survivor fan from season 1! Her favorite BB contestant ever: Dr. Will! Her favorite Survivor contestant ever: Boston Rob! She is a lover of most reality shows including the Bachelor, all the Real Housewives shows, Mob Wives, Sister Wives, Biggest Loser, Intervention, Hoarders and many others. She is also an arcade addict and soon to be retired from the day job so she can spend more time at her favorite place YakkityYaks!

PJ Williamson: PJ has small-town, country roots but is captivated by the entertainment world. With an unabashed addiction to TV, he consumes a spectrum of programs, from scripted to reality and dramas to comedies. He loves to sit down at Braveman family dinners on Parenthood, dive into Fairytale Land with Snow and Prince Charming on Once Upon A Time and drop his jaw at the next shocking plot twist in Mystic Falls on The Vampire Diaries. As a reality junky, he claims to be the ideal contestant of Big Brother AND Survivor, having seen all strategies played out as a religious follower of both. Unashamed for laughing and crying with characters and contestants alike, he views it as a perfectly healthy emotion connection. He can be seen passionately taking to Twitter to voice shock, awe, frustration and desire in all things entertainment and life related. He looks forward to sharing more on this favorite topic of his!

Jordan R.: Jordan is a College Student and can currently be found in class, in study hall, or where the Yak prefers, online at YakkityYaks.com. In her spare time, she is also the Yak’s America’s Next Top Model expert! She found herself hooked on the show from the very beginning, and hasn’t missed an episode since. She even watches the re-runs when they air. She knows just how to pick out the “wow” and “Oh No!” moments, and tries to contain as much details as possible without losing the pizazz. She has much knowledge of the model world, having studied the ins and outs from a young age, which is why she is makes the greatest person to represent the ANTM Yak.

April L. Springer: April is an expert in writing educational and information based columns for daytime soaps and reality shows using her experience in teaching and doctorate level of research and writing. As a long-time fan of daytime TV and reality shows, she enjoys writing and discussing the current events. Since a few of the daytime Soaps are being cancelled, this is a great time to wrap things up with exciting discussions through Yakkity Yaks! Those shows will be replaced with other reality and daytime talk shows. She looks forward to writing and discussing the “new” daytime TV.

C. Jordan is an avid pop culture enthusiast and writer who currently resides in Iowa. In the 1990′s, she lived in in the midst of Hollywood, California where she appeared in several television shows and low budget films, such as Crocodile Tears and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (uncredited). She now continues her passion for all things reality and entertainment here, helping to create The Yak! She is also pursuing work in the medical administration field, having gone back to school and earning her degree in Medical Office Management. She also has a B.A. in Psychology.

L. Woo: Ms. Woo was born in Detroit, Michigan.  She started loving reality shows after the second or third Real World shows started. She got really addicted with reality shows when the Real Housewives franchise came along, although there are many she watched that she can’t remember BEFORE Bravo. She loves: Family Guy, Real Housewives of OC & New Jersey, Nurse Jackie, United States of Tara, Mob Wives, Destination Truth, Ghost Hunters, My Ghost Story, Celebrity Ghost Stories, The Borgias’. She Still Loves: The Golden Girls, Frasier, The Cosby Show, A Different World, Friends, Will & Grace, Star Trek: TNG, The Tudors. Reading & writing are her passions and Scrapbooking is a hobby she chooses for stress relief.  Currently, she works as an Administrative Assistant at an IT company in Troy, MI. She is in the process of buying her first home so she can attempt to settle down and feel domestic! Currently she can be found hanging out in Downtown Detroit- enjoying the culture, food and nightlife. She has also decided to go back to school to get a degree in Business Management and plans on opening her own bookstore within a couple of years.  She believes entrepreneurship is a key to putting our economy back on track and she would like to be a part of it.

Forum Contributors:

Mystycl – The Yak is very proud to have our very own Mystycl, specializing in bringing the good news back to our world daily. She believes that with all the bad news, everyone can use a pick me up, and she is right! Mystycl brings us “feel good” stories, funny videos and more! See her wonderful work in her very own corner of the forum!

Grandma: A displaced woman from the south now living in the midwest, Grandma loves paper-crafting, reality television (to an extent), and music. But beware! If you can just remember one thing about our grandma (and never forget) she can be as sweet as pie until you step on her toes. Then… you just stand back and watch ‘er blow! Grandma is her name, and gettin’ all up in your grill is her game!