Eddie James
Eddie and his wife, Stephanie, live in Forney, Texas - weird name, but a good place. For seven years, Eddie lived in the O.C. where he worked on staff at Saddleback Valley Community Church, and two more years as a volunteer where he honed his skills in writing, directing, and teaching students and adults how to make skits accessible to audiences. While at Saddleback, Eddie started another drama group called "The Skitiots", who are currently touring nationwide. Eddie has recently expanded his ministry by working alongside students and adults at The Heights Baptist Church as a creative consultant for drama, video and different elements for Sunday Morning Worship. His passion is to create and provide resources that equip leaders, students, and adults to minister through the exciting experience of drama.
For over ten years it continues to amaze Eddie that people want to watch him and his best buddy perform skits on stage. Who would have thought that God would choose to use two buddies from high school who were in drama together for His Kingdom! But God’s ways are certainly a mystery. Eddie still can’t figure out how he ended up with a wife way outside his league, and two beautiful daughters, Ainsley and Jayci. He turns on “butterfly kisses” every now and then just to cry like a baby and realize “of all that he’s done wrong he must have done something right to have hugs every morning and butterfly kisses at night”. Sappy? Yep. Does he care? Nope.
Links to some of Eddie’s “world”:
"The Skitiots"
The Heights Baptist Church
The Skit Guys
Tommy Woodard
Tommy’s illustrious career began around 1975 on the front porch of his home in Edmond, Oklahoma where his older (and bossier) sister Debbie would direct him in homemade plays. They would invite their parents, neighbors, and strangers walking by to sit on the lawn and enjoy their masterful works of art. He has always had a flair for the dramatic (some people would call it “just being moody”).
Throughout school, Tommy participated in drama in some fashion. His favorite thing was to pretend to be different characters with his best buddy Eddie. (Who knew 20 years later they would still be doing that?) When high school was over, Tommy began serving in a church and going to college in pursuit of an Oral Communications degree. (Okay…at first he was going to get an accounting degree but he failed Accounting 101 and honestly, what idiot would let Tommy do their taxes?)
After graduation, Tommy got married and moved to Frisco, Texas where he lived for 12 years serving as a youth pastor. In 2003, Tommy moved his family back home to Edmond where he currently lives with his wife and kids. When he’s not traveling with Eddie, he works at NEWCHURCH in Oklahoma City as the associate pastor of teaching and creativity. (If you’re ever in town, stop by and say “hi” -www.newchurch.tv)
The most important thing in Tommy’s life is his family; daughter Abby, son Hudson, and his incredible wife Angie! If you ever want to see his face light up, just ask him to tell you about them! (However, don’t mention the accounting thing…it’s kind of embarrassing!)
The Skit Guys
Brian Cates
Brian serves as Producer for The Skit Guys. He has just graduated from film school at the University of Oklahoma and is unemployed and screaming to the heavens of his woes for choosing an art degree. OK, that part is a lie. He actually began working at a Newchurch in Oklahoma City in 2004 as the Multimedia Director. The forging power of fate united Brian with Newchurch Teaching Pastor and Skit Guy, Tommy Woodard--an unstoppable, manly bond that can only be weakened by kryptonite or the velveteen crooning talent of 1988 David Bowie.
Brian has been producing the Skit Guys video content since 2005 and is currently acting as the Chief Media Officer overseeing all video production and online marketing. He lives in Oklahoma City where he owns a home with a 2-car garage and a giant television. He also is an independent graphic artist / advanced compositor / editor / writer / director / producer. You can see more of his work at www.brianmakesmovies.com.
The Skit Guys
Carrie Varnell
Carrie serves as Script Consultant and Online Manager for The Skit Guys. She has one husband and two children, Rachel and Graham. Her husband, Randy, makes video games for a living and reminds her daily that he needs an X-Box for “research”. When Carrie is not listening to Coldplay, watching Fringe, explaining to a tearful but insistent 9 year-old why he has no real Jedi powers, or consulting on scripts she makes up half of Skitzy Chicks, a drama team that performs for women’s ministries. You can find out more about them at www.skitzychicks.com. She also has several scripts available at SkitGuys.com.
If you have any questions or need help with a script, you can email Carrie at carrie@skitguys.com.
The Skit Guys
Tim Antone
Tim Antone serves as the Product Manager for the Skit Guys. He is newly married to his wife Rachel, and they live in Oklahoma City. Tim has grown up in OKC and attends NEWCHURCH, where he enjoys serving as the drummer for the worship team. In his spare time Tim loves spending time with his family, playing the drums, working on his house, and running. He is pursuing a degree in Business Leadership from Southwestern Christian University in Bethany, Oklahoma.
The Skit Guys
Charissa Fishbeck
Charissa Fishbeck serves as the administrative assistant to Skit Guys, Inc., and is widely known as the Word Nerd Extraordinaire. In fact, after meeting Tommy and Eddie many years ago through Super Summer Texas, Charissa put her mad editing skillz to good use on several of the guys' books prior to their publication. Currently, she handles the booking for all of the artists at Skit Guys, Inc., so if you need to book an artist for your event, edit your newsletter article, discuss the absolute superiority of the San Antonio Spurs, or find a new way to say just about any term you can imagine, Charissa is the one to call. Charissa, her husband Darrell, and their three children live in Marble Falls, Texas where the staff of the local Starbucks have already memorized their favorite drinks.
The Skit Guys
Jonathan Matlock
Jonathan Matlock, of Rocket Park, has been managing the web development side of The Skit Guys since 2005. He loves his job. When he isn't busy making things for SkitGuys.com, he's playing around with his other arts and crafts hobbies that can be seen on jonathanmatlock.com. Halloween is his favorite time of the year, but Easter is quickly becoming his favorite with the Skit Guys Annual Easter Egg Hunt.
The Skit Guys
Sarah Wall
Try as you may, you'd never be able to convince Sarah that her connection to Skit Guys, Inc. was not a total God-thing.
She's been given the part of Booking Assistant on the Skit Guys' team. As such, she has the privilege of handling initial booking inquiries from the fine folks who call with booking questions or submit booking requests. She pretty much dominates in the game of Phone Tag.
Sarah is what happens when you fuse New England upbringing and southern domestication. She's been graced with a hilarious husband named Matthew, a precious daughter named Julia, and a stealthy, ninja-cat named Bella. Sarah graduated from Liberty University with a degree in Youth Ministry, and has the privilege of ministering to and worshiping with the teens at Brown’s Chapel Baptist Church in Pacolet, South Carolina. She’s willing to admit she's a spectacular mess, and wakes up every morning grateful that Jesus came for the messes.
The Skit Guys
Rian Slay
The Skit Guys met Rian when she was around the age of 7 years old. Wowed by her incredible talent and skills at such a young age, they immediately offered her a job, but alas, labor laws in California prohibited them from actually hiring her. Ok, not really but fast forward about 20 years and they did meet up again, discovered she had gone on to become a self-professed theatre geek, and brought her on board. Now she helps Carrie with the scripts, Brian with the video shoots, and whatever else happens to need doing.
When Rian was 10 she was cast in a Christmas production at her church. She was bit by the theatre bug and there was no turning back. She studied theatre at Howard Payne University and went on to get her MFA from the University of Houston in Theatre with a focus on directing. Rian lives in North Richland Hills, TX where she works with churches in the areas of Creative Arts and Production (someone please tell her father that she is in fact using those theatre degrees!).
;A Texas girl at heart, she drives a big red pickup and loves country music and her cowboy boots. She was once crowned the “Greatest Fooseball Champion of the World...ever” (at least that’s what the trophy said).
