Welcome to The Table
For most of us, we’ve been creating all of our lives. From writing and acting to directing and composing, all of our team members bring a special spark to The Table and their own life projects. Some are seasoned veterans (as seasoned as they can be considering their youth) and others have just recently broken into their creative arts. All of them have a passion and love unlike any other. Check out their stories below 👇
Nyah Carlson
I started CoolKidsTable when I was in middle school, just finding my passion for the art that is filmmaking. At first it was just me, my cousins and brother, and our friends making goofy skits, but that quickly turned into a more serious pursuit of the art. I believe God is an artist and we are made in His image. Filmmaking is one of the biggest ways in my life I can glorify Him and work with others in the field showing them His love and peace for them.
Julia Cox
Julia is an Argentine-American filmmaker whose dream is to travel the world as much as possible and produce, write, and direct children and family movies (similar to Paddington Bear, Yogi Bear, etc.). Her love of being in God’s creation is influential to her filmmaking genre as well as her Argentinian background. Currently, she plans on creating films set in the outdoors as well as more widespread films in Spanish. Most importantly, she wants to have fun and share the joy that Jesus has given her.
Micah Mondt
Micah is an aspiring composer who finds his inspiration everywhere from late-romantic harmony to the rich repertoire of 21st century film and media scores. In the same vein, he writes music for both the stage and the screen. What fascinates him most is the exciting narrative powers music demonstrates in whatever context it appears. Micah is currently studying composition at Georgia State University and plans to graduate in 2026.
Wesley Nickell
Wes is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and music producer based in Athens, GA. Beginning his musical journey in high school by playing electric guitar in worship bands, Wes went on to study music at Georgia State University. From there, he moved to Athens to study music business at UGA & plug into the local music scene. He hopes to pursue worship ministry & music production, never losing the passion for music that drew him towards it in the first place.
Riley Payne
Riley is and always has been fascinated by stories of all kinds, and she’s been writing them for as long as she can remember. Story shapes the way she sees the world, and how she gets to know people. Her favorite part of the filmmaking process is writing, but she also enjoys shaping the storytelling through camera work, acting, and sharing her opinions on all kinds of artistic choices. Riley is soon to finish her bachelor’s degree in English - Creative Writing at Georgia State University with an additional certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. As for the long term, Riley plans to involve both her passion for storytelling and for serving God in what she does, whatever that might look like.