Michael Landon Jr., son of legendary television and film icon Michael Landon, has made a significant mark in the film industry over the past 30 years. He was educated at the University of Southern California and a Directing Fellow at the American Film Institute.

Landon's acclaimed film, Love Comes Softly, starring Katherine Heigl, won numerous awards and became the highest-rated movie in Hallmark Channel history, outperforming previous ratings by 40%. It also achieved over 2 million DVD sales through Fox Home Video. The sequel, Love’s Enduring Promise, starring Heigl and January Jones, outperformed its predecessor, solidifying Landon's position as the creator of the channel's top two highest-rated movies.

Landon has written, directed, and produced over two dozen films including Heaven Sent, The Last Sin Eater, based on Francine Rivers’ best-selling novel, and Saving Sarah Cain, inspired by Beverly Lewis's novel. The Velveteen Rabbit, based on Margery Williams' beloved children's classic, was released theatrically in February 2009. Landon also co-wrote, directed, and produced Jamaa, with his partner, Brian Bird. A true-life African adventure film created for the relief organization World Vision, which has helped tens of thousands of children find sponsors.

Landon's credits also include When Calls the Heart, a movie he wrote, directed, and produced featuring talented stars like Maggie Grace, Stephen Amell, Jean Smart, and Lori Loughlin. It became the backdoor pilot for the beloved television series, now in its 12th season, making it the longest-running series in Hallmark Channel history. Alongside his partner Brian Bird, Landon served as the showrunner for Season One.

They continue as Executive Producers for all twelve seasons, including the spin-off series When Hope Calls, which is currently in production for GAF. In addition to his work in television, Landon has co-authored four published novels, with his fifth, Literary Chaos, scheduled for release in Spring 2025. He is also currently working on a documentary titled The Dream King, which explores themes of reconciliation and forgiveness.

Brian Bird is executive producer and co-developer with Michael Landon Jr. of the top-rated Hallmark Channel cable series WHEN CALLS THE HEART, now filming its 12th season. He has written and/or produced nearly three dozen films, including THE HEART OF MAN, THE CASE FOR CHRIST, CAPTIVE, NOT EASILY BROKEN, THE ULTIMATE LIFE and BOPHA! and nearly 450 episodes of television, including WHEN HOPE CALLS, MYSTIC, TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL, STEP BY STEP and EVENING SHADE.

He is currently co-creating with partners Michael Landon Jr., and Ken LaZebnik a new TV series, HOME TO HARMONY, based on the best-selling books by author Philip Gulley, for Angel Studios. Additionally, he is writing and developing six new feature films, NORTHERN LIGHTS, LIFE AFTER HEAVEN, THE STORY OF EVERYTHING, THE DREAM KING, THE JOHN WOODEN STORY and THE JOURNEY.

He was born in Illinois, carved out his film/TV career in Southern California, and now lives in Colorado, because he "can write from anywhere and a plane can take me to wherever the cameras turn on." His most important production to date is his 43-year marriage to wife Patty and their five children, and three grandchildren.

Ken LaZebnik is a television writer, screenwriter, and playwright. With Garrison Keillor, he co-wrote Robert Altman’s last film, A Prairie Home Companion, which starred Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, and Kevin Kline. He also wrote the popular holiday film Thomas Kinkade’s The Christmas Cottage, starring Peter O’Toole and Marcia Gay Harden. Over the past twenty-five years, he has written over 100 hours of network television, including over twenty episodes of Touched By An Angel. He also wrote and produced for such shows as Star Trek: Enterprise, Jack’s Place, Army Wives, Providence, and When Calls the Heart. He wrote for Garrison Keillor’s radio show A Prairie Home Companion over many seasons.

LaZebnik’s plays have been performed across America. Three of his fourteen plays have focused on autism, including On The Spectrum, which was awarded a Steinberg Citation from the American Theatre Critics Association. His tenth play for Minnesota’s Mixed Blood Theatre, Animate, premiered in September, 2021.

His book, “Buzzie and the Bull,” a dual biography of Los Angeles Dodger General Manager Buzzie Bavasi and his wildest player, Al “The Bull” Ferrara, was published by The University of Nebraska Press, and came out in paperback in the spring of 2024. His book “Hollywood Digs,” a series of essays about Hollywood history was published by Kelly’s Cove Press.

His wife, Kate Fuglei, is an actress. They are the proud parents of Jack, who graduated from West Point in 2009, served deployments in Afghanistan with the 75 th Ranger Regiment, and is now working for Coatue Management, and Ben, who graduated from Berkeley Law School in 2024. He is currently Director of the LIU M.F.A. in Writing and Producing for Television, a two-year MFA program based in Brooklyn.