Wishing Well Entertainment

Raphael Sbarge started Wishing Well Entertainment after he stepped in as director and executive producer of On Begley Street, a streaming series starring actor and environmentalist Ed Begley Jr., The nine-part series was ultimately sold to an online network, and received several nominations and awards.

Inspired by the impact and potential reach of socially conscious film making, Sbarge began to combine his production work with his work for his grassroots environmental nonprofit, Green Wish. A five-year Legacy Grant from the California Institute for Contemporary Art enabled the production of A Concrete River: Reviving the Waters of Los Angeles. The documentary explored the history of the Los Angeles River and the 30-year campaign of Friends of the LA River, a group dedicated to protecting and restoring the river and its habitat.

Sbarge went on to direct and produce Is There Hope for Planet Earth? in conjunction with Cal-Tech in Pasadena, a documentary short featuring acclaimed climatologist Dr. Jess Adkins discussing climate change. Both films have been acquired and broadcast by KCET.

Wishing Well Entertainment went on to produce its first narrative short, The Bird Who Could Fly, about an immigrant Korean family’s story of coming to America. The film took home Best Narrative short, Best Director and Best Ensemble awards at several film festivals around the world.

As Wishing Well’s relationship with KCET took a huge leap forward, LA Foodways was born. The six-episode digital series and a one-hour feature chronicled the shift from an agricultural center to a sprawling metropolis during the past 150 years, and the resulting issues of food scarcity, food waste and the effects of food deserts in underserved communities. A strong response to the multi-part project led to an Emmy Award nomination.