Sean McNamara

For decades, Sean McNamara has been developing programming for the preteen market, and, by the end of the 2000s, his résumé included dozens of directing and producing credits. Much of his early work was in television, with a big boost coming from the mid-1990s superhero series "The Secret World of Alex Mack." After producing and directing several episodes of the show, which was aimed at young viewers, he closed out the decade with movies for a similar audience, most notably the action flick "3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain." Having found his niche, subsequent years brought a barrage of preteen and family-friendly television work. He directed episodes of the comedy "That's So Raven" and the surf drama "Beyond the Break," but these were dwarfed by his executive producing credits, which included numerous scripted series, as well as video sequels to films such as "Legally Blonde" and "Bring It On." At certain times during his career, McNamara wore all three hats of director, producer, and writer; those projects included "Beyond the Break" (which he also co-created), and the comedy show "Even Stevens," which aired from the late '90s to early '00s and starred a young Shia LaBeouf. Amidst all this, he found time to direct the musical romance "Raise Your Voice" and the toy-based live-action feature "Bratz," and expanded his audience with 2011's "Soul Surfer," an emotional drama about a young shark-attack survivor.