Toni D'Antonio
Chief Executive Officer
Toni grew up in Rhode Island with her proud Italian American heritage playing a part in many facets of her life. Maintaining strong family ties, this only child has been cultivating her imagination since age 7 entertaining her family recording a fictional talk show voicing ALL seven characters. Thus, her multi-faceted acting career comprises credits in theater, studio and independent films, television, commercials, industrials and voiceovers.
This SAG/AFTRA actress has been seen commercially as the face of iShares and the US Army and has been heard as the voice of Fidelity, Crestor, Humira, Walmart, Cumberland Farms and Publix Market, to name a few. Theatrical credits include TV shows Law & Order SVU, The Blacklist, The Mysteries of Laura, Taxi Brooklyn, Blue Bloods, The Following, and Nurse Jackie as well as the feature films Nasty Baby with Kristen Wiig, Beach Rats directed by Eliza Hittman, Alto with Diana DeGarmo, Annabella Sciorra and Ward Horton, Where God Left His Shoes with John Leguizamo, Riding In Cars With Boys with Drew Barrymore and Hereafter (AKA Faraway Eyes) with Christina Ricci and Andy Karl, among others.
Married to a restaurateur for over 30 years, she is the true definition of a hyphenate and has been a creative presence in many aspects of the entertainment industry. A passion for all things creative and a career in front of and behind the camera that spans 30 years, Toni has worked as an EP, Producer, Writer, Director, Script Supervisor, 1st AD, 2nd AD, HMU, Production Supervisor, Production Coordinator, Casting Director, Location Scout, Script and Production Consultant as well as an Actor. She has extensive knowledge about the film and television business and her wide variety of assets make her "get it done" mentality unstoppable.
She began Shake The Tree Productions in the hopes of creating character-driven projects with original stories and ethnic diversity with non-gender specific hiring of cast and crew at equal pay. She hopes to keep the true meaning of independent film alive by adapting to today’s market trends utilizing new media and its cutting-edge technology while staying true to the company’s motto…Dedicated to the art of storytelling.
The company’s content is diverse and multi-award winning and Toni works hands on collaboratively with her writers, directors, filmmakers, content creators and editors from development to completion. From the business side of contract negotiations and drafting deal memos to the creative side of pitch deck marketing materials, social media, sizzles and trailer creation, sponsorship and branding, she is an integral part of all the content that comes out of Shake The Tree.
Toni and her team can boast over 75 film festival wins, semi- and quarter-finalist nods, honorable mentions and official selections, as well as four consecutive years as Norwalk’s Local Business Person of the Year, 1 five-part Unscripted TV Series Aired, 3 Completed Multi Award-Winning TV Pilots, 1 Completed Multi Award-Winning Feature Film Distributed and Streaming, 16 Delivered Commercial Spots (long form Industrials and 30-60 second short form), 2 Completed Shorts, and 1 Award-Winning Music Video. Throughout, Toni has built solid relationships with well known, award-winning, established Actors, Directors, Writers, Showrunners and Cinematographers, and works closely with all Shake The Tree’s collaborators to ensure the highest quality results for the success of all projects.
The slate for 2023-2028 comprises several of her writing endeavors, including the 25+ festival award-winning screenplay, AN UNFAMILIAR LIFE, the true bio-pic, FALLEN PRINCESS, NO ALTERNATIVE, ANGEL INVESTMAS, THE MATCH APP and TAKE THE SHOT and collaborative partnerships with APL Films (Canada), Evolutionary Films (UK), Impact Studios (US), and Sonic Gods Media (US), among others.
Toni continues to strive to give back by volunteering. She was a first responder after Hurricane Sandy in the Breezy Point communities; she worked tirelessly in conjunction with The Roxbury Volunteer Fire Dept. to help the community in its recovery efforts. She sponsors and supports the Alzheimer’s Association, and SOSA, the Cancer Research Institute, and The Picture House Emerging Artist Program of Westchester.
Shake The Tree also provides internship and mentorship programs for the next generation of filmmakers and content creators offering an immersive experience into the inner workings of the business and empowering them to go out and make their own contributions to the industry.
This SAG/AFTRA actress has been seen commercially as the face of iShares and the US Army and has been heard as the voice of Fidelity, Crestor, Humira, Walmart, Cumberland Farms and Publix Market, to name a few. Theatrical credits include TV shows Law & Order SVU, The Blacklist, The Mysteries of Laura, Taxi Brooklyn, Blue Bloods, The Following, and Nurse Jackie as well as the feature films Nasty Baby with Kristen Wiig, Beach Rats directed by Eliza Hittman, Alto with Diana DeGarmo, Annabella Sciorra and Ward Horton, Where God Left His Shoes with John Leguizamo, Riding In Cars With Boys with Drew Barrymore and Hereafter (AKA Faraway Eyes) with Christina Ricci and Andy Karl, among others.
Married to a restaurateur for over 30 years, she is the true definition of a hyphenate and has been a creative presence in many aspects of the entertainment industry. A passion for all things creative and a career in front of and behind the camera that spans 30 years, Toni has worked as an EP, Producer, Writer, Director, Script Supervisor, 1st AD, 2nd AD, HMU, Production Supervisor, Production Coordinator, Casting Director, Location Scout, Script and Production Consultant as well as an Actor. She has extensive knowledge about the film and television business and her wide variety of assets make her "get it done" mentality unstoppable.
She began Shake The Tree Productions in the hopes of creating character-driven projects with original stories and ethnic diversity with non-gender specific hiring of cast and crew at equal pay. She hopes to keep the true meaning of independent film alive by adapting to today’s market trends utilizing new media and its cutting-edge technology while staying true to the company’s motto…Dedicated to the art of storytelling.
The company’s content is diverse and multi-award winning and Toni works hands on collaboratively with her writers, directors, filmmakers, content creators and editors from development to completion. From the business side of contract negotiations and drafting deal memos to the creative side of pitch deck marketing materials, social media, sizzles and trailer creation, sponsorship and branding, she is an integral part of all the content that comes out of Shake The Tree.
Toni and her team can boast over 75 film festival wins, semi- and quarter-finalist nods, honorable mentions and official selections, as well as four consecutive years as Norwalk’s Local Business Person of the Year, 1 five-part Unscripted TV Series Aired, 3 Completed Multi Award-Winning TV Pilots, 1 Completed Multi Award-Winning Feature Film Distributed and Streaming, 16 Delivered Commercial Spots (long form Industrials and 30-60 second short form), 2 Completed Shorts, and 1 Award-Winning Music Video. Throughout, Toni has built solid relationships with well known, award-winning, established Actors, Directors, Writers, Showrunners and Cinematographers, and works closely with all Shake The Tree’s collaborators to ensure the highest quality results for the success of all projects.
The slate for 2023-2028 comprises several of her writing endeavors, including the 25+ festival award-winning screenplay, AN UNFAMILIAR LIFE, the true bio-pic, FALLEN PRINCESS, NO ALTERNATIVE, ANGEL INVESTMAS, THE MATCH APP and TAKE THE SHOT and collaborative partnerships with APL Films (Canada), Evolutionary Films (UK), Impact Studios (US), and Sonic Gods Media (US), among others.
Toni continues to strive to give back by volunteering. She was a first responder after Hurricane Sandy in the Breezy Point communities; she worked tirelessly in conjunction with The Roxbury Volunteer Fire Dept. to help the community in its recovery efforts. She sponsors and supports the Alzheimer’s Association, and SOSA, the Cancer Research Institute, and The Picture House Emerging Artist Program of Westchester.
Shake The Tree also provides internship and mentorship programs for the next generation of filmmakers and content creators offering an immersive experience into the inner workings of the business and empowering them to go out and make their own contributions to the industry.
