VOLUNTARILY COMMITTED
Find Familiar Spirits is the world’s first spirits company dedicated to providing fandoms with high-end curated potables to call their own. The brainchild of celebrity actor/gaming entrepreneur Matthew Lillard, screenwriter Justin Ware, and Blue Run Spirits co-founder Tim Sparapani, Find Familiar Spirits combines the storytelling acumen and influence of Hollywood with award-winning spirits craftsmanship and the muscle of Chicago marketing.
The founders named the company Find Familiar Spirits as a nod to the famous spell, but also to honor that magical moment in your life when you find a kindred soul – an homage to both meanings of the word. The long-time friends came together with one goal: to craft spirits with the same attention to detail, commitment to authenticity, and feeling of kinship you get inside any dedicated and beloved subculture.
Our Brands
THE FAMILIARS
Matthew Lillard
BIO
Matthew Lillard is an actor, director, producer, and entrepreneur with a remarkable presence spanning more than three decades in the entertainment industry.
His notable roles in blockbuster hits like Scream, Academy Award winning The Descendants, and both installments of Scooby-Doo have solidified his position as a versatile and celebrated actor in global box office successes exceeding $1.3 billion. He has also remained a vibrant figure in independent cinema, with acclaimed performances in films such as SLC Punk and David Lynch's Twin Peaks: The Return. This fall, Lillard will take on the role of the iconic villain William Afton in the eagerly anticipated Blumhouse/Universal trilogy Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Beyond his illustrious acting career, Lillard is a founding partner of Beadle & Grimm's, an innovative enterprise crafting immersive gaming experiences for renowned franchises like Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and Critical Role. He’s incredibly excited to expand his entrepreneurial efforts and love for fantasy fandom into the world of whiskey with Quest’s End, and to have built such an amazing team of kindred souls at Find Familiar Spirits.
Lillard's artistic journey began at the Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York City. He also ventured into directing with "Fat Kid Rules the World" (2012), which earned the Audience Award at the South by Southwest film festival.
Lillard has been married to his wife Heather since 2000 — which is 103 years in Hollywood years— and they have three children together. His favorite cocktail is a vodka cranberry, but he prefers to call it The Diablo because it sounds cooler.
Justin Ware
BIO
Justin Ware is an accomplished writer and producer with more than two decades in the film and television industry. His current writing projects include a stoner comedy with Snoop Dogg, an action comedy for Sony Pictures, and The Unbroken Line, a sports drama based on the true story of the 1982 NFL strike. His company Hollywood Farms has over 40 projects in development including Mates, a young adult comedy shooting in Melbourne next year, and a series of true crime books by best-selling author Jack Olsen, set up with Bunim Murray. His produced movies range from Cloud 9, a Disney Channel movie about snowboarding, to Bloodsucking Bastards, an indie horror comedy he co-wrote, produced, and starred in alongside Fran Kranz, Joel Murray, and Pedro Pascal.
In addition to his film work, Justin has written and produced several projects for television including Hell Den, an animated series for SyFy, where he also voiced the mutant cyborg BET-C.
He lives in Thousand Oaks with his wife Valerie, dog Cholula, and daughter Eowyn (in case his fantasy bona fides weren’t already clear). A native of Wausau, Wisconsin, this is his first foray into the spirits industry, though he has done extensive market research as a consumer. His favorite drink is a Manhattan with good vermouth and better whiskey.
Peggy Prescott
BIO
Peggy Prescott is an adverising Creative Director with decades of experience building brands and launching products. She began her career as a storyboard illustrator, but fell in love with the strategy and ideas behind the campaigns and rose through the ranks to create global product launches and brand identities at top ad agencies in the US and abroad. Through social, influencer, or activation campaigns, she has helped brands like Ford, Coke and Glade cultivate "brand ambassadors," and she’s created TV campaigns for Subway, Sears, Suave, Serta and other brands that don't start with "S." She’s worked on just about every category in existence, including numerous prominent alcohol brands — Jim Beam, Pinnacle Vodka and Budweiser, to name a few. Working on brands that that are all about sharing a drink with good friends is what makes this social butterfly's spirit soar. She couldn't be more excited to be a part of this talented, wacky, funny and kind team at Find Familiar Spirits.
Peggy was born and raised in Chicago and now lives in Wilmette (on Chicago's north shore) with her husband David. As for her favorite cocktail, nothing beats a classic G&T on a hot summer day. Even better if it’s on a golf course.
Tim Sparapani
BIO
Tim Sparapani is a whiskey enthusiast and startup legal advisor. Tim recently successfully sold Blue Run Spirits, the ultra-premium modern whiskey from Kentucky, to Molson Coors, and is a member of the Board of Directors of Coors Spirits Co. and a consultant to that business. He has had numerous successful exits of technology companies during the last dozen years. He provides legal and policy advice to companies of all sizes and to consumer protection, online trust and safety, and privacy advocacy non-profits. Previously, he served as Meta's (nee Facebook's) first Director of Public Policy and as Senior Privacy and Immigration Rights attorney for the ACLU. Tim is a sought-after speaker on emerging technology issues and constitutional law questions. He resides in Washington, DC, when not in Kentucky or traveling with his family. He recommends Ale's whiskey with a single rock in a glass.
David Cohen
BIO
David Cohen is not only the Director of Operations for Find Familiar Spirits, he's the President and Head Distiller at Manifest Distilling in Jacksonville, Florida, and is responsible for day-to-day operations at the distillery. Manifest opened in 2015 and its products are currently distributed in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee, as well as nationwide through online retailers.
David also serves as President of the Florida Craft Spirits Association, the first industry supported non-profit established to promote the craft spirits industry throughout the state. His long family history in hospitality began in the early 1940s in the Caribbean, so his involvement in the spirits industry was a natural progression. Prior to founding Manifest, David completed an internship with Kentucky Artisan Distillers and earned a certificate from The Siebel Institute of Technology for Craft Distilling and Operation.
Before that, David was responsible for opening or operating several companies ranging from a production company in Los Angeles to serving as the Creative Director and Vice President of an editorial and publishing company. He resides in Jacksonville, FL with his wife Nina and three adorable children, Abe, Frankie and Charlie. David’s favorite cocktail is a Negroni, with Manifest Gin of course.
Andrea (Darth) Flader
BIO
Andrea Flader (aka Darth Flader) comes to Find Familiar Spirits as a Project Manager following a rich fifteen-year career in the entertainment industry, most notably as a Production Coordinator. She has served in that leadership role for fan favorites including AMC’s The Walking Dead, Marvel’s WandaVision and Ms. Marvel, and MGM’s Till. She likes to say the entertainment industry forged her in fire, but also believes that character refinement is never finished.
Alongside film and television, Andrea is also a huge nerd who has recently veered into content creation with her partner Bill to form The Geek Garage, a YouTube channel focusing on pop culture and fandom-based builds, shenanigans, and travel. Her current role at Find Familiar Spirits is her maiden voyage into the spirits industry and she couldn’t be more excited to join such a talented group of individuals in this quest to cultivate community through two of her favorite things: whiskey and storytelling.
She is a true Midwesterner at heart, hailing from the great mid-Michigan. Though you will find her in Los Angeles at times, she calls Atlanta her home. She and her partner Bill plan to live in Italy one day with their dog Archer, so make sure to check her address before sending her holiday cards. Her favorite drink (other than an IPA) is a classic scotch on the rocks with a heavy-handed pour of great company.
Lorie Yager-Madden
BIO
Lorie Yager-Madden is the Customer Experience Manager at Find Familiar Spirits, bridging the gap between customers and the brand. She strives to deliver a solid customer experience and to build brand loyalty while ensuring consistent quality and customer satisfaction.
Lorie is educated as a psychotherapist but decided not to pursue the career professionally. After getting her master’s degree, she pivoted to data visualization and web design. She crafted her own consulting business in 2010, helping small businesses bring their mission to digital marketing channels, and she's excited to apply the skills she developed working with clients to her role with Find Familiar Spirits.
Located in the Chicago area, Lorie has 2 teen girls and a true data-nerd partner. She has a soft spot for rescuing animals, and currently has a dog and 3 cats in the family. She is an avid live music fan and art appreciator. Her favorite drink is a frosty Paloma. She is enjoying exploring whiskey tasting and learning about the world of Dungeons & Dragons.