Guest Artists
Part of learning the art and craft of filmmaking is hands-on training with working professionals. But not all professionals are professors, which is why we bring the pros to Long Beach for special, in-class sessions.
Karen Kusama, Director Producer and Writer
She is a director and producer, known for The Invitation (2015), Destroyer (2018) and Girlfight (2000).
Daniel Junge, Producer and Director
Daniel Junge is an Oscar and Emmy winning producer and director, known for Being Evel (2015), Saving Face (2012) and They Killed Sister Dorothy (2008).
Geoff is regarded as one of the most highly sought-after camera operators in Hollywood. His credits include feature films like American Beauty, The Hangover Series, Fast and the Furious Series, Steve Jobs, American Hustle, The Avengers: Infinity War, and television shows like Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, Dexter, and Hung. He visited the FEA 343 Advanced Cinematography class in the spring of 2018 to discuss the politics of working as a camera operator and how to navigate a career in Hollywood, in addition to leading a hands-on camera operating exercise.
Matthew Merkovich, Visual Effects Supervisor
Matt is a veteran visual effects supervisor with credits ranging from feature films like Minority Report, Dr. Doolittle 2, Catch Me If You Can, Mr. Wartmth: The Don Rickels Project, to the television shows The Closer and Leverage, among many others. He brought his 25 years of experience working in Hollywood to FEA 343 in the Spring of 2018 to lead a hands-on demonstration on mapping the characteristics of lenses, an important step in the visual effects process.
Aaron Bowen, 1st Assistant Camera
Aaron works non-stop on the highest level of television as a 1st assistant cameraperson. Credits include Veep, The Good Place, The Newsroom, Parenthood, and Californication to name a few. Aaron was a guest artist in FEA 341 in the fall of 2018 when he accompanied the class to Panavision in Woodland Hills to lead the class in preparing a 35mm camera package during checkout from a rental house.
He also discussed his career in the camera department and work-family balance.
David was a long-time 2nd assistant cameraperson and recently re-classified to camera operator. He was a guest artist in the FEA 341 class in both Fall 2017 and 2018, when he discussed the responsibilities of the camera assistant during the rental house prep. He also discussed the challenges of giving up stable work in one position (2nd AC) to pursue a more creative role (camera operator) and the impact that has on one’s family life.
Beau Leon, Senior Colorist at Framestore
Beau Leon launched his career with the iconic R.E.M. music video, Losing My Religion. With subsequent work for Jane’s Addiction, Dave Matthews Band, Marilyn Manson, Rihanna, Eminem, and TOOL, Leon has since become one of the most expansive and influential colorists in music video history. He is the first non-director to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the MVPA. Prior to Framestore, Beau served at Company 3 in Los Angeles.
Leon also colors independent and documentary films, including Mark Pellington’s I Melt With You (Sundance Film Festival – 2011), Joseph Kahn’s Detention (SXSW – 2011), and Alma Har’el’s Bombay Beach (winner, Tribeca Film Festival Best Documentary Feature – 2011). Leon’s commercial credits include work for Chrysler, Xbox, Coke Zero, Nike, Chevrolet, Goodyear, Carl’s Jr., Cadillac, Comcast, GMC, Martini & Rossi, and Verizon.
Beau was a guest artist in FEA 343 in Spring of 2019 and discussed the importance of the cinematographer-colorist collaboration. He also lead a hands-on workshop in DaVinci Resolve.
Micheal Engler, Producer and Director
Michael Engler is a director and producer, known for Sex and the City (1998), Downton Abbey (2019) and Downton Abbey (2010).
Adele Lim was born in Malaysia. She is known for her work on Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Life on Mars (2008) and Missing (2012).
Elizabeth Lo is a director and cinematographer, known for Hotel 22 (2014), Stray (2020) and Treasure Island (2015)
Brunson Green is a producer, known for The Help (2011), A United Kingdom (2016) and Walking Out (2017).
Wash Westmoreland, Producer, Director, and Writer
Director of Still Alice (2014). In 2015, Westmoreland was awarded the Humanitas Prize
Jeffrey Reddick is best known for creating the Final Destination (2000) film franchise. He also co-wrote the story for, and executive produced, Final Destination 2 (2003).
Ligiah Villalobos, Feature and TV Writer
Ligiah Villalobos is a writer and producer, known for Firelight (2012), Under the Same Moon (2007) and Coco (2017).
Fanshen Cox, Development Executive at Pearl Street Films
Award-winning playwright, actor, producer & educator, Fanshen Cox is the writer/producer/performer of One Drop of Love, which traveled across the U.S. and internationally from 2013-2020. Fanshen is also a Producer and Development Executive at Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's Pearl Street Films.
Livon Antwan Gorgees, Editor at America's Got Talent
Livon Antwan Gorgees is an Iraqi refugee based in Los Angeles. His love and passion for filmmaking gave him the ability to create different stories using his own life experiences, which helps him achieve a greater purpose in life. He most recently finished up working remotely in post production on the latest season of America's Got Talent.
Loira Limbal, Senior Vice President of Programs at Firelight Media
In addition to making movies, Loira Limbal is the Senior Vice President for Programs at Firelight Media, a premier destination for non-fiction cinema by and about communities of color. Firelight films have garnered multiple Primetime Emmys, Peabodys, and Sundance Film Festival awards and they provide mentorship and support programs for emerging filmmakers of color.
(Film alum) A cameraman, known for his work on Interstellar, Joker, The Fate of the Furious, Star Trek Beyond, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and more.
Kelly Gallagher, Animator
Kelly is an experimental animator, filmmaker and Assistant Professor of Media Arts at Syracuse University. She created the animated scenes Jeffrey Palmer’s documentary Words from a Bear (Sundance 2019, PBS American Masters) on Pulitzer Prize winning Kiowa writer Navarro Scott Momaday and on Sasha Waters Freyer’s documentary about iconic photographer Garry Winogrand, AllThings Are Photographable (SXSW, 2019, PBS American Masters). She recently won a residency at the Wexner Center for the Arts and is now making an animated film about the history of Planned Parenthood commissioned by the organization and original animations commissioned by Netflix.
Sarah Berkovich, Virtual Reality Specialist at Film Independent
Film independent – specializes in Virtual Reality (VR)
Lisa Callif, Partner at Donaldson & Callif, LLP
Partner at Donaldson & Callif, LLP. Lisa is the co-author of Clearance & Copyright, 4th eds and The American Bar Association’s Legal Guid to Independent Filmmaking. Lisa and her partner are the most prominent lawyers in the documentary sphere, representing a vast slate of films that premiere at top festivals and win major honors including Oscars, Emmys, Peabodys, and Sundance Grand Jury awards
Danny Grunes, Director of Photography
Director of Photography known for Coming Clean (documentary), So She Might Live (short), The Twisted Nanny (TV movie), and PUBG Seven Cold Front (TV series short).
Claudia Viallta-Mejia, Sustainability & Medical Services Specialist at Sony Entertainment
(FEA Alum) Previously Sustainability trainee at Sony, now Sustainability & Medical Services Specialist. Caludia came to speak with students regarding how to have a sustainable production
Good Energy is a nonprofit story consultancy for the age of climate change. They support TV and film creators in telling wildly entertaining stories that honestly reflect the world we live in now—a world that’s in a climate crisis. We aim to make it as easy as possible to portray the climate crisis on-screen in entertaining and artful ways, in any storyline, across every genre.
David Magdael is known for his work on The Secret in Their Eyes (2009), Unleashed (2005) and The Expendables (2010)
Christina Kleppinger, Writer/ Director
Christina Kleppinger is a writer/director living in Los Angeles. Christina is writing & directing partners with her sister, Caitlin. T As a team, they were chosen as narrative fellows for the Women In Film/Sundance Collab Film Financing and Strategy Intensive in the spring of 2020.
Her first feature documentary, Girls on the Wall, played on PBS, winning an Emmy after a festival run garnering multiple awards. She has directed and produced programs for HBO, NBC, Fox, Discovery, A&E and more, including many episodes of the Emmy nominated doc series Who Do You Think You Are?. Most recently, Heather directed It Got Better, a short documentary series starring Jane Lynch, George Takei and others, for Dan Savage's It Gets Better campaign. She is currently directing a feature documentary about the infamous comedy guru Del Close.
Alexandra Jones, Director/Producer
Alex Jones is an assistant director and producer, known for The Guard (2011), In America (2002), and Shrooms (2007).
Robert Bahar is an Emmy, Berlinale and Goya-winning documentary filmmaker. He relocated from Brooklyn to Spain to direct and produce The Silence of Others (2018), in collaboration with Almudena Carracedo. Executive Produced by Pedro Almodóvar and seven years in the making, The Silence of Others has won over 40 international prizes, including the 2019 Goya for Best Documentary Feature (Spain's Academy Award equivalent), the Platino Award (IberoAmerican Academy Award equivalent), the Berlinale Panorama Audience Award, Berlinale Peace Film Prize, and the Grand Jury Prize at Sheffield Doc/Fest. It was shortlisted for Best Documentary Feature for the 91st Academy Awards and was nominated for a European Film Award. Robert won an Emmy as producer/writer of the documentary Made in L.A. (2007), and he spearheaded the three-year impact campaign that brought the film to audiences around the world.
For over 25 years, Shana Hagan has shot Oscar and Emmy-winning documentaries with such distinguished filmmakers as Michael Apted, Jessica Yu, Morgan Neville, Lauren Greenfield and Rory Kennedy. She is a member of The American Society of Cinematographers, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, The International Cinematographers Guild, The International Documentary Association and The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
Grace Lee was born in Columbia, Missouri, USA. She is a producer and director, known for American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs (2013), Barrier Device (2002) and Janeane from Des Moines (2012).
Jason Osder, President of Amigo Media, Editor/Director
Jason Osder is assistant professor at The George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs and president of Amigo Media, a postproduction boutique and consultancy. He is co-author of Final Cut Pro Workflows: The Independent Studio Handbook, with Robbie Carman, his partner at Amigo. He holds a master's degree in documentary from the University of Florida and Let the Fire Burn is his first feature film.
Leo S. Chiang, Cinematographer
S. Leo Chiang is a cinematographer and producer, known for Our Time Machine (2019), A Village Called Versailles (2009) and Mr. Cao Goes to Washington (2012)
Joanna Sokolowski, Producer/Director
Joanna Sokolowski is an Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker and podcast producer. She is currently a senior producer on the Spotify original podcast An Oral History of the Office, and produces Vote! The Podcast. She directed/produced the Artist and Mother (2018) and City Rising (2018) for KCET with filmmaking partner Kate Trumbull LaValle. Both films went on to win LA Press Club Awards, including best Gender/LGTBQ Reporting and Best Activism Journalism. She and Kate directed/produced Ovarian Psycos (2016), which premiered at SXSW and was broadcast on PBS Independent Lens (2017). She co-produced the Emmy Award Winning HBO film Very Semi Serious (2015). She has produced for Netflix, Spotify, independently, and commercially. She teaches at Chapman University, and holds a BA in Community Development & Urban Planning and an MA in Social Documentation from University of California, Santa Cruz, where she was the recipient of the Human Rights Center Fellowship.
Emmy nominated filmmaker Cecilia Peck has always been drawn to stories of individuals who stand up for their beliefs. She directed and produced the Netflix Original Brave Miss World, the story of Miss World Linor Abargil's fight for justice and triumph over trauma following a brutal rape crime. She also directed and produced Shut Up & Sing, which was shortlisted for the 2007 Academy Awards, won Best Documentary at the Aspen, Sydney, Woodstock Film Festivals, and Special Jury Prize at the Toronto and Chicago Film Festivals. It was named Best Documentary by the Boston and San Diego Film Critics Societies, and won the Courage in Film Award from the Women's Film Critics Circle among others.
Alex Johnston is a documentarian, media maker, and media scholar. His films and GIF cycles, including Way Down in the Hole (2011), NOW! AGAIN! (2014), Ra*ist President (2016) and Evidence of the Evidence (2017), have screened at a wide variety of venues, including the Berlinale, IndieLisboa, Walker Art Center, San Francisco’s Other Cinema, and the Miners' Colfax Medical Center, a convalescent home for retired hard rock and coal miners in Raton, New Mexico. Alex is also the managing editor of the radical online media journal NOW!, A Journal of Urgent Praxis.
Jimmy LaValle is a composer who uses synthesizers and effects to create a nuanced palette of textures and dense, evocative atmospheres. His music defies easy categorization, with a style that creates soothing melodies, highlighted by jolts of unexpected dissonance. While drawing inspiration from minimalist composers and sound manipulators like Max Richter and Cliff Martinez, LaValle has developed his own unique method of decorating a film’s sonic space. His soundtrack work includes Joanna Sokolowski and Kate Trumbull-LaValle’s Ovarian Psycos, PJ Raval’s Before You Know It and The Endless and Spring, both directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. These award-winning films have played successfully at many festivals, including the Toronto International, TriBeca, SXSW, Hot Docs, Fantastic Fest, Seattle, Edinburgh, Los Angeles and San Francisco and on PBS' Independent Lens.
Andi Xoch, born in Mexico City and raised in Eastside Los Angeles, is a street and print artist, specializing in stencil making, doll making, interior design and murals. Her practice is deeply embedded in community activism. She is a former founding member of the Ovarian Psycos Bicycle Brigade in 2010, a Boyle Heights-based collective. After parting with Ovarian Psycos, Xoch co-founded the artist collective, Ni Santas in 2016. Xoch recently created Latinx With Plants and opened two stores in Boyle Heights. She is featured in the award-winning documentary, Ovarian Psycos (2016), which premiered at SXSW and broadcast on PBS' Independent Lens.
Jacob is an award-winning editor and author of the book Documentary Editing.
Jeff Consiglio, Producer/Editor
Jeff is an award-winning documentary editor best known for War/Dance (Oscar nominee), Inocente (Oscar winner), Twinsters (winner Special Jury Award for Documentary Film Editing at SXSW, Netflix), Best and Most Beautiful Things (Netflix), Life According to Sam (HBO) and Grammy award-winning music videos.
David Felix Sutecliffe, Producer
David Felix Sutcliffe is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker whose work is rooted in racial justice. His film (T)ERROR, co-directed with Lyric R. Cabral, is the first documentary to capture an active FBI terror sting. Variety Magazine praised the film as "a vital exposé" and Newsweek said it was "astounding", declaring it one of the best documentaries of the year. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and received a 2017 Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Documentary.
Toby Brooks, Manager for the Sundance Ignite Program
Toby Brooks is the Manager of Sundance Institute's Sundance Ignite Program, which cultivates and supports a new generation of filmmakers. Brooks has worked for Sundance Institute for 5 years, first as the Assistant to the Director of the Sundance Film Festival. From 2012-2017, Brooks was a member of the Emerging Leaders Council at Outfest, an Los Angeles film non-profit that promotes LGBT equality by creating, sharing and protecting LGBT stories on the screen. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, he received his B.A. from UCLA.
Moira Morel is an accomplished Latinx cinematographer living in Los Angeles, CA with a background in both documentary and narrative filmmaking.
Morel was raised in a conservative Latino household in the suburbs outside of Detroit, Michigan. After finishing high school, her desire to get a different take on the world at large led her to The Evergreen State College (TESC) in Olympia, WA. It was at TESC that Morel found her passion for photography, documentary filmmaking and activism.
In 2012 Morel was accepted into the cinematography program at the American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles, California. Since completing her MFA in 2014, Morel has shot commercials, music videos, shorts and web-series’.
Over the last 10 years, many of the films that Morel has lensed have screened and won awards at film festivals nationally and internationally. Most notably, Unlovable premiered at SXSW in 2018 and won the SXSW Gamechanger Award. Vámonos, the short film that Morel both shot and co-wrote, won the 2016 Best Theatrical Short Imagen Award along with the 2016 NBCU Open Possibilites Social Impact Award. The Skinny premiered at Sundance in 2016 and The Punk Singer had its world premier in 2013 at SXSW.
Morel is currently working as a cinematographer for The L Word: Generation Q on Showtime.
Hannah Driscoll, Script Supervisor
Hannah Driscoll is a script supervisor, writer, and new director of the short film, From This Day Forward (2019). Known for script supervising the TV shows Adam Ruins Everything (2018-2019) and PEN15 (2018), as well as the features Lost Transmissions (2018) and Plus One (2017). She script supervises anything from features and shorts to television shows and commercials, switching between the different mediums frequently. With her photographic memory and quick adaptation skills, she can work with many different directors and shooting styles efficiently from the first day on set.
Jessica Badenoch, Production Supervisor & Producer
Jessica Badenoch is a producer and production manager, known for Prime Suspect (2011), Empire (2015) and Trust Me (2009).
Hue is a graduate of Princeton (BA, Civil Engineering), Stanford (M.S. Civil Engineering), and NYU Tisch (M.F.A. Film Production). He is the writer/Director of the 2009 release St. John of Las Vegas (Steve Buscemi, Romany Malco, Peter Dinklage, Sarah Silverman), a $4.5M feature film that served as his NYU graduate thesis.
Prior to enrolling in NYU, Hue had a very successful career in tech/business development and sales, the industry he spends most of his time working in currently.
Effie Brown is known for her work on Dear White People (2014), But I'm a Cheerleader (1999) and Real Women Have Curves (2002).
Carl Fischer, Associate Professor
Carl Fischer is Associate Professor of Spanish in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at Fordham University. He is the author of Queering the Chilean Way: Cultures of Exceptionalism and Sexual Dissidence, 1965-2015 (Palgrave MacMillan, 2016) and co-editor (with Vania Barraza) of Chilean Cinema in the Twenty-First-Century World (Wayne State UP, 2020). His writing has been published in American Quarterly, Revista de Estudios Hispánicos, Hispanic Review, and Comunicación y medios, among other academic journals. Before getting his PhD he worked as a translator for the Chilean government for several years.
Brad Inglesby, Writer and Producer
Graduating from Archbishop Carroll in Pennsylvannia, Inglesby had his eye on a career in business until he took a screenwriting class at Villanova. After graduation, he studied at the American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles, debuting with a script for the short film The Honeyfields in 2006. He’s since been responsible for a string of scripts that have attracted well known actors and actresses in the industry including: 2013’s Out of the Furnace, featuring Christian Bale and Woody Harrelson; 2015’s Run All Night with Liam Neeson and Ed Harris; Ben Affleck in The Way Back; and Jason Segel, Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck in Our Friend.
His latest effort, the already acclaimed HBO mini-series Mare Of Easttown is arguably a greatest hits compendium that pulls from the milieu around his life in small-town PA.
Amalia Cordova co-directs the Smithsonian Mother Tongue Film Festival. She is a former Latin American specialist for the Film + Video Center of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and has taught courses on Indigenous film at New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study.
Dr. Lindsay Nelson
Lindsay Nelson received her PhD in comparative literature from the University of Southern California, where her dissertation focused on the figure of the "monstrous child" in Japanese literature and film. She is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and Economics at Meiji University in Tokyo, where she teaches English classes and classes on Japanese cinema and popular culture. Her research focuses on Japanese horror films, Japanese popular culture, and gender issues in Japanese media. Her work has appeared in East Asian Journal of Popular Culture, Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema, and Japanese Studies. Her book, Circulating Fear: Fractured Realities, Japanese Horror, and New Media, is available for pre-order from Lexington Books (a division of Rowman and Littlefield).
Ben Caldwell, Arts Educator and Independent Filmmaker
Caldwell’s films often trace historical and cultural connections. Eyewitness: Reflections of Malcolm X & the O.A.A.U. (2006) presents the Harlem reunion of ex-members of the Organization of Afro-American Unity. La Buena Vida (The Good Life) (2008), filmed over the course of three years while Caldwell taught at the California Institute of the Arts, documents the cultural exchanges between a group of hip hop artists and musicians from Los Angeles and their counterparts in Havana, Cuba.
Swanson directed the record-breaking, smash-hit film The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel, which was 2020's Best TV Movie award recipient from the African American Film Critics Association and nominated for a Critics Choice Award for Best Movie Made for Television as well as five NAACP Image Award Nominations including Outstanding Directing. Her other celebrated and award winning movie credits include All About You, All About Us, The Miki Howard Story, and For the Love of Ruth, (for which she also earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Directing in a Television Motion Picture). Christine is currently on path to produce and direct, Sunflower: The Fannie Lou Hamer Story written by and starring Aunjanue Ellis. Christine received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Film from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame.
Brian Gork has worked in the entertainment industry for over 20 years. He has experience in Television, Commercials and Film. Brian made his mark with his most recent project, producing The Last Champion. He took this experience and applied it to his company, AKS Stages. With so many other stages ran by corporations, there was a lack of personal connection that Brian felt needed to be filled. He opened a sound stage ran by producers, for producers, and has received an overwhelming response. Despite COVID, AKS has recently opened a second stage and is on the hunt for a third location. When Brian is not producing or running the stage, he enjoys helping others shape their future with his real estate license. A CSULB alum, Brian earned his bachelor’s degree in Film and Electronic Media.
Tyler Stratton, Assistant Director
Tyler Stratton is a DGA Assistant Director with 15 years of experience. Originally from Ohio, and driven by a desire to be on set, he enrolled in the CSULB Film Production track during which he created his own Assistant Directing Studies and founded the Student Film Club that still runs today. Since graduating in 2009, he has enjoyed a lucrative career working on such projects as West World, Ford v. Ferrari, and the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie.
Julian Doan, Director / Post-Production
Julian Doan is a 2nd generation Vietnamese-American filmmaker. He enjoys exploring the uncomfortable corners of our existence through awkward, yet heartfelt comedy. His latest short film, Raspberry, which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, examines the absurd and tragic experience of witnessing death and saying goodbye. He is currently writing a feature film based on his lived experiences of losing his father. It explores the mundane absurdity amidst tragedy of a family desperate to preserve their father’s life and struggling through the end-of-life process. It combines observational comedy with deep empathy for its characters, and is inspired by works such as Force Majeure, Still Walking, and Amour. He co-wrote and directed the zombie comedy series Everyone I Love Is Dead with Alex Hunter, adapted from their short film Zombroz, a semi-finalist for HBO’s Project Greenlight Season 4. He is also an editor and assistant editor. Recent credits include HBO's revival of In Treatment, Gia Coppola's Mainstream, and Wild Wild Country on Netflix. In addition to his professional accolades, he considers himself a pretty successful friend, partner, and family member. He looks forward to seeing a Vietnamese-American film renaissance in his lifetime.
Experienced Line Producer working in the entertainment industry. Skilled in Film Production, Television, Commercial, Post Production and Live-Event Video. He is the Co-Founder of music video production company with annual billings of 8+million annually. He is also the founder and Executive Producer for production services company serving for multiple top commercial and television production clients for 10+years. Well versed and experienced in miniatures, pyro, high-speed, and motion-control photography. Strong interest in modernizing production logistics, business strategy, and technology, He earned his Bachelor of Arts focused in Radio Television and Film from California State University-Long Beach.
Matt Misetich, Senior Executive / Partner at Pipeline Media Group
Currently a Senior Executive and Partner at Pipeline Media Group, Matt oversees all divisions, including Script, Book, and Film, as well as the management of Pipeline Artists and the implementation of future Pipeline entities. His industry career started in 2002 as an intern for a talent manager, then as an intern in film development in 2003. And as an intern script reader through all of 2004. . . which ended in 2005—where had landed another prestigious unpaid internship. After several freelance script reading jobs, plus a brief but legitimately educational time in international distribution and media consulting, he began his tenure with Pipeline in 2006, working as a reader until early 2008 when he took over as manager. In that time, he’s helped launch the careers of several Pipeline writers, including Evan Daugherty (Snow White and the Huntsman), Tripper Clancy (Stuber), Crosby Selander (Bring Me Back), and others who have turned to Pipeline for guidance in their creative aspirations. It’s estimated he’s reviewed over 30,000 pitches, screenplays, pilots, books, and short films over the last two decades. Which he believes has to be a meaningless record of some sort. The divisions of Pipeline Media Group seek exceptional talent for a landscape continuously pursuing bold, unique voices in the arts. Established in 1999 as “Script Pipeline Into Motion Pictures,” a forerunner in screenplay coverage and the distinct hands-on process of connecting writers worldwide to Hollywood, the company has since branched out to consider literary and produced content. A filter for over 30,000 scripts, books, plays, and short films reviewed annually, PMG has supplied its comprehensive network of executives with countless clients and projects. All PMG sites share the same mission: to advance the careers of original artists, support diversity and socially conscious storytelling, encourage new generations of creatives, and foster a much-needed outlet for those with limited access to the entertainment industry.
Rahma Farahat was born to a Saudi father and German mother and was raised in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with her five older siblings. She had an interest in colors and design from a young age, from designing and building her own doll house furniture, to making stylized home videos with her siblings. Rahma moved to California in 2008 and acquired a degree in Cinematography from California State University, Long Beach. She then went on to pursue a Master’s degree in Production Design from Chapman University. She earned her MFA in 2016, after completing work on two thesis films: All Quiet on the Homefront a short biopic set in the 1920’s, and Rocket a Student Academy Award winning film set in the 1950’s world of dirt track racing
Anissa Williams, Casting Director
Casting Director/Producer Anissa Williams has been in the film business for over 20 years. She has cast over 30 feature films. Anissa specializes in indie film projects and believes that independent film captures the true spirit of honest story telling. Her diverse range of projects includes numerous international fashion and advertising campaigns, editorials, shows, television commercials, and independent projects.
Dan Mirvish, Co-Founder of Slamdance Film Festival
Co-Founder of the Slamdance Film Festival., award-winning indie filmmaker, and author of The Cheerful Subversive’s Guide to Independent Filmmaking. His latest film, 18 1/2 , a 70s Watergate thriller/dark comedy is already an award-winner on the festival circuit and is in the midst of a 60-city theatrical release.
Jeffrey Travis, Founder of Positron VR Company
Jeffrey Travis is a filmmaker, engineer, and virtual reality entrepreneur. As the founder & CEO of Positron , Jeffrey and his team invented Voyager®, the world’s first full-motion chair for cinematic VR. He and his team have collaborated with studios such as Universal, Disney, Dreamworks, Warner Bros, and many independent artists to integrate premium VR content intoXR Cinemas using the Voyager platform. Prior to Positron, Jeffrey worked as an independent filmmaker. Jeffrey is the writer and director of several award-winning films, including the animated film Flatland (starring Martin Sheen, Tony Hale, and Kristen Bell). As an engineer, Jeffrey developed a consulting practice for the LabVIEW graphical programming language and authored several books on LabVIEW. He received his Master’s degree in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Jeffrey is passionate about elevating storytelling and art through immersive technologies.
"Interviewing 101" was taught by one of the most accomplished television producers we've ever had on campus. She has more than 20 years of network experience in news, unscripted, and non-fiction entertainment at NBC. Waller was one of the founding members of the team that built NBC Universal’s Peacock Productions from the ground up into a thriving production company with offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and London, generating hundreds of hours of programming a year for more than two dozen clients across NBC Universal platforms, and outside cable clients. Peacock Productions (not to be confused with the current Peacock streaming service), was a division of NBC News that specialized in all genres of non-scripted programming including docu-dramas, narrative crime series, live events, documentaries, and breaking news specials. Named Executive Producer of Peacock Productions in 2013, Waller managed day-to-day and long-term productions, as well as strategic planning and securing new and returning business. Under her tenure as executive producer at Peacock, she oversaw high profile events and series such as Behind Closed Doors for Reelz, Headliners for MSNBC, numerous reunion shows and specials for TLC, series and specials for Lifetime (including Surviving R. Kelly—The Impact), as well as true crime specials and the series Final Appeal for Oxygen. She secured the first major interview with Elizabeth Smart and oversaw breaking news docs on topics including the 2015 Paris terror attacks, the Japanese tsunami, and the Dannemora prison break. Waller was a hands-on creator and developer, generating original content that increased revenue and expanded the client base in genres including network primetime, series, specials, and quick turnaround crashes. At Peacock she was the “go to” EP for news crashes and character based narrative docs, and was respected as a client relationship builder and expert manager of marquee talent. She earned a reputation for tackling the seemingly impossible projects while maintaining high editorial standards. Since leaving Peacock Productions (which was shuttered just before the pandemic hit in March 2020) she was a consulting producer on the Friends Reunion and developed and EP'd a pop culture series for the Reelz Network. She is currently show running a documentary film series for MSNBC that is a co-production between Time Studios, Sugar23, and Trevor Noah’s production company Day Zero Productions. Prior to Peacock Productions, Waller worked with Dateline NBC, establishing their Psychology Unit—developing, booking and producing behavior-related pieces and specials. She specialized in primetime celebrity interviews with top NBC talent and played key role on DuPont winning team behind Richard Engel: War Zone Diary.
Dan Neely, Co-Founder & CEO of Vermillio
Vermillio is the first Generative AI platform to allow creators to style, own and track their digital creations. Our mission is to empower creators and to inspire the content of the future. Vermillio is led by a proven team of technologists with 100+ years of collective experience building AI software and scaled transaction systems. We are at the forefront of the industry, collaborating and working with prominent thought leaders, artists and the rights holders of the world’s most loved IP to develop immersive AI-generated content experiences. As Generative AI transforms the creator economy, it is our intention to help inspire, support and facilitate the content of the future. Our AI-powered tools generate content that is authenticated using our proprietary blockchain technology which determines ownership. We want to ensure that the content of the future is built with collaboration, creativity and transparency at its core for web3 and beyond. Ready to build products in a truly product-driven company? Passionate about using new technology in a quickly-evolving world? If so, come join a team that is equally excited about the possibilities.
Loren Albento, Creative Producer & Talent Manager
Loren Albento is a Filipino-American creative producer and talent manager in the entertainment industry with over 10 years of experience. He graduated in Film & Electronic Arts with an emphasis in Producing/Screenwriting from Cal State University Long Beach. Loren currently works at Rick Yorn's talent management/production company, LBI Entertainment working with an exceptional roster of actors, directors and writers (including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio del Toro, Jamie Foxx, and Martin Scorsese) as well as emerging talent. He has develop his own diverse list of clients and helps produce projects with the team. Loren most recently helped spearhead his client Filipino-American director/writer Diane Paragas’ debut independent feature film, Yellow Rose and navigated the sale and worldwide distribution for the film’s release with Sony Pictures. Loren also helped his client nab her first studio feature film from Crazy Rich Asians New York Times Bestselling author Kevin Kwan’s next trilogy of books: Sex and Vanity for Sony Pictures. Formerly Loren was an agent trainee and Executive Assistant in the talent department at APA, to the Vice President of Talent. Before that, he completed a short stint as an entry level mailroom & floater assistant position for leading talent agency, CAA. He has developed a wide range of skills through interning for various television shows and major studios during his college years. Loren started his career working as an intern his Freshmen year of college for the Disney ABC Television Group.
Ruben Garcia, Foundation Executive & Co-Head, Cultural Business Strategy at CAA
Garcia has been instrumental in helping conceptualize and execute the agency’s overall diversity, equity and inclusion strategies since joining the company in 2011. As part of his role as Co-Head of the Cultural Business Strategy Group, he manages CAA Amplify, an initiative designed to connect and leverage the influence of cross-industry thought leaders and cultural change makers who are transforming business and society. Ruben Garcia is Co-Head of the Cultural Business Strategy Group at leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). In addition, Garcia works within the CAA Foundation to advise and consult clients on their prosocial and philanthropic initiatives. Garcia collaborates with company leadership to execute company-wide strategies and implement inclusive business practices that maximize creative and business growth opportunities for the agency’s diverse clients. In addition, he manages a custom slate of programs and initiatives, including CAA Amplify, a platform designed by the agency to leverage the collective influence of cross-industry thought leaders and cultural change makers of color to create transformational change across business and society. Garcia also oversees CAA’s corporate partnerships and liaises with clients, businesses and organizations interested in promoting and building philanthropic activities connected to diversity in business and creative fields. His clients include Kendrick Sampson, Anthony Ramos, Becky G, Laurence Fishburne, Edwards James Olmos, Connor Franta, Ricky Martin, and Karla Souza, among others. He currently leads the Industry Advisory Board for the Latino Film Institute and serves on the regional advisory board for the Friends of the Museum of the American Latino. Prior to joining CAA in 2011, Garcia worked at Paramount Pictures and The Walt Disney Company. A native of San Diego, he is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in Sociology.
Kyung Hyun Kim, Writer / Producer
Kyung Hyun Kim is a creative writer, a scholar, and a film producer, who is currently a professor in the Department of East Asian Studies, UC Irvine. He has worked with internationally renowned directors such as Hong Sang-soo, Lee Chang-dong, and Marty Scorsese, and also with American film producers Jason Blum and Steven Schneider. Prof. Kim is author of Hegemonic Mimicry: Korean Popular Culture of 21st Century, Virtual Hallyu: Korean Cinema of the Global Era, and The Remasculinization of Korean Cinema, all of them published by Duke University Press, and a Korean-language novel entitled In Search of Lost G (Ireo beorin G-reul chajaso, 2014) about a Korean mother combing through the US in search of her missing son during his junior year in a Massachusetts prep school. He has co-produced and co-scripted two award-winning feature films Never Forever (2007, Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. Main Competition) and The Housemaid (2010, Cannes Film Festival Main Competition), and his co-scripted film screenplay, The Origins of a Detective (Hyeongsa eui kiwon), won the cash prize (US$ 30,000) by being selected for the 2019 Best Film Development Project by the Korean Film Commission. He has also written The Mask Debate, his first theatre screenplay, which premiered in February 2021 through UCI’s Illuminations: Chancellor’s Initiative in Arts and Drama YouTube channel. Since fall 2021, he writes and directs plays for the theater program of BBT, a Korean American support group for parents with children with developmental disabilities.
Ian Svenonious is a prolific musician (Nation of Ulysses, The Make-Up, ESCAPE-ISM), author of books (The Psychic Soviet, Against the Written Word) and a maker of visual art and cinema. Additionally, Ian hosted the sit-down interview show Soft Focus, which ran for three years on VICE TV and featured guests such as Adam Horowitz/Ad-Rock, Cat Power, and Henry Rollins (who voices the DJ in The Lost Record). His film The Lost Record (2021) which he co-directed with Alexandra Cabral was the winner of Best Experimental Feature Film at Chicago Underground Film Festival, The Lost Record is an innovative delight shot on 16mm, a “sci-fi, rock ‘n’ roll, essay, fantasy film about art, music, fetish, creation, love, and records,” according to arthouse distributor Mubi.
Rodrigo Robledo, Editor and Director
Lyric Cabral, Producer/Director
Kristy Guevara-Flanagan, Director
