EDWIN/PAGAN
Edwin Pagán (www.imdb.com/name/nm1900335) is a New York-based filmmaker, cinematographer, screenwriter and cultural activist with extensive production experience in the documentary and narrative film sectors. As a filmmaker he has produced such dramatic films as Derek Velez-Partridge's SANGRE/BLOOD, Pepper Negron's BROKEN WHISPER, Andres Nicolini's RENDEZVOUS, Angel David's SCAR TISSUE, and line-produced Franc. Reyes' BEAUTY (directed by Pepper Negron). As a Director of Photography (DP) he has lensed THE RECKONING, BROTHER (RIPFest 6), SEEKING SOLACE, DECEPTION, FOR THE RECORD: GUAM AND WORLD WAR II (for PBS), OUR WOMEN, OUR STRUGGLE (currently in production) and LATINA CONFESSIONS, among others.
 
He currently serves as a Board member of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) and is the former president of itsNew York chapter. He is Program Manager at the Black Filmmaker Foundation. He has served on numerous juries, selection and curatorial committees for such arts entities as the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), New York International Latino Film Festival, and Tribeca Institutes' prestigious All Access Connects initiative. In 2005 he worked as conference programmer for the 27th IFP Market & Conference. In addition, he has also curated the NewLatino Filmmakers screening series at the renowned NYC cinematheque, Anthology Film Archives, for the past seven years.
 
Pagán’s latest signature project, BRONX BURNING (as writer/producer/director), is a long-form documentary that chronicles The rise, fall and resurrection of the South Bronx that his production company, Pagan-Images, is producing. This coming spring/summer he will direct his first dramatic film entitled ANIMA SOLA.
 
 
BIENVENIDA/MATIAS
Bienvenida (Beni) Matías is a documentary producer, educator and founding board member of NALIP. She has worked for WNET/Thirteen, ITVS, the Center for Arts Criticism, AIVF, Latino Educational Media Center and on many independent productions. She has created youth media programs in community settings, mentors many emerging film makers, and runs the NALIP NY Documentary Mentoring program. Currently she is producing the documentary FOR THE RECORD: GUAM IN WORLD WAR II. She taught video production at Hunter College. She holds a Film Production degree from la Escuela Oficial de Cinematografía in Madrid, Spain.
 
 
 
RICK/RAMIREZ
Rick Ramirez serves as Vice President, Emerging Markets for Fox Entertainment Group. In this capacity, he is instrumental in positioning Fox as an entertainment leader in the Hispanic, African American and Asian American consumer markets. Mr. Ramirez participates in the development of business initiatives and strategies for Fox Entertainment Group and its parent News Corporation. His work engages him in the full scope of the entertainment enterprise, including marketing, sales,  promotions, publicity, content development, research, business development, strategic planning, government affairs and diversity development. A native of El Paso , Texas , he worked previously at Phil Roman Entertainment, which he joined during the company's inception in early 1999. He was Vice President, and managed development, production and business affairs for animation and live-action projects intended for TV series, specials and motion picture projects. In addition, Rick oversaw all aspects of deal structuring, financing and distribution. Rick has also served as a producer for Galavisión, was a partner of Ron Tequila Productions, and practiced corporate law with Smith, Underwood, Carmichael & Floyd of Dallas , Texas.
 
 
JOSE/MARTINEZ
Mr. Martinez is an entertainment and corporate attorney based in New
York and Los Angeles. He has represented writers, directors and producers in all aspects of production, finance, acquisition and distribution. He also represents film distributors, and advises on  formation, financing intellectual property, acquisitions and sales of real estate, as well as trail counsel. Martinez is co-founder and general manager of Arthouse Films, a joint venture with Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures. Also a co-founder of the Santa Fe Film Festival, he is a Chicano born and raised in Los Angeles. He received a BA in political theory from UCLA and his JD from Hastings College of Law in San Francisco.
 
 
 
FRANCES/NEGRON-MUNTANER
Frances Negrón-Muntaner is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and
scholar. She is the recipient of Ford, Truman, Scripps Howard, Rockefeller, and Pew fellowships. She holds Masters in Visual Anthropology and Fine Arts from Temple University, and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Rutgers University. Ms. Negrón-Muntaner is the editor of two books, Shouting in a Whisper: Latino Poets in Philadelphia and Puerto Rican Jam: Rethinking Nationalism and Colonialism, and the author of Boricua Pop: Puerto Ricans and the Latinization of American Culture(2004). Her last book is None of the Above: Puerto Ricans and Globalization (2005). Her films have been screened throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Latin America, as well as broadcast on many public television stations. Among her award-winning films are AIDS IN THE BARRIO and BRINCANDO EL CHARCO: PORTRAIT OF A PUERTO RICAN. She is currently completing two documentaries for public television, FOR THE RECORD: GUAM AND WORLD WAR II and REGARDING VIEQUES. She is also the founder of Miami Light Project’s Filmmakers Workshop, and currently teaches at Columbia University in New York City.
 
 
DAVID/ORTIZ
David Ortiz is a creative executive in the feature film division of Universal Studios in Universal City, CA. Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, David graduated in 1998 from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in Public Policy. He began his career in advertising, working with Leo Burnett in Chicago. He then relocated to Los Angeles in order to become a trainee in the William Morris Agency mailroom, where he quickly joined then worked in the motion picture department for two years. David spent 1.5 years as a creative exec at Warner Bros. where he supervised CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and SYRIANA starring George Clooney & Matt Damon, among other projects. David returned to Universal Pictures in August of 2005 to work with his former boss and mentor, President of Production Donna Langley. He is currently supervising IDLEWILD, the feature film debut of the rap group Outkast. He sits on the Board of Directors for NALIP, Conference V and VI committees, and the Nominating committee.
 
 
ELAINE/ROMERO
Elaine Romero is an acclaimed playwright ( Walk Into the Sea, Barrio
Hollywood, Secret Things) and is currently one of six participants in the 2006 CBS Diversity Mentorship Program. She is among the alumni of NALIP’s Latino Writers Lab™ and the Latino Producers Academy™, and attended Los Angeles Film School on full scholarship. Her theatre work was featured in New York at the American National Theatre’s Founder’s Day Celebration. Ms. Romero has taught playwriting and screenwriting at the University of Arizona and Linfield College. She is a National Core Member of the Playwrights Center and a member of the Dramatists Guild.
Her favorite quote is, “To learn how to create is to learn how to live.”
 
 
 
LMM
PANCHO/MANSFIELD
Born to a Cuban mother and Red Sox fan father, Pancho spent most of his childhood overseas.  After attending NYU Film School, he began his career working on documentaries, industrials and television magazine programs in New York.  Pancho later moved to Los Angeles and continued his career at The Artist’s Agency, a talent and literary agency.   This was followed by a long tenure at Showtime Networks, where he developed some of the more provocative and popular projects in the company’s history, including “Hiroshima,” “Armistead Maupin’s More Tales of the City,” “Noriega,” “Stargate SG-1,” “Penn and Teller’s Bullshit,” “Red Shoe Diaries,” “Street Time,” “The Outer Limits,” “Resurrection Blvd.” and “Queer As Folk.”  Pancho has since moved over to Spike TV, heading up its brand new original programming department, where he has shepherded recent series “Blade” and the reality show “Pros vs. Joes.”  
 
 
EDWARD JAMES/OLMOS
Actor, producer, director and community activist Edward James Olmos was born and raised in East Los Angeles.  A veteran of the theater, he earned a Tony nomination for his mesmerizing performance in the 1978 drama/musical Zoot Suit.  He reprised the role for a feature film in 1981, and went on that year to star in Wolfen.  He followed these performances with pivotal roles in Ridley Scott's landmark Blade Runner and Robert M. Young's acclaimed The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez.
 
Olmos’ feature film credits also include Selena, Mi Familia / My Family and American Me, which he also directed.  His extensive television work includes HBO’s The Burning Season, Showtime’s In the Time of Butterflies, the ABC miniseries Dead Man’s Walk and the documentary The Unfinished Journey, directed by Steven Spielberg.  Olmos also starred for two seasons in the acclaimed PBS series American Family. 
 
He has been awarded a HUGO Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Commander William Adama in the science fiction thriller, Battlestar Galactica, which airs on NBC/Universal’s Sci-Fi Channel every Friday at 10/9C.  He was also honored with Marlene L. Dermer, co-director of the Latino Film Festival at the 2005 Premio Awards for Arts & Entertainment.
 
His latest film, “Walkout” is based on a true story.  In 1968, then-teacher Sal Castro (played by Michael Pena) asked students in his classroom to read the history-book passage on the Mexican-American contributions to the Civil War – which was a trick question, since that passage did / does not exist.  Inspired by the historical injustice, Moctesuma Esparza, a young activist and a student named Paula Crisostomo, used civil disobedience to protest policies at five East L.A. high schools that were predominantly populated by Latino students and mostly staffed by Anglo faculty and administration.  Olmos directed the film and his son, Bodie Olmos, stars as Esparza.
 
“Walkout” enlightens viewers about a little-known chapter in modern Mexican-American history and Olmos aim was to get our attention - it certainly sparked an immigration debate that is still going on in modern day.  
 
Throughout his career, Olmos has received numerous accolades, including an LA Drama Circle Award, an Emmy (and three nominations) and two Golden Globe Awards.  In 1988, he received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Jaime Escalante, the dedicated, real-life math teacher in Stand and Deliver, which Olmos also produced. Most recently, he was awarded the PASS award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency for producing the domestic-violence documentary It Ain’t Love.
 
Olmos is currently a United States Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF.  He is also a national spokesperson for the following organizations: Southwest Voter Registration Project, where he helps the Latino Community in its pursuit of citizenship and voter registration; the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation; and the AIDS Awareness Foundation.  He also serves on the boards of Recruiting New Teachers, the Twentieth Century Fund, UCLA School of Film and Theater, UCLA Mentoring Program, Miami Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles Children’s Hospital, National Council on Adoption, Children’s Action Network, Hollywood Supports and OneNetNow.com.
 
Edward James Olmos is tireless in his efforts to improve the human condition. One would be hard pressed to find a man more dedicated to his family, his work, his concerns and causes, and the people who look to him for a voice in their own lives.
 
Nominations / Awards - 2006
Tri-Guild Ivy Bethune Diversity Award
Cinquest Maverick Spirit Award for Achievement In Film
Imagen Award – Best Actor, “Battlestar Galactica”
 
Nominations / Awards – 2007
Directors Guild Award – Director, HBO, “Walkout”
 
 
ANGEL/RIVERA
Angel Rivera is currently the National Director of the Department of Affirmative Action and Diversity at the Screen Actors Guild.  The Department has offices and staff in the Hollywood Headquarters and New York Divisional Branch Office.
 
Mr. Rivera develops, supports, and promotes programs and services design to enhance (1) career opportunities for SAG actors, stunt-performers, singers, dancers, puppeteers, and voice-over performers who are in any of the federally protected groups (minority, women, performer with disabilities and performers who are 40 years of age and over) working in primetime television, film, commercials, industrials and music videos; (2) industry and community awareness regarding the need for more inclusiveness and diversity in the industry; (3) compliance with municipal, state and federal anti-discrimination and sexual harassment laws, the American with Disability Act, and all SAG non-discrimination and diversity contract agreements; and (4) the goals and objectives of the Guild’s National Ethnic Employment Opportunity, Women, Senior and Performers with Disabilities Committees.
 
In the four years that Mr. Rivera has directed the department, the Guild reported the three highest annual percentage shares of roles for minority performers.  In 2004, the department reported an overall increased in the share of roles for Asian-Americans performers which included a 21% gain in episodic television roles and an increase share of roles for Latino performers in film and television despite a decrease of 7.8% of roles for all performers.  Rivera has helped accelerate the number of casting calls to the department’s free Diversity, Special Skills and Talent Bank service and increased the number of network/studio talent showcases including the first performers with disabilities talent showcase with CBS.  Rivera has also organized and been asked to speak on numerous panels, workshops and conferences.  Since 2003, Rivera was successful in securing outside-grants totaling over $400,000.
 
Angel Rivera has an extensive employment history in public, non-profit, education and the private sector. After graduating from Fordham University, Mr. Rivera served under three NYC Mayors as a Mayor’s Office Audit Analyst, a Labor/Management Facilitator and Project Planner and as Special Assistant to the Fire Commissioner/Director of Employment Initiatives at the New York City Fire Department where he started the first Fire Cadet Corps program. In 1995, Mr. Rivera helped inner-city students prepare for college as a Program Director at the Edwin Gould Foundation for Children’s Sponsor for Educational Opportunities (SEO) program.  Later, Mr. Rivera became employed by the City University of New York where he created the first CUNY/NYPD Police Cadet Corps. Before he joined the Screen Actors Guild, Mr. Rivera was the Director of Corporate Global Diversity at the global advertising, public relations and marketing communication holding company - Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG) where he was responsible for incorporating diversity initiatives into the corporate strategic business plan. Before IPG, Rivera was the Manager of Global Diversity at True North Communications, Inc. where he worked with Bozell Advertising, FCB Worldwide and TN Media (now Initiative).
 
Mr. Rivera is on the Board of Directors of the Imagen Foundation and the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival.  He is a member of the NAACP Image Awards Nomination Committee and on the Board of Advisors of RockNRelief (a concert series to help victims of Katrina), the TORCH program for inner-city NYC high school students interested in the entertainment and media industry, and the Association of American Advertising Agencies' Diversity Advisory Board. He Rivera is also a member of a Media Access Award Blue Ribbon Commission which promotes access for performers with disabilities, the National Organization of La Raza’s Blue Ribbon Panel for the ALMA Awards, and Women In Film.   He has served as Chairman of the American Association of Advertising Agencies' Diversity Committee, Chairman of the Ad Club of New York's Changing Face of Advertising Committee and as a member of the American Advertising Federation's Multicultural Business Practice Leadership Council.  Mr. Rivera also served on the California Arts Advisory Council of the Puerto Rican Federal Affairs Administration.
 
Mr. Rivera resides in Beverly Hills, CA. and New York, NY and has two children (Kaelin 11 and Sean 10).
 
 
GEORGE A./ROMERO
American director George A. Romero was making films from the age of 14, like most teen movie enthusiasts, with an 8 mm camera. Matriculating into the industrial-film business in Pittsburgh, Romero accrued enough capital to make his first feature-length film in 1968, a graphically gruesome zombie picture entitled Night of the Living Dead.
 
Barely making back its cost on its initial release, the movie received some welcome, if adverse, publicity when Reader's Digest devoted an article to it. The magazine was appalled at the scenes of cannibalism and similar horrors, going so far as to insist that a movement be started to have the picture banned. Naturally, this made the movie more popular than ever, much more so than if Reader's Digest had simply ignored it. And the subsequent profits of Night of the Living Dead enabled Romero to finance several more low-budget scare pictures before he broke into the mainstream with Dawn of the Dead in 1978, a semi-comic sequel to his first film.
 
Day of the Dead (1985), the third of the Dead Trilogy, was more elaborate than his earlier productions.
 
Romero then added such films as Creepshow (1980), Martin (1978), and his weekly TV terror anthology Tales From the Darkside (1984-1986), which belied its tiny budget with excellent writing, first-rate actors (Barnard Hughes, Fritz Weaver, Jerry Stiller, Eddie Bracken, et al.) and bone-chilling makeup effects.
 
Romero has exerted considerable influence on an entire school of higher-budget horror directors, notably John Carpenter, Wes Craven, and Brian De Palma.
 
Romero is married to actress and long-time collaborator Christine Forrest and has three children.
 
 
HARRISON/REINER
Staff Story Analyst (I.A.T.S.E.), CBS-Paramount Television; Instructor of Screenwriting, UCLA School of Film and Televison; Instructor of Story Analysis  and Screenplay Development, UCLA Extension; Producer and Co-Writer, LA  TICLA (shooting in Mexico, March 2007); Mentor, Latino Writers Lab  (sponsored by NALIP and the Writers Guild of America East); formerly  Production Executive, Sovereign Pictures (co-distributors of the Academy  Award-winning motion pictures MY LEFT FOOT and CINEMA PARADISO; Story Editor, RKO Pictures (during the filming of John Sayles' EIGHT  MEN OUT); Visiting Assistant Professor of Writing for Short Film, UCLA  M.F.A. Directing Program; Program Evaluator, Documentary Film, Corporation for  Public Broadcasting; Co-founded the Desi Arnaz Memorial Writing Workshop and  Scholarship, Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival; served as story  analyst for Sherry Lansing Productions in association with Paramount Pictures,  Universal Pictures, Warner Brothers Feature Animation, and Turner Network  Television.  Has lectured on the art of screenwriting and screenplay  development for the Producers Guild of America, the Directors Guild of America,  the Organization of Black Screenwriters, the Hollywood Black Film Festival, and  the Scottish Film Academy at Napier University (Edinburgh, Scotland).   B.F.A. New York University Tisch School of the Arts, M.F.A. Columbia University  School of the Arts.  
 
 
ANTONIO/NEGRET
Antonio Negret is a multi-cultural and multi-lingual director. He has lived and worked in Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Panama, England, and the United States. Negret has directed multiple short films, and has recently wrapped his debut feature film, "Hacia La Oscuridad" (Towards Darkness) starring Roberto Urbina, David Sutcliffe, Tony Plana, William Atherton, and America Ferrera. The film is currently in post-production, and is inspired on Negret's true experience with kidnappings in Colombia. It is also based on his award-winning short film "Darkness Minus Twelve," which received several awards including National Association of Latino Independent Producers Audience Award, St. Petersburg ‘Message to Man’ Honorable Mention Award, Renegade Film Festival Grand Prize, and Orinda Film Festival Audience Award.
 
Negret has also directed two seasons of the weekly television series "Not So Foreign Filmmakers Showcase" on Si TV. This show, which premiered April 2005, explores independent film with an edgy, guerrilla-style look at its filmmakers. The show encompasses sketches and interviews with celebrity guests, among which include Virginia Madsen, Rosario Dawson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jay Hernandez, and Robert Rodriguez.
 
Negret is a Suma Cum Laude graduate from the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television, and holds a minor from the USC School of Theatre, where he was the recipient of multiple scholarships. Negret continues to pursue challenging and polemic filmmaking.
 
 
ANGELA/PALMER
As Director of TV Program Development and Producer Relations, Angie Palmer is responsible for advancing the priorities of CPB’s television programming department.  Ms Palmer serves as liaison to ITVS, the National Minority Consortia, independent film community and works to enhance the inclusion of diverse perspectives in the programming and production process.  She is also Program Officer for several CPB funding initiatives, including the Outreach Fund and the Greenhouse Fund.
 
Prior to joining CPB, Angie was employed for ten years at C-SPAN and served as Director of Business Development and Affiliate Relations for New Urban Entertainment Television, (NUE-TV) a Quincy Jones/Time Warner cable venture.
 
Angie holds a graduate degree in Organizational Development from George Washington University in Washington, DC and an undergraduate degree in Mass Communications from the University of Dayton.  In her spare time, she is a freelance writer and President of a local performing arts troupe in Washington, DC.
 
 
LEANDRO/SANCHEZ
Leandro has directed numerous advertising spots/campaigns worldwide, including recent spots for clients such as: Samsung, Procter & Gamble, Pantech/cell phones, Qwest Telecom, Chattem/USA, McDonalds, Partnership for a Drug Free America, Velocifero, etc.
 
 Leandro's visual-storytelling and subtle comedic style has earned him collaborations with such agencies as Leo Burnett, FCB, TBWA, DDB, SMC-Group, Cheil Communications, etc. In addition, Leandro's work has been featured twice in Boards magazine website. Leandro is represented in advertising & music videos by such production companies as: @radicalmedia/Paris, Cinismo Films/Mexico, Washington Square Films/USA, DreamTeam/Spain and others around the globe.
 
 Leandro has directed spots for Repertorium Films/ Pinnacle Pictures such as: "The Agent", "Cigarmaker", and "Change Perspectives" in addition to documentary segments for "The Gift of New York." Leandro completed in 2005 his short film "Side Effects" through Pinnacle Pictures/ Repertorium Films, which has shown in festivals such as Tribeca Underground Film Festival, Woods Hole Int'l Film Festival, iFilm, etc.
 
 Leandro, a native of Venezuela, moved to Paris at 18 to study French and French civilization at La Sorbonne, as well as Music (percussion). Leandro then attended film school in Paris ( E.I.C.A) and went on to work on news shows in the USA. He acquired much of his experience in film in Paris, while working on numerous international productions. Leandro, who is fluent in English, Spanish and French, now resides in New York City and works worldwide as a Director.
 
Leandro is currently in development on a diverse slate of TV and feature film projects.
 
 
KARIMA/TORRES
Karima Torres began her career with the peermusic family in 2001 where she was responsible for enhancing and maintaining the peermusic catalog.  In the process, she acquired an extensive knowledge of a broad genre of music.  She refined her research skills and also developed industry connections that advantageously support her in her role as Creative Manager/Film, Television, Advertising and Special Markets, which she began at the start of 2004.
 
In her position as Creative Manager her responsibilities include the following: Acquiring synchronization placements for peermusic’s Latin Catalog, exploiting peermusic’s entire music catalog for Special Markets such as Video Games, Ring tones, Karaoke, Toys and special “lifestyle” compilation CD’s such as Pottery Barn, The Gap and Starbucks.  
 
A native of Los Angeles, Ms. Torres earned a Bachelors of Science Degree in Business with a Marketing emphasis from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.  Prior to her joining peermusic, she worked for Premiere Artists Agency, a boutique talent and literary agency in Los Angeles.  At Premiere, she worked closely with writers, directors and producers of the commercial, television and film venues.   She was involved with the evaluation and development of scripts, and was the agency’s liaison for establishing quality relationships with all clients and network executives.  Karima also has past experience with Warner Bros. Advertising and Publicity, and New Regency Productions.
 
 
JOHN/VALADEZ
John has been producing and directing award winning, nationally broadcast documentaries for PBS and CNN for the past fourteen years.  He directed the critically acclaimed film Passin’It On, which aired on nationally on the PBS series POV.  He went on to direct the first hour of the PBS series Making Peace and was a producer of the PBS series’ Matters of Race, Visiones: Lationo Arts & Culture, and Beyond Brown.  John produced High Stakes Testing, an award winning prime-time program for CNN Presents.  He is currently working on The Last Conquistador (with Cristina Ibarra) which will be nationally on the PBS series POV in 2008 and The Head of Joaquin Murrieta also for broadcast on PBS.
 
He has twice been a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow, is a Rockefeller Fellow, a PBS/CPB Producers Academy Fellow and currently sits on the Board of Trustees of the Robert Flaherty Film Seminar.  He regularly lectures at universities across the United States and his work has been featured at major festivals and cultural institutions including: The Berlin Film Festival, Cinema Du Reel, The Bombay International Film Festival, The museum of Modern Art (MoMA), The museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Lincoln Center, The Schomburg Center, The Mint Museum, INPUT, and The Hirshhorn Museum at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C.
 
John is a founding member of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) and is a graduate of the film program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
 
 
ALTHEA/WASOW Althea Wasow is a New York-based independent writer, director, and producer. Her work has focused on the experiences of outsiders and cultures of crime and punishment. Her film, The Wannabe, won Best Short at the New York International Latino Film Festival (presented by HBO). She is senior editor and co-writer of An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar, an exhibition of photographs by Taryn Simon at the Whitney Museum of American Art (March 2007) and a book of the same title, published by Steidl. She worked in a producing capacity on the documentary projects: Rikers High, The Mark of Cain, and The Innocents. She obtained a B.A. in Modern Culture and Media from Brown University and an M.F.A. in Film Directing from Columbia University School of the Arts. She serves on the board of directors of the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP), a nonprofit organization concerned with community participation in urban planning and the political uses of architecture. http://www.altheawasow.com/%22%20%5Co%20%22http://www.altheawasow.com/%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blankhttp://www.wannabethemovie.com/%22%20%5Co%20%22http://www.wannabethemovie.com/%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blankhttp://www.anothercupdevelopment.org/%22%20%5Co%20%22http://www.anothercupdevelopment.org/%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blankshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2
FRANK/ZUNIGA
Frank Zúñiga is a veteran Writer-Producer-Director who is developing three of his own screenplays; JUAN DIEGO, ALIEN GAMES, and SANTA CLAUS AND THE ECHO PARK KID. His industry experience spans more than forty years.  Frank served as the Director of the New Mexico Film Office in 2003-2004 where he supervised the writing of The Media Industries Strategic Plan for media growth for Governor Richardson.  Shortly thereafter, Frank served as a consultant on the development of the Sandoval County Media Cluster in 2005.   In 2001-2002
he served as the Artistic Director of the Roy E. Disney Performing Arts Center at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.
 
Early in his career, Zúñiga served as an assistant director for Francis Ford Coppola and continued to develop his skills as a cameraman.  He later became Director of Photography on a number of television shows for THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY, TEENAGE FAIR and a HERMAN AND THE HERMITS SPECIAL.
    
Roy E. Disney offered Frank his first directing assignment on THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY in 1967.  At the Disney Studios, Zúñiga produced and/or directed 26 hours of television and all of the film exhibits in the MEXICO PAVILLION at DISNEY WORLD.
 
    In 1979, Frank directed his first feature film THE FURTHER ADVENTURE OF THE WILDERNESS FAMILY. It was shot in Colorado for $1.4 million and has grossed over $50 million in the world market.  He went on to direct HEARTBREAKER with Fernando Allende, THE GOLDEN SEAL for The Sam Goldwyn Company starring Steve Railsbach and FISTFIGHTER, which was shot in Mexico City, Starring Jorge Rivero, Edward Albert and Mike Connors.  All of Frank’s films have returned a profit to their producers.
    
From 1987 to 1995 Frank served as the Dean of Media Arts at Columbia College-Hollywood (CCH). He was charged with updating the curriculum and re-staffing the faculty.  Many of the CCH graduates during his tenure are now working in the film and television industries.  In 1995, Frank established the BROADCASTING COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA for KATV (Korean American Television). In the summer of 1996, Zúñiga conducted a directing workshop for the largest television network in the Southeast Asia, ABS-CBN in Manila.
 
 Frank served as the National Chair for the National Hispanic Media Coalition,  2004-2006.  He has also served on the Board of Directors the Independent Features Project/West in 1990 – 1993 and as the Charter President for the Hispanic Academy of Media Arts and Sciences in 1984 - 1986.  
    
Among Mr. Zúñiga's awards are the American Indian Film Festival's BEST PICTURE and BEST DIRECTION awards for THE GOLDEN SEAL, the NOSOTROS GOLDEN EAGLE AWARD for Excellence in Film Direction and the Hollywood Film Advisory Board's Award of Excellence.  In 1985 and 1986 Frank was selected as one of the 100 most Influential Hispanics in the United States by Hispanic Business magazine.
 
 
MEG/VILLARREAL
Meg Villarreal’s career in broadcasting has ranged from promotion and publicity to education/outreach to international project development.  She is co-founder and director of US Independents, which provides independent producers and distributors cost-effective access to international TV/video markets, festivals, and seminars.  US Independents takes a hands-on approach that tailors advice, guidance, and networking opportunities to the individual needs of participants. US Independents currently has a cooperative presence for independent producers and distributors at MIPTV and MIPCOM held in Cannes, FR, SunnySide of the Docs also in France, SilverDocs in Maryland and the World Congress of History Producers and the World Congress of Science and Factual.
 
Prior to the establishment of US Independents in 1996, Ms. Villarreal was Associate Director of International Activities at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.   
 
 
RALPH/RIVERA
As Vice President and General Manager of AOL Games, Ralph Rivera is responsible for all programming and business strategy for AOL Games, which provides content, services, and marketing for Web, PC, and console games for game fans on the Web.  Under Mr. Rivera’s direction, AOL Games continues to offer new initiatives that bring game fans exclusive content and maximize their overall gaming experience while delivering valuable promotional and marketing benefits to game industry partners.
 
Additionally, Rivera spearheads AOL's leading bilingual service and portal AOL Latino.  As Vice President and General Manager of AOL Latino, he manages the programming and business strategy, overseeing the seven programming areas: Noticias (News), Deportes (Sports), Entretenimiento (Entertainment), Música (Music), Automóviles (Automobiles), Tu Vida (Lifestyle) and Dinero y Exito (Money & Empowerment).   
 
Throughout his career, Mr. Rivera has focused on the intersection of technology and media.  Prior to his position at AOL Games, he held executive and staff positions at AOL’s Moviefone, Pearson, Simon & Schuster, Deloitte & Touche, and IBM.  He earned his undergraduate degree from Columbia College and an M.B.A. degree from New York University.
 
Consistently ranked among the leading online gaming sites, AOL Games offers online games, exclusive demos of the hottest video games, comprehensive video games information including cheats, tips and reviews, and exclusive original streaming video programming.
 
 
GREG/RHEM
Greg Rhem is Manager of Documentary Acquisitions, Original Programming for Home Box Office.  He’s been involved in discovering new and distinctive documentary programming for the Cinemax Reel Life, as well as (what was formerly known as) HBO’s award-winning America Undercover banner.  Some of his finds have been: the Oscar®-winning Born Into Brothels, Murder on a Sunday Morning, Thoth, and Breathing Lessons; Oscar®-nominated Spellbound, The Collector of Bedford Street; the critically-acclaimed Watermarks and The Smashing Machine.
 
Before joining HBO Documentaries in 1995, Mr. Rhem served as an Assistant Producer of Commercials and Industrials for Morrison Media, Inc.  Prior to that, he was an Assistant Coordinator, Office Operations at New Line Cinema.
 
Currently, Mr. Rhem is a candidate for Media Studies M.A. at the New School University.   He holds a B.A. degree in English and Film Studies from the University of Rochester.  
 
 
HUGO/PEREZ
Hugo Perez is a filmmaker and writer whose work often focuses on his Cuban heritage.  He has studied writing with Gabriel Garcia Marquez, collaborated with pulitzer prize-winning novelist William Kennedy, and served as a guest artist for acclaimed theater director and artist Robert Wilson.  Perez latest short film ‘Betty la Flaca’ is the winner of the 2006 HBO/NYILFF Short Film Award and will be broadcast on HBO during winter of 2006.  Perez previous short film “Julieta y Ramon” was broadcast as part of the 2005 Showtime Latino Filmmaker Showcase, which spotlights the work of emerging Latino directors.  His writing has been featured in the New York Times Magazine and Salon, and his films have screened at venues such as MoMA and the Smithsonian.  Perez is the founder of M30A Films, which has a number of narrative and documentary projects in development and production.
 
Currently, Perez is Producer and Director of  “In the Footsteps of Orpheus” a feature documentary, which was an official selection of the 2006 IFP Market as a work in progress. The film explores the life, work, and legacy of the Hungarian poet Miklos Radnoti who died in 1944 during the Holocaust.  In addition, Perez is the Producer and Director of  “Summer Sun, Winter Moon,” a documentary that follows celebrated composer and conductor Rob Kapilow and Blackfeet poet Darrell Kipp through the process of creating a symphony about the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1803 from the point of view of American Indians today.  Perez was a producer and writer on “Dance Cuba: Dreams of Flight,” a feature documentary shot over the course of three years in Cuba on 24pHD which reflects on life in contemporary Cuba through the experiences of dancers and others involved in the Cuban dance world.
 
In conjunction with The New York State Writer’s Institute and Pulitzer prize-winning novelist William Kennedy, he produced and directed “The Writer” a half hour series of video portraits of contemporary writers and poets that aired regionally on PBS stations.  Since creating “The Writer” in Spring of 1997, Perez has produced forty-eight episodes, spotlighting such writers as Frank McCourt, Jamaica Kincaid, Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates, David Sedaris, Ken Kesey, Studs Terkel, Chinua Achebe, Andrea Barrett, George Plimpton, and many others. Perez worked as the associate producer on “Classic American Cars of Cuba”, a national PBS production released in August 2002.
 
Perez has also produced and directed two short documentaries in Cuba: “The Ecstasy” and “The Old Man and Hemingway.” The latter film has received numerous awards at film festivals and was selected as one of nine ‘Outstanding Short Films’ for 2004-2005 by the Museum of Modern Art.
 
 
ADRION/PORTER
Adrion Porter currently serves as Director of Market Development at HBO, where he is charged with facilitating the strategic development relative to Segment/Urban Marketing, Cinemax and Multiplex channels.   This involves developing immediate and long-term business strategies in order to meet brand and subscriber growth objectives.
 
Prior to joining HBO in January 2003, Adrion was Manager of E-Consumer and International Marketing at Citigroup.  While in that role, Adrion was very instrumental in the product launch and brand marketing of Citibank’s new person-to-person (P2P) payment service which enabled consumers to send and receive money online within the United States and abroad.  Also during his tenure at Citibank, he held the position of Marketing Manager of Acquisitions Strategy, responsible for the integrated and direct marketing efforts within the North America Cards division.
 
Before arriving to New York in 1999, Adrion received his M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University with a concentration in Marketing.  In addition, he has worked within various vocations including Fruit of the Loom, Inc. and Cooperative Marketing Concepts, where he was a Sales Manager at their headquartered call center.    
 
A true southern gentleman (born and raised in Memphis, TN), Adrion is an avid music fan and is affiliated with several organizations, including the National Black MBA Association and NAMIC.
 
 
JOSH/NOREK
Josh Norek has licensed and placed music from Nacional Records artists (including Nortec Collective, Manu Chao, and Aterciopelados) in films such as La Mujer de mi Hermano, Babel, and Fast Food Nation and on TV shows like The OC, CSI: Miami, and In Justice.  Norek is also co-founder of the Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) and has overseen U.S. publicity for acts such as Jaguares, Pitbull, and Julieta Venegas.  Norek also does double-duty as the MC/frontman for Latino-Jewish urban collective Hip Hop Hoodíos, whose music has been featured in a national Volkswagen ad campaign and several independent films.  Josh Norek is a graduate of Cornell University and Southwestern Law School.
 
 
ALEX/MENDOZA
Alejandro (Alex) Mendoza, after working as an Art Director for the Mexico’s branch of the advertising agency, Campbel-Ewald, moved to the USA to attended the Film School of Columbia College from where he graduated in 1985. From 1987-96 he was Director of International Sales and Distribution at Vestron, Inc. Afterwards, Alex joined Live Entertainment (later called ARTISAN), for 3 years in the same position; Saban Entertainment, for one year to manage their Home Video division and Morgan Creek International, handling international sales and distribution for 7 years. Since 2002, Alex is the principal of the entertainment-consulting firm, Alex Mendoza & Associates; he is a Scholar level member of the Gerson Lehrman Group’s Media Council of Advisors, a consulting pool of industry experts to more than 600 money fund managers. In addition Alex functions as the Editor of NALIP’s Latinos in the Industry eNewsletter and is the owner of AMARTE Design & Digital Printing a studio specializing on Event Image Programs.
 
LUCINDA/MARTINEZ-DESIR
Lucinda Martinez-Desir is vice president, Market Development, for Home Box Office, responsible for overseeing all market development activities, including retail marketing for the company’s wireless entertainment services, HBO Mobile and HBO Family, segment marketing/promotions for the African American, Latino and Gay/Lesbian markets, and IP/broadband initiatives for HBO On Demand.  She was named to this position in June 2006.
 
Martinez-Desir first joined HBO as an associate manager, Marketing, in 1995, leaving in 1996 to move to Los Angeles. She rejoined HBO in 2003 as director, Direct Marketing, responsible for overseeing the creation, execution and development of marketing/acquisition campaigns and retail partnerships for HBO and Cinemax.  In 2005, she was named director, Strategic Partnerships and Emerging Markets, where she developed and collaborated on marketing and promotional plans in support of HBO’s new media platforms as well as segment marketing.
 
During her hiatus from HBO, Martinez-Desir joined Comedy Central, first as an account director, Affiliate Relations, Western Region, responsible for distribution and affiliate relations functions for regional and divisional MSO accounts, and then as director, Partnership Marketing, where she created and built marketing initiatives for key MSO affiliates nationally.
 
She began her career as a manager, Merchandising/Ethnic Marketing at Avon Products Inc. in New York City in 1992.
 
Martinez-Desir holds a BA from Columbia University.  A 1996 Walter Kaitz Fellow, she serves on the national board of NAMIC and is a member of Cable Positive, CTAM and WICT.   She resides in Harlem, NY with her husband and son.
 
 
RAY/TELLES
Raymond  Telles'  twenty-five  year career in film and television  includes the production of   documentaries and  news magazine segments. He has been a producer and director for Dateline- NBC, Turning Point and Nightline-ABC, PBS and Univision. From 1981 to 1992 Telles was a producer in the current affairs department at KQED TV, San Francisco. His independent productions include films for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Independent Television Service (ITVS).
 
Telles produced and directed Race is the Place for the PBS series Independent Lens (November 2005).  Other recent documentaries include: Eye on the Universe for Discovery Networks International; Memorials for Nightline-ABC; Miracle Babies, Tough Choices and Making a Baby for MSNBC, and segments for the PBS/ABC series Life 360. Telles is currently producing The Storm that Swept Mexico, a feature documentary for PBS.
 
Among the more than 30 documentaries Telles  has produced and directed are:  Continent on the Move for the PBS series  Americas,  Santeros,   The Fight in the Fields, a feature  documentary  on Cesar Chavez and the Farm Workers' movement,  Children  of  the  Night  for Frontline –PBS& KQED,  winner of a DuPont- Columbia  Gold Baton Award as well a number of other  honors,  In Search of Law and Order,  a three hour series on Juvenile Justice for PBS and Channel 4  (UK). In 2005 he was Senior Producer for  Understanding Health, with Dr. Nancy Snyderman.
 
Raymond Telles has won numerous awards including three Emmy Awards,  the DuPont-Columbia  Gold Baton , two PBS  Programming Awards for News and Current Affairs, The Ohio State Award, an  ALMA Award,  a NATAS  Community Service Award, top honors in the San Francisco, American Film and Video Association, Chicago and New York Film Festivals, 2 Cine Golden Eagles, as well as numerous  other awards for his work in film and broadcast journalism.
 
In 1999 Telles served on the Documentary Jury for the Sundance Film Festival and has been a consultant to the Institute on Latin American projects. He is bilingual-Spanish/English and lives with his family in Oakland, California. MFA-Film -UCLA. Telles has been a Fulbright Senior Lecturer at the University of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain, and is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies, University of California, Berkeley.
 
 
JOSIE/THOMAS
Josie Thomas was named to the position of Senior Vice President, Diversity, CBS Television, in April 2000.  She reports to Leslie Moonves, President & Chief Executive Officer, CBS Corporation.
 
Thomas works to enhance the Company's record of diversity both inside and outside the organization. Working with senior managers from all areas of CBS, she creates initiatives designed to improve outreach to diverse vendors, professional service suppliers and talent in front of and behind the camera.  In August 2003, she launched the CBS Diversity Institute adding a diversity Writers Mentoring Program and Directing Initiative to the previously launched diversity focused Actor Showcases and Workshops.  
 
Thomas had been Vice President, Business Affairs, CBS News, since 1995.  Prior to that, she served as Director of Business Affairs, CBS News (1989-95) and director of legal affairs for New York-based Trans World International, where she managed the legal aspects of program distribution, event broadcasting and production related contracts (1987-89).
 
From 1986 to 1987, she was Broadcast Counsel for the Law Department of CBS Inc., where she worked with the Entertainment, Sports and News divisions of the Company on all aspects of structuring development, employment and distribution agreements.  She also advised those divisions on copyright and trademark matters.  She began her career as a litigation associate at Anderson, Russell, Kill and Olick and was later associated with Weiss, Dawid, Fross, Zelnick & Lehrman.
 
Thomas is a graduate of Harvard College (B.A., cum laude, history), Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley (J.D.) and a member of the New York State Bar.  She serves on the Outreach Advisory Council of the American Institute for Managing Diversity.  She is the Chair of the Advisory Board for the Institute for Advanced Journalism Studies.  She is a member of the Board of  Visitors of the John H. Johnson School of Communications at Howard University and  a member of the NAACP Centennial Task Force Planning Committee.  She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Robey Theatre Company and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers. In 2006, she was the recipient of the first New York Women’s Chamber of Commerce Women of Excellence Award in Corporate Diversity.  
 
FRANC./REYES
Franc. started his career traveling the world as a dancer/choreographer. By the early 1990s after becoming an accomplished songwriter, Franc. had written three Billboard Magazine top-forty songs for artists on the Columbia and Atlantic/Atco Record Labels, soon after signing a music publishing deal with E.M.I Publishing.

In 1996 after reading and soaking in the books and works of the greats i.e.: Martin Scorsese, Sidney Lumet, Francis Ford Coppola, Franc. raised the money, wrote, and directed his first short film, “In The Deep South”, a concept currently being developed for television. In 1998 Franc. wrote the script for what would become his first feature film, “Empire” which starred John Leguizamo, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabella Rosselini, Denise Richards, Brazilian superstar Sonia Braga and hip hop legends Fat Joe and Treach. Music being a big part of Franc.'s life, he co-wrote four songs for the films Motown Records soundtrack, including the title track "Welcome To My Empire" sung by Latin superstar La India. After convincing legendary music producer Emilio Estefan Jr. to produce two of his songs and singer Jon Secada to sing one of them, he was able to get Ruben Blades actor and music legend to score his film.

Shot independently in New York in 2000, “Empire” went on to become the highest grossing film out of the Sundance Film Festival in 2002, leading to Franc. signing a deal with Universal Pictures in 2003. Franc. has recently finished the film “Illegal Tender” which he wrote and directed.  The film was produced in New York and Puerto Rico and was picked up for distribution by Universal for a Spring 2007 release.
Franc. is currently directing and producing the film “The Ministers” which he also wrote. The films stars are John Leguizamo and Harvey Keitel.
 
 
LUIZA/RICUPERO
Luiza Ricupero; born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, but raised in Quito, Ecuador; is a multi-lingual and multi-cultural producer.  She has produced a variety of striking projects, including the feature HACIA LA OSCURIDAD, the documentaries NIDO DE SUENOS and HELP WANTED, the short films IMPORTANCE and BLOWING OFF, and the television awards show EVVY AWARDS.  
 
Ricupero moved to Los Angeles in January of 2004, where she worked at the high profile company Creative Artists Agency (CAA).  Whilst there, she worked within the independent film division, assisting Manny Nunez and John Ptak.  
 
Ricupero currently works as Manager of Production and Acquisitions at Myriad Pictures.  She is currently overseeing several projects, including BUS 174 (written by Braulio Mantovanni and directed by Bruno Barreto), DIVIDED (starring Dianne Kruger and Thomas Kretchman), and THE OTHER SIDE (starring Brittany Murphy, Giovanni Ribisi, and Angelica Houston).
 
Luiza Ricupero graduated Suma Cum Laude from Emerson College, Boston.  
 
 
LOURDES/ORTEGA
Ms. Ortega is a creative independent producer with experience in media and public relations.
 
She began her training as producer by attending the selective NALIP’s Latino Producers Academy held in Tucson, AZ during the summer of 2006 where she interacted and learned from experienced independent producers that became her mentors.  
 
After graduating from the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages and Literatures (Spanish and French), Lourdes worked as a production coordinator on independent feature films. Her production experience lead her to find a career in entertainment public relations for the international television market representing entities such as Sony Pictures Television International, National Geographic Television & Film and the World Poker Tour through various boutique PR agencies in Los Angeles.
 
Preceding her agency work, she ran and operated Ortega Public Relations offering public relations services to film and television production companies, entertainment non-profit organizations and various entities for coverage in trade/consumer press, film festival/market and conference representation. She recently handled the public relations and community affairs for the Los Angeles edition of the daily national Spanish-language newspaper, Hoy (Tribune Publishing).  
 
Lourdes is Southern California resident and is currently in development with two feature film projects, FINAL BOARDING and PASTORAL.
 
 
ALEX/NOGALES
Alex Nogales, President & CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, was raised in the border town of Calexico, California in a family of migrant farm workers.  He spent the majority of his youth traveling the length of California, picking whatever crop was in season.  
 
He obtained a degree in Film and Television from UCLA and began his career as a writer for Bicultural Children’s Television, the entity that produced the Emmy winning children’s program “Villa Alegre.”  He added production skills to his credits by producing educational films for the Federal Department of Transportation and then became a full-time producer at KCBS Television in 1978.  
 
During his thirteen-year tenure at KCBS, he was heavily involved with public affairs programming, children’s shows, and entertainment specials.  His strengths in writing, production, and management earned him three Emmy Awards for such shows as “At Issue,” “Troubleshooter,” and “Kid Quiz.”  He also received over thirty other commendations for excellence in television production.  In 1988 he became a senior producer, overseeing the work of the other non-news producers at the station.  As he loves to say, he didn’t know if he was made a senior producer because he was better than other producers on the floor, or whether he was just older than everyone else.  
 
Nogales left television in 1989 and became a successful businessman, engaged in a variety of business ventures, which involve marketing, advertising, and public relations.  At the same time, he served as Chief Executive Officer for Nogales Psychological Counseling, a firm he built up from a five-person office into a mental health facility thirty-five people strong.  His success has given him the time and resources to devote to the fight against the exclusion of American Latinos from television, radio, and film.  
 
Elected President of the National Hispanic Media Coalition in the late nineties, he led boycotts against the advertisers of the Howard Stern Show to get Stern off the air when he offended the Latino Community and the family of Selena by his repugnant comments about her.  NHMC filed over 50 petitions to deny broadcast licenses with the Federal Communication Commission during the following years, including one against a Spanish-language radio company for encouraging its DJs to do pornographic radio to boost their ratings, something he has again been forced to do for the same materialistic reason.  He also led noisy demonstrations against ABC and its parent company, Disney, for refusing to hire Latinos in any significant numbers, and intensified the dialogue with local stations across the country to force them to hire Latino reporters and anchors.  As one of the more visible organizations under the umbrella of the National Latino Media Council, for which NHMC acts as secretariat and staff, Nogales was instrumental in the signing of Memorandums of Understanding with NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox in the year 2000.  An additional Memorandum was signed with Time Warner in 2003.
 
Nogales also led the National Latino Media Council’s fight to force the Nielsen Research Company from undercounting Latinos in both English and Spanish language television.  In his mind, Nielsen’s undercount limits the employment opportunities of Latinos in English language television as well as discourages the development of Latino themed programming.  Fox, Nogales’ ally in the fight, recently signed an agreement with Nielsen whereby Nielsen committed 50 million dollars to better train its field representatives to coach Nielsen households to correctly use their measuring equipment.  NLMC is currently evaluating the Fox/Nielsen agreement to determine if the rest of NLMC’s concerns are also being addressed.  
 
Currently, Nogales is evaluating the diversity performance of the 4 networks, pushing for diversity initiatives in the public policy arena, and taking on those entities that are demonizing the Latino immigrant population to cynically boost their radio and television ratings.  At the same time he continues to do what he always does, open doors for Latino professionals in all media areas.  
 
 
RICH/MAGALLANES
Rich Magallanes, Executive In Charge of Production for Nickelodeon, currently oversees three animated series, "Danny Phantom,"  "Teenage Robot", and the newly developed “El Tigre”.  He also works in Live Action overseeing production on, "Ned's Declassified:  School Survival Guide." and other upcoming shows in development.  Rich began his career at Nick 8 1/2 years ago and has worked on current series such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Fairly OddParents, ChalkZone, Invader Zim, Rugrats, Wild Thornberrys and Angry Beavers.  His daily responsibilities include supervising production on several series, managing creative, talent, on-air promotions, marketing, consumer products, schedules and overall production flow.  He has also, played a major role in the writer’s fellowship program by helping staff and advance the careers of up and coming diverse writing talent.  Rich is also an active participant of Nickelodeon’s West Coast Diversity Team and has been honored with the prestigious “Diversity Leadership Award” for his proactive initiatives.  Most recently, Rich has become involved in NAMIC, The National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications, by graduating the NAMIC leadership Seminar and furthering his work and understanding of bringing diverse talent to the entertainment industry.
 
FELIPE/MARINO
Raised in Bogota, Colombia, Felipe Marino started his entertainment business career working in literary Affairs at Paramount Pictures in New York. A year later he joined the Paramount Motion Picture Group in Los Angeles as a story and competitive development analyst.
 
In 2003, Mr. Marino left Paramount to join Fox Searchlight, where he worked for company president Peter Rice. In August 2005, Mr. Marino left Searchlight to start Occupant Films, a Los Angeles-based production and financing company that is setup to do 2-3 movies a year with budgets under $15m. He received an M.F.A. from the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California as well as a B.A. from Columbia University.
 
 
NORM/MARSHALL
A pioneer in the field of product placement, Norm Marshall, Chairman, launched NMA Entertainment & Marketing (NMA) in 1979 to represent corporate clients to the entertainment industry.  Marshall’s strong relationships with studio property masters and transportation coordinators brought in NMA’s earliest clients, which included Jeep, Perrier, Public Safety Equipment (light bars seen on police and other emergency vehicles) and Olympia Beer.
 
By the late 1990s, NMA had matured as a full-service branded entertainment agency, mirroring the growth and increasing sophistication of the entertainment marketing business itself.  General Motors, Baskin-Robbins, Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chanel and Heineken Beer are among the well-known brands that retain NMA as their entertainment agent.
 
NMA offers sophisticated branded marketing services and fully integrated marketing campaigns to clients by incorporating the power of entertainment into a variety of marketing objectives, including on-screen trademark exposures, tie-in promotions and celebrity relations.
 
NMA’s role as a source of information and expertise now stretches across all areas of entertainment – from television to video gaming to music to movies. The agency created by Marshall’s entrepreneurial spirit continues to lead the entertainment marketing industry, both nationally and abroad.
 
NMA has a formal alliance with Dentsu, the largest advertising agency in Japan, and currently has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Sydney and Tokyo.  
 
Marshall, who received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Business from Cal State Long Beach, currently lives in Laguna Beach.  For more information about NMA, please visit www.normmarshall.com
 
 
NAKETHA/MATTOCKS
Naketha Mattocks serves as the head of Universal Pictures based Larger Than Life, the production company of Oscar nominated writer/director Gary Ross (TALE OF DESPEREAUX, SEABISCUIT, PLEASANTVILLE, DAVE, BIG) and producer Allison Thomas (TALE OF DESPEREAUX, SEABISCUIT).  
 
Larger Than Life is currently in pre-production on the animated film THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX based on Kate DiCamillo’s Newberry award winning children’s novel and a remake of the classic monster movie CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON.  
 
They are also developing THE UNT. VEGAS PROJECT starring Will Smith, an untitled project with the NASCAR organization, THE UNTITLED LITTLE LEAGUE MOVIE, SIGHTINGS and adaptations of the novel EVERLOST by Neal Shusterman and the soon to be published THE ADVENTURES OF BARTHOLOMEW PIFF by Jason Lethcoe and SIMON BLOOM: GRAVITY KEEPER by Michael Reisman.
 
Prior to joining Larger Than Life, Naketha was an executive at Paramount Pictures where she oversaw numerous projects and the films CHARLOTTE’S WEB, GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN’, ELIZABETHTOWN, COACH CARTER, ALFIE and WITHOUT A PADDLE.
 
Prior to Paramount Pictures, Naketha was the VP of Development at Baltimore/Spring Creek Pictures, the partnership between Oscar winning director Barry Levinson (WAG THE DOG, RAINMAN, DINER) and producer Paula Weinstein (THE ASTRONAUT FARMER, BLOOD DIAMOND, MONSTER-IN LAW).
 
Naketha started her career in long-form television at Patchett-Kaufman Entertainment and was a reader for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab.  Her first industry job was as a Human Resources Coordinator at CBS Television City.  She graduated from Emerson College.
 
ROBERT/MENDEZ
Robert Mendez, an accomplished television industry attorney who has managed business affairs, legal affairs, contract administration and production agreements for such successful TV series as Live with Regis and Kelly and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, serves as senior vice president, Diversity, Disney-ABC Television Group.  
 
Long committed to employment diversity in the television industry and other business sectors, Bob is a past president of the Hispanic National Bar Association and currently serves on the boards of the The Imagen Foundation, the International Radio & Television Society Foundation, and the Los Angeles County Fair.  
 
He reports to Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney-ABC Television Group.
 
In his position, Bob is responsible for advancing diversity strategies for the various properties within Disney-ABC Television Group, including the ABC Television Network, Touchstone Television, Disney Channel Worldwide, SOAPnet, Toon Disney, Jetix, ABC Family and Walt Disney Television Animation, among others.
 
In addition to his management responsibilities, he serves as the Disney-ABC Television Group’s key liaison on diversity matters with government officials, the creative community, advocacy groups and others.  
 
Prior to his current position, Bob was senior vice president, Business & Legal Affairs for Buena Vista Television, the television syndication division of The Walt Disney Company that distributes Live with Regis and Kelly and manages the production and/or distribution of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, The Tony Danza Show and Ebert & Roeper, among other programs.
 
His previous responsibilities also extended to the domestic distribution of The Walt Disney Company’s film library and other television product on various platforms, such as pay-per-view, pay cable, network and Internet.
 
Earlier in his career, Bob spent 15 years with Paramount Pictures Domestic Television, where he rose to the position of senior vice president, Business Affairs, and was responsible for contract negotiation for series ranging from Entertainment Tonight to Dr. Phil.  He has also been a senior attorney for NBC involved in litigation management on First Amendment and other issues, and was deputy attorney general for the California Attorney General’s Criminal Division.
 
Bob received his Juris Doctorate from the University of California Davis School of Law and his Bachelor or Arts from Pomona College.  He is a member of the California State Bar.
 
 
OTTER/MONOHAN HUNTLEY
Otter Huntley managed the Movie Magic software line from 1988 to 2000.  From there, he created the Showbiz Software line of production tools.  These include Showbiz Contracts, Showbiz Hot Costs, Showbiz Labor Rates, Showbiz Producer, and the industry standard Showbiz Time Cards (for both SAG and Crew).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CARLOS/MONTALVO
Carlos joined Jaman as Senior Vice-President of Operation after a 10-year tenure at Apple where he served as VP and GM of the Interactive Media and QuickTime Group. Carlos was also part of the successful IPO of Virage Inc. (an internet video search pioneer) where he served as Chief Marketing Officer. Carlos began his career in Silicon Valley with the Xerox Corporation, where he was a member of the UNICODE and J-STAR product teams. Prior to Xerox he held several positions in the public sector including the National Science Foundation and a Presidential Appointment at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
 
ROSALINDA/MORALES
Rosalinda Morales is a native of Los Angeles, California and attended the University of Southern California, where she achieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater.  Rosalinda began her career in the entertainment industry, over twenty-five years ago, as a Casting Associate moving on to become a Talent Agent where she developed up and coming talent in the areas of television, film, theater and commercials.  After a ten year stint, representing talent, Rosalinda returned to casting and production, working with such notable industry professionals as, veteran television producer, Stu Segall (Reyes y Rey and Angeles – Telemundo Network/Sony) and indie filmmaker, Ken Loach (Bread and Roses).  Rosalinda has worked throughout the Southwestern U.S. and internationally on U.S./Mexico - Mexico/U.S. film, television and theatre projects in the areas of Production and Casting, from which she has gained extensive knowledge and contact with top Latino/International stars and celebrities.
 
STEVEN/MULLER
Steven Muller was born and raised in Fairfax, Virginia and graduated with a BA in Marketing from James Madison University.  He owned and managed three restaurants in Northern Virginia and was a successful entrepreneur in his 20’s.  With a desire for change in his life and career, he made his way to Hollywood eight years ago.   With no contacts in town he somehow managed to secure a job at Innovative Artists and within only 2 years he was promoted to a full-fledged talent agent.  He represents a broad range of talent such as Ving Rhames, Esai Morales, Ricardo Chavira, Cary Elwes, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Sara Foster and Tricia Helfer.
 
 
MAUD/NADLER
Maud Nadler, Senior Vice President, joined HBO Films in March 2000.  Based in Los Angeles, Maud is responsible for overseeing the development and production of independent films including “Rocket Science,” winner for Best Director at Sundance 2007; Academy Award nominated “Maria Full of Grace,” winner of the Audience Award Sundance 2004; Academy Award nominated “American Splendor,” winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2003; “Real Women Have Curves,” winner of the Audience Award, as well as, a Special Jury Award, at Sundance 2002; Nadler reports to Colin Callender, President, HBO Films.
 
 
 
 
BENJAMIN/ODELL
Odell is currently Head of Development and Production for the Miami based feature film company, Panamax Films. Panamax Films has output deal with Lionsgate Films to make movies for the US Latino and great Latin American markets.  Odell recently produced the feature films PADRE NUESTRO starring Jesus Ochoa and Armando Hernandez (Grand Jury Prize, Sundance, 2007), ROCKAWAY starring Nicholas Gonzalez, Mario Cimarro, Manny Perez, Ricardo Chavira and Delilah Cotto (currently in postproduction), and LADRON QUE ROBA A LADRON starring Spanish language TV stars Fernando Colunga, Gabriel Soto, Ivonne Montero, Miguel Varoni and Saul Lizaso (to be released by Lionsgate in summer 2007).  He also executive produced FELIZ NAVIDAD starring Giselle Blondet, Luis Jimenez, El Gordo Molina and Jose Feliciano (to be released fall 2007). Odell was also an Executive Producer on the film LA MUJER DE MI HERMANO distributed by Lionsgate in April of last year.  LA MUJER had the largest opening weekend box office of any Spanish language film in the history of U.S. cinema.  Odell also supervised the distribution of EL VACILON, THE MOVIE in New York and Puerto Rico.  EL VACILON is being released on DVD by Lionsgate this spring.  
 
Previous to this, Odell lived in Colombia, South America from 1992 to 2000.  He first worked as a freelance journalist before becoming a Spanish language television writer and screenwriter there. As a screenwriter, he created and wrote over 300 hours of Spanish-language narrative television, won many television awards and had several of the highest rated shows in Colombia and other countries in Latin America.  He also co-wrote the Colombian political satire feature film, GOLPE DE ESTADIO, which was nominated for Spain’s Academy Award, the Goya, in 1999, and was Colombia’s nomination to the Oscar in 2000.
 
Odell holds an MFA in film from Columbia University where he was the recipient of the Carla Kuhn Fellowship, the Producer’s Apprentice Fellowship, the Arthur Krim Memorial Award, the Faculty Selects Best Producer Award and The Hallmark Entertainment Producers Development Award.  He has taught screenwriting and production at Columbia University, The New School, and The New York Film Academy.  He has also given lectures in filmmaking in Central and South America and Europe.  In the fall of 2006 Odell oversaw a screenwriting laboratory in conjunction with Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, founded by Edward James Olmos.
 
 
ANTONIO/OLIVAS
Antonio (aka ‘Tyger’) grew up in Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, the oldest of five children.   He was the only one in his family to attend college when he was accepted to UCLA as a Theater Arts major.  There he discovered a passion for performing and writing.    
 
He left college to serve in the Army during the Gulf War.  Always an avid tattoo collector it was while stationed in Hawaii that he learned of the Polynesian art of tattooing and received a moko (face tattoo).
 
When he returned home his unique look got him appearances in commercials (the Italian Bank, Capatallia, Gatorade), films  (8 Millimeter, Cursed, Constantine), television  (The District, Arrested Development, The Shield), and music videos (Ice-T, Snoop Dogg, Crystal Method).
 
He has written numerous television scripts including an episode of ‘Smallville’ that won in the Scriptapalooza TV competition.   As a two-time participant in the National Hispanic Media Coalition’s TV Writer’s Lab he has written episodes of  ‘Medium’ and ‘Without A Trace’.  
An award-winning filmmaker, his screenwriting credits include the Western, “Brothers in Arms” and the horror films, “Miner’s Massacre”, “Fright Club”  (which he also Directed and Produced), and the soon to be released “ReVamped”.
 
Recently he wrote ‘PsychotiKa’, a supernatural thriller, (set to go into production) and directed a short film, ‘The Last Laugh’ for the upcoming Spielberg- Fox reality show, ‘On The Lot’.  Tyger lives by his favorite quote, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’.  For more information on his projects, check out his My Space page at: myspace.com/psykokat.  
 
 
FERN/ORENSTEIN
Fern Orenstein was named Vice President, Casting, in 1999.  She reports to Peter Golden, Executive Vice President, Talent and Casting, CBS.
 
In her position, Orenstein is responsible for overseeing the casting of CBS television movies and mini-series.  She has also been involved in the casting of CBS reality programs including “Game Show Marathon” and “The Singing Office.”  Additionally, Orenstein has cast talent for CBS.com’s broadband Internet channel innertube and for the Network’s wireless programming.
    
Orenstein has spearheaded more than 40 actor showcases as part of CBS’s Diversity Institute program include 12 diversity showcases, a series of showcases designed to give minorities opportunities in front of and behind the camera.
 
Prior to CBS, Orenstein has been partnered in Glicksman-Orenstein Casting, where, with partner Susan Glicksman was involved in the casting of more than 100 movies including "Too Young to Die," which featured Brad Pitt in his first starring role, "West Side Waltz" with Shirley MacLaine, Kathy Bates and Liza Minelli, "Billy The Kid" with Val Kilmer and "The Truth About Jane" with Stockard Channing  for Lifetime Television.
 
In 1999, Orenstein, Glicksman and Deidre Bowen were all nominated for an Emmy Award for their work on the CBS mini-series "Joan of Arc."
 
Orenstein is also the recipient of a Media Access Award for her work on "Baywatch," which she had been associated with for 11 years.
 
Orenstein graduated New York University with a bachelor of fine arts degree.  
 
LUIS/ORTIZ
As Managing Director, Ortiz oversees the development, financing and production of Latino-themed programming which is distributed for broadcast on public television. This includes the management and execution of LPB's Open Call process and other programming initiatives. He also administers all projects from initial contract negotiation with producers through delivery of the completed program. Mr. Ortiz's other responsibilities include the implementation of LPB's nationwide workshops and outreach initiatives. Ortiz also handles the production and management of LPB's bi-annual newsletter Voz.
 
 
 
 
SANTIAGO/POZO
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Arenas Entertainment, Santiago Pozo is considered one of the foremost authorities in the marketing world for the entertainment and film marketing to U.S. Latino audiences.  Pozo is also an accomplished film producer of such films as Imagining Argentina and Culture Clash in America and author.  In 1988 Pozo founded Arenas, the largest and most recognized company in Hollywood, specializing in marketing motion pictures to the U.S. Latino consumer.  Over the years, Pozo has worked on more than 300 films, including The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe; King Kong; Chicken Little; War of the Worlds; The Incredibles; 2Fast & 2Furious;  Shrek and Shrek 2; Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto, as well as Selena, My Family, Like Water for Chocolate, Born in East L.A. and Empire.
 
Pozo has won many awards and honors during his career.  Among his many recognitions are the “Minorities in Business Magazine 2005 Prism Award” for outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry, the ‘Nosotros 2004 Golden Eagle Entrepreneur of the Year Award”, and the prestigious “Premio Riojano del El Mundo” for his contribution to Arts and Sciences given by the government of La Rioja and EL MUNDO, the second largest newspaper in Spain. In 2003, Pozo was chosen by Hispanic Business Magazine as an Entrepreneur of the Year finalist as well as one of their 100 Most Influential Hispanics.  
 
Originally from Spain, Pozo graduated with a degree in History from the University of Madrid and also earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Peter Stark Program at the University of Southern California (USC) - School of Cinema/Television.  He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Premiere Weekend Club of Los Angeles.   Pozo currently resides in Los Angeles.
 
 
MYLES/ROMERO
Myles was born in a small farming community just outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Growing up in a Hispanic family and on a horse farm, he learned how to work hard, talk loud, appreciate family, and best of all how to cook great New Mexican food.
 
He holds a BBA in Marketing and an MBA also in marketing and has been with the Ford Motor Company for just over 10 years.   He has had a very unique and untraditional career at Ford – most in the marketing function.  The last three positions he has held were created for him and did not previously exist.
 
His current role is serving as the Director for Ford's Global Brand Entertainment division – a division he created from the ground up three years ago.  Under Romero's direction, Ford became the first automotive to bring the branded entertainment work in house, open a Ford office in Beverly Hills, and develop a direct relationship with the entertainment and media community.  Others have followed suit.  
 
The Global Brand Entertainment team represents all eight automotive brands which include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Aston Martin on global basis, for consideration in Television, cable, feature film, and other entertainment and media properties.  
 
The team continues to cast Ford's products in first rate entertainment properties like American Idol, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, 24, Desperate Housewives, and blockbusters like 2006's Mission Impossible III, Casino Royale – the highest grossing Bond film to date, and countless other integrations spanning the globe.
 
Romero lives of an airplane, running the team between Detroit and Beverly Hills, being on set, and serving Ford's global brands in Europe and beyond.  When not flying in a plane, he can be found jumping out of them.  Myles hobbies include extreme sports such as base jumping, sky diving, and flying.  On the softer side of life, he enjoys cooking, reading, staying active, and runs a real estate business created the past 10 years.
 
 
LOUISE/ROSEN
Louise Rosen is a media executive with over 25 years experience in the international television and film business, project development, production and distribution.
 
She has worked with a wide range of program genres and formats and set up major international co-productions. Her reputation as a talent-spotter has grown steadily, built upon her association with numerous award-winning projects. Louise was based in Europe for 8 years and has particular interest in the cross-cultural aspects of television/film.
 
She has taken an active role in many productions; overseeing research, editorial and budgeting as well as location- and post-production. Her experience also includes management, operations, marketing and business affairs. She has been honored to have among her projects Oscar, Emmy, Sundance, Prix Italia, International Emmy and other award-winning films.
 
In the last decade, Louise has specialized in non-fiction work. Current projects she is representing include Unity Production Foundation’s CITIES OF LIGHT: ISLAMIC SPAIN, premiering on PBS later this year (pre-sold to ZDF-ARTE, SBS, MBC and YLE), SO MUCH SO FAST from West City Films, premiered at Sundance 2006, (a PBS/BBC/ZDF-ARTE co-production), Natalia Almada’s AL OTRO LADO (now licensed to several international territories), and her new project, EL GENERAL, a reflection on her great grandfather, Plutarco Elias Calles, exiled former president of Mexico and Elena Mannes’ THE MUSIC INSTINCT: SCIENCE & SONG, which has been awarded $1.5 million from the NSF and the National Endowment for the Arts (a co-production with ARTE/France, YLE/Finland, NDR/Germany, ABC/Australia and PBS), Projects in post-production include SECRECY from Robb Moss and Peter Galison and THE POWDER & THE GLORY from Arnie Reisman and Ann Carol Grossman. Highlights from projects currently in production include ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE CIA and JOHNNY CASH AT FOLSOM PRISON from Northern Light Productions and AMERICAN MUJAHIDEEN through the Educational Media Foundation.
 
Louise is also a credited co-producer on several projects, including PRODIGAL SONS (with director Kim Reed) about “a brotherly rivalry between a man and a woman and…Orson Welles”, now pre-sold to the BBC and CBC, SIR! NO SIR! (with director David Zeiger) on the active-duty GIs who protested against the war in Vietnam and HOLY WATER-GATE: ABUSE COVERUP IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (with director Mary Healey Conlon).  She is also co-producer of both the documentary and IMAX films on Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition, titled THE ENDURANCE and SHACKLETON’S ANTARCTIC ADVENTURE respectively.
 
Louise is a Master Class Lecturer and Tutor each year at Discovery Campus Master School and has been a featured speaker at conferences and film festivals, including The Real Screen Summit, Toronto’s Hot Docs Doc Forum and the Puerto Rico International Film Festival. She has guest lectured at Emerson College in Boston and served on the board of directors of organizations such as the International Documentary Association and Women in Film & Video/Boston. In the 1970’s, Louise worked in other areas of the media including industrial and commercial film production, various aspects of the music business (with Grateful Dead Records and her own music management and booking agency) and in radio advertising sales with Westinghouse Broadcasting and others.
 
 
MAURICIO/RUBINSTEIN
Mauricio Rubinstein, director of photography, was born and raised in Mexico City. He studied film at West Surrey College of Art in England and after graduation went to live and work in Amsterdam where he was an acclaimed still photographer and began his career in cinema. In 2003 he moved to New York.
 
Mauricio worked for many years with director Alejandro Agresti including the films THE CROSS, Cannes International Film Festival- Un Certain Regard 1996, and WIND WITH THE GONE, winner San Sebastian International Film Festival 1998.  His first collaboration with an American director was CASA DE LOS BABYS from director John Sayles in 2002. Other recent films include SORRY,HATERS from director/writer Jeff Stanzler (2007) which is nominated for 2 Spirit Awards including best lead actress for Robin Wright Penn; PUCCINI FOR BEGINNERS from director Maria Maggenti which is in current release and DORIS & BERNARD from director Bob Balaban starring Susan Sarandon and Ralph Fiennes that has been acquired by HBO and will premiere later this year.

While Mauricio loves shooting on film (35mm and 16mm) he has vast experience on various digital and HD formats. He has appeared on many panels about digital and HD and throughout his career as DP, Mauricio has continued to make use of the evolving film and digital technology and their applications both on the set and in post-production.
 
 
MARY/SMITH
Mary Smith is the Film/Radio/Television Specialist at the National Endowment for the Arts.  She primarily works with the independent media arts field.  Projects that fall under her purview include film/video/audio production, film/video festivals, the distribution and preservation of film/video/audio art, curated film/video series, workshops, seminars, publications, facilities access, and services to the field.  Artists that have been funded through the NEA process include Andrew Kolker and Louis Alvarez, Trinh Minh-ha, Rick Tejada-Flores, Jem Cohen, Arthur Dong, Hector Galan, Barbara Kopple, Allie Light and IrvingSaraf, Jay Rosenblatt, Vicky Funari, Kathe Sandler, Marlon Riggs, Gordon Quinn, and Lourdes Portillo.
 
CHRIS/THOMAS
Chris S. Thomas is Chief Strategist of World Ahead at Intel Corporation.  He manages a worldwide team of solutions architects facilitating technology adoption by the next billion users.  As part of his market shaping activities, he recently co-authored the book “Mashup Corporations” spawned from his work on service-oriented enterprises and mobilizing software. He is sought after by corporate and industry partners because of his visionary executive workshops that blend technology futures with accelerating business revenue.  Thomas is well known for driving industry standardization and next generation solutions, including managing Intel’s Distributed Enterprise Architecture Lab, founding the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) and architecting core technologies behind the LANDesk™.  He received a BS in Computer Science and a BA in Spanish from Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
 
 
FABIOLA/TORRES
Fabiola Torres is a full-time professor of Ethnic Studies at Glendale Community College and a fan of the creative process.  As an advocate of Educational Technology, she had developed a media arts curriculum within Ethnic Studies and enabling students to become their own producers of content and publishers of academic media works.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MARCO/TORRES
Marco Torres is a social studies teacher, media coach, and education technology director at San Fernando High School. He has received numerous honors and awards for his work helping students empower themselves through the mastery of multimedia. He serves as one of Apple’s Distinguished Educators and is an advisory board member of The George Lucas Educational Foundation.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
KELLY/TURNER
Kelly Turner has worked in theatrical marketing for over ten years.  In 2002, realizing the growing need for authentic perspectives and voices in film advertising, Kelly, along with sister Christi Turner, started Vurv Inc., a creative advertising agency, specializing in marketing motion pictures to emerging mainstream markets: the Urban and Latino markets.
 
In five years, Vurv Inc. has impacted over 50 film campaigns and helped them exceed box office success.  In addition, they have sponsored and supported the American Black Film Festival and the South Asian International Film in New York.  Past projects include EMPIRE (Universal), 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS (Universal), ARE WE THERE YET? (Sony), YOU GOT SERVED (Screen Gems), HUSTLE AND FLOW (Paramount), TAKE THE LEAD (New Line) and MOTORCYCLES DIARIES DVD (Universal Home Entertainment), for which they received 2 Telly Awards.
 
Their clients include filmmakers John Singleton, Franc. Reyes, Lee Daniels, and Effie Brown; companies Code Black Entertainment, One Race Films and Tigon Studios; and major motion picture studios New Line Cinema, Paramount Pictures, Screen Gems, Sony, Universal, Universal Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Video.  They most recently supervised post-production for BET’s “One Night Only,” a six-part reality promo series in conjunction with the release of Paramount/Dreamworks’ DREAMGIRLS.
 
She previously worked at Universal Pictures Theatrical Marketing, handling advertising campaigns for AMERICAN PIE, BRING IT ON, THE BEST MAN, ERIN BROCKOVICH, THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, MEET THE PARENT, SPY GAME AND U-571.
 
Prior to joining Universal, she worked on EVE’S BAYOU and SLAM ad campaigns at Trimark Pictures.  She is a graduate of the University of Southern California, with a Bachelor of Science in marketing.
 
Born and raised in Los Angeles, from bi-racial parentage, Ms. Turner’s goal is to challenge the status quo and bring diverse films to the forefront, domestically and internationally.  She is a member of Film Independent’s Project: Involve Advisory Board.
 
Ms. Turner is currently working on marketing campaigns for ILLEGAL TENDER (from producer John Singleton and writer/director Franc. Reyes), MINISTERS (from writer/director Franc. Reyes) and UNIVERSAL REMOTE (from writer/director Gary Hardwick).
 
 
JERRY/VELASCO
Jerry Velasco, is a talented individual with a very extensive list of film, theatre, and television work that spans over two decades. He has been President of Nosotros since 1995 in what has become a highly successful tenure. He serves as a National Board Member, Co-chair of the EEOC Committee, and chair of the Latino Subcommittee at the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). He is president of the public relations firm, Velasco & Associates, which handles many well-known artists and has broken many barriers in communication and ideologies that once existed between the entertainment industry and Latino community.
 
Jerry has produced many live concerts, as well as "The Golden Eagle Awards," and has been involved in many other productions such as "/Cantare, Cantaras/," "Los Angeles Fiesta Broadway," "World Vision Telethons," and the "Tejano Music Awards," to name but a few.
 
Presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter hosted Mr. Velasco in Washington, DC, for the National Hispanic Heritage Week celebration and has received an invitation to Mexico as a special guest of former President Miguel De La Madrid. He has been involved with The Children's Hospital, The Cancer Society, The Leukemia Foundation, and The Los Angeles County Department of Adoptions among others.
 
 
KIRK/WHISLER
Kirk Whisler is the president of Western Publication Research, Inc., a corporation that includes Latino Print Network, a national advertising sales program representing over 410 Hispanic publications; WPR Publishing, a book publishing company; and Western Publication Research that does Hispanic readership studies and other research. From 1992 till 1996 Whisler served as publisher of MEXICO Events & Destinations Magazine.  Between 1986 and 1992 Kirk was publisher of NEVADA Magazine and from 1977 to 1986 Kirk was publisher of SOMOS and CAMINOS Magazines.  
 
The publications that Latino Print Network represents total over 17 million circulation and are used by 54% of the Latino households in the U.S. on a weekly basis. Dozens of Fortune 500 corporations have placed their Hispanic advertising with Latino Print Network. Since its founding in 1983, WPR Publishing has been the leading publisher of Latino directories, publishing books like The Hispanic Marketing 101 Yearbook, The Hispanic Scholarship Directory, The Strengths of Hispanic Owned Publications Study, The National Hispanic Media Directory and The NAHP Media Kit & Resource Book. Kirk has authored or edited over 20 books on Hispanic marketing. Western Publication Research has completed more than 340 readership studies on Hispanic publications over the past 26 years.
 
In 1982 Kirk was honored as the founding president of the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP). Kirk also serves on a variety of national and local boards including Latino Literacy Now, the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, the National Latino Media Council and the Verified Audit Circulation’s Board of Governors. Kirk is also a member of the Advertising Research Foundation, National Association of Hispanic Journalists (founding member), National Association of Latino Independent Producers, and National Press Club, amongst other organizations.
 
The Latino Literacy Now organization, of which Edward James Olmos is Chair and Kirk is President, operates The Latino Book & Family Festivals, one of the largest Latino consumer trade show in the U.S. The Latino Book & Family Festival is now held annually in four cities: Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, and Houston. The organization also does the Latino Book Awards.
 
Kirk is an Eagle Scout from San Bernardino who is active with his sons in Troop 748 in Carlsbad. Kirk is married to Magdalena González Whisler, a first grade bilingual teacher with the Vista Unified School District in San Diego County, and together they are the proud parents of Spencer Diego (born 1987), Tito Andrés (born 1989, passed away 2005), and Zeke Emilio (born 1990).
 
 
DAVID/ZEIGER
David Zeiger’s most recent film, Sir! No Sir!, premiered at the 2005 Los Angeles Film Festival where it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. It went on to win Best Documentary at the Hamptons International Film Festival, the Seeds of War Award at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and Best Film on War and Peace at the Vermont International Film Festival. It was nominated for Independent Spirit, International Documentary, and Gotham Awards. The film garnered rave reviews during it’s 80-city theatrical run, including “Two Thumbs Up” from Ebert and Roeper. Manohla Dargis called it “Smart and timely” in the New York Times, and the New York Daily News wrote “This is powerful stuff, offering us not only a new look at the past, but unavoidably relevant insights into the present.” It has been broadcast on television worldwide, including the BBC, CBC/Canada, ARTE/France, and ABC/Australia. It will be broadcast on the Sundance Channel in the U.S. in 2007.
 
Zeiger created, produced and directed the 13 part documentary series, Senior Year, for broadcast on PBS in January 2002. The series follows a group of 15 students at Fairfax High, the most diverse school in Los Angeles, through their last year in high school. About the series, Entertainment Weekly wrote, “Others have tried to document high school life (remember American High?), but this series succeeds where those drier efforts failed…High school is a time for experimentation, and finally, a truly experimental filmmaker is there.” Senior Year was broadcast in Europe on Planete Cable, and was a premiere series on the new U.S. English/Spanish cable network SíTV in 2004.
 
His short film Funny Old Guys premiered August, 2002, at the Museum of Television and Radio in Los Angeles. Its television premiere was August 19, 2003, on the HBO Documentary series “Still Kicking, Still Laughing.” Funny Old Guys captures the final months of the life of Frank Tarloff, formerly blacklisted Academy Award winning writer, as he and a group of friends, all former TV and film writers, confront his imminent death.
 
The Band, Mr. Zeiger’s tribute to his son, aired to critical acclaim on the PBS series P.O.V. in 1998. It has screened at the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam and AFI Film Festival in Los Angeles, and was awarded "Best Documentary" and "Best of Show" at the Central Florida Film Festival. The Band was broadcast in 2000 on the French/German network ARTE.
 
Displaced in the New South aired in the United States on PBS in 1996 and on The Discovery Channel International in 1997. That film looks at life in and around Atlanta from the point of view of Vietnamese and Mexican immigrants. Its festival screenings include the Chicago Latino, Cine Acción Latino, South by Southwest, Doubletake and San Francisco Asian American Film Festivals. Displaced in the New South was the inspiration for the Indigo Girls' single "Shame on You", featured on their 1997 release Shaming of the Sun.
 
 
CARA/MERTES
Cara Mertes is a long time advocate for independent media artists, and an award-winning filmmaker, programmer, teacher and writer whose work has been featured widely in museums, festivals, on PBS and internationally.  She is currently the Director of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program, where she is responsible for all aspects of the program, including the Documentary Fund, the Labs, support for the documentary programming at the Sundance Film Festival and the Independent Producer’s Conference, and over 25 workshops, festival panels and programming initiatives globally in support of contemporary-issue documentarians worldwide.  The program supports up to 40 international contemporary-issue documentary projects annually with grants, creative support and other activities.  The Program also provides support for documentary-based activities at the Sundance Film Festival and the Sundance Independent Producer’s Conference.
 
Previously, Mertes was the Executive Director of American Documentary, Inc., a leading non-profit specializing in leveraging the power of independent documentary in public life on-line, in communities and for broadcast, and Executive Producer of P.O.V., PBS’ critically acclaimed showcase for independent non-fiction film. At American Documentary | P.O.V., she was responsible for all aspects of programming, production, fundraising and staffing. In that time, Mertes was nominated for twenty-one national News and Documentary Emmys and one Prime Time Emmy Award, winning five. She was recognized with three George Foster Peabody Awards, two duPont-Columbia Awards and three Academy Award nominations as P.O.V.’s Executive Producer. In addition, she is creator and Executive Producer of P.O.V.’s original on-line showcase, P.O.V.’s Borders, winning a Webby Award, a Batten Journalism Award, an On-Line Journalism and Parent’s Choice Award. She also executive produced over 70 original web sites for the series’ films (www.pbs.org/pov).
 
Under her leadership, P.O.V. more than doubled its budget and activities, increased its presence on PBS and PBS.org with an expanded schedule and year-round prime time specials, doubled its submissions levels, initiated the co-production and broadcast of internationally-produced first-person documentaries, and was established as a co-production as well as acquisition-based showcase series as well as an innovative on-line production center. She has initiated and funded several new projects at American Documentary, including P.O.V. Interactive, Youth Views, P.O.V.’s Borders, the Diverse Voices Project, the Film Fund, and the new American Public Television series True Lives, as well as creating innovative partnerships with Netflix, Docurama and Starbucks, among others.
 
In 2006, Mertes spearheaded an American Documentary development deal with Participant Films and the BBC for the documentary adaptation of Fast Food Nation, directed by Robby Kenner.
 
For the 20th anniversary of P.O.V. in 2007, Mertes organized a P.O.V. 20/20 campaign to celebrate the art of documentary in the service of today’s issues. Included in the 20th anniversary celebration is a P.O.V. release of 20 documentary classics from the P.O.V. archives with New Video, a new Film Fund supported by a P.O.V. 20/20 ‘Friends’ committee to support innovative documentary storytellers, 20 national events to commemorate the marriage of art and issue and a other year-long activities. Partners include MOMA, the Museum of Television and Radio, the Jerome Foundation, PBS, Lincoln Center, the International Documentary Association and many others.
 
Mertes was the Executive Producer/Director/Writer of SIGNAL TO NOISE: Life with Television, a ground-breaking three-hour television series examining the impact of television in everyday life. Winner of the Golden Apple from the National Educational Film and Video Festival, Signal to Noise was featured in the New York Film Festival, the USA Dallas Festival, the Walker Arts Center and the Worldwide Video Festival among others before its PBS broadcast. It has been seen in over 35 countries internationally, and features interviews with Stuart Hall, Susan Douglas, Sut Jhally, Linda Ellerbee and Walter Cronkite. For the series, she commissioned and co-produced 21 pieces from leading artists and producers including Robert Stone, Tami Gold and Kelly Anderson, Louis Alvarez & Andy Kolker, Isaac Julien, Frances Negron-Muntaner, Skip Blumberg, Ilan Ziv and Norman Cowie.
 
From 1988-1997, Mertes produced New Television for public television, an annual NEA-funded public television series featuring over 70 international experimental video and filmmakers, including Bill Viola, Daniel Reeves, Edin Velez, Ken Kobland, Beth B., Gary Hill, Tom Kalin and Ngozi Onwurah.  From 1988-1993, she also programmed and produced Independent Focus for WNET/New York, the premier public television showcase for American independent video and film before its cancellation in 1993, which premiered hundreds of new independent film and videos to public television audiences, including Gus Van Sant’s Mala Noche and Marlon Riggs’ Tongues Untied.  Additional producing/directing credits include Smyrna's Shadow (27:00, 1988), and The Natural Order (6:00, 1991), both of which have won awards and been screened extensively in festivals and museums, including MOMA and the AFI Video Festival.
 
Mertes has been a visiting artist at the Walker Arts Center and the Wexner Center for the Arts, and a featured speaker at panels and festivals internationally, including the Visible Evidence Conference, American University’s Center for Social Media, IDFA, the Integrated Media Arts conference, the National Center for Outreach, and many others. She has been a panelist for the Jerome Foundation and the MacDowell Colony, a nominator for the Rockefeller Foundation Fellowships and the Alpert awards, and an Advisor for the Museum of Television and Radio Documentary Festival, the Full Frame Documentary Festival, MOMA, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Smithsonian Museum for the Native American, the MacArthur Foundation, the Sundance Documentary Program, the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, CPB, PBS, the PBS Producer’s Academy and many others.
 
Mertes has served on the boards of ITVS, Media Alliance, Media Network and the International Flaherty Seminars. She is currently an Advisor for the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, the Hartley Foundation and the Center for Social Media at American University. She was a contributing editor for The Independent, and has been a frequent contributor to other independent media publications including The International Documentary Association Journal and Release Print. With Barbara Abrash, she was Co-Editor of the Wide Angle ‘Festschrift’ issue on media pioneer George Stoney.
 
Mertes has been an Adjunct Professor at Hunter College/CUNY, Fordham University and RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), teaching undergraduate courses on documentary history and criticism, video art and documentary studies. She graduated from Vassar College with honors in Film Studies and English, completed the Whitney Independent Study Program as a Helena Rubenstein Fellow in Curatorial Studies, and attended Trinity College, Dublin. She recently completed her Masters Degree at Hunter College in Film and Media Studies with a specialization in independent documentary in public life. Mertes is a member of the Writer’s Guild of America, East and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
 
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