Independent media and political consultant. Served as Director of Program Review for the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) responsible for reviewing the news and current affairs programming for MBN’s television networks, Radio Sawa, MBN websites and social media pages. Previously, MR. Sarkisian served as Managing Editor for MBN’s two televisions networks, he was a producer with MBC US, Inc. and an International Radio Broadcaster and Production Specialist for Voice of America.
Khalifa Al Marar
Producer Indpendent
ABOUT
Khalifa Al Marar
Khalifa Suhail Al Marar was Vice President, Group Communications, at Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala), where he was responsible for the strategic direction of national and global marketing and communications for one of the company’s strategic partners.
He is a multi-award-winning producer of social documentaries, receiving international accolades for his work at Cannes, New York, Abu Dhabi, and Los Angeles film festivals.
Al Marar holds a Master of Strategic Marketing from the Australian University of Wollongong in Dubai, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a double major in Finance and Marketing from California State University, Long Beach, USA.
Drew Ambrose
Senior Producer 101 East Al Jazeera English
ABOUT
Drew Ambrose
Over the past 9 years, Drew Ambrose has worked as a senior producer and foreign correspondent for Al Jazeera English in Asia.
Before that he worked across Australia on current affairs programs such as Insight, Australian Story and Living Black.
At 21 years old, he was posted to ABC’s Jakarta Bureau as a video-journalist for the Australia Network. Since then Drew has reported from over 35 nations. He has also been lead journalist on many interactive, VR and online projects.
His journalism has won a number of accolades including the Walkley Award, New York Festival Gold Medal, Melbourne Press Club Quill and United Nations Media Peace Awards.
Noriko Aratani
Senior Producer,Global Content Development Division NHK
ABOUT
Noriko Aratani
Noriko Aratani joined NHK in 1989. She worked on flagship shows including “Today’s Close-up” (current affairs) and “NHK Special” (documentaries) as a news director. From 2006, she was involved with NHK’s content business. Her remit included the acquisition of foreign dramas and international marketing of NHK programs. Also, programs she had produced for NHK World have won prizes from International film festivals like World Media Festivals and New York Festivals. Now, she works and takes care of the Global Content Development Division, Programming Department as a senior producer.
Oliver Atkinson
Managing Director Casual FIlms Ltd
ABOUT
Oliver Atkinson
Oliver has 18 years experience in production, having worked across a variety of genres including branded content, interactive film & theatre, VR, studio, documentary & factual entertainment for major brands and broadcasters. He now heads up the Casual Films London office and looks after key accounts including Reckitt Benckiser, Rolls-Royce, Red Bull and Adobe.
Jace Au
Assistant Director of Broadcasting (Television and Corporate Business) Radio Television Hong Kong (TV)
ABOUT
Jace Au
Jace Au is currently Assistant Director of Broadcasting (Television and Corporate Business). She was previously Head of Public Affairs Unit in Radio Television Hong Kong where her team produced discussion programmes on news issues and public policies. The guests and contents of these programmes were of such importance that other new media came to cover them live from time to time.
In her earlier years as producer and presenter, Jace had won numerous journalistic awards such as the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Prize and the Hong Kong Human Rights Press Awards.
Jace received the British Chevening Scholarship in 1997. She was invited by the European Union to join its Visitors Programme (EUVP) in 2000. She was featured as one of the outstanding alumni in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of British Council in Hong Kong in 2008.
Greg Beauchamp
Founder Bindery
ABOUT
Greg Beauchamp
In 2012, Greg founded NYC-based Bindery – an award-winning indie film and content studio – with the mission to create a more modern and integrated approach to crafting quality work.
Informed by his experience as an independent filmmaker, Bindery’s success comes from its script to screen studio model – where development, production and post all create together under one roof. This new model has brought big ideas to life for the likes of Apple, Nike, Google, Facebook, Sony, and L’Oreal.
Through Bindery Films, Greg develops and produces original content. He won an Emmy for his work on ZION, a film he premiered at Sundance and sold to Netflix. He most recently produced PLUS ONE (Executive Produced by Ben Stiller), which won the Audience Award at Tribeca. He currently runs a development slate of over a dozen projects, including the TV show NEUROTICA starring Karen Gillan (AVENGERS, JUMANJI).
A native Texan, Greg lives in New York City with his wife and four kids.
Nissan Belkin
Founder & CEO Telemedia Special Presentations ltd.
ABOUT
Nissan Belkin
Mr. Belkin began his 30+ year career in the television and film industry and brought his passion and know-how to the business arena. Trained in Electrical Engineering, he is fluent in the full range of advanced technological tools.
Throughout his career, Nissan has been a trailblazer in utilizing the most cutting edge technological tools to heighten the effect of a story. Together with his deep understanding of relaying a business story or message, he is able to captivate audiences.
Nissan has directed and produced exhibition experiences for top companies and has created scores of permanent installations in museums, government buildings, visitors centers, and archeological sites.
Ruth Beni
Co-Founder/Filmmaker/Writer Animage Films
ABOUT
Ruth Beni
Ruth Beni is an award-winning filmmaker and writer.
Ruth co-founded Animage Films in 1998 with the artist and animator Richard Burdett. At Animage, Ruth has written and produced original TV programmes and films for national and international broadcasters including ITV and Channel 4.
Since 2007 Ruth’s work has focused on creating and directing series of film campaigns tackling the many forms of violence against women, as well as other social issues. Many of the films spearheaded national and international awareness campaigns and have received a number of international awards. To view Ruth’s films please go to the films page of this website. If you would like to get in touch with Ruth please visit the contact page.
Gaye Bennett
Executive Producer Radley Yeldar
ABOUT
Gaye Bennett
Gaye has over 20 years’ experience in the media industry, with a background primarily in branded and interactive film content. She has a real passion for human storytelling and heads up the diversity & inclusion, ethics and sustainability offer for RY’s film and animation department. She has worked with her team to deliver the kind of innovative thinking and powerful messaging that frequently wins awards at NY Festivals, Cannes and EVCOM. Gaye has built long-term client relationships over her 7 years at RY and has produced films and social media content, including multi-territory productions for a broad range of clients, including JTI, VF Corp, Standard Chartered, Wrap and Shell.
Benjamin Best
Journalist/Filmmaker/Book Author Benjamin Best Productions GmbH
ABOUT
Benjamin Best
Benjamin Best is an award winning journalist and filmmaker including Silver and Gold at the New York Festivals. He's been in the industry for well over 15 years. During this time he's been directing and producing feature documentary films for television and cinema. Child labor in India, corruption in sports, Human Rights violations - the topics he's covering are investigative and take him around the world.
Payal Mathur Bhagat
Co-Founder & Director Greymatter Entertainment Pvt Ltd
ABOUT
Payal Mathur Bhagat
With over 20 years of experience, Payal has been one of the pioneering creative talents in the media industry. Having collected diverse experience from various content creation and production assignments within India and overseas, she brings in a rare mix of creative and finance skills.
Payal is co-founder and director at Greymatter Entertainment – a media company that offers 360-degree content solutions with a strategic focus on IPR creation. She has been instrumental in creating globally acclaimed and award winning television formats like ‘The Remix’ and ‘Street Stars’.
Prior to this, Payal has been a part of the launch of broadcast networks like Sony Entertainment Television & Ten Sports Network. She also has experience in film making having worked with distinguished film makers and being Executive producer for Sony Entertainment Pictures.
Payal has served as a Jury member for the EMVIES awards for the past 4 years. She is an alumnus of Sydenham College & is a Finance MBA from Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai.
Krzysztof Biedalak
CEO SuperMemo World sp. z o.o.
ABOUT
Krzysztof Biedalak
Krzysztof Biedalak is one of the founders of SuperMemo World (www.supermemo.com), a company established in 1991, which reinvented forgetting curves and started the global trend of applying spaced repetition in computer-aided learning. MSc in Computer Science from the Poznań University of Technology, specialized in artificial intelligence and natural language processing. Post-graduate in Finance. Since 2006 CEO at SuperMemo World, personally leading some of its major projects, incl. Olive Green, course of English based on an interactive feature film. Honored by ELT, education and film industries, Olive Green is one of world’s most awarded educational products.
Marita Graca Bittencourt
GloboNews International Programs Supervisor TV Globo News
ABOUT
Marita Graca Bittencourt
Marita Graça Feijó Bittencourt is a Brazilian journalist from Rio de Janeiro who has been in the television industry for three decades. Since the 80s, she has worked as editor, scriptwriter and producer in a variety of short documentaries and daily newcasts for the Globo Group. For 20 years now, she has been at GloboNews - the first all-news tv channel in Brazil. Marita has been awarded a Vladimir Herzog trophy for a short documentary about the period following the end of the dictatorship in Brazil, and has received a Silver Medal at the 2016 edition of the New York Festivals, in Las Vegas, for the documentary "Kobani lives on - the city that defeated ISIS". Also in 2016, Marita was an Emmy International finalist for the documentary “Syria on the run.” In 2017, she earned a New York Festivals Gold Medal for "Syria on the Run." In 2018, she received a SIlver Medal for "Trenches in the Desert" and in 2019, a SIlver Medal for "GloboNews Documentário: Shores of a War - Heroes and Victims in Mosul."
Phil Blundell
Executive Director The Edge Picture Company LTD
ABOUT
Phil Blundell
Phil founded The Edge when it opened for business in 1991. Now in its 28th year, The Edge has won over 600 major international awards in that time and leads the global field as the UK’s leading Corporate Film Production Company, renowned for its outstanding creative programming and a first class track record - a record that Phil has personally played a crucial role in achieving. Phil has always been passionate about the power of moving images as a way of grabbing the ‘hearts and minds’ of business audiences (internal and external) to elicit behavioral and attitudinal change. Many of his films are cutting edge and have been highly acclaimed for their creativity, winning numerous UK and International communication awards.
Dmitry Bogdanov
Producer & Director Rivelty Studio
ABOUT
Dmitry Bogdanov
Producer, director, art director
Founder and general producer of Rivelty agency
Author of more than 450 business films, presentations, commercials and digital projects
Jury member at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards in Marketing Communication - B2B and B2C nominations.
Author of the book "Corporate Video Production. Instructions for use".
José Brito
General Manager Futura Channel at Roberto Marinho Foundation
ABOUT
José Brito
Responsible for the journey of digital brand transformation and market positioning in digital plataforms. Communication professional with extensive experience in the audiovisual and Pay TV industry. Project leader with management skills from planning to development of strategies to offer educational solutions and social impact campaigns, focusing on the empowerment of people and organizations.
Journalist and digital media professional. He has a master´s degree in Social Sciences and has benn at Globo Group since 2006. He collaborated wtih the creation of JEDUCA – Association of Joournalists of Education. He started his career at Savaget Comunicação, a video production company of Globo Ecologia (1998). He was a professor at the journalism and digital media laboratory at ESPM and a speaker at creative industry festivals, such as RioWebFest and SPWebFest. Member of the Editorial Board at LUPA Agency in the fight against misinformation. He also collaborated with Folha de S. Paulo newspapper (2004). National Press Foundation Fellow (USA, 2010) and Gabriel García Marquez Award Jury (Colombia, 2014).
Tessa Bryson
Producer Independent
ABOUT
Tessa Bryson
A graduate of the Falmouth School of Arts, Bryson has over a decade of experience in broadcasting. She has worked exclusively with international broadcaster Al Jazeera since 2007. Her career began at Al Jazeera English in London, later joining Al Jazeera's award-winning Investigative Unit in Qatar whose mission is to not report the news, but to make the news. She is currently independent and was preiously the Unit Manager for the Investigative Journalism Department.
Sharon Burden
Assistant Manager - Gender and Tech Education, Prevention and Inclusion Branch Australian Government eSafety Commissioner
ABOUT
Sharon Burden
Sharon Burden has over twenty years experience in the media and communications field. Sharon is currently a Senior Advisor with the Office of the eSafety Commisisoner which safeguards and empowers Autralians to have safe and positive online experiences. Sharon project managed the international award winning cybersafety video for teens, Tagged for which she was awarded a Public Service Australia Day Medallion.
Charlotte Cabrero
Senior Business Development Associate BBC World Service
ABOUT
Charlotte Cabrero
Charlotte Cabrero is a media professional with 18 years’ experience of global sales, business development and building strategic partnerships with international public and private broadcasters as well as multimedia platforms. She has managed worldwide distribution of thousands of hours of award-winning TV and radio content for the BBC, Parthenon Entertainment, the Extreme Sports Channel and independent production companies, successfully negotiating complex agreements with international and internal stakeholders at the highest level in developed and emerging markets.
Charlotte joined the BBC 10 years ago and has during this time worked on many projects. One of them was the creation of a distribution network for Ebola response programs to Liberia and Guinea. “Kick Ebola From Liberia” and “Mr Plan-Plan” won a George Foster Peabody award for public services together with other BBC World Service programmes produced in response to the Ebola outbreak and delivered to the worst affected countries in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea.
Charlotte graduated from the Sorbonne University and holds an International Advertising Association Diploma from the Ecole Supérieure de Publicité in Paris. She speaks English, French, Spanish and Italian.
Charlotte has a passion for high quality content that inspires, informs and entertains international audiences.
Daniel Carriere
Science Reporter Radio-Canada
ABOUT
Daniel Carriere
World traveler, amateur photographer and science enthusiast; I am a science reporter based in Montreal. I work for the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). I have also worked for science shows at the TSR (Swiss National Televison network). I have done science stories in Paris, Dubai, Geneva and Gibraltar. I have won the New York Festivals Gold World Medal for a sport documentary on the science of rowing solo across the Atlantic. I have also won best documentary at the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for a science story on the New World Trade Center. I love my work and am honored to be a member of the Grand Jury.
Joan Cartan-Hansen
Science Trek Producer/Host Idaho Public Television
ABOUT
Joan Cartan-Hansen
Joan Cartan-Hansen is the creator of the digital project, Science Trek (sciencetrek.org) for Idaho Public Television. This project teaches science to elementary age students and provides support for educators and parents. She also produces and writes documentaries and occasionally works for the PBS NewsHour. Joan sits on the executive board for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and has won numerous awards including the Kavli Science Journalism Silver Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, several regional Emmys, and New York Festival awards. A champion for Press rights and public access, Joan was honored with a Silver Circle award from NATASNW for her efforts to reform open government laws.
Luis Fellippe Cavalleiro
Graphic Manager, News TV Globo
ABOUT
Luis Fellippe Cavalleiro
As graphic manager for the News department of TV GLOBO in Brasília, I’ve been working close to the great political changes in Brazil for the last 25 years. Besides that, I normally take part on the global projects of my company in many other areas of the news department. I´m responsible for both the graphics and for the set decoration of news products in Brasília, and with the integration of those two areas, as well as keeping the graphic line of the whole news department in the country. I have a role on the research and acquisition of news softwares and hardwares.
Donovan Chan
Co-founder & Creative Director Beach House Pictures
ABOUT
Donovan Chan
Donovan is a co-founder of Beach House Pictures and a leading TV & Film producer, director and showrunner in Asia. As Creative Director of BHP, Donovan strategizes and runs the business with co-founder Jocelyn Little, spearheading development while overseeing a diverse range of productions. Donovan is across all content creation in the company, supervising BHP’s creative teams and it’s pitches, while growing and managing relationships in the company’s key markets in the US, China, Japan, Korea and South-East Asia. Regular partners and clients include top SVOD players such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount and Disney+; and in China, CCTV, Tencent, Bilibili and Youku.
Roger Childs
Senior Production Executive & Commissioning Editor RTE
ABOUT
Roger Childs
Roger Childs is the Senior Production Executive of Ireland’s national public service broadcaster, RTÉ, and also the station’s Commissioning Editor of Religious Content. A multi award-winning producer and commissioner, with over 30 years’ experience across a wide range of genres and all media, Roger worked previously for the BBC, the UK Independent sector and WNET, New York. He has served twice before as a Grand Juror for the New York TV & Film Festival, where his own programmes have previously won four prizes
Sammy Choi
Executive Producer Choiboy Productions
ABOUT
Sammy Choi
In 1997, Sammy Choi started his career in entertainment by being featured on the jumbroton at Madison Square Garden during at NY Rangers game. A curious Choi randomly went up to a camera director after that fan shot and was able to secure an interview with a top Garden executive. From that chance encounter, he went on to become the Game Director for the NY Rangers overseeing all the arena entertainment. Notably, he produced Wayne Gretzky's last game and retirement ceremony. In 2000, Sammy became the NHL Director of Events and Entertainment and produced all their events including: NHL All-Star Game, Stanley Cup Finals, NHL Entry Draft, and NHL International Games. Later in 2005, Sammy transitioned over to the NFL into the role of Executive Producer and Director of NFL Events. He produced the entertainment and pageantry at all NFL events including the Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, NFL International Series, NFL Draft, and NFL Kickoff. In his most recent role at Vevo as the Senior Director of Music and Talent, he was responsible for booking some and producing original content with some of the biggest musical artist in the world. Here are some of the superstar acts Sammy has produced: The Weeknd, SZA, Future, Kendrick Lamar, Luke Bryan, Depeche Mode, Khalid, Def Leppard, French Montana, Halsey, Little Big Town, and DJ Khaled.
Wai Thong Chow
Managing Director August Pictures Pte Ltd
ABOUT
Wai Thong Chow
Director, Producer, and Editor. These are just some of the many roles that Wai Thong, founder of August Pictures plays. A veteran in the industry recognized for his passionate commitment to producing high quality dramas, Wai Thong is an established and well-seasoned independent Director and Executive Producer, whose works have garnered numerous international awards and nominations throughout his illustrious career including awards from New York Festivals, Asian Academy Creative Awards,Star Awards and Asian Television Awards.
In the latest 2020 Asian Academy Creative Awards, among 6 other awards, The Driver and Mind's Eye were national winners for Best Original Programme and Best Drama Series categories respecrively. The Driver would also go on to clinch the Grand Final Award for Best Promo. In 2019, his dramas Beijing To Moscow and The Driver won multiple nominations and awards at the Asian Academy Creative Awards and New York Festivals respectively. Most notably, Beijing To Moscow was the Regional Winner for Best Drama Series and Best Actor and Actress in a Leading Roleat the Asia Academy Creative Awards. The Driver won, among many others, the FInalist Awards for Best Drama and Mini Series at the 2019 New York Festivals.
JAMES CHUNG
Creative Director Starhub Cable Vision
ABOUT
JAMES CHUNG
With a creative and marketing career spanning over 20 years, James is one of Asia’s sought-after directors with multiple awards to his name. Graduated with a Master degree of Fine Arts in Computer Graphics from Pratt Institute, New York, he began his creative journey as Head of Design at TVBS in Taiwan. Shortly after, he joined MTV Asia to launch MTV Taiwan; where he produced an image campaign that sparked a tremendous buzz and turned the channel into an instant hit.
James later became Head of Creative Services at The Walt Disney Channel in Taiwan and Senior Producer with Discovery Channel Asia, before crossing over into a successful full-time career as a commercial director.
In 2004, James was appointed Creative Director of Bruce Dunlop & Associates (BDA) Singapore, an international creative agency for media brands. During his tenancy, James led the Singapore team to pitch to The Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Committee and won the rights to produce The Official Title Sequence for 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics Games.
In 2011, StarHub recruited James as Creative Director to lead its brand on crossed platforms including cable TV and new media. He is responsible for the creative strategy for all in-house channels and special events.
Emily Clements
Head of Film & Animation Radley Yeldar
ABOUT
Emily Clements
Emily heads up the Moving Image team at Radley Yeldar. She has been making award-winning films for both public and private sector organisations for more than 17 years. She brings both creativity and strategic thinking to moving image projects and has wide ranging knowledge and experience of differing industry sectors and production genres (from drama and documentary to commercials and animation) and interactive projects, recently delivering a wholly animated 360 VR experience for one of our clients.
Emily has worked with a wide-range of clients at RY including GSK, Beiersdorf, The Science Museum, Tedx London, Visit Britain, and JTI.
Holland Cooke
Host , "The Big Picture" RT America
ABOUT
Holland Cooke
Holland Cooke is the host of “The Big Picture” a TV news interview show on RT America; and a media consultant working at the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Previously, he managed all-news WTOP Radio in Washington DC, then was Vice President of a new media unit at USA Today.
Matt Creasey
EVP, Sales, Co-productions & Acquisitions Banijay Rights
ABOUT
Matt Creasey
Matt Creasey was appointed EVP, Sales, Co-productions & Acquisitions, at Banijay Rights in August 2020.
Based in Los Angeles, Creasey oversees all sales operations and teams for territories outside EMEA. Exploring opportunities across linear, SVOD and AVOD, he also leads on scripted co-productions in the US and rest of the world, alongside sales and acquisitions.
Creasey joined the company following Banijay Rights’ acquisition of Endemol Shine Group, having previously served as EVP, Sales and Acquisitions for sales arm Endemol Shine International.
Reporting to Banijay Rights CEO Cathy Payne, he is across the company’s extensive multi-genre catalogue of over 146,000 hours of stand-out programming.
With an invaluable client base, cross-platform sales experience, unrivalled knowledge of the catalogue and extensive commercial wisdom, Creasey works closely with Banijay Rights’ leadership team to set the strategy and grow the business across his assigned territories.
He joined Endemol Shine International in 2006 as Director of Sales, Distribution, and has spent his career to date selling and exploiting some of the world’s largest entertainment brands. Prior to his significant stint at Endemol Shine International, Creasey was Head of Sales at Celador International.
Carlos De Elia
Executive Advisor to the CEO Artear Argentina
ABOUT
Carlos De Elia
Argentine citizen, he studied Social Communication at the University of Salvador and he is currently Executive Advisor to the CEO. Previously, he was the News Department Director of ARTEAR.
Since 1982 de Elia has worked in graphic journalism and he started working in Television in 1988.
In 1990 he started working in ARTEAR, Channel 13.
In 1993 he created Todo Noticias, which has been the Leading news cable pay TV channel for 20 years regarding Audience and credibility. The staff is made up of the most recognized journalists and specialized professionals in each area. De elia is currently the Director of Todo Noticias, which broadcasts 24/7 cable alive news as well as Political talk shows.
Since 1995 Carlos de Elia has also been working as the Responsible for the news Coverage, production and broadcasting of Channel 13 News. He is also in charge of Web site contents posted on the web site www.tn.com.ar and ARTEAR News shows of channels networks all over the country.
The air channel 13 has four news shows, which are leaders in audience and are the most prestigious ones in the country, those are following: Arriba Argentinos, Noticiero del 13,Telenoche and En Síntesis. In 2000 Telenoche Investiga and Telenoche Especial were the most prestigious news programs and had the highest audience level. De elia is currently responsible for the show “Periodismo para Todos” hosted by Jorge Lanata.
De elia is the tenured professor of the subject called “Television” in Clarin San Andres Master degree. And he is also the Codirector of the Master in Journalism at Pompeu Fabra University in Argentina.
Sofia de Fay
Writer/Director Independent
ABOUT
Sofia de Fay
Sofia de Fay is a South African freelance writer and director who has worked worldwide on diverse projects, from documentaries to short fiction films to commercials and corporates, as well as TV series for Discovery and Nat Geo and, more recently, EXPO channel.
Born in Liverpool, UK, she has worked in North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, in war zones and developing nations.
She has covered controversial and difficult subjects like forced labor, aids, the emergence of democracy, rhino wars, and breast cancer awareness in the Mena region. She is most proud of her work raising funds for victims of war and natural disasters. She has covered earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes in different parts of the world.
Filming the plight of refugees in different conflict zones, she has worked in campaigns to bring about change in Syria, Iraq, Nepal, Africa, and China.
Her most recent work has involved the UAE space project, and she has followed the astronauts’ preparation and journey to the ISS and a satellite to Mars.
She has won many awards and has showcased her films at many Oscar-qualifying festivals. Sofia is known for her irreverent sense of humor, a passion for aesthetics and visual design, and the ability to construct strong narratives. She is relentlessly curious and brave, always looking for a unique viewpoint and story that is fresh and compelling.
Christoph Deja
Managing Director Rueckenwindfilm GmbH
ABOUT
Christoph Deja
Christoph Deja has been in the film business since 1994. As managing director of Rückenwindfilm GmbH he is responsible for production from script to screen - conception, camera, editing, directing and customer relationships.
His work is not only recognized by customers and audiences, but also by the by several national and international festival juries.
Bruna Demaison
Programming & Content Manager Globosat
ABOUT
Bruna Demaison
Bruna Demaison is responsible for TV and non-linear Programming strategy, On Air Promotion and Content Acquisition for Multishow, OFF and BIS channels at Globosat.
Prior to her current position, she worked at Oi during the launch of the telecom TV operation, Sky/DirecTV and independent production companies.
Working on entertainment business for almost 20 years, Bruna has experience in content development, production and licensing as well as distribution, marketing and live broadcast.
She graduated in Journalism and has a specilization in Film and Television Business at Fundação Getulio Vargas, Brazil
Peter den Hartogh
Former Director The Animation School
ABOUT
Peter den Hartogh
Peter den Hartogh studied in Amsterdam to become a fine art teacher. Peter moved to South Africa and was employed at Ogilvy and Mather advertising agency.
He then founded Cape Town’s well-known D&O Audio Visual Studios which won numerous International Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards.
Peter left D&O to become a free-lance Producer-Director in Johannesburg, creating a multitude of Product Launches and Inter-Company Communication presentations.
During this time, Peter mastered the art of 3D Digital Animation and applied this to his productions.
When Peter returned to Cape Town he founded The Animation School, which is South Africa’s leading internationally accredited Animation and Visual Effects training centre. The School is included in the list of the Top 100 International Animation Schools.
Peter builds and plays several musical instruments, in particular the pedal steel guitar. He has participated in studio recordings with South African artists and has appeared on Radio and TV broadcasts. Enjoying his retirement, he now has a recording studio where he composes, arranges, performs and records his own music.
Arnie DiGeorge
Executive Creative Director R&R Partners
ABOUT
Arnie DiGeorge
R&R Partners is a purpose-driven marketing and advocacy agency that gets results for clients, which include the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) as well as many of the city’s top destinations. Its world-famous “What happens here, stays here” campaign for LVCVA has been recognized by the One Show, Communication Arts, Cannes and other awards shows.
Arnie DiGeorge wears many hats and oversees most assignments. Formerly R&R’s ECD, he still serves that role sometimes. Other times, he’s a creative strategist or much-needed problem solver—he was instrumental in the response to Las Vegas’ Oct. 1, 2017, crisis. His portfolio also includes campaigns for Allegiant Air, Blockchains LLC and everything from computer hardware to heath care. His diverse advertising experience includes copywriting, storytelling, branding, media buying and account services, which is incredibly rare for a creative guy.
Bill Doble
Director of Production Situation
ABOUT
Bill Doble
Bill Doble is the Executive Producer at Situation – a digital agency best known for helping brands build passionate communities through digital-first marketing strategies. Bill has produced and directed award-winning documentaries, short films, commercials and Off-Broadway Theater for over 25 years. His short films and documentaries have been screened across the country at festivals including Sarasota Film Festival and Williamstown Film Festival.
Bill’s commercials (both online and offline) have earned several recognitions from the Webby Awards, Shorty Awards, Telly Awards, and the IAC Awards. While with Blue Light Theater Company, he also helped them win an Obie for an original production of Oedipus by Dare Clubb starring Frances McDormand and Billy Crudup.
Bill has worked with clients from a variety of industries including Broadway, sports, beauty, and food. He has worked on projects for Major League Baseball, Whole Foods, Cooking Channel, L’Oréal and Proctor & Gamble brands. On Broadway, Bill’s clients have included Tony Award-Winning Musical Dear Evan Hansen, Lion King, and Wicked.
Bill graduated from Rutgers University and currently resides in Manhattan with his wife and 10-year-old daughter. When he’s not producing videos and documentaries, you can find Bill traveling, playing golf and supporting his local community.
Clara Dominguez
Director of Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives Voice of America
ABOUT
Clara Dominguez
Currently the Director of Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives for the Voice of America, Clara Dominguez, engages with outside organizations, news organizations, academia as well as NGO’s as well as elements of the US Agency for Global Media to enhance content sharing and curation. In addition she oversees Voice of America’s Learning English program, dedicated to teach English worldwide as directs broadcasting to Latin America on radio, television and digital media.
Clara has served in a number of executive positions at VOA, including managing editor of the News Center.
A native of Havana, Cuba, Clara has a master’s degree in International Affairs from George Washington University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Miami’s School of Business
BARRY DONNELLAN
Director/DOP Tiny Big Films
ABOUT
BARRY DONNELLAN
Barry Donnellan is a Director/Director of Photography with over 25 years of experience in the industry. As a Director/DoP he has worked in all television formats, including Ob-Doc and drama. As DoP he has worked internationally on many productions including the Award winning “Secrets of the Rainforest 3D” for the Smithsonian Channel/Sky 3D and BAFTA winner “Inside Nature's Giants” for Channel 4/ Nat Geo. He’s been IFTA nominated twice, once as a DoP for the multi award winning “Secrets of the Irish Landscape” RTE/PBS and once as one of the producer/directors of “Creedon’s Wild Atlantic Way” RTE. The culinary series “Kevin Dundon’s Modern Irish Food” RTE/PBS which he shot and directed won Silver at the New York film and Television Awards.
Marie Dours
CEO Chabraque international
ABOUT
Marie Dours
Marie Dours runs international productions at Chabraque Productions . Her career began as
a bookseller and photographer, which ultimately led her to a rewarding and incredible
fifteen years as Artistic Director of CB News, a French weekly communication magazine .
Passionate about cinema and television, Marie then trained in production and gained vast
experience in advertising and executive production .Prior to joining Chabraque, she was a
regular collaborator of Chabraque Productions, and worked together with Chabraque on
development. Marie Dours is now CEO at Chabraque International.
Ramanathan Durai
Creative Manager BeIN Sports Asia
ABOUT
Ramanathan Durai
Durai is a multi-award winning Creative Manager at beIN Sports Asia – Pacific, where he leads a team who Produce branded content. With over 14 years of experience, he has worked with reputable brands such as Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery Turbo, Discovery Home & Health, Discovery HD World, ESPN, Star Sports, Fox Sports, and Disney. His creative journey took him to Buenos Aires, Argentina where he Produced Disney’s landmark series, Art Attack. Durai has won awards in New York Fest, Promax Global Excellence, Promax Asia, Asian Television Awards and Citra Pariwara Advertising Festival. At home, he is a father of 2 gorgeous girls, 2 adorable dogs, 1 goldfish and thankfully 1 lovely wife.
Stacey Edmonds
Founder & Director Lively, a Learning Agency
ABOUT
Stacey Edmonds
Stacey is an experienced professional with over 25 years of experience in the Big Four, boutique consultancies, academia, and key leadership roles across diverse industries. She is the Founder and Director of Lively, a Learning Agency. Her qualifications in Psychology and Sociology, Education, Multi-Platform Screen Production, AI and Gamification plus hands-on experience in Edtech, equips her with the unique ability to ‘connect the dots’ in a consumer-grade digital learning landscape.
She is presently working on writing up a new design methodology for developing consumer-grade learning experiences in her book titled “Learning was never meant to be boring”. Additionally, she has founded a startup called ‘Dodgy or Not’ designed to help people learn how to beat scammers at their own game.
Stacey’s background is in youth work and education, and her vision has always been to democratize learning so that everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status, has equal access to education and the life choices that brings.
Joy Ernanny
Producer GloboNews
ABOUT
Joy Ernanny
A restless journalist and a passionate documentarist, Joy Ernanny is a producer at GloboNews, Brazil’s most-watched 24 hours news channel. She has been producing award-winning TV documentaries and programs about immigration, human rights and social development for the past seven years. Having spent the last decade between New York and her native Rio de Janeiro, she believes in the power of stories that resonate transnationally and transcend territorial boundaries.
Claudia Ernst
Assistenz GF Joern Roever Doclights GmbH / NDR Naturfilm
ABOUT
Claudia Ernst
Claudia is working since 2001 in non fiction and natural history departments.
Today she’s working as assistant for the CEO of Naturfilm/Doclights for the ARD primetime wildlife slot “Erlebnis Erde” and NDR’s “Expeditionen ins Tierreich” as well as for international coproductions (National Geographic Wild, ORF, Terra Mater, ARTE).
Jim Fabio
Producer/Director
ABOUT
Jim Fabio
Jim Fabio began his career documenting military operations for the Department of Defense as a U.S. Air Force Combat Camera Officer. A two-time Emmy Award-winner, his diverse career path in film and television has since afforded him opportunities to produce, direct, shoot and edit both scripted and documentary projects for a multitude of clients and networks, to include ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, PBS, MTV, VH1, ESPN, NFL Network, A&E, History Channel, HBO and Showtime.
Jeremy JP Fekete
Filmmaker, writer & director ARTE G.E.I.E.
ABOUT
Jeremy JP Fekete
JEREMY JP FEKETE is an international award winning freelance filmmaker, director & writer: including Bronze, Silver and Gold at the NEW YORK FESTIVALS. For his work he received several international nominations and awards from various TV- and Film Festivals, among others at the WORLDFEST HOUSTON / USA, HOLLYWOOD INTERN. INDEPENDENT DOCUMENTARY AWARDS / USA, GOLD MOVIE AWARDS / GB(UK), ADOLF GRIMME AWARD / DE, GERMAN CAMERA AWARD / DE, ROSE D’OR / CH, REYKJAVIK INTERN. FILM FESTIVAL / IS and at the INTERN. FILMMAKER FESTIVALS OF WORLD CINEMA in MILAN, NICE and LONDON.
He startet his career as a visual artist with exhibitions at ART BASEL, KUNSTMUSEUM LUZERN, KUNSTHAUS AARGAU and KUNSTMUSEUM BASEL in Switzerland. 1993 he changed into the TV- and Film Business. Since then he is working as a filmmaker for documentary series, Biopics and documentary films for international broadcasters, like the german-french culture channel ARTE or for german channels like ARD and ZDF. His filmic handwriting is strongly influenced by his artistic education.
Jim Fitzpatrick
Director, Writer, Producer Fitzpatrick Productions
ABOUT
Jim Fitzpatrick
A Toronto-based director, writer, and producer. Jim is a multi-award winner with over twenty years of experience developing content globally and bringing stories to life in the broadcast and digital space. A passionate and recognized leader, Jim excels at managing diverse creative teams and nurturing emerging talent. He leads all aspects of production from strategy development through concept to final production and post-production. Jim directs content strategies across multiple platforms, focused on brand marketing while consistently driving viewership, engagement, and revenue growth.
Murray Fleming
Owner MFMUSIC INC.
ABOUT
Murray Fleming
Murray Fleming is an award-winning composer/sound designer who has been creating distinctive theme songs and sound design for television programming/commercials heard across Canada since 1998. Fleming's company MFMusic Inc. has won 5 New York Festival awards, 2 Promax/BDA Gold Awards, a Promax/BDA Sports Media Marketing Award and a SOCAN music award. Recent credits include Theme music for City’s Breakfast Television, Sound Design for CBC’s broadcast of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and 2014 FIFA World Cup. MFMusic provides audio post-production services creating sound and music for Rogers Media television properties including Sportsnet, City, OMNI, and The Shopping Channel.
Marissa Flores
Consultant
ABOUT
Marissa Flores
Marissa L. Flores, was GMA Network Philippines’ Senior Vice President for News and Public Affairs since 2004. She joined the Company in 1987 as a researcher for public affairs documentaries and special reports and held the positions of Assistant Vice President, Vice President for Production, before being appointed to her current position. She is also a Trustee of the network’s public service arm, GMA Kapuso Foundation.
The Rotary Club of Manila recognized her as Television News Producer of the Year in 1996. In 2004, she was awarded the prestigious TOYM (The Outstanding Young Men) for Broadcast Management. In 2012, she received the CEO Excel Award from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)
Philippines. Ms. Flores was recognized for her work in the field of broadcast journalism by the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication at the first Glory Awards in 2017.
The News and Public Affairs group under Flores continues to be the recipient of international awards such as the Peabody Awards, New York Festivals and Asian Academy Creative Awards. GMA News and Public Affairs remains as the only Philippine broadcast network which has won the highly-coveted Peabody Award (four Peabody awards as of 2014) –widely considered as broadcasting and cable’s equivalent of the Pulitzer prize.
Aside from being in charge of news and public affairs programs in GMA Network’s national television stations, Flores also oversees its digital news and public affairs platforms.
Flores earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism at the University of the Philippines.
Pearl Forss
Executive Producer Channel NewsAsia
ABOUT
Pearl Forss
Pearl Forss is an Executive Producer at CNA and a 6 time winner of the New York Festivals . Her winning documentaries include “When Titans Clash” dealing with the issue of US-China relations, “The New Silk Road” focusing on China’s Belt and Road Initiative, as well as “The Organ Bazaar”, which exposed the secret criminal networks behind organ trading.
In her role, Pearl is responsible for hour long documentaries on CNA, with a focus on geopolitics. Amongst her many accomplishments in her over 20 years of journalism, Pearl is also a Chevening Scholar – a distinction awarded by the British government for her contributions to the field; as well as a fellow on the International Visitors Leadership Program – a program run by the State Department of the United States.
Matthias Frickel
Director, Head of Operations, Main Department Culture and Lifestyle DW Deutsche Welle
ABOUT
Matthias Frickel
Matthias Frickel has taken on the role of Head of Operations in the main department Culture and Lifestyle at Deutsche Welle (DW) in May 2021. A dedicated journalist himself, the 1968 born Frickel works in the leadership team of the DW's culture and lifestyle unit of more than 70 permanent employees and 260 freelancers who share a common idea: to make people all over the world acquainted with European and German culture. From May 2012 until November 2020 he worked as Head of TV sports magazines and deputy head of Sports, leading a team of 40 journalists who see football as a metaphor for life. He joined 'Kick off! - the thinking fan’s football show' as it started in 2005 while working as a freelance editor at DW's culture show Arts.21.
Once, he studied Political Science and North American Studies at the Free University Berlin and Manchester University before he surrendered himself to a bigger passion, journalism. While researching as an intern with U.S. Senator John F. Kerry for his diploma thesis on 'How the Holocaust became part of the American political culture', he started freelancing as a journalist.
Ever since completing his studies, Frickel has covered a broad range of topics related to cultural, political, and sports related issues. He conducted interviews with people from different backgrounds like Michael Ballack or T.C. Boyle, Herta Müller or Mesut Özil, Serge Gnabry or Günter Grass. He is a dedicated storyteller and reported from more than 35 countries across five continents for DW, Arte, and RBB.
For more than 20 years he traces after literature, football, and life. For his documentaries about Polish and German expatriates, ‘the Polish Kafka’ Bruno Schulz', kids who seek refuge in football, and as an editor of Kick off! he was awarded numerous prices.
He worked as a reporter at the FIFA World Cup 2014 and two UEFA Cups, has helped to create a functioning YouTube channel and a mission statement for Sports at DW. He believes culture and sports have the power to change the world; to empower, inspire, and unite people. Therefore, he has build up partnerships with NGOs like Common Goal, Discover Football, the Goethe Institute, DFL, and Football Film Festivals, worldwide. Since 2020 he is a member of the Grand Jury at the NewYorkFestivals TV & FilmAwards.
Robert E. Frye
Managing Director Whistling Communications
ABOUT
Robert E. Frye
With four decades of experience in documentaries and network news programs, Mr. Frye has been an independent documentary producer and director since 1988. Since that time he has completed more than 20 documentaries. Previously, during his 14-year career at ABC News, he was the founding executive producer of "ABC World News Tonight" with Peter Jennings, the executive producer of “Good Morning America” and the creator of “World News This Morning.”
Frye was producer of the ABC Evening News while at ABC News in Washington D.C. with Barbara Walters and Harry Reasoner from 1976 to 1978 prior to his being assigned to the London bureau. As Washington Bureau Chief, he helped establish a news syndication service Television News Inc (TVN) which was a forerunner of CNN. The bureau was responsible for breaking stories related to Watergate, the resignation of Vice President Spiro, and the resignation of Richard Nixon.
He began his network career as a page at NBC and moved on to NBC News as the researcher to Frank McGee and the NBC Instant Specials unit, covering such stories as the assassination of JFK and the overthrow of Nikita Khrushchev.
Frye’s documentary “In My Lifetime: A presentation of The Nuclear World Project,” was an official selection of the Global Peace Film Festival, telling the story of the sixty five year struggle to find solutions on how to dispose of and reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world. “In My Lifetime” earned a Silver World Medal in the 2013 New York Festivals TV & Film Awards.
His other documentaries deal with complex international subjects and include “Freedom without Walls” (2009) commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall; “The Berlin Trilogy” (2006) exploring 20th century Germany in “Kristallnacht: The Journey from 1938 to 1988”; “Journey of a City”; and “The Berlin Airlift.” Frye also produced and directed “The Journey of Butterfly,” a story of the Nazi ghetto at Terezin in Czechoslovakia, and “Russia: Facing the Future” (2001).
Throughout his career, Mr. Frye’s body of work has received numerous industry accolades - the Emmy Award, two duPont-Columbia University Silver Batons, the Peabody Award, the George Polk Award, the Christopher Award, a Rockie Award from the Banff Film Festival, a Golden Hugo from The Chicago International Film Festival, a Headliner, the IRE (Investigative Reporters) and a CINE Golden Eagles, as well as Gold and Silver Plaques from the Chicago International Film Festival’s INTERCOM.
Lora Galantini
Producer/Director Quite Frankly Productions
ABOUT
Lora Galantini
I started out as a travel researcher and then for many years was a Producer on broadcast documentaries, working on several travel series for The Discovery Channel, as well as entertainment documentaries for Sky and Channel 4. I began working in corporate production in 2005, joining the then nascent Quite Frankly Productions in 2008 where I have been ever since as Producer / Director. We were originally just 3 people, and 11 years on we have offices in London, Bangalore and New York. My passions include food, travel and languages.
Tim Gallagher
Section Chief for Digital Content & Technology International Monetary Fund.
ABOUT
Tim Gallagher
Tim Gallagher is Section Chief for Digital Content & Technology at the International Monetary Fund. A multi-award winning producer and director, he was a frontline television journalist for more than two decades for BBC News and Sky News. Prior to joining the IMF, Tim was Executive Producer for NBC’s investigative current affairs show, On Assignment with Richard Engel. He has served three times as a Grand Juror for the New York TV & Film Awards, where his own programs have previously won several prizes.
Wolfgang Geier
Chief Editor ORF
ABOUT
Wolfgang Geier
Wolfgang Geier is editor in chief for ORF1, part of Austria´s national public service broadcaster.
Born 1966 in Kufstein/Tyrol. After finishing a university degree in German literature and history and first experiences in local media Geier joined the ORF in 1996.
After working as a news reporter and host for Austria´s version of "Meet the Press", Geier served for four years as a foreign correspondent for Austrian TV and Radio in Washington DC.
Since the summer of 2018 he is in his current position.
WIll Gelner
Chief Creative Officer ENGINE
ABOUT
WIll Gelner
ENGINE is a global agency that provides insights, content, distribution and technology to help move brands forward faster. Gelner provides creative leadership across ENGINE US, driving 360 campaign creative across its wide array of iconic clients. Before joining ENGINE, he was Chief Creative Officer and Managing Partner at 180LA, which he spent 10 years building.
His work has been recognized by Effies, One Show, D&AD, Clios, Art Director’s Club, AICP, Andys and TED. He has won more than 26 Cannes Lions, including a Titanium, 2 Grand Prix and a Grand Prix for Good.
Vyacheslav Goldfeld
Founder, CEO and Managing Partner FreeMotion Group
ABOUT
Vyacheslav Goldfeld
Having been in video production for over 25 years, Vyacheslav is one of the key experts in corporate video in Russia. The projects he produced won awards at Cannes, Moscow, New York, Los Angeles (including 2 «Best of Festival» in a row), and other international film festivals.
Specializing mainly in corporate video production Vyacheslav has extensive experience in the production of commercials and entertainment programs for the largest Russian Federal channels
Vyacheslav is a Member of International Quorum of Motion Picture Producers
Irene Gonzalez
Deputy News Director RT America
ABOUT
Irene Gonzalez
Irene M. González began her journalism career while still attending college at California State University, Fresno in 1995. Her first real taste of a busy newsroom began at KMPH News Radio 107.5FM in Fresno, California as a young and ambitious Editor. Soon after her radio news job Irene moved on to television news as a News Assignment Desk Editor at FOX 26 also in Fresno, California. There, she took the lead in covering big stories like the Oklahoma City bombing, the OJ Simpson trial, the murder of Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, and the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
It didn’t take long for Irene to move on to her next chapter in television news broadcast. She went on to become a Newscast Producer in Mobile, Alabama where she covered big stories like Hurricane Georges and the election of Democratic candidate Don Siegelman to the office of Alabama’s state governor.
In 2000 now working in Sacramento, California at KCRA 3 she earned an Edward R. Murrow award for best breaking news coverage of the arrest of Nikolay Soltys who murdered his entire family and kept police on the run. During her four years working at KCRA she polished her live Newscast producer skills so much she was recruited by several local affiliate TV markets.
In 2004 Irene became an Executive News Producer in San Diego at KNSD NBC 7 and KGTV ABC 10 covering major stories such as the death of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, the presidential re-election of George W. Bush and the deadly San Diego County wildfires that required wall-to-wall news coverage for consecutive days with little to no sleep.
In 2009 Irene knew it was time to change her career path toward national and international news coverage. Soon after the election of Barack H. Obama Irene knew the international interest to this historic election would require moving to Washington D.C.
On October 5, 2009 Irene was hired by RT to launch their U.S. news channel and recruit an entire staff of journalists to create what RT America has become today.
Mariella González
Creative Producer Telemundo International Studios
ABOUT
Mariella González
Creative Producer with extensive experience in the field. Multi Promaxbda Awards Winner and member of the jury. Since 2008, she has been part of the Academy’s Awards live show production team in Los Angeles, California.
As Creative Producer, she has led successful advertising campaigns for important shows in the United States, such as: The Billboards Awards, La Voz Kids, the Latin Music Awards, El Señor de los Cielos, among others.
Graduated from The New York Film Academy in Hollywood, she has been part of the directing teams for important fiction series produced by Telemundo Studios and Nickelodeon USA.
She is currently part of the creative and development team for Telemundo Global Studios in Miami, focusing on the Production Design department to national and international productions.
BORIS GORLOV
Head of Creative Department RT
ABOUT
BORIS GORLOV
Boris Gorlov is the head of RT promo department with 15-year working experience in the media.
He joined RT in 2006 as a producer for English promo department, at the same time being a professor at the Moscow State Art and Cultural University. In 2009 he became chief-editor of Spanish promo department.
He leaded the united promo department in 2013 and continued his work on various promotions for all RT family channels: RT International, RT UK, RT Español, RT Arabic, RTDoc. With his team he won numerous TV awards including New York Festivals, PromaxBDA, Omni etc.
Wuan-ling Gou
Supervisor, International Affairs Section, International and Strategy Development Department Taiwan Public Television Service Foundation
ABOUT
Wuan-ling Gou
Ms Wuan-ling Guo has been working in the TV industry for more than 30 years. Spending almost ten years on international news production, she was producer of international news programs at Public Television Service (PTS), and her program was shortlisted for Excellent Journalism Award in Taiwan. She has also been the producer of an in-depth talk show, co-production documentaries, and children’s programs. Her work was screened at Berlin International Film Festival, and has received Best Long Documentary Award at International Gold Panda Documentary Festival in Sichuan, China. At the same time, she serves as the director and curator for Taiwan International Children’s Film Festival (TICFF) and Best of INPUT in Taiwan since 2014. And she also serves as the executive producer and commissioning editor of documentaries.
Marie-Claude GUAY
Head of Innovation Centre, Industry Expertise and Market intelligence Business Consulting, CGI Mtl
ABOUT
Marie-Claude GUAY
Recognized as an agent of change, Marie-Claude has 20 years experience in story production across different mediums and audiences, from journalistic reporting to corporate communications. Prior to co-founding 2 organisations, she was an award-winning journalist who spent 14-years producing and telling stories from over 30 countries as a Radio-Canada reporter and through Cpasifou, her independent multimedia project documenting her family’s year-long around-the-world journey. Driven by innovation, she believes that the spread of technology offers transformative opportunities to positively inform our society.
Henjo Guitjens
Managing Partner Zcene Moving Media
ABOUT
Henjo Guitjens
Henjo is an experienced corporate video maker. He started as a scriptwriter of the famous Dutch Toonder Studios in the 80’s. Later on, he was the co-founder of Trimage Productions and Moodfactory, both award-winning production companies.
After having been CEO of MSL Group the Netherlands, an international communications agency, part of the Publicis Group, he became co-owner of Zcene Moving Media.
Henjo considers himself as a true storyteller. He still loves the art of writing scripts that bring challenging subjects to live compellingly.
Henjo was born in 1959 in Heeze, The Netherlands.
Ritesh Gupta
Director I Creative Director I Executive Producer Freelance
ABOUT
Ritesh Gupta
Ritesh is a journalist turned filmmaker who's created some of the most iconic digital films of the past four years. Working as a director & showrunner, he’s primarily been focused on helping some of the world’s biggest brands change culture through brand films and branded content, creating critically-acclaimed work, including 2019’s viral hit This Bud’s for 3 for Budweiser and Dwyane Wade.
Christina Hackl
Head of post-production / Editor Light & Shadow GmbH
ABOUT
Christina Hackl
With a degree in film and television studies, Christina has been working in the film industry for around 6 years as an editor, producer and camerawoman. She has edited a number of blue-chip wildlife documentaries for the international TV market. Her projects took her to Europe, Africa and South America. At the award-winning production company Light & Shadow GmbH, she is responsible for the post-production, but is also involved in the filming, writing and other parts of the creative process.
Melanie Haft
Managing Director & Head of Production nautilusfilm GmbH
ABOUT
Melanie Haft
Studied Media & Communications in Augsburg, Germany
Owner of NautilusLizenzen GbR
Head of filmmaker´s trainee program @nautilusfilm GmbH since 2019
Awards: nautilusfilm productions have so far received
41x „Best of festival“ Awards, 3 Panda Awards (Wildscreen),
2 Awards at Jackson Wild, over 250 Awards worldwide
Alex Hahn
Electronic Media Artist Ludlow Arts
ABOUT
Alex Hahn
Alexander Hahn is a pioneering electronic media artist. He received his MFA from the University of Fine Arts, Zürich/CH and is a 1981 fellow in the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program. His videos, installations and computer prints are exhibited worldwide, most recently at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Kunstmuseum Solothurn/CH, the Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea, Ferrara/IT, and the National Art Museum of China, Beijing/CN. Among his awards are the New York State Council on the Arts Grant, Zurich Work Award, and the Swiss Federal Grant. He lives in New York.
Reiko Hara
Director of International Relations Fuji Television Network, Inc.
ABOUT
Reiko Hara
Ms. Hara grew up as a global citizen, living in various countries. Fluent in English, she joined Fuji Television Network, the leading commercial broadcaster in Japan, where she was assigned to the Production department and worked on NARUHODO THE WORLD, a highly famed travel quiz show, and SMAPxSMAP, a variety show starring Asian super-star group SMAP. Since 2005, Ms. Hara has been with the International Department. One of her current tasks is to select and submit the station’s productions for various international awards, making her a connoisseur of fine programs.
Yuko Hashizaki
Director of International Relations, News Center Kansai Telecasting Co, Ltd.
ABOUT
Yuko Hashizaki
Yuko Hashizaki is in charge of International Relations at Kansai Television Co. Ltd. (Kansai TV)
She has experience in organizing and promoting live entertainment shows and sporting events ranging from traditional Japanese arts such as Kyogen to Italian opera Japan tours.
From 2005 she worked in the news department for international relations where she produced international editions of documentaries and news features, and from 2012 she was in charge of international relations in the President’s Office.
From June 2023, she manages the company’s international relations from the Content Design Department, supervising Kansai TV’s global promotion and producing and promoting international competition editions of Kansai TV’s programs.
Tamsin Herbert
Film Executive Independent
ABOUT
Tamsin Herbert
Tamsin is an experienced Executive producer and Producer creating original content for brands. She started as a Producer at global communications agency Imagination and then became Head of Film at the WPP agency FitchLive. She is now an independent Producer.
Some recent credits include producing branded content for Barclays Premier League, a series of films about inspirational Paralympians for Sainsbury’s / Channel 4, and the opening film for the 2016 British Grand Prix for Channel 4.
She produced a feature film Night Bus that premiered at the 2014 London Film Festival and won Best Feature Film at the British Independent Film Festival 2015.
Peter Herbst
VP, Executive Creative Director St. John & Partners
ABOUT
Peter Herbst
An art director and graduate of the Fashion Institute of New York, Peter offers 20+ years of experience on brands such as American Express, Lufthansa, Green Mountain Coffee, Rooms To Go and United Airlines. Peter is a native of upstate New York and joined SJ&P from Y&R, New York. Peter came to the agency with a breadth of category experience and a style that his staff and our clients find refreshing. In a business where creative directors are too often made famous by their mercurial nature, Peter is a guy people enjoy being around – easygoing, well read and well versed in a wide range of topics. Peter is genuinely curious, and that shows in his work. When he is not creating new ideas with and for our clients, Peter enjoys traveling at high speed and long distance – his favorite activities are drag racing and leisure travel. Peter has visited five continents, 13 countries and 37 states. So far.
Dillon Hicks
Managing Director & Partner Sudo Roux
ABOUT
Dillon Hicks
Dillon heads up operations and content delivery at Sudo Roux backed by over 20 years’ experience in design, project management, production, operations, and content creation. He formerly led design and delivery teams at Foxtel, Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), STW Group, and WPP, covering a wide range of verticals, from technology to entertainment, telecoms to education. With Dillon, you get more than just experience. You get somebody who cuts through the jargon to form genuine partnerships.
Varaprasad J V
Creative Director \ Editor Greatguns Films Corp
ABOUT
Varaprasad J V
Varaprasad JV is a talented Ad film director, editor, and music designer who has been involved in the film industry for nearly 25 years. His expertise spans across various genres, including animation films, live-action films, and social media videos.
Born and raised in India, Varaprasad JV developed a passion for filmmaking at a young age. As a Creative Head of post-production in some of India's leading animation studios, the individual has had an illustrious career in the industry. With extensive experience and expertise, they have played a pivotal role in shaping the post-production landscape in India's animation industry
Varaprasad has a unique style that combines visual storytelling with a deep understanding of his audience. He was able to create compelling narratives that resonate with viewers and leave a lasting impression. Varaprasad has directed a wide range of commercials, including those for major brands and businesses, and is known for his ability to bring out the best in actors and crew members alike.
His expertise in post-production and Live action Ad film direction has made him a sought-after industry expert, and served on juries for several animation festivals, both in India and abroad.
Varaprasad's work has been appreciated by many international film festivals, and he has served as a Grand jury member in FICCI Frames, PIFF (Pune international film festival) and New York festival as well. His extensive knowledge in film Making and his artistic vision have earned him several accolades throughout his career.
Alicja Jankowiak
Editor-in-Chief SuperMemo World sp. z o.o.
ABOUT
Alicja Jankowiak
Alicja Jankowiak is Editor-in-Chief at SuperMemo World, a leading provider of online and mobile learning solutions in Poland, also operating globally. Executive producer and editorial project manager for “Olive Green”, the multiple-award winning product for learning English based on a full feature interactive film, authored and published by SuperMemo World. Enthusiast of languages, applying technology in the process of learning and all things Basque.
Celia Jaspers
Producer / Director TVNZ
ABOUT
Celia Jaspers
Award winning director, Celia Jaspers has been in the industry for 30 years and has amassed vast experience in all aspects of production for film and television. She has extensive experience across all trades - theatre, television and film. As lead creative, her factual programmes & documentaries have won awards from the New York Festivals international Television and Film Awards, Asian Television Awards, Jackson Hole Science Media Awards and the International Wildlife Film Festival. And her narrative short films have gathered over 30 awards from 60+ international festivals, including official selection in 5 Academy Award affiliated film festivals. She is currently a judge for the New Zealand Film and Television Awards and the New York Festivals Awards. Member of WIFT and the DEGNZ.
______
Michaela Javorsky
Producer, Entertainment TV ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation)
ABOUT
Michaela Javorsky
Having a long history in Entertainment TV and, from 2014 to 2021 in Program Development & Quality Management, specialized on international formats, she has returned to the field of Entertainment TV in 2021, now producing various programs and shows including many co-productions. Additionally she is representing ORF in EBU’s, European Broadcasting Union’s, TV Assembly. Beside that she has been holding lectures, first at Donauuniversität Krems, now at Fachhochschule St. Pölten (University of Applied Sciences), in the field of TV and Media for years.
William Jeakle
General Manager Filmateria Studios
ABOUT
William Jeakle
William Jeakle became a bestselling author at age 21 while at Stanford University, when he penned How to College with two fellow Stanford students. He has since written four additional books, numerous newspaper articles, and a monthly magazine column. After Stanford, Jeakle joined CNN as a director of special projects. His tasks included assisting in developing the business plan for CNN International, and helming numerous special projects for CEO Ted Turner. In addition, Jeakle directed CNN sales and marketing to Canada and Special Markets.
In 1990, Jeakle launched TVBooks, a publishing and production company, which helped develop the Bill Nye, the Science Guy television pilot and co-wrote Nye’s bestselling Big Blast of Science. In 1997, he launched Filmateria Studios. At Filmateria, Jeakle oversees the creative direction of the company, as well as crafting business alliances that strengthen Filmateria’s offerings. Filmateria has helped market products as diverse as Xbox, YouTube’s Screening Room, and Bungie’s Halo video game.
As writer, producer, and director, Jeakle has created hundreds of film and video titles directing talent including astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Jeopardy star Ken Jennings, and actor and comedian Ed Helms.
Jeakle conceived and created the YouTube kids’ series Team Marco Polo, which has garnered numerous honors and well over a million views. He is the producer and co-director of the forthcoming documentary Late Fees, chronicling the rise and fall of Blockbuster video.
Jeakle’s work has appeared on Comedy Central, The New York Times, USA Today, Girls’ Life Magazine and The Washington Post. Along the way, his work has picked up an Emmy and several New York Festivals awards for creative excellence. He is currently a contributor to the Leadership section at Forbes.com.
Jeakle lives in Seattle with his wife Marisa. He has three children living in L.A. He enjoys traveling (he speaks Italian) and hanging out with his kids and dog, Muddy.
Masakatsu Kasai
Managing Executive Officer, Member of the Board, Executive Producer Tohokushinsha Film Corporation
ABOUT
Masakatsu Kasai
Masakatsu Kasai is an executive producer of advertising business such as commercial films, promotions, and events.
He has won Grand Award at NYF TV&Film for Yamazaki Moments, Suntory and many other international awards including Cannes Lion, Clio Awards, Mobius Awards, and Adfest, and ACC and Galaxy awards as domestic awards, one of the biggest creative awards in Japan.
He has been dedicated his work for Toyota, Daihatsu, NTT, Suntory, Kirin, Canon and many other clients.
He is also responsible for a management of creative department where in-house directors, DoPs, editors, and creatives belong.
Besides that, TOHOKUSHINSHA FILM CORPORATION is engaged in feature film, video production, gear house, post production, broadcasting business, licensing sales management.
Manuela Kasper-Claridge
Editor-in-Chief Deutsche Welle
ABOUT
Manuela Kasper-Claridge
Manuela Kasper-Claridge is a journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Deutsche Welle, Germany’s international public broadcaster. Her primary focusses are upholding high editorial standards and increasing diversity in DW’s reporting. Manuela Kasper-Claridge is also on the Communications and Media Committee of the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce, on the Board of Trustees of the renowned ifo Institute in Munich and serves on the CIVIS Advisory Board
Amy Katz
Acting Chief VOA Kurdish Voice of America News Center
ABOUT
Amy Katz
Amy Katz is the Senior Executive Producer for TV in the VOA News Center. She began her VOA career more than 20 years ago as a TV reporter for the News Center. Prior to VOA, Katz worked for ABC News in New York on the “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings” show and later relocated to the network’s Washington bureau to work on “This Week with David Brinkley.” Throughout her career she has covered major world events, has coordinated numerous special projects and traveled the U.S. and the world as Peter Jennings’ field producer. She also contributed to the launch of the Fox News Channel in New York and served as a Senior Producer for Discovery Health Channel’s “Birthday Live” annual programs. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.
George F King
Vice President ViuTV
ABOUT
George F King
George King has been working in the TV media industry in Hong Kong for over 30 years. He's currently the Vice President (Creative Production Service) of ViuTV (one of Hong Kong terrestrial TV channels) and nowTV (Hong Kong Pay TV frontrunner). During the early years, George has won numerous international awards, most notably the Grand Kam Fan of the 1995 4As Creative Awards of Hong Kong (now known as Kam Fan Awards), which still stands as the one and only grand award that was won by a local TV station. George was also selected as the Awards Chair of PromaxAsia 2016.
Robert Labayen
Head, Integrated Creative Communication Management ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation
ABOUT
Robert Labayen
Robert Labayen is Head for Integrated Creative Communication Management of ABS-CBN, the largest media network in the Philippines. His division has won top awards from the New York Festivals and Promax-BDA, among many others. He spent 20 years in the Philippine advertising industry which gave him the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.
Yen-Ming Lai
Section Chief, Documentary Platform Taiwan Public Television Service Foundation (PTS)tim langford
Director BPTV
ABOUT
tim langford
Tim is an award-winning director/writer & filmmaker based in London.
He’s had a diverse career as a creative with a wealth of experience in corporate film, commercials, short film, promo’s, television documentary and marketing films.
Corporate films with major global brands particularly in the energy and financial sectors. Television work with the BBC, Sky, Channel 4, MTV, RTE and MBC. He’s on the board of EVCOM in the UK.
“As a director and creative the DNA of my work is to come up with bright ideas and turn those into films that engage, inspire, touch hearts and change minds”.
Mark Lawrence
Executive Director, EMEA Endemol Shine International
ABOUT
Mark Lawrence
Mark Lawrence is Executive Director EMEA for Endemol Shine International and is based out of Endemol Shine Group’s head office in London. Mark has over 20 years’ experience working in the Channel Broadcasting business, specialising in content acquisitions, channel management and co-productions. Mark has previously held positions as Head of Acquisitions at Granada Media Group, Director of Acquisitions for The Hallmark Channels and Director of Global Acquisitions at NBC Universal International Channels.
Well-known and respected throughout the industry, he currently leads the European sales team in addition to expanding channel opportunities for the Endemol Shine owned and represented catalogue.
Jongmoon Lee
Producer FURMO DT
ABOUT
Jongmoon Lee
A producer and consultant of post-production company FURMO DT. Focusing on trends of content sales and distribution, he provides consulting and directly engages in developing bland-new processes. He believes that the first step to localization is integrating language and cultural differences for delivering the original intended emotional experience to overseas audiences.
Dr. Patrick Lehn
Senior Manager Group External Communications dormakaba International Holding AG
ABOUT
Dr. Patrick Lehn
Patrick Lehn has been working in corporate communications for over 20 years. One key aspect of his work is storytelling. He was the project manager of a film series and PR campaign that won over 40 awards at international competitions. He joined the dormakaba Group in April 2022 as Senior Manager, Group External Communications.
CHANGYING LIU
Executive Producer CHINA GLOBAL TELEVISION NETWORK
ABOUT
CHANGYING LIU
An avid story-teller, Changying is passionate about recording the human world in creative and visually compelling ways. She's committed in bringing to audience social issues as well as exploring the complex human nature. During her two-decade stint, Changying created several news and current affairs programs. Right now, she oversees two award-winning documentary programs: Assignment Asia and Rediscovering China, as well as CGTN's Foreign Desk.
Ivan Llopis
Audio Art Director \ Lead Composer Banjo Soundscapes
ABOUT
Ivan Llopis
Composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Self-taught, he began to experiment with sound and music from a young age.
His first scores for short films and documentaries began to attract attention and positive acclaim which led to him to receive commissions for other projects. He then moved into composing for advertising, a sector in which he now has years of experience and has received solid recognition.
Later, he began to create soundtracks for animation series, a format that particularly excites Iván as it allows him to delve deeper into the universe of sound that evolves and accompanies the viewer across seasons.
Also highly acclaimed, is his TV Branding work for channels such as Movistar+, Canal+ France, National Geographic amongst others.
All this experience has led Iván to understand that the way to approach each project is as an incredible adventure through which to find notes, sounds and noises in order to create an audio language that will enhance the identity and the feeling of the brand, or the characters and stories.
Iván is currently working on an EP that will be published in 2019, as well as working with Banjo Soundscapes, his creative studio for audio branding.
Banjo Soundscapes has received a number of special mentions and awards in the sector, including the prestigious award Gold World Medal New York TV & Film Awards 2018 for “National Geographic - Further Promos”.
I-LI Lo
Host & Producer Hakka TV
ABOUT
I-LI Lo
I-Li Lo has been working in the production of TV programs of various kinds for more than 15 years. She has won several awards for her contributions to these programs; the major ones are described as follows:
"Under the sun-Hakka showcase" the best Education and Culture Program award in Golden Bell Award, Taiwan, 2008.
"Flavor of My Hometown"the best Lifestyle Program award in Golden Bell Award, Taiwan, 2012.
"The TV Music Feature" the finalist for Performing Arts in New York Festival’s TV & Film Awards, US, 2018.
Brian Lockhart
Senior Vice President, Original Content ESPN
ABOUT
Brian Lockhart
Brian Lockhart serves as senior vice president of Original Content, responsible for overseeing strategy and development of all original programming initiatives under the ESPN Films umbrella and the award-winning E60 series, as well as original series and studio shows on ESPN+, ESPN’s direct-to-consumer streaming service.
Lockhart also oversees Business Affairs, a function which handles deal-making, co-production, Content business negotiation and talent relations. In addition, he oversees ESPN’s award-winning Features group. He previously served as vice president and executive producer of Original Content for ESPN+.
Prior to his role at ESPN, Lockhart was vice president and executive producer of Original Content for NFL Media. He was responsible for overseeing the development and production of a wide array of content on multiple platforms, from long-form documentary series to digital media ventures and features. His responsibilities also extended beyond storytelling to include production, business development, and strategic leadership across several divisions. Lockhart developed, produced, and launched the NFL Network Originals series Undrafted and Football Town, and the digital series NFL Life. He was also the driving creative force behind the development of the original NFL Network documentary series The Timeline, highlighted by the critically acclaimed installment “America’s Game” and “The Iran Hostage Crisis.”
He began his NFL tenure in 2007 as coordinating producer for the network’s Features group. There he helped construct and develop the short form unit that would grow to service multiple news, information/studio shows, and social platforms, and he steered the division’s embrace of digital storytelling outlets. Among the highlights of his tenure were digital/broadcast hybrid projects that earned him three of his eight career Emmy Awards: the groundbreaking multiplatform experience JFK: The Untold Story of That Day in Dallas and the digital series The NFL Season: A Biography. His impact on the NFL Media Group extended beyond the successful content itself. As one of the highest-ranking executives of color, he served as a member of the National Football League Diversity Council, and his work as co-chair of the Black Engagement Network earned him the 2018 Commissioner’s Award for Teamwork.
Prior to his NFL tenure, Lockhart spent six years as a features and replay producer for HBO Sports from 2001 to 2007. There he produced and developed nonfiction, news, and live event programs including Inside the NFL, World Championship Boxing and Costas Now.
Molby Low Kian Chye
CEO/Founder WaWa Pictures Pte Ltd
ABOUT
Molby Low Kian Chye
A TV veteran of more than twenty years. Molby Low started his career with Singapore’s local TV stations and established his own independent production company WaWa Pictures Pte Ltd in 2007.
Under Molby’s steady leadership & unwavering passion for the local entertainment industry, WaWa Pictures have since grown to become a leading content provider in Singapore. Many of WaWa’s content is distributed in Asia.
Molby is in a constant process of grooming and mentoring new creative talents. He continually pushes to produce content that will not only intrigue the local & regional audiences but also resonate with the global viewers
Lok Lui
Producer RADIO TELEVISION HONG KONGMichael Maack
Marketing Producer ZDF - Zweites Deutsches FernsehenHannah Mably
Executive Producer Plastic Pictures
ABOUT
Hannah Mably
Hannah is an experienced Creative Director and Executive Producer of creative film content and integrated campaigns. She has over 22 years of professional experience developing and producing original content for global brands, corporates, charities, government and media agencies; working in close collaboration with the brand, marketing, leadership and communication teams of well-known organisations worldwide.
She understands the role creative film communication plays within wider campaigns, and as a key part of business strategy. Self-driven, she is creatively ambitious with a clear focus on quality, effectiveness and impact.
Hannah is passionate about developing inspiring content that gets results and her work has won 50+ international industry awards for creativity and effectiveness, since 2000.
Dagmar Mackett
Director of Film and Video Possibler drpvideo
ABOUT
Dagmar Mackett
Dagmar Mackett has experience in many areas of television and film. Her career took off in Sweden as Producer/Presenter for national broadcaster SVT. However, being serious about a career in media and production, London was calling. The following time as Producer for the BBC and CNBC, Dagmar eventually moved into corporate production, working for globally recognized production companies, and managing prestigious accounts such as the European Space Agency and Nokia. Since joining drp as Director of Video, Dagmar’s focus has been on creating award-winning films and animations that provide effective and compelling solutions for a variety of clients.
Gabi Madracevic
Founder, Managing Director & Creative Director Luxlotusliner GmbH
ABOUT
Gabi Madracevic
Gabi Madračević is Founder, Managing Director and Creative Director of the design and branding agency Luxlotusliner in Munich.
She is responsible for many national and internationals clients and brandings with numerous award-winning projects at festivals and creative competitions worldwide.
After her studies of Visual Communication she founded the graphic studio “Buro 2” in Stuttgart, worked at BBDO Advertising Düsseldorf,
ProSieben and SevenSenses, and as a creative director at velvet mediendesign in Munich.
Anna Marbrook
Producer/Director Film and TV Anna Marbrook Productions Ltd.
ABOUT
Anna Marbrook
Anna Marbrook is a director and writer in film, television, theatre and large-scale events. An intrepid filmmaker her documentary Te Mana o te Moana, the Pacific Voyagers was filmed across oceans and won a world medal in the 2016 New York Film and Television Awards. As Head of Film and Television for Zoomslide, she created and directed numerous television series and documentaries including Waka Warriors, Real Pasifik and A Little Love Story. Anna began her career in theatre and television drama including directing over 150 episodes of New Zealand’s much loved serial drama Shortland Street.
Maribel Martinez
Founder & Creative Director Diecinueve36
ABOUT
Maribel Martinez
Maribel Martinez is creative director in México City. Over the last few years, her work has been acknowledged by many international festivals and awards such as: New York Festivals, Promax World Gold, Promax Latino, Broadcast Design Asociation, Animacor in Spain, Circulo Creativo and Caracol de Plata Mexico. Her work as creative director includes animated series as: Imaginantes* for Televisa. Maribel founded 19+36”, an independent studio focused on title sequence design for films.
Alex McCall
Producer/Director Glasgow Films
ABOUT
Alex McCall
In his twenty-five years’ experience with the BBC and subsequently as an independent producer/director, Alex has either directed, produced (or both) over ninety films for the UK network on BBC1 and ITV – with many distributed throughout Europe and the United Stated, including items for '60 minutes' on CBS. He has also worked independently for high-profile corporate clients such as British Airways. He has been a panelist on the Documentary Forum at the US Pavilion in Cannes and a lecturer on Documentary Film-Making for the Media Program of the European Union. He has twice been nominated for British Academy Awards.
Bill McCullough
Director & Executive Producer Independent
ABOUT
Bill McCullough
Bill McCullough is a visionary senior executive, Emmy-winning director, and content strategist with over 30 years of experience in content creation, including more than a decade in the digital space. As Chief Content Officer and EVP of Content, he has successfully built digital ecosystems that drive revenue and foster audience engagement. His expertise spans documentary storytelling, original content development, intellectual property creation, and brand marketing, with a consistent focus on innovation and growth.
Bill's career highlights showcase his ability to deliver impactful results across platforms. At the XFL, he generated over 1 billion impressions, and his direction of HBO Sports' Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel cemented his status as a leader in the industry. He developed and produced Faze Clan's 15-day livestream event, yielding over 750 million impressions, and GoPro’s Hala Madrid series for Facebook Watch, which attracted more than 30 million views. His NFL collaboration with Dude Perfect for the Super Bowl Trick Shot campaign earned 27 million views in a single week, and his award-winning 2018 NFL Draft campaign set record viewership milestones. Recently, he launched a YouTube channel with former NFL coach Jon Gruden, amassing over 100,000 subscribers and 50 million impressions in just two weeks. His digital successes demonstrate his ability to architect cohesive content strategies that connect platforms, engage audiences, and maximize revenue potential.
With 11 Emmy Awards—nine in the documentary space—Bill's creative acumen extends to directing, creative direction, composing, and editing. His leadership, combined with a passion for storytelling, continues to produce high-quality, engaging content that captivates audiences and elevates brands worldwide.
David Meadows-Hertig
Head of Production al Dente EntertainmentKen Moffat
Executive Producer LOULAKI BLUE
ABOUT
Ken Moffat
Ken Moffat is the founder and Executive Producer of Loulaki Blue, a Creative Communications Agency based in Sydney Australia.
Ken is a dedicated storyteller, having started his working life as a playwright. Then after a decade of working on major Australian feature films and television series Ken moved into the airline industry as Senior Producer of Qantas Inflight Entertainment, producing and directing numerous international award-winning programs during his tenure there. Then following several years as Creative Director and Executive Producer for a number of large Sydney agencies, he founded Loulaki Blue, a full service award winning Communications Agency specialising in video, animation and motion graphics. (Loulaki Blue has won a World Gold Medal and numerous Bronze medal and Finalist Awards).
He is delighted to join the NYF Grand Jury.
Akira Nishimura
Executive Producer Fuji Television
ABOUT
Akira Nishimura
The Fuji Television producer of the weekly documentary series, The Nonfiction. Main prizes he won: Best Current Affairs Program in Asian TV Awards 2011 for The Nonfiction: Unforgettable - Three Family Portraits / Best Documentary Program in Association of All Japan TV Program Production Companies Awards 2012 for Maria’s New York - The Final Reunion / Gold World Medal in the Human Concerns category in NY Festival 2014 for A Death Scene Cleaner Gets Married. In 2013, he released two motion pictures: God of Ramen, which revealed the secrets of a legendary ramen chef / KANZABURO, that tells the life story of a popular Kabuki star.
Tracey O'Halloran
Creative Executive Producer Media Zoo
ABOUT
Tracey O'Halloran
Tracey O’Halloran is a London based, multi-award winning Creative Executive Producer, filmmaker and scriptwriter who has worked across television, commercials, brand and corporate films.
Winner of over 50 international film awards, Tracey has produced, written and directed content across genres including drama, documentary, animation, interactive cinematic adventures and comedy. In 2018 she won the Grand Award and Best Direction at the New York Festivals Film and TV awards, and in 2018 she was the first British filmmaker to win the Cannes Grand Prix at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards.
Sergio Ortega
Creative Director Independent
ABOUT
Sergio Ortega
Sergio is an experienced award-winning Creative Marketer for Global Entertainment Media Brands with broad international experience (40+ territories) ideating and delivering best-in-class 360 Integrated Marketing campaigns and developing content in more than 40 territories around the EU, CEE, Russia and the Middle East.
Currently consulting as Creative Director/Executive Producer for a variety of Media, E-Commerce and Fashion International brands, he’s previously worked for clients such as Discovery+, Food Network, HGTV,The History Channel , OSN or Viasat, to name a few.
Both member of "Promax Europe Advisory Council" and "The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences of Spain", he regularly collaborates as Juror and Speaker at some of the most relevant international creative events such as New York Festivals, Promax, Emmy International, Clios and MediaBrand.
Michael Pearce
Producer Independent
ABOUT
Michael Pearce
Michael Pearce is the former Head of Global Initiatives for Yahoo Studios in charge of major events coverage and global video production.
In his previous role as Head of Sports for Yahoo Studios, Mr. Pearce directed coverage of five Olympics and two World Cups for Yahoo and created and launched award-winning series such as Memorable Moments, Elite Athlete Workouts, Fantasy Football Live and the Yahoo Sports Minute.
Mr. Pearce spent 20 years in television news as a reporter, producer and executive producer before joining Yahoo in 2005.
Sofie Peeters
Executive Producer Shelter
ABOUT
Sofie Peeters
Life is going fast for Sofie Peeters, born and raised in Belgium. Sofie started from the ground up as a runner in 2010 but was a quick study and by 2012 she was asked to produce all Shelter shows, created by creative mastermind Tim Van Aelst.
Sofies first show as a producer was "WHAT IF?", a sketch comedy that answers all kinds of questions like: “What if Barbie was a real woman?” What if butchers were rockstars?” and “What if Facebook went down for a day?” It became a Saturday night primetime hit in Belgium and The Netherlands. And took home all important international awards. The format spread internationally and got picked up by different countries such as Canada, Russia, Spain, Ukraine and the Netherlands.
After 30 successful episodes of the sketch show Sofie and Tim decide to take it to the next level. Together they create the sitcom “SAFETY FIRST”. A comedy series about a security company and 4 security guards that excel at incompetence but survive through friendship. Safety First is about power and powerlessness, fellowship and solidarity, pride, failure, taking the punch and getting back up. Discipline, dedication and friendship… but (above all) Safety First! While working on this show, Sofie got involved with the creation of the show as well. After producing 16 episodes and a movie about this theme, she’s not only producing but also running production company Shelter together with Tim Van Aelst. Shelter serves the Flemish audience high quality comedy, and has never failed to do so, since 2010.
In 2017, Sofie steps up creatively and for the first time she’s given the chance to turn her first creative idea into a successful prime time show. “DID YOU GET THE MESSAGE?” is all about getting a message across in the most unique and memorable way ever. From embarrassing messages, such as trying to tell your colleague his feet smell, to a creative way of asking someone on a date. No message is off limits. The show was a great success in Belgium, and got picked up straight away by Germany, while other countries such as the US, The Netherlands & Great Britain show a lot of interest. The show won an International Emmy Award in New York, ‘Best New Comedy Format’ at MIPTV in Cannes and the Gold Grand Award at the WorldMediaFestival in Hamburg.
In 2018 Sofie and Tim combined the production of a second series “Did You Get The Message?” with the production of their first big drama series: STUDIO TARARA which aired on February 12th 2019 on VTM, the main commercial broadcaster in Belgium. STUDIO TARARA got great reviews from all different media and instantly created a buzz across the Flemish audience because of the me-too theme in a 90’s setting. The show recently won a Bronze World Medal at the New York Festival TV&FILM AWARDS in the category “Entertainment – Drama”, an Intermedia-globe GOLD at the World Media Festival in Hamburg in the category “Entertainment – Mini series” and also won the award for “Best Series” at the TVSF in Berlin.
Paul Petruccelli
Production/DOC/DPL Manager-Assoc. Professor Pratt institute
ABOUT
Paul Petruccelli
Paul Petruccelli, the Digital Imaging Administrator at Pratt Institute, has been a Grand Jury Member for NYF for almost 30 years. He brings experience from the film, video, music, print, consulting, writing, publishing and educational fields together in a unique way for not only his students at Pratt but as an evaluator and performer. A winner of a CINE Golden Eagle Award, Paul has also been recognized as a digital innovator by HP and Canon and holds certification as a G7 Color Management Professional from Idealliance. A connoisseur of the different and off-beat gives him the perfect perspective for NYF submissions.
Judy Plavnick
Executive Producer & Co-owner Sit. Good Girl Productions, LLC
ABOUT
Judy Plavnick
Judy Plavnick Kiley is a five-time Emmy award-winning producer, having produced programming for networks including PBS, Discovery, ESPN and NFL Films. She began her television career covering politics, for both local and national broadcast outlets, and then moved to sports broadcasting, covering the NFL for seven years. She then joined the non-fiction world, spending six years at Discovery Channel and rising to the position of Senior Executive Producer before transitioning back to sports as Executive Producer for ESPN Classic. Judy formed her own production company in 2013 and is currently developing several series as well as working with corporate clients.
Duncan Preston
Head of Global Creative Services Al Jazeera Media Network
ABOUT
Duncan Preston
Duncan Preston is the Head of Global Creative Services of Al Jazeera English Creative, a multi-award winning creative professional with over 20 years experience in design across all media.
He joined Al Jazeera English in 2005 as a designer working on the launch of the channel and, now as the head of the Creative department, defining the brand and creative direction of the channel.
His team is responsible for all the channel's creative content; channel and program branding, graphic packaging, promos, daily news and information graphics, winning over 60 international broadcast design and promo awards.
Phil Rees
Director of Investigative Journalism Al Jazeera
ABOUT
Phil Rees
Phil Rees is the Director of Investigative Journalism at Al Jazeera. He moved to Doha in 2013 and has been instrumental in building up Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit.
Phil graduated from Oxford University and joined the BBC as a trainee journalist in 1982. He covered Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas during his 26-year career at the corporation.
He has written widely, presented or produced more than sixty documentaries and won nearly 20 international awards. Rees’ 2006 book, Dining with Terrorists, was described as ‘outstanding’ by The Guardian and ‘a tour de force’ by Noam Chomsky.
Deirdre Reilly
Director & Production Consultant Independent Director
ABOUT
Deirdre Reilly
With training received as a network news producer, Deirdre became one of the key members of the original Entertainment Tonight staff, helping to launch one of the most successful shows in television history.
Deirdre is now called upon to lend her expertise from concept to completion; brainstorming with clients on upcoming projects, directing multi-camera in-studio and remote productions, web videos and b-rolls. Her experience working with celebrities and experts has fostered a long term interest in bringing out the best performance possible in those she coaches and directs. She gets tremendous satisfaction from media training and nurturing talent through the entire production process.
Regina Reyes
Journalist/Mentor/Advisor Independent
ABOUT
Regina Reyes
Ma. Regina Reyes was responsible for all newsgathering, content and strategic direction of the Integrated News Division of ABS-CBN Corporation. She has over 20 years of solid experience as a broadcast journalist. During her leadership, all news platforms of ABS-CBN – free-to-air, UHF and cable channels, digital, mobile and social media, radio and global became integrated. Reyes also established a Futures, Standards and Practices Group that aims to ensure the accuracy, balance and fairness of ABS-CBN News content.
Reyes joined ABS-CBN in 1986 as a Production Assistant, rose from the ranks to become Executive Producer and Head Writer of the award-winning late night newscast, The World Tonight. She supervised and produced live coverage of many special events, including the 2000 Impeachment Trial of former President Estrada. She was appointed News Director in 2001.
Prior to her promotion as SVP of Integrated News, Reyes was the network’s North America News Bureau Chief from 2002 to 2010. A premier news personality in the Filipino-American community, Reyes established and expanded ABS-CBN’s news operations in the US and Canada.
She covered issues on Philippine-US relations, Filipino-American community concerns and US politics, including the historic 2008 US presidential campaign and elections.
Reyes also helped in the community-building efforts of The Filipino Channel in North America. In 2007, she was named by the Filipina Women’s Network as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipino Women in the U.S.
Follow Reyes on Twitter @gingreyes and on Facebook/ging reyes
Deepti Sachdeva
Manager, Human Capital - Future of Learning Deloitte Australia
ABOUT
Deepti Sachdeva
Deepti is a multiplatform content producer with over a decade of experience in producing screen content. Over an exciting career so far she has produced award-winning television programs, short films, editorial projects, narrative learning films, animations, illustrations, games and online learning experiences in Asia and Australia. She has worked as a news & current affairs producer, talk show director & producer, documentary director, journalist, writer and communications consultant. In her current role working as a member of Be Learning's Solution team she consults with clients across multiple industries in finance, corporate and government to facilitate the alignment of organisational strategy and vision to active learning solutions.
Wan Haiz Salleh
Commissioning Editor Mediacorp Pte Ltd
ABOUT
Wan Haiz Salleh
Wan Haiz is a Commissioning Editor at Mediacorp. He has 24 years of experience in the media that includes 8 years as a TV child star and a year in production. He has commissioned and managed over 400 programmes in the last 15 years. He has developed multi-platform content across a plethora of genre. His works have won the hearts of the panel of jury at the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards, International Emmy Kids Awards, The WorldMediaFestivals, ContentAsia Awards, Asian Television Awards, Apollo Awards and Pesta Perdana Awards. He graduated with a Master of Communication degree from Wee Kim Wee School of Communication & Information at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Laurent Sauvage
Creative Director France 3
ABOUT
Laurent Sauvage
Multi awards-winning broadcast, creative and strategic thinker.
47 years old, married, 2 children, Laurent has started his career as a copy writer in advertising agencies in Paris for Young and Rubicam, Lintas, TBWA, McCann Erickson. Laurent has created campaigns for Absolut Vodka, Honda, Sega and for many more other companies or products.
Consequently, Laurent joined France 2 (free to air channel), ‘’Dream-On,’’ ‘’Reservoir prod,’’ as a copy writer, creating and producing many promos, branding many successful tv shows.
Laurent has also participated, as the On-Air Director of Discovery Channel Southern Europe, in the building, marketing, launching and branding of Discovery tv channels across Italy, Spain, Portugal and France. Laurent also launched many tv programs and specialized in documentaries and life-time programs.
Laurent has joined France 3 (free to air channel) as the Creative Director, leading a team of 40 people, taking care of the national TV and 24 regions tv. Strategic On-Air creative services including campaigns, brands, promos, digital and marketing strategy.
Since September 2017, Laurent is also in charge of the France 3 Off Air department of 51 people.
Peter Schels
Managing Director Al Dente Eentertainment GmbH
ABOUT
Peter Schels
Former Acquisition executive of RTL television for films & series, producer and director of various entertainment programs in Germany.
Winner of more than 35 national and international awards for corporate and/or pr movies. Member of different international juries
Speaker on various events and high schools. Producer of, the “mother of all corporate movies/die Mutter aller Imagefilme” , Europe´s most successful corporate movie ever.
Meanwhile producing corporate movies in more than 50 countries worldwide.
Stefan Scholz
Director Visualizaton brandscape GmbH
ABOUT
Stefan Scholz
The graduate of business administration with the focus on marketing, cross-entered the world of media in 1993. After editorial services to the most successful Music video program on German television, his focus lies on the creation of industrial productions. With 25 pictures per second he emotionalizes people for over 23 years. His discipline is the realization of image-, event- brand-, TV-, cinema-, point of sale- and trade show – communication in moving image. As head of visual media, he sees the world in Full HD to 8K and finds communication the most interesting, when imagined in space. 20 terabytes are his constant companion.
Chris Schueler
President Christopher Productions
ABOUT
Chris Schueler
Chris Schueler has created over 100 television programs in the past 25 years that have garnered 24 Emmy® Awards and have been broadcast throughout the country and around the world. Winner of a Bronze, Silver, Gold and Grand Award from the New York Festivals, his focus is on educational and social issues. Mr. Schueler creates youth programming and social issue documentaries that are “Television to Touch the Heart.” His clients have included the United Nations, the National Institute of Mental Health, the PBS network, the CBS Network Foundation as well as networks and governments in 35 countries around the globe.
German Sela
Head of Brand Movistar+
ABOUT
German Sela
Since 1997 always involved in branding and promo.
His early days were in the cinema business where he was involved in the production, marketing and distribution strategy of more than 50 feature films as Head of Marketing. In those days he also worked as Music Supervisor for several of them
After that he moved, to pay TV at CANAL+ Spain where he was Creative Services Director (2004-2011) and Brand Director (2011-2015) running a DTH and OTT platforms and a portfolio of more than 20 channels.
His promos and branding works have received distinctions and awards at NY Festival, PROMAX, D&AD, ADCE Awards, LAUS...
Since 2015 he’s running and developing Movistar+, the new brand that results from the merge of CANAL+ Spain and Movistar (Telefonica Group). CONVERGENCE is the Sign of the Times….
Andrey Skvortsov
CEO Mercator Group
ABOUT
Andrey Skvortsov
CEO and co-founder of the Mercator Company
Industrial advertising expert. Author of sales/marketing, PR and IR films and presentations for Russian and European companies, such as Kaspersky, PwC, Vimetco, Sberbank, Russian Railways, Gazprom, ММК, Yota, Orange, Moscow Exchange, Rostelekom, Rosnano, Sibur and others.
Supervisor for information graphics at Russia-1, Russia-24, and Moscow-24 TV-channels. Member of the Academy of Russian Television. Weather presenter and travel show host on NTV.
Writes an articles, marketing and public speaking blog for Harvard Business Review Russia. Developed and teaches “Information Graphics,” “Visual Allegories,” “Presentation Film” and “Public Speaking” courses. Teaches the pubic speaking class at Skolkovo business school.
Author of «The Stanislavsky Method for Public Speakers» cartoon.
Actor and skydiver.
Ed: Faculty of Geography, Moscow State University(1994), MBA (AIBEc)(2004), Robert McKee’s story seminar(2007), Harvard Business School (OPM-38)(2009), Acting School (prof. Teplyakov class)(2014)
Jessica Soho
Broadcast Journalist GMA Networks
ABOUT
Jessica Soho
Jessica Soho is the most awarded broadcast journalist in the Philippines with more than two hundred fifty (250) local awards and more than thirty (30) international awards to date. She is the first Filipina to receive a George Foster Peabody Award for her documentaries on the illegal trade of kidneys and the harrowing plight of Filipino boxers. Her coverage of Super Typhoon Haiyan(local name:Yolanda) in 2013 was instrumental in winning the fourth (4th) George Foster Peabody Award for GMA News and Public Affairs.
Soho is also a Hall of Fame recipient of Reader’s Digest Asia "Most Trusted News Presenter” award, having been bestowed with it for eight consecutive times. In August 2018, she received the UP Gawad Plaridel, the highest honor given by the University of the Philippines system to a media practitioner. She has interviewed UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, former US President Jimmy Carter, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Filipino immunologist Dr. Katherine Luzuriaga, one of the Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2013, among many others.
Her overseas assignments include the coverage of the conflict in Afghanistan ( where she and her team survived a landmine) and Pakistan, the exile of the Marcoses in Hawaii, the Hongkong Handover in 1997, the traditional Christmas Tree Lighting at the Whitehouse in 2005 with former US First Lady Laura Bush, the inauguration of United State President Barack Obama in 2008, the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge in 2011 and the canonization of Pope John Paul II in 2014.
With a career spanning more than three decades from the fall of the Marcos dictatorship to the restoration of democracy in the Philippines, she started covering the military and defense beats in 1985. In 1991, her report on the hostage crisis in northern Philippines earned a Bronze Award in the New York Film and Television Festival.
Soho served as First Vice President for News Programs of GMA Network until 2014. Under herleadership, the network soared to be the country's leading and most credible broadcast news organization. Soho was the driving force behind the creation of I-Witness, the highly-acclaimed documentary series of GMA-7. She also pioneered the Special Assignments Team which produces investigative and enterprise stories. She has also served as juror for the International Emmy Awards since 2010.
Currently, Soho is the anchor of GMA News TV's flagship newscast. State of the Nation with Jessica Soho, host of top-rating magazine show, Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, and chief correspondent/ host of the investigative news magazine program, Brigada. Her premium on in-depth analysis is once again showcased in her live remote anchoring and coverage duties from Itogon, Benguet, where a massive landslide killed over 50 people. She continues to engage reporters on a wide range of timely news events, such as monsoon flooding, Mayon Volcano’s restive activity, Chinese intrusion in Philippine waters, and boxer Manny Pacquiao’s victory, to name a few. Soho graduated from the University of the Philippinesin Diliman, Quezon City with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism.
Mikhail Solodovnikov
General Manager and Chief Creative Officer, Founder T&R and Portable.TV
ABOUT
Mikhail Solodovnikov
During his ten years as GM, Mikhail has developed and successfully launched over a dozen of award-winning TV talk shows, news programs and special series such as prime-time blockbuster "News with Rick Sanchez,” late-night show "Dennis Miller Plus One" with SNL alumni comedian Dennis Miller, financial show “Boom Bust”, the Emmy-nominated “On Contact” with Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Chris Hedges, “America’s Lawyer” with hall-of- fame lawyer Mike Papantonio, "World According to Jesse” with former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, “The Big Picture” with Holland Cooke, daytime shows “In Question”, “Redacted Tonight”, “Watching The Hawks”, "Eat The Press", “Just Press Play” and "Sports HQ".
In 2013 he spearheaded the launch of "PoliticKING” with legendary broadcaster Larry King on RT America. This iconic daily show was on the air for 7 years.
Mikhail is the founder of digital platform Portable.TV. Its users can stream news and talk shows, sports, comedy, documentaries, video game reviews, travel guides, science and technology documentaries. Portable.TV is an official partner of the National Hockey League (NHL) since 2020. Same year Portable.TV began offering instant digital access to Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) content to fans worldwide and till this day it remains the only mobile and smart TV app to deliver both European and North American professional hockey.
Mikhail has established a career in media industry and is recipient of several awards, including 2 Gold PROMAX North America Excellence Awards for Best Art Direction in News. He serves as Director on the Board of International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Mikhail resides in Washington DC, outside of his professional life, he enjoys playing tennis and golf.
Eric B Stein
Founder Impact Global Media
ABOUT
Eric B Stein
Eric B. Stein is one of the leading digital media distribution and licensing executives - and has been at the forefront of digital conversion, having held positions at small startup (Content Licensing & Business Development - CinemaNow), Major Tech (Digital Entertainment Services team at HP) and major studio (Sales, Programming and Acquisitions - Warner Bros). Eric has expertise and experience on both sides of the negotiation table, licensing music, film and TV rights (out and in) in digital distribution platforms ranging from cable, satellite, OTT, Consoles, mobile, hotels, etc. He is currently Founder of Impact Global Media – a Digital Consulting company.
Andreas Sundberg
Reporter TV4Scott Takeda
Director/Storyteller Takeda Entertainment, INC.
ABOUT
Scott Takeda
By training, Scott really should be working on the next generation Apple device or creating a data storage matrix for NASA. He intended to get an electrical engineering degree, but in his sophomore year, his brain circuits shorted after he got a C. (His first, ever.) So he switched majors to journalism and started his lifelong pursuit of telling stories. After a decade in news, he opened Takeda Entertainment to expand his storytelling to clients, picking up six regional Emmys along the way. Interesting trivia: Scott works on both sides of the camera. If you’re a regular viewer of ‘General Hospital,’ you will see him pop up now and then as Judge Richard Lowe. (Cue faraway stare into the distance.)
Andre Takeda
VP Creative Services, LatAm Warner Bros. Discovery
ABOUT
Andre Takeda
I was VP Creative Services at FOX Networks Group Latin America, leading the in-house team responsible for all marketing campaigns and branding for more than 15 channels. Now that FOX is a Disney company, I was Head of Creative Services for The Walt Disney Company Latin America, expanding my role to other lines of business. I managed a team of 120+ creatives, producers and editors in all the region.
My team was awarded in Cannes Lions, D&AD, Clio, El Ojo de Iberoamérica, One Show, Promax, New York Festivals Advertising and the Program Promotion Team of the Year at the New York Festivals TV & Film. I was part of the jury of Promax Global, The New York Festivals TV & Film, Argentine Creative Circle, Venice TV Award and El Ojo de Iberoamérica.
I started my career as a copywriter in Brazil before moving to Argentina. Besides helping other people’s ideas come to life, I love street photography and I have three books published in Brazil and Portugal.
Chih Chong Tan
Executive Producer Sitting in Pictures Pte Ltd
ABOUT
Chih Chong Tan
With 25 years of experience in the local film and television industry behind him, Chih Chong brings along with him both depth and breadth gained over a broad spectrum of works in factual entertainment, magazine, comedy, drama and feature film projects. Since graduating with a B.Sc in film production from the University of Texas at Austin, Chih Chong has proved his mettle in this extremely volatile and competitive industry in Singapore having done work for companies as diverse as MediaCorp, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, Fremantle Media, Voom Networks, AETN, CTN, RTM, and many others. Chih Chong also dabbled in feature films and was a producer on the highly successful Singapore film, Forever Fever.
Gilad Tocatly
Chief Director - Uvda (Fact) Keshet-TV
ABOUT
Gilad Tocatly
Gilad Tocatly is a Film and TV Director and producer. Born in 1966 in Jerusalem, he is an excellence graduate of the Sam Spiegel Film School’s. He has directed more than thousands of studio shows and hundreds of investigative stories, focusing on history, the arts, and politics. He has served as the chief director of Israel’s top rated documentary television program, “Uvda” (Fact) on the Israeli Channel 2, for the past 18 years, since 1993.
Nessa S. Valdellon
First Vice President & Senior Vice President GMA Public Affairs & GMA Pictures
ABOUT
Nessa S. Valdellon
Nessa S. Valdellon has worked in television for over two decades as a producer, an executive producer, and a production manager of documentaries, magazine shows, reality TV programs and historical dramas. She is now Senior Vice President, GMA Pictures and First Vice President for GMA Public Affairs, which produces 27 of the most awarded television programs in the Philippines.
Valdellon began her career as a producer for the investigative news magazine program The Probe Team. She would later pioneer in the reality genre in the Philippines with several hit programs such as Wish and Extra Challenge. She produced Out! the first show in a primarily Catholic nation to focus on gay, lesbian and transgender rights. She co-wrote and produced social realist dramas My Hometown (Bayan Ko) and Teacher (Titser). She supervised historical dramas on Philippine heroes for primetime television. Her work has won various international awards for GMA Network.
Alfred Vendl
Director of Science Visualization Lab Department of Digital Art University of Applied Arts Vienna
ABOUT
Alfred Vendl
Natural Science:
Studies of Material Science at Technical University of Vienna, PhD, Univ. Prof., Research Scientist at Imperial College /University of London, England, University Freiburg/Breisgau, Germany, University of California - San Diego La Jolla, USA , Max-Planck-Institute of Metal-Research Stuttgart, Germany.
Film and Television:
Education as Cameraman in Vienna, Free-lance Cameraman since 1968, since 1970 work for ORF (Austrian Television) as cameraman, writer, director, producer and host of scientific talk-shows.
Writer, director and/or producer of more than 200 prime-time documentaries for ORF, ARD, ZDF, WDR, BR, ARTE, BBC, Discovery, Smithsonian, WNET, etc.
Many international TV-Awards, Emmy-Award 2008 for “Nature Tech”.
Since 2016 director of Science Visualization Lab at Department of Digital Art University of Applied Arts Vienna.
Peter C. Vogel
CEO Vogel AudiovisionGMBH & CO. KGBrian Vos
Executive Producer Jump Studios Ltd
ABOUT
Brian Vos
A broadcast and marketing executive, Brian’s experience includes live and post-produced programming, corporate communications, media strategy and buying, brand marketing and project management.
His credits as television producer include sports, music/variety, drama, documentary, public affairs, and comedy. In the field of post-production and broadcast design, his work includes network identity packages, broadcast design packages and commercials.
Clients include ESPN/ABC, Star Choice, Teletoon, HBO, ATCO, Alabama Power, AARP, Intact Insurance to name a few.
Brian’s work has earned him an Emmy nomination for the NBA Draft, multiple gold and silver Broadcast Design Awards, numerous NY Festivals, Telly, Pixie, Davey, Summit awards.
Chan Wai Tong
Executive Producer Radio Television Hong Kong
ABOUT
Chan Wai Tong
Chan Wai Tong is an Executive Producer. He graduated from Film College and obtained a Master of Cultural Studies. He started his career at stage and film production. He is a Examiners(Film and Media Arts) of Hong Kong Arts Development Council. He has experience producing and directing drama and documentary, always striving to find the best way to tell a story with heart and emotion. He has won more than 50 awards, such as:
Chicago International TV Competition - Gold Plaque (Direction)
US International Film & Video Festival - Gold Camera Award.
Houston International Film Festival- Platinum Award
Berkeley Video & Film Festival- Best of Festival
The Aurora Awards- Platinum Best of Show
Columbus International Film & Video Festival- Honorable Mention
The Accolade Competition- Award of Excellence (Direction)
USA The Videographer Awards- TV/Directing Award of Excellence
Asian Television Awards
Hong Kong Youth Literary Awards
Telly Awards
Ignacio Walker
Cinematographer/Director Chronos Cinema
ABOUT
Ignacio Walker
Ignacio Walker is a cinematographer, known for Netflix's Our Planet (2019, ep. Fresh Water), Quito My Story (2018), The Silent Earth (2012), and Portal (2019). He was born in Santiago de Chile and lives in Los Angeles, US.
Walker began his career as a documentary cinematographer, filming for BBC and other networks in remote locations including South East Asia, Middle East and South America. Since then, he has worked for both, documentary and narrative films, also working on music videos and commercials as a director and cinematographer.
Tatjana Wallays
Producer PanenkaMeg Wells
Director/Filmmaker Independent
ABOUT
Meg Wells
Meg is an award-winning filmmaker, development executive and branded entertainment leader. She has built and led internal and stand alone content studios, has helmed creative and production teams across the globe, and is deeply experienced in authentic and human-centered storytelling. She has worked with major international brands + clients, some of which include: Red Bull, Sony Entertainment, the Olympic Games, Google, Under Armour, Gillette, Lego, Dell, Paris St Germain, BeIN Sports, the NBA, MLB, PGA, NASCAR, Fox Sports, Oakley, Gatorade, Ziploc, Delta Airlines, Acura, J&J and the Home Depot.
As a filmmaker and director, she has written and directed more than a dozen multi-episodic and branded content series, and several feature length documentaries. As an Executive Producer and Development Executive, she has commissioned and produced content for major distribution partners and brands, and as a Consultant, she is sought after for her ability to deeply understand human motivation + value systems, and strategically engineer powerful, audience centric narratives for brands to engage in more uniquely authentic ways.
Currently, Meg is consulting for brands and agencies looking to build studios and create original IP in the branded entertainment space, works as a Fractional Chief Content Officer, Development Executive, EP and Showrunner, and takes on a limited number of commercial + short film directing opportunities for production companies across the globe.
Previously, she was the Executive Producer and Head of Content House for Under Armour, where she built the Under Armour Originals brand and in-house Branded Content Studio, was an Executive Producer and Showrunner for Red Bull Media House, leading a world-wide team of producer, directors and creators supporting all of RBMH’s global broadcasts, was a Senior Producer/ Director for Turner Sports and instrumental in the launch of the NBAtv OTT and linear channels, as well as NBA Digital and NBA.com, and worked across a portfolio of additional Sports properties, developing award-winning brand and image campaigns, documentary and long-form content. She started her career as a Producer + Director in news and entertainment at CNN and TBS.
Hugh Welsh
President DSM North America
ABOUT
Hugh Welsh
Mr. Hugh C. Welsh is the President and General Counsel of DSM North America a global leader in Life Sciences and Material Sciences. Traded on the Amsterdam stock exchange with 24,000 employees world wide and $12 billion in annual sales, DSM develops, manufactures and sells nutritional and food ingredients, biomedical materials, specialty plastics and resins, fibers and renewable energy. Mr. Welsh currently serves on several DSM global and regional management teams and has direct responsibilities in DSM’s nutrition and food specialties operations as well as responsibility for legal, government affairs, corporate communications, finance, HR and other shared services, corporate partnerships and DSM’s sustainability, inclusion and diversity initiatives in the region North America. Hugh currently serves on the Board of Directors of, Partners in Food Solutions, the US Chamber of Commerce Corporate Citizens Center, Seafood Nutrition Partnership, Patheon, and Africa Improved Foods. He previously served on the board of BIO, the American Chemistry Council.
Jan Westphal
Head of Producers RTL Television and RTL Medien Gruppe (RTL GROUP)
ABOUT
Jan Westphal
Jan Westphal is currently Head of Producers of RTL Television Germany. He previously served as Managing Director of the TV production company PRODUCTION EINS based in Cologne, Germany and also he was Executive Producer for Entertainment and Show at RTL Television. During his tenure he was, among others, the Executive Producer of German Idol, The German Music Awards and The German Television Awards. Prior to his Job at RTL TV he was a presenter, writer and programme manager for VOX TV, Deutsche Welle and NBC.
In his early days Jan was Head of Entertainment at Antenne Bayern, Germanys number one radio station, co-founder of Campus Radio in Munich and the former press spokesman of the Festival of Young Artists in Bayreuth.
Jan Westphal was a lecturer at the University of Munich as well as the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne. He also served as a UN media observer during the first free presidential elections in Namibia.
In 2008 Jan Westphal won the German Television Award for Best Entertainment (German Idol)
Noel Wong Ying Fei
Executive Producer Xebec Media Ltd.
ABOUT
Noel Wong Ying Fei
Noel started his profession as a print and television journalist and was a war correspondent in Pakistan right after the 911 Attack. With his fervent aspirations for Chinese arts and crafts, he not only wishes to promote this heritage but also to nurture the next generation. 2012, He worked together with Ray Mak to create a documentary - Soul of China, which won several international awards. 2017, they produce their second feature length documentary - Water of Life and Death, again won several international awards, including Gold World Medal and UNDPI Silver award of New York Festival Awards.
Wing Yan Wu
Producer Radio Television Hong KongRobin Wuchter
Co-Founder aha! film
ABOUT
Robin Wuchter
Robin is an accomplished filmmaker from Germany, specialized in educational content and documentaries. He is a co-founder of aha! film, a content producer for public bodies, universities and tech-companies. Currently, he is adapting international documentaries for TV audiences in Germany and he teaches at the Munich film school.
XIAOWAI XIAO
Director CHINA GLOBAL TELEVISION NETWORK
ABOUT
XIAOWAI XIAO
Xiaowai Xiao, Documentary Director of China Global Television Network（Formerly as English Service of China Central Television）. 15 years of TV program producing experience, working as editor, writer, correspondent and documentary director. Winning more than 10 awards, such as Yearly Best Documentary, Awarded by China Television Artists Association and China Television Documentary Academic Council，Yearly Outstanding Staff of CCTV，Gold Camera Award of US International Film & Video Festival, and World Silver Award of New York Festivals. Graduated from Nankai University and Peking University. Studied in Graduate School of Journalism of UC Berkeley as a visiting scholar during 2015-2016.
Toshie Yoshida
President TI ComNet Japan
ABOUT
Toshie Yoshida
Toshie Yoshida's career in the broadcasting industry spans more than 30 years. Prior to establishing TI ComNet, she worked as an announcer in Japan and the U.S. After returning to Japan, she worked as a producer on a number of programs.
In 2001, she established TI ComNet Japan, which specializes in translation, dubbing, film coordination, and program sales for broadcast content. In recent years, she has been lecturing and writing about the overseas development of local content.
Heather Zions
Managing Producer Exploration Production Inc
ABOUT
Heather Zions
As the Managing Producer for Discovery Canada’s in house production company Exploration Production Inc. (EPI), Heather supervises all aspects of post-production for the shows Mighty Cruise Ships, Mighty Trains and Disasters at Sea. Her most recent work includes establishing and implementing the new UHD workflow for EPI programming. Although her passion has always been what happens after the camera stops rolling, Heather originally started in production. Coordinating international shoots for Mighty Planes followed by managing same day turn arounds for the daily science and tech show Daily Planet, Heather has had her hand in many aspects of making the multi award winning EPI television programming for Discovery.
Tatjana Zivanovic-Wegele
Executive Producer Luxlotusliner
ABOUT
Tatjana Zivanovic-Wegele
Tatjana Živanović-Wegele is Executive Producer of the design and branding agency Luxlotusliner in Munich.
Born in Belgrade, graduated piano at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz / Austria. Gained further education as producer for broadcast, branding design and event in Munich /Germany.
Since 1991, she has been working as musician, composer, musical director, artist and producer for media and arts together with contemporary artists, directors and theatres.
Since 2002, she has been working as creative executive producer, consultant and controller as direct link between the creative department and the customer, for art, industrial clients and Broadcasters worldwide with award winning projects.