Born and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia, I fell in love with cameras and filming early on. I found the passion through the action sport of skateboarding. I loved the deconstructed aspect of finding the perfect angle to tell the best story. While attending Shepherd University I started my first production […]
With more than 23 years of lived experience, incarcerated for a crime he did not commit, Jon-Adrian Velazquez has worked tirelessly to redefine the humanity of men who are or have been incarcerated. Mr. Velazquez has seized every opportunity to learn, lead, support, and give, which earned him an early release in 2021 via executive […]
Lester Holt is an award-winning journalist at NBC News. He is the anchor and managing editor of the network’s flagship broadcast “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt,” which recently won an Edward R. Murrow Award, as well as the anchor of “Dateline NBC.” Named the “most-trusted television news personality in America” by The Hollywood Reporter/Morning […]
Christopher Poindexter is the co-creator, writer, and producer of BRIC TV’s Brooklynification; a Digital series The New York Times described as a “ sharper than most…well-acted and well-written…understated satire.” After graduating Columbia Law School, Chris has been practicing as a transactional media attorney in New York City while also investing, producing and providing legal advice […]
Richard Stengel is the former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy in the Obama administration and the former Editor of Time. He is an on-air analyst for MSNBC.
Eric Kohn is the New York–based Executive Editor and VP, Editorial Strategy at IndieWire, where he has worked since 2007. Kohn travels to film festivals around the globe, interviews filmmakers, and managed IndieWire’s network for professional film critics, the Criticwire Network. Prior to joining IndieWire, Eric contributed to the New York Times and other outlets.
Just before landing at NBC News Studios, Molly O’Brien was the Executive Producer Special Projects & COO of Fork Films in New York City, and a founding producer of Sundance Institute’s Catalyst Initiative in Los Angeles. She is an Academy Award shortlisted and prime-time Emmy award-winning producer with over two decades of experience producing documentary […]
Liz Nord is an Emmy-winning producer and documentary filmmaker who has created and shown work across the globe. She is Head of Programs and Creative Development at the NYU Production Lab, where she runs the Feature Film Development Studio. She recently served as Director of Content at Sundance, where she helped develop Sundance Collab into […]
Chris Hastings‘ passion for television started at age 10 when he produced Kids News, a daily news show at his elementary school outside Philadelphia. After college, he became a founding team member in the development and production of Black Entertainment Television’s award-winning BET Tonight. At WGBH, Chris has worked with children television’s program ZOOM and […]
Jon Reiss is a filmmaker, author and media strategist who wrote the book Think Outside the Box Office. His company, 8 Above, creates custom strategies and distribution campaigns for proactive filmmakers. Reiss has consulted with hundreds of filmmakers and film organizations throughout the world including The Gotham, IDA, Screen Australia, Film Independent, Creative Scotland. He has […]