Board Officers

Stephanie Allain, President

STEPHANIE ALLAIN is one of the most prolific African American producers working today. Her award-winning films by writer-directors of color make headlines, launch careers and shape the cultural landscape. Critical acclaim includes Oscars, Independent Spirit Awards, NAACP Image Awards and worldwide recognition at the Sundance, Telluride, Toronto and Cannes Film Festivals.

Allain started her career as a studio executive at Columbia Pictures in the early 90s, championing John Singleton’s directorial debut, Boyz N the Hood, which earned $65 million and two Oscar nominations. She stayed at the studio for a decade, supervising seminal, independently spirited films by writer-directors, which include Poetic Justice, El Mariachi and Higher Learning.

In 1996, she became President of Jim Henson Pictures and produced Muppets From Space, The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland and Buddy.

She founded Homegrown Pictures in 2003 to produce inspirational and aspirational films by and about women and filmmakers of color, including Biker Boyz, Hustle & Flow, Something New, Black Snake Moan, Peeples, Beyond the Lights, Dear White People, French Dirty, Burning Sands, Juanita, The Weekend, Really Love and more.

From 2011-2016, she served as Director of the LA Film Festival, turning it into the most diverse film festival in the United States and the first to report on its percentages of films directed by women and people of color.

As a writer, she adapted Misty Copeland’s best-selling memoir, Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina for New Line Cinema.

In 2020, she became the first African American woman to produce the Academy Awards for which she was Emmy nominated. Her TV credits include Justin Simien’s Dear White People, CW’s Make It Work and Ava Duvernay’s Zoom Where It Happens.

A long-time activist for inclusion and diversity within the business, she is a founding member of gender parity organization, ReFrame, and an active member of AMPAS and the Writers Guild of America. A former board member of Women in Film and Film Independent, she currently sits on the boards of American Cinematheque and the Producers Guild of America.

A recipient of the 2020 PGA/UCLA Vision Award, she has taught at UCLA, USC and is a frequent panelist and commentator.

 

Donald De Line, President 

DONALD DE LINE (Producer) has collaborated with outstanding talent on both sides of the camera during his more than 25 years in the film and television industry.

De Line is currently developing a wide range of upcoming film and television projects under his De Line Pictures banner, headquartered at Warner Bros Pictures. He is currently filming a limited series about Billy the Kid and is in post-production on the feature “Don’t Make Me Go” for Amazon Studios starring John Cho.

Currently airing is the limited series “Chapelwaite”, based on Stephen King’s short story “Jerusalem’s Lot” and starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody, which De Line executive produced. He also produced 2018’s blockbuster “Ready Player One,” directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the bestselling book by Ernest Cline, which grossed over $580 million worldwide. 

De Line scored his first major hit as a producer with 2003’s “The Italian Job,” starring Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron and Edward Norton. His prior films include: Zach Braff’s “Going in Style”, starring Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Alan Arkin; Michael Bay’s hit “Pain & Gain,” starring Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson; Ridley Scott’s “Body of Lies”, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe; and John Hamburg’s “I Love You, Man”, starring Paul Rudd. De Line also served as executive producer alongside M. Night Shyamalan on the popular series “Wayward Pines” on Fox.
 
In addition to his producing career, De Line was formerly a studio executive, serving as President and Vice Chairman of Paramount Pictures, and President of Touchstone Pictures, a division of The Walt Disney Company. During De Line’s tenure, Touchstone’s films grossed in excess of $2.5 billion worldwide and garnered an impressive 24 Academy Award nominations.

Among the films he oversaw at Touchstone were “Pretty Woman,” “What About Bob,” and “Father of the Bride” and its sequel. Also under his aegis was Ron Howard’s “Ransom,” the Oscar-nominated biopic “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” Wes Anderson’s “Rushmore,”-

Tim Burton’s critically acclaimed “Ed Wood,” and the worldwide blockbuster “Armageddon.”

De Line serves on the Producers Branch Executive Committee at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as well as the executive board of UCLA's School of Theater, Film & Television. 

 

Chuck Roven, Vice President, Motion Pictures

Bio to be added.

 

Lauren Shuler Donner, Vice President, Motion Pictures

LAUREN SHULER DONNER has, in the past four decades, established herself as one of the most successful and versatile producers in Hollywood.  

Shuler Donner was bound for success from the beginning, as the first feature film she produced was the smash hit comedy Mr. Mom. She then went on to produce Ladyhawke starring Matthew Broderick, Michelle Pfeiffer and Rutger Hauer, and St. Elmo’s Fire and Pretty in Pink, both enormous hits. 

In the early 1990s, Shuler Donner produced Dave and Free Willy, two of the top ten films of 1993.The critically acclaimed Dave was also nominated for both an Academy Award® (Best Original Screenplay) and a Golden Globe® (Best Picture-Comedy). Shuler Donner went on to produce You’ve Got Mail with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, Any Given Sunday, Radio Flyer, 3 Fugitives, the sequel to Free Willy and Constantine with Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz.  

As head of The Donners’ Company, she has executive-produced Volcano, Bulworth and Just Married. Her other productions include Timeline with Paul Walker and Gerard Butler, She’s The Man with Amanda Bynes, and Hotel For Dogs starring Emma Roberts. 

In 2000, Shuler Donner began a new franchise with X-Men and followed up in 2003 with X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men: Origins, The Wolverine, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Deadpool. Shuler Donner also produced The Secret Life of Bees for Fox Searchlight, which was written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and stars Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, and Alicia Keys. This film won multiple People’s Choice Awards including “Favorite Film” and “Best Dramatic Film.” It also won Best Picture from the NAACP Image Awards.   

In Television and streaming, Shuler Donner is an executive producer on three seasons of Legion from Noah Hawley, for FX, and two seasons of The Gifted for FOX with Matt Nix. Next up: Broadway musicals based on her films Dave and Secret Life of Bees. 

Shuler Donner has been honored and given multiple awards both for her career and for her philanthropic work.  

In October 2008, both Shuler Donner and her husband Richard Donner were awarded stars next to each other on Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame. She and Richard were also honored by The American Cancer Society in June of 2006 and by Lupus L.A. in 2008, Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Ojai Film Festival in November of 2008, A Global Green Environmental Leadership Award and The Women’s Guild of Cedars Sinai Hospital Award in 2013. Shuler Donner was recognized for her body of work in 2001 by Premiere magazine with the Producer Icon Award, and was recognized by Daily Variety with a “Billion Dollar Producer” special issue. In June 2006, she received the prestigious Crystal Award from Women in Film, and received another Crystal Award in 2016.  In 2018 Shuler Donner gave the commencement speech at her College at Boston University and received an Honorary Doctor's degree from Boston University. In 2019 The Editor's Guild presented her with their ACE award.  

 Shuler Donner is a dedicated philanthropist who thrives on giving back to the community. She was on the board of directors for Hollygrove Children’s Home for six years until it merged with EMQ in 2006. She has been on the advisory board of Women in Film, was a long-time member of the advisory board of TreePeople, and is a past Board member of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. She has been serving on the advisory board of Lupus L.A. for the past ten years; was on the Executive Committee of the Producer’s Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for ten years; has served as the Treasurer for the Producers Guild and is currently on the Board of The PGA as Vice President. 

 

Mike Farah, Vice Presidents, Television

MIKE FARAH is the C.E.O. of Funny Or Die, the premiere comedy brand known for its award-winning content. He has produced television series, feature films, and digital programming. Prior to becoming CEO, Mike was Funny Or Die's President of Production and won two Emmy Awards as executive producer of Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis. Select credits include the Emmy-nominated Billy on the Street, the Peabody Award-winning
American Vandal, and Players.

Mike is from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and is a graduate of Indiana University. He began his career in entertainment as a food expeditor at The Standard, Hollywood.

 

Melvin Mar, Vice President, Television

Melvin Mar began his career at Dreamworks SKG, Scott Rudin Productions, where he built a solid relationship with Orange County director Jake Kasdan. They have since worked together on the films The TV Set, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Bad Teacher, Sex Tape, Jumanji: Welcome to The Jungle, Jumanji: The Next Level, the hit television comedy New Girl, the indie feature Lucky Grandma, the upcoming Disney+ movie Prom Pact. Mar also serves as an executive producer on American Born Chinese to be released on Disney+ in early 2023, Doogie Kamealoha, MD, Fresh Off the Boat, Bless This Mess, Weird Loners, The Grinder and Speechless. Mar and Kasdan have an overall deal at Walt Disney Television, where they are developing comedies and dramas for cable, streaming and network television.

 

Steve Cainas, Vice President, Producing Team

STEVE CAINAS is based in Atlanta. He joined the PGA in 2010 and has been active in the East Coast Region. Steve graduated from Full Sail University with a film degree in 1992 and returns often to lead speaking engagements, as well as mentor students and recent graduates. He has served 30 years in our industry, predominantly as a Production Coordinator and Production Supervisor on over 50+ feature film and television productions with award-wining producers and directors. Steve’s credits include Sweet Home Alabama, Twilight Breaking Dawn, Fast 8, LOST, True Detective, Jack Ryan, and several AMC Network series with filming locations throughout the US, Cuba, Colombia, & Canada.

 

Donna Gigliotti, Vice President, Eastern Region Steering Group

DONNA GIGLIOTTI is one of only eight women awarded an Academy Award for Best Picture. She has been Oscar nominated for producing Hidden Figures, Silver Linings Playbook, The Reader, and Shakespeare In Love (which won a total of eight Oscars). Gigliotti was Emmy nominated for the 2018 ABC Academy Award telecast, the shortest show in modern Oscar history.

 

Yolanda T. Cochran, Treasurer

An experienced and skilled producer, consultant and executive, YOLANDA T. COCHRAN is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (serving on the Executive Branch Executive Committee), Television Academy of Arts & Sciences and also the Board of Directors of the Producers Guild of America (PGA). Her dedication to the PGA includes having been a former national co-chair of the Women’s Impact Network committee, member of the Anti-Harassment Task Force (which was among the first of industry guilds to establish and publish specific guidelines for film and television productions), the One Guild Steering Committee as well as the Production Safety Best Practices Task Force.

Cochran is also a co-producer and co-host of the irreverent podcast series Dungeons ’n’ Durags which follows the hilarious journey of one nerdy black man’s crisis of racial identity and crisis of faith in an America turned upside down. Prior podcast productions include a documentary short and podcast mini-series entitled Breaking the Glass, highlighting and seeking solutions to challenges specific to gender and race in the entertainment industry.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, she took on the role of SVP Live Action Production at ViacomCBS’ Kids & Family where she oversaw scripted and unscripted series and specials for Nickelodeon & AwesomenessTV (notable among them a reboot of iCarly, the resurgence of Nick News and the launch of new series That Girl Lay Lay and NFL Slimetime). Previously Cochran was VP Production at Walt Disney Television’s Freeform studio and network, overseeing Good Trouble, The Bold Type, Siren, Motherland: Fort Salem (among others) and prior to that was EVP Physical Production at Warner Bros. affiliated Alcon Entertainment. Her feature producing credits include: The Book of Eli, Dolphin Tale 1 & 2, Something Borrowed; Joyful Noise; Lottery Ticket, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, Beautiful Creatures, Point Break, and The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock which was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Picture. In 2005, Cochran co-wrote and produced an independent thriller entitled Paved with Good Intentions. Other credits from her work behind the lens include: Life, Blue Streak, Nutty Professor II, Coyote Ugly and Dragonfly.

A former CPA, Cochran is an oenophile and native of Texas with proud familial roots in Louisiana.

 

Mike Jackson, Recording Secretary

MIKE JACKSON is an Emmy® and Tony® Award-winning film, theater, and television producer. As co-founder and managing partner of Get Lifted Film Co., a production company that has developed projects with major networks including ABC, NBC, FOX, HBO, Showtime, Netflix, and FX, Jackson harnesses his Philly hustle and unparalleled tenacity to bring elevated multicultural content to global audiences alongside Ty Stiklorius and EGOT-winner John Legend.

Jackson’s current projects include LOUDMOUTH, a documentary about Reverend Al Sharpton who has been at the center of the national conversation around race since the late 1980s, which premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival; THE BLACK CYCLONE, a feature drama film about cycling champion Marshall Walter “Major” Taylor; the film THE LONG WAY DOWN based on Jason Reynold’s award-winning novel which will be distributed by Universal; the film adaptation of S.A. Cosby’s novel BLACKTOP WASTELAND; and the latest season of the comedy series SHERMAN’S SHOWCASE, returning this October to IFC.

Notably, Jackson produced David E. Talbert’s acclaimed holiday film JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS STORY and executive produced HBO docu-series ATLANTA’S MISSING AND MURDERED: THE LOST CHILDREN, which received the AAFCA TV Honor for Best Documentary and was awarded “Best Multi-Part Documentary” by the International Documentary Association. Jackson and Get Lifted also executive produced the HBO documentary 40 YEARS A PRISONER and the Netflix documentary GIVING VOICE. Additionally, SHERMAN’S SHOWCASE: BLACK HISTORY MONTH SPECTACULAR, a one-hour special on IFC and AMC, RHYTHM + FLOW for Netflix, which won the 2020 NAACP Image Award, ABC’s "John Legend and Family: A Bigger Love Father's Day.”, Damien Chazelle’s Oscar®-winning musical LA LA LAND, as well as NBC’s 2018 Emmy®-winning JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR LIVE and the 2017 Tony® Award-winning August Wilson play JITNEY.

Aside from film/TV, Jackson and Get Lifted have partnered with Zando to form Get Lifted Books, which builds upon Get Lifted Film Co.’s mission of spotlighting stories from dynamic creatives. The imprint will publish brilliant authors, who transform the conversation, in both adult fiction and nonfiction as well as titles for young readers.

Last year under Jackson’s leadership, Get Lifted and Erik Feig’s PICTURESTART formed Picture LIFT, a joint venture focused on developing, producing, and financing multiple films in the $10M range, featuring diverse filmmakers and inclusive casts. Recently announced, Get Lifted and Universal Studio Group’s UCP inked a first-look deal for unscripted series and an exclusive multi-year overall deal for scripted content.

Jackson recently joined the Board of Directors for both the Austin Film Society and the Producers Guild of America(PGA).

 

Kristie Macosko Krieger, Recording Secretary

KRISTIE MACOSKO KRIEGER is an Academy Award, PGA Award, and BAFTA-nominated producer, who serves on the Executive Committee of AMPAS’ Producers Branch and as a member of the Board of Directors of Amblin Partners.  She is currently producing WEST SIDE STORY (Disney) alongside close collaborator Steven Spielberg, Bradley Cooper’s upcoming Leonard Bernstein biopic, MAESTRO (Netflix), and Spielberg’s next (untitled) directorial project, which is currently in production.  Macosko Krieger recently executive produced Aaron Sorkin’s Oscar-nominated THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 (Netflix) and the Emmy-nominated HBO film OSLO. 

 

Gail Berman, President Emeritus

GAIL BERMAN is recognized as one of the most prolific content creators in the entertainment business, having launched award-winning properties for television, film, digital, and the Broadway stage.

Berman is the Chairman and CEO of The Jackal Group, a production studio creating scripted and unscripted television, feature films, and commercial theater. TJG has produced such varying projects as the cultural phenomenon, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo for Netflix, and The Addams Family animated film for MGM. TJG currently has a number of scripted television projects in development, including, Chloe Benjamin’s New York Times best-selling novel, The Immoralist at Hulu, and Shock Theatre at AMC. On the feature film side TJG is producing Elvis, the Baz Luhrmann musical film for Warner Brothers, and The Addams Family 2 animated film for MGM, TJG’s film development includes, I Almost Forgot About You, at Universal, based on the Terry McMillan best-selling novel, Agnes Scott vs Princeton at Netflix, and Carlin the biopic on the life of George Carlin.

Concurrently, in 2019 Berman initiated and served as the Chairperson of Sidecar Content Accelerator an in-house production studio for Fox Entertainment.

Berman is one of the few media executives to hold the top posts at both a major film studio and a broadcast television network. She was named President of Paramount Pictures in March 2005. Before joining Paramount, Ms. Berman served from 2000 to 2005 as President of Entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company. She took the network to the top of the ratings for the first time in its history, developing iconic hits such as American Idol, 24, House, and Arrested Development.

Prior to FOX, Ms. Berman served as founding President of Regency Television, the TV studio created in 1998 as a co-venture between Fox Television Studios and New Regency Productions. Under Berman, Regency Television quickly grew into one of the most prolific and respected suppliers of TV entertainment programming, including the primetime hit Malcolm in the Middle. earlier, as President and CEO of Sandollar Television, Berman served as executive producer on the global hit shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Gail has produced over 300 episodes of television.

Ms. Berman spent seven years as co-founder and co-owner of the media company BermanBraun, which became an innovator in the digital arena, creating and operating many successful online brands in categories including celebrity, entertainment, and lifestyle.

Berman began her career as a theater producer after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in theater from the University of Maryland. At 23, she co-produced her first Broadway show, the original Broadway production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” which went on to garner seven Tony Award nominations. Berman’s other Broadway productions include “Hurlyburly,” by David Rabe (1984); Athol Fugard’s “Blood Knot” (1985); and “The Nerd,” by Larry Shue (1987). All three productions received Tony Award nominations.

In 2003, Berman was named to FORTUNE magazine’s list of 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business (#25). That same year, she received the coveted Lucy Award, recognizing “women who have revolutionized the television industry” from Women in Film. In 2004, she was named to FORBES magazine’s list of 100 Most Powerful Women in the World (#49), reappeared on the FORTUNE list (#25), and received the inaugural Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award from the National Association of Television Production Executives (NATPE). Berman also was awarded the title of Executive of the Year (2004) by the Caucus for Television Producers, Writers, and Directors in January 2005. In 2006, Berman became a Paley Center for Media “She Made It” honoree.

Berman also serves on the Board of Directors of the Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles’ preeminent non-profit theater company, which oversees the Ahmanson Theatre, the Mark Taper Forum, and the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

 

Lucy Fisher, President Emeritus

LUCY FISHER, former Vice Chairman of the Columbia Tri-Star Motion Picture Group at Sony Studios, is an award-winning motion picture and television producer and Co-Chair of Red Wagon Entertainment. Fisher’s productions include the international blockbusters THE DIVERGENT SERIES and THE GREAT GATSBY.

During Fisher’s tenure as Vice Chairman at Sony, the studio broke all-time industry records for biggest domestic and worldwide grosses with films she supervised, which included MEN IN BLACK, MY BEST FRIEND’S WEDDING, AIR FORCE ONE, JERRY MACGUIRE, AS GOOD AS IT GETS, and STUART LITTLE. After leaving the executive suite, Fisher partnered with Oscar®-winning producer Douglas Wick (GLADIATOR, WORKING GIRL), and together they have produced a wide range of critically acclaimed and popular movies including JARHEAD, LAWLESS, RV, STUART LITTLE 2, and MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, which garnered 3 Academy Awards.

Before moving to Sony, Fisher served for 14 years as Executive Vice President of Worldwide Production at Warner Bros., where she developed and supervised a diverse range of films including THE FUGITIVE, THE COLOR PURPLE, GREMLINS, THE GOONIES, MALCOLM X, SPACE JAM, EMPIRE OF THE SUN, THE OUTSIDERS, THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, and THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK. Fisher previously served as Vice President of Production at Twentieth Century Fox before being tapped as Head of Worldwide Production for Francis Ford Coppola’s Zoetrope Studios.

In addition to her creative achievements, Fisher is widely considered a pioneer for women and working mothers in the entertainment industry. She was the driving force behind the on-site Warner Bros. Studio Children’s Center, which has since provided care for over 2500 children and served as the prototype for daycare centers at other studios.

After their youngest daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, Fisher and Wick co-founded CuresNow, an organization to promote regenerative medicine. She served as co-chair of Proposition 71, the successful Stem Cell initiative in California, which has since awarded 3 billion dollars for regenerative medicine and research in the State of California.

Fisher is currently serving a second term as President of the Producers Guild of America, with a membership of over 8000. Her many awards include The Hollywood Film Festival “Producer of the Year” Award, The Producers Guild of America’s Award, the David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures, the Hollywood Award for Outstanding Achievement in Producing, two Crystal Awards from Women in Film, and Friends of Cancer Research Advocacy’s “Lifetime Achievement Award.” She has also been listed as one of Fortune Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business.

A cum laude graduate of Harvard, Fisher served on the Harvard University Board of Overseers and as its Vice Chair. She also served on the Advisory Council on Education at Harvard Medical School and founded the Peter Ivers Visiting Artist program at the Harvard Office of the Arts.

 

Directors

 

Bianca Ahmadi

BIANCA AHMADI is a New York-based Post Production Supervisor with over 15 years of experience in the television industry. She has worked on projects for Vice News, A&E, and the Tribeca Film Institute. Bianca graduated with a M.A. from The New School University and has lived and studied in both Europe and South America. She recently finished a 3-part documentary series about talk radio and how it has shaped the Republican Party. Prior to that, she delivered 8 feature films during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2021, she has been a member of the National Board of Directors for the Producers Guild of America.

 

Fred Berger

Bio to be added.

 

Hillary Corbin Huang

Since 2009, HILLARY CORBIN HUANG has enjoyed a varied career: She has Post Produced dozens of Nonfiction works, has Dialogue Edited for Apple, has Recruited Creative Executives for three FAANG companies, and has taught a full course load in a University setting. It is through her show-facing experience that makes her an empathetic Recruiter and has emerged an exemplary communicator and team leader through growing big tech’s streaming divisions. Hillary most recently Post Produced Discovery’s SpaceX Live Launch and is now recruiting for Apple tv+. Hillary leads her teams and recruits with an empathetic approach, valuing trust with a sense of humor.

 

Melanie Cunningham

Bio to be added.

 

Jennifer Fox

Bio to be added.

 

Beth Fraikorn

BETH FRAIKORN is an Emmy® winning and nominated producer / executive producer with a deep industry reputation for her acumen in working with television specials and series, filmmakers, and distribution. Known for her expertise, passion, and digital business savvy,  Fraikorn is a growth catalyst with a keen focus on content strategy and creation. From her early years in visual effects, Beth has gone on to establish and run studios in NY, LA, and Orlando (Disney®).  Beth has launched divisions, spearheaded content development, created international co-productions, produced award-winning documentaries, and overseen hundreds of hours of original, library, and branded content. Beth now focuses on unscripted series and premium documentaries.

Beth has had the honor of working with great creatives and high prestige production and award-winning directors and is often a guest lecturer at universities. Fraikorn has received and been nominated for several industry and festival awards and served as a judge for the PGA, NATAS, BANFF, Real Screen, NYWIFT, etc.

 

Lynn Kestin Sessler

Lynn is a Peabody, Webby, and Parent’s Choice Award-winning Producer and Development Executive who is the Senior Creative Director and Multi-Platform Creative Executive at Nickelodeon and Paramount Global, overseeing the creative development and production of Nick’s audio and video podcasts- ranging from preschool ages up through Young Adult.

Lynn has created TV, digital, and podcast programming for Nickelodeon, PBS, Netflix, HBO, Audible, Noggin, Sesame Workshop, Pinna, and Common Sense Media. Lynn is in her second term as Co-Vice Chair of the Producer’s Guild New Media Council Board and is honored to sit on the Producer’s Guild‘s National Board of Directors as well as the Children’s Media Association’s Board of Advisors.

 

Samie Kim Falvey

SAMIE KIM FALVEY is the President of PICTURESTART, the discovery-of-voice focused media company, where she oversees all efforts in scripted and unscripted content across film, television, audio, and print media. With an extraordinary track record in developing, producing, and programming zeitgeist-shaping hits across multiple platforms, Samie excels at finding unique voices and helping them tell the most powerful, memorable stories.

She joined PICTURESTART from Imagine Entertainment, where she was Chairman of Imagine Television. In that role, she led the transition of Imagine Television from producing pod to boutique studio, with an eye to ownership and IP creation. Some of the projects she shepherded in her time there: Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, Swagger with Kevin Durant, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Why Women Kill, Ms. Pat, and Willow.

Samie's previous posts include leadership roles at M4 and ABC. At M4, the premium short-form mobile content service where she oversaw the development and production of all comedy pilots and international scripted formats for ABC. At ABC, Falvey and her team developed and launched the breakout Tuesday and Wednesday Night Comedy blocks, renowned for their quality and inclusivity including five-time Emmy-winning Best Comedy Series Modern Family, Peabody-winning and Emmy-winning Black-ish, and critically acclaimed series: Fresh Off The Boat, The Goldbergs, The Middle, and The Real O'Neals.

 

Rachel Klein

RACHEL KLEIN is a 2-time Primetime Emmy® and 2-time Producers Guild Award Nominated Director/Producer and founder of short form studio - Fire Starter Studios. Fire Starter Studios is currently building a sound stage in the Santa Clarita Valley. Fire Starter Studios and Ignite are certified Woman-owned companies with the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, the State of California, and the Federal Government.

Most recently Ms. Klein directed and produced 12 hours of brand documentary content on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and 360 short films for the Harassment Project.

She co-created, produced, and directed the 2-time Primetime Emmy® and 2-time Producers Guild Award nominated documentary series National Endowment for the Arts: United States of Arts. The vast 67-part series, filmed in almost 2 years, shot in more than 400 locations across all 55 states and territories, featuring the remarkable stories of arts and artists around the country including Maya Lin, Robert Redford and Sundance Institute, Gary Sinise and the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Edward Villella, Larry Wilmore, and a truly unique collaboration with the Department of Defense - the power of Arts in healing our wounded United States military. She directed digital branded series including THE LINK with Carrie Underwood for Sports Illustrated, Jordana Brewster and I ♥ My Closet for People Magazine, and Bryan Cranston and Jalen Rose for JEEP/NBA and the USA Olympic Men’s Basketball team for Facebook.

Rachel started her career in sports with giants such as HBO, Showtime, UFC, Fox and ESPN. Her passion in the genre created a natural path to documentary filmmaking, producing films such as the highly acclaimed documentary 30 for 30 – The Fab Five (ESPN), 30 Days in May (Showtime), and 7 seasons of the docu-series UFC Primetime (FOX). While at HBO, Ms Klein cut her teeth on studio and live shows including Inside the NFL, World Championship Boxing and the Pay per View brand for Boxing. Prior to HBO, Ms. Klein was Director of Production at Emmy® winning Windfall Productions, where she assisted directors and producers in creating award-winning sports programming for ESPN, NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, Lifetime, Oxygen, OLN and many others. Within her tenure at Windfall Productions, she was responsible for supervising physical and postproduction on over a dozen sports series annually.

Ms Klein is creator and former Co-Chair of the Produced by Conference for the Producers Guild of America, is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and is a member of the National Board of Directors of the Producers Guild of America.

 

James Lopez

Throughout my thirty years in entertainment at Atlantic Records, Screen Gems/Sony Pictures, Will Packer Productions, and currently President of Macro Studios I have been committed to diversity in all areas. I will continue to advocate and push for initiatives that expose young, diverse talent above and below the line that provide opportunities most would not otherwise experience within our wonderful film industry. I look forward to cooperation and partnership among the guilds, unions, studios, and fellow PGA members on continuing the fight for equity and fairness.

 

Mark Maxey

MARK MAXEY is an Emmy award-winning producer and president of Rolling Pictures – a motion picture company delivering development, packaging, production and editorial services for film and television. Recent productions include the political thriller ANNA directed by James Strong and starring Ciarán Hinds, Jason Isaacs, Maxine Peak; Kyra Sedgwick’s feature directorial debut SPACE ODDITY starring Kevin Bacon, Madeline Brewer, and Carrie Preston; Mayim Bialik’s directorial debut AS THEY MADE US starring Dustin Hoffman, Candice Bergen, and Dianna Agron, Simon Helberg; RARE OBJECTS directed by and starring Katie Holmes with Alan Cumming, Julia Mayorga and Derek Luke; and the documentary feature UP TO SNUFF which Maxey wrote, directed and produced, featuring Aaron Sorkin, Martin Sheen, Tom Arnold, and W.G. Snuffy Walden. Executive producer credits include THE KILL ROOM starring Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and Maya Hawke, directed by Nicol Paone. Maxey is a member of the Television Academy, chairs PGA Capital, and serves on the boards of Women in Film & Video, Artistic Fuel Foundation, and the Washington West Film Fest.

 

Lori McCreary

Bio to be added.

 

Jacob Mullen

JACOB MULLEN is a Producer/Writer from Fort Worth, Texas. After graduating from The University of Mississippi, he moved to Los Angeles for a career in television/feature films. Jacob's top credits include It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia for FX, Mythic Quest for Apple TV+, The Walking Dead: Origins for AMC+, and The Last Ship for TNT. Jacob currently has several projects in development at various networks, studios, and production companies.

 

Jonathan Murray

Widely credited with helping to usher in the modern reality television genre with his late partner Mary-Ellis Bunim, JONATHAN MURRAY continues to inspire, influence, and entertain television audiences worldwide. Since the launch of The Real World on MTV in 1992, Murray has created and executive produced some of the industry’s most innovative, unscripted, entertainment television programs including the Emmy award-winning Born This Way (A&E) which documents the lives of young adults with Down Syndrome and their families. Besides The Real World, which recently aired a six-episode reunion series, The Real World Homecoming on Paramount +, Murray has executive produced:  Project Runway, Project Runway All Stars, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Road Rules, The Challenge, The Simple Life, Starting Over (Emmy Award), and Making the Band, Family or Fiancé, feature film The Real Cancun, the television movie, Pedro, and the documentaries, Autism: The Musical (Emmy Award), Shadow Billionaire, Valentine Road, They Call Us Monsters and TransHood. 

Jonathan Murray graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and currently lives in Los Angeles. Murray serves on the Board of RespectAbility, a national disability rights organization, and is Vice Chairman of the board of The Television Academy Foundation.  In 2012, Murray was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.

 

Mike Roybal

Bio to be added.

 

Angela Victor

ANGELA VICTOR joined the PGA in 2005 and has been active in both the East and West Coast Regions. As a member of the East Coast Region, Angela participated in the launch of the Capital Region, and in 2010 served on the Planning Committee for “Night of the Producer” which honored Jonathan Demme and Denis Leary. As a member of the West Coast Region, Angela has volunteered with the PGA Green Committee on a Habitat for Humanity Build in Long Beach.

Currently, Angela serves on the Education Committee, Women’s Impact Network, and has become the lead for the AP Council Welcome Committee.

Angela started her career working in advertising in Boston after graduating from Boston University’s College of Communication. She then earned an MBA in Finance from the University of Miami and worked as a Senior Consultant advising media conglomerates with KPMG Consulting. Angela moved into internal strategy roles at Turner Home Entertainment and NBC TV Network helping to boost audience ratings for iconic programs such as the Today Show, the Summer Olympic Games, and Saturday Night Live.

After earning a Certificate in Film Production from New York University, Angela has gone on to work in roles from associate producer to post supervisor with award-winning producers and directors in genres including: scripted, studio, game shows, live events, unscripted, and feature films.

 

Nina Yang Bongiovi  

NINA YANG BONGIOVI is a BAFTA-nominated producer focusing on multi-cultural narratives with an eye on authenticity, diversity, and inclusion. She has produced critically acclaimed films such as Fruitvale Station, Dope, Songs My Brothers Taught Me, Roxanne Roxanne, Sorry to Bother You, and Passing -- launching some of the most prolific, auteur filmmakers’ careers (Ryan Coogler, Chloe Zhao, Boots Riley, Rebecca Hall) with their directorial debuts. Nina is a member of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences’ (AMPAS) Producers Branch, and the Television Academy. She also serves as the Associate Chair of the Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California.