Member Updates
We are proud to celebrate our members' accomplishments. We invite PGA members to submit any updates that they would like to share with other members whether it be upcoming projects, promotions or press. To submit something for this page, please complete this form. Note: This is a publicly-accessible page. Members are not required to be logged in to view it.
Week of 2/13/23
From Hal Schwartz: Bull Market Ent released the 75th episode of our Springsteen podcast, None But The Brave. Conceived following the 2019 PGA event The Future of Podcasting, the show was picked by Evergreen Podcasts in 2021. Guests have included E St Band member Little Steven, Ken Rosenthal (Fox Sports), and Brian Hiatt (Rolling Stone).
From Shauna D. Balfour Anderson: Filming a Romance film in Atlanta, Ga in March called “The Perfect Love Storm” based on the book from Anna Black. Starring Leslie Black, Norman Towns, Cocoa Brown, Nzinga Imani, and Clifton Powell.
Jerry G. Angelo is being inducted into the New Mexico Hall of fame for film and television for his ongoing career and contributions spanning 25 years as a filmmaker.
From Sasheen Artis: Check out my new feature doc, Birthing Justice at the Pan African Film Festival!
Producer Ziad Hamzeh's film The Island of Forgiveness starring Claudia Cardinale, premiered in competition at the 44th Cairo International Film festival has been acquired by MAD solutions for 23 Arab speaking countries. His feature documentary Upstanding has been picked up by Shoreline Entertainment. www.HMFilms.net
From Victoria Slater: I published my book How To Negotiate Without Freaking Out - 12 Easy Negotiating Tips on Amazon
Spencer Folmar has recently started his own management company called "American Talent Management" based in Hollywood, CA. His team manages a growing list of established talent and creative professionals (including producers). www.TheAmericanTalent.com
From Sharlene Martin: If you're looking for great books to adapt in all genres, log on to our website and download our Winter 2023 Rights Catalog!
From Andrea Kalin: Our most recent documentary Scattering CJ, which premiered on public television last fall, is now available for community and educational screenings on New Day Films. We are excited to be working with one of the leading educational distributors of documentaries for impact!
From Miranda Bailey/Cold Iron Pictures: Ava DuVernay’s Array Releasing has acquired the documentary SPLIT AT THE ROOT, directed by Linda Goldstein Knowlton. Array plans to debut the film in select theatres and on Netflix on March 3rd.
Week of 1/2/23
PGA Member Keith Rodger was elected Chairman of Australian Academy of Cinema & Television Arts | Australian Film Institute
PGA Member Jason Moore Wins Best VR Experience of the Year with “The MetaMovie Presents: Alien Rescue” at the 6th Annual VR Awards. Previously, Alien Rescue performed at the 77th Venice International Film Festival, then won Best Multiplayer Experience at Raindance Immersive.
Shauna D. Balfour Anderson is producing two films with director, Mark Harris. First: Romance “South Haven” and it stars Denyce Lawton, Karon Joseph Riley, Dawn Halfkenny and Rodney Perry. Second: a political thriller called “Black Cats.” Stars Erica Hubbard, Barton Fitzpatrick, Carl Gilliard, Teresa Celeste, Starlyn Stratton & Darrin D. Henson.
Shanti Fiennes (niece of Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes) has been cast as Princess Diana in the upcoming dramatic feature 'Diana In Love'. The 90's drama follows Princess Diana on a secret trip to Malibu to start a new life away from the Royal media circus. Produced, written & directed by PGA member Brent Roske.
From Rosie Ortiz: My business partner and I started a tv/film production website where crew can look for work and employers can find A+ quality crew. What sets us apart from the other job sites is that we vet and verify crew members. If you see a "verified" next to a name, that means that we personally vouch for that person.
Week of 11/14/22
Commencing 11/01/22, 3-time Emmy nominee Susan Sherayko will host a weekly radio program for Waterberg Stereo 104.9 in South Africa, 19h00 hr. S.A., 10h00 hr. U.S.. Access online at radio-south-africa.co.za
From Sal Perez: I was made Exec Producer of Sesame Street earlier this year, our season just launched last week and there was some press around it. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/sesame-street-first-latino-sal-perez-exec-producer-rcna55033
Week of 10/24/22
From Ellen Raphael: Currently working on a Civil Rights Doc and a Doc about the artist Michelle Stuart
From Caitlin Burns: My team has been working with DC on web3 fueled fan experiences featuring Batman, Harley Quinn and more. If you're interested in learning about Web3 projects I'm always excited to chat!
Week of 10/17/22
From Sharlene Martin: Our quarterly Book to Film-TV catalog is available for review. All genres including children/true crime/novels/unscripted. Check it out! My credits at IMDB.
Four-time Emmy nominee Steven C. Smith has produced and written two documentaries for The Film Noir Foundation: “Nightmare: The Life and Films of Cornell Woolrich” and “The Three Faces of M.” They can be seen on the new Flicker Alley home video releases of the films THE GUILTY and EL VAMPIRO NEGRO.
From Brian Gilbert: I have taken on a new job as head of sports-related content for Village Roadshow Entertainment Group.
Week of 10/3/22
Dayana Ariza-Gonzalez has a new position and is now an Integrated Producer, Product Creative Studio at Netflix.
From Tanya Cabral: “Searching for Shohei: An Interview Special” is a never-before look at one of the best 2-way Japanese born MLB players, Shohei Ohtani, through the eyes of his biggest fan, Ben Verlander. Airs on FS1 October 18, 2022. Produced by Religion of Sports and Fox Sports.
From Ricardo Ramos: I'm thrilled to share that GUTSY, with Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton, launched September 9th on Apple TV+. I served as one of the Producers on episode five - "Gutsy Women Are Forces of Nature." This was the most challenging experience of my career so far, but one filled with growth, insight, and gratitude.
Week of 9/19/22
Marc Homer joined Apple TV+ marketing as Creative Director, Custom Content.
From Sharlene Martin: We offer shopping agreements for our client's books to film/tv for qualified PGA members. https://www.martinlit.com/film-tv
Week of 8/1/22
From Sharlene Martin: We've just recently listed some new fabulous books available for adaptation in our Summer Rights Catalog. Check it out! https://www.martinliterarymanagement.com/film-tv
From Donna Ebbs: Producing the animated film, YOUNG CAPTAIN NEMO alongside fellow PGA member, Drew Tolman.
Week of 7/25/22
Excited to announce the release of Judi Levine's rousing film HOW TO PLEASE A WOMAN, in cinemas across the US July 22nd. A funny and stirring liberation story for women who have been afraid to ask for what they want at home, at work and in the bedroom.
From Swati Shetty: Delighted to share the trailer for Wedding Season, a Netflix Original, and my first film as a lead producer here in Hollywood. It's a happy coincidence that the release is in the week of my 6th anniversary in America.
From John Heinsen: Bunnygraph thru its development deal with the MaNaBu Movement foundation announced at KidScreen this week it has signed a collaborative agreement with Chicago-based Have Dreams, a leading worldwide resource center for programs and education for children, teens and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/manabu-movement-partners-with-autism-resource-center-have-dreams/
Week of 7/4/22
Robert Schwartz has a new project at Searchlight Pictures: https://deadline.com/2022/04/honey-boy-alma-harel-mockingbird-searchlight-1235006100/
Week of 5/2/22
From Stephanie Dawson: I was induced into the Full Sail University Hall of Fame on March 10, 2022. For the announcement click here.
Phil Cooke has just released his newest book "Ideas on a Deadline: How to Be Creative When the Clock is Ticking." It's the definitive book for creative and industry professionals who have to deliver breakthrough ideas under pressure.
From Sharlene Martin: Our Spring 2022 Film-TV Rights Catalog is available now. Great books in various genres for adaptation.
Week of 4/18/22
American jazz piano prodigy Matthew Whitaker, who is blind, pursues film composing and musical direction with the help of renowned mentors John Califra, Susan Jacobs, Zane Mark and Michael McElroy in this documentary film produced and directed by Steven Tabakin.
From Heidi Elizabeth Philipsen-Meissner: Having moved back to Berlin in 2019, I've coordinated with the German teams on UNCHARTED (Studio Babelsberg) and the Amazon (Germany) series THE GRYPHON. My first feature screenplay, KIDNAPPING LOVE, made to be an international co-pro with Germany has advanced to the Quarter Finals with Screen Craft.
Week of 2/23/22
Candi Carter has joined e-commerce company Knocking. Announcement in Variety
Quentin Lee interviewed Olga Zhurzhenko to discuss how the current politics affect the life of a producer in Ukraine. See here for the interview.
From Jennifer Haire: The Film & TV production handbook I co-authored publishes in March. "Keys to the Production Office" is required reading for your Office PA's.
From Tom Hillery: I just completed a thriller called "Looks Can Kill" with Jagged Edge Productions in the UK. It is a tale of hardship and abuse that ends up with murder stalking a modelling agency.
Week of 2/7/22
From Lisa Insana: For those looking to hire HIGHLY TRAINED, HARD-WORKING BIPOC PAs, and those who know low-income, BIPOC individuals who are looking for a career behind-the-camera, take a look Streetlights, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that has been working to bring diversity to the set for 30 years!
Week of 1/24/22
Steven C. Smith produced documentaries for the Film Noir Foundation's new releases of two long-lost, and now restored, noir classics: THE BITTER STEMS (1956) and REPEAT PERFORMANCE (1947). Both are released on DVD and Blu-ray by Flicker Alley.
Week of 1/17/22
Lynn Kestin Sessler has a new position and is now Senior Creative Director, Nickelodeon Podcasts, ViacomCBS.
Week of 12/6/21
From Martine Melloul: I am releasing a new film called FAMOUS releasing in Los Angeles on December 10 through the 16th. https://lumierecinemala.com/film-famous/
From Sharlene Martin: Our Winter 2022 Rights Catalog is now available for PGA members to view for books available for adaptation. www.MartinLit.com/film-tv
Week of 11/29/21
From John Hadity: Happy to announce that in addition to financing tax credits, we (at EP) are now financing Minimum Guarantees from major U.S. distributors. https://www.ep.com/production-incentives/
Week of 11/1/21
Timothy Mendonça will be debuting his first multimedia art exhibit entitled scriptART: The Collection Volume One this November in New York City. The collection reimagines written word screenplays as paintings and sculptures. scriptART: The Collection Volume One will be on display at 2 Rivington Street from November 4th-7th 2021.
Week of 10/18/21
The film I'm producing (and composing music for) recently won Tribeca/AT&T Untold Stories award of $1M and we're now nearing completion of Principal Photography. - Simon Taufique
Lisa L. Wilson has joined MGM Television as the Executive Director of Unscripted.
Week of 10/4/21
The short film, The Dark Valley selected for LA Live Film Fest, Red Nation Film Festival LA & the American Indian FF in San Francisco all in Nov. The poster & story are also the cover art & feature of the Oct issue of Native Hoop magazine. Written, Produced & Directed by TJ Morehouse, PGA! https://vimeo.com/547363315 / Password: tvd7
Our film Toxic Beauty (executive producer) has been nominated for an International Emmy in the Documentary category. -Cheryl Dillard Staurulakis
Week of 9/6/21
Outside The Spotlights: Conversations With Unsung Creators Behind the Screens in Hollywood, by Elaine Spooner, was published, telling the stories of 37 entertainment professionals from all areas of the industry - including producing, writing, game design, interactive media, marketing and technology.
Week of 8/23/21
Producer Steven C. Smith's nonfiction book, Music by Max Steiner: The Epic Life of Hollywood's Most Influential Composer (Oxford), has been named one of the Best Books of 2020 by Variety and BBC Music Magazine.
Week of 8/16/21
Looking for a great new project to produce? PGA members are invited to judge the Final Round of the 2021 PAGE International Screenwriting Awards. Get a first look at some of this year’s best new screenplays and pilots before they go out wide. For info, contact Kristin Overn: exec[at]pageawards.com
Week of 8/9/21
Earlier this year, Shirley Jackson was promoted to Co-Executive in Charge of Production at 44Blue Productions which is part of Red Arrow Studios.
Give Her A Microphone Podcast series has launched! Producers and co-hosts, Karen Somers and Shirley Jackson interview women working and thriving in the entertainment business. Recent guests: Pamela Williams/ Producer "United States VS Billie Holiday" and Apple+ Showrunner Nichelle Tramble Spellman.
Barbara Multer-Wellin is proud to announce that "Orchestrating Change," the feature documentary I produced and directed with Margie Friedman, is the sole recipient of the 2021 Austen Riggs Erickson Prize for Mental Health Media. The film is about Me2/Orchestra, founded by and for people living with mental illness.
Week of 8/2/21
"Escape with Nate: In Search of Black Utopia," Saturday (7/31) 5pm EST, The Africa Channel. Travel influencer Nate Fluellen spurs provocative discussions with BIPOC influencers and celebrities. Exec Producers: Nichelle Protho, Angela Northington, Nathan Fluellen, Jessica L. Funches (Head Writer)
Messiah Jacobs recently negotiated distribution for worldwide rights for a film he served as Executive Producer on, Givers of Death (G.O.D.), with Buffalo 8.
Sharlene Martin's Martin Literary & Media Management Summer 2021 Film/TV Rights Catalog available to PGA members for shopping agreements/books to option.
Brian McLaughlin finished a successful five-month gig as COVID Health Safety Supervisor on Season 6 of the Comedy Central/ITV America series, Crank Yankers. We had 261 people, for 154 days, 20 episodes, and 6,344 COVID tests and achieved 0 COVID cases and 0 production shutdowns! Yay team!
Martine Melloul just launched a Kickstarter to help finish the production of "The Braille Legacy", an incredible musical played by the blind and disabled actors of The Theater by the Blind.
Rick Telles Executive producing movie at Netflix
Note: This page was created to provide a forum for members who wish to share information about projects and activities. The PGA does not monitor, curate, or otherwise specifically endorse the information shared by members on this page.