Keynote Speakers

Robert Rodriguez

Robert Rodriguez is a film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician.

While a student at the University of Texas at Austin in 1991, Rodriguez wrote the script to his first feature film while sequestered at a drug research facility as a paid subject in a clinical experiment. That paycheck covered the cost of shooting his film. He planned to make the money back by selling the film to the Mexican home video market.

The film, El Mariachi, went on to win the coveted Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and became the lowest budget movie ever released by a major studio. Rodriguez wrote about these experiences in Rebel Without a Crew, a perennial guide for the independent filmmaker.

Rodriguez went on to write, produce, direct and edit a series of successful films including Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn, The Faculty, the Spy Kids franchise, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Frank Miller’s Sin City, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3D, Grindhouse and Shorts.

In 2000, Rodriguez and Elizabeth Avellán founded Troublemaker Studios, their Austin, Texas-based production facility of which he is co-owner and president. The studio includes a world-renowned visual effects house, music and publishing arms and has played a primary role in making Austin a vibrant filmmaking hub.

In 2010, he launched Quick Draw Productions, a development, production and financing company which gives Rodriguez “green light” capabilities to develop and produce his own media projects across film, television, gaming and interactive platforms while closely controlling the creative process.

Rodriguez recently released the successful re-launch of the Predator franchise with the 2010 release of Predators for 20th Century Fox, as well as the spin-off action flick, Machete, based on the hard-edged “fake” trailer featured in Grindhouse. He brought 4D to audiences everywhere with the summer 2011 release of Spy Kids: All The Time in the World, the most recent installment in the Spy Kids series.

Rodriguez will be going into production for Machete Kills this spring under his Quick Draw Productions. He has also entered into a new venture with Comcast Cable Networks to launch the El Rey Network, a new cable channel that will focus on delivering action-packed and exciting content by Hispanic producers, celebrities, and public figures in the summer of 2014. Rodriguez resides in Austin, Texas.

Keynote Speaker: Friday Lunch

Ron Meyer

Ron Meyer is
 president and chief operating officer
 of Universal Studios, and has held that position since
 August 1, 1995. He is the longest serving chief of a major motion picture company in the history of Hollywood, despite the studio having been bought and sold several times during his tenure.

Meyer oversees Universal Pictures, Focus Features, and Universal Theme Parks & Resorts. During his long tenure at Universal, Meyer has overseen numerous hit movies, as well as improved performance of Universal Theme Parks & Resorts.

Prior to joining Universal Studios, Meyer was president of Creative Artists Agency, Inc., which he founded in 1975 with four fellow agents from the William Morris Agency. Over the years, they built the company into the preeminent talent agency, representing many of the industry’s most influential and talented people, and later expanding its range of services to include consulting with leading American and international corporations.

Previously, Meyer was a television agent with the William Morris Agency from 1970 to 1975, worked as a messenger at the Paul Kohner Agency in Los Angeles from 1964 to 1970, and served in the United States Marine Corps.

In 2007, the Producers Guild of America awarded Meyer the prestigious Milestone Award for his contribution to the entertainment industry. The honor places him in the company of Steven Spielberg, Kirk Douglas, Clint Eastwood, and Jeffrey Katzenberg, among others.

Meyer lives in Malibu, California with his wife, Kelly Chapman, and has three daughters and a son.

Keynote Speaker: Saturday Lunch

Conference Chairs

Frank Bennett Gonzalez

Frank Bennett Gonzalez is director of talent development and diversity for The Disney | ABC Television Group. He runs the company’s prestigious Writing Program, and is responsible for leading the selection, development and staffing of writers for shows on The ABC Television Network, ABC Family, Disney Channel and DisneyXD. Other programs he is involved with include selections for The ABC/DGA Directing Fellowship and working with The National Latino Media Council/National Hispanic Media Coalition Television Writers Program. Previously, Gonzalez worked extensively in video, film, documentary and television production, as well as in syndicated television marketing. He is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Diversity Committee. A native of Southern California, Gonzalez earned a Master of Fine Arts from the UCLA Producer’s Program and a Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies from UC Irvine.

Juan Carlos Zaldivar

Juan Carlos Zaldivar is the president and founder of Phonograph Films LLC, an art and media production, post-production and exhibition company. He currently teaches at Miami International University. A filmmaker and video artist, Juan Carlos completed both, his bachelor and Masters Degree at New York University’s Institute of Film and Television, where he has also taught as an adjunct faculty. Juan Carlos started his film career as a sound editor and designer, for which he garnered an Emmy Nomination. His film and video art works have been screened at numerous festivals. museums and venues worldwide and have been broadcasted on PBS, ABC, IFC, Showtime and WE. He is the recipient of numerous grants and awards. His directing credits include 90 Miles, The Story of the Red Rose, Palingenesis and Soldiers Pay. Juan Carlos has served as a juror for several film festivals, including the Sundance International FIlm Festival. He presently serves on the board of NALIP and on the board of trustees of the Flaherty International Film Seminar. He is a Sundance Film Institute alumnus.

Host Committee

Julio César Caro

Julio César Caro is an innovative independent film producer possessing the unusual combination of creative management skills and a strong financial background. Recent films include El Cantante, the thriller Duress, and the sci-fi film Hunter Prey. Other films include The Cell and Erskinville Kings. Julio served as Jennifer Lopez’s producing partner at Nuyorican Productions, which had first-look agreements with Columbia Pictures, Fox Television Studios and Telemundo. Previously, he was a senior vice president at Manufacturers Hanover Trust (now JP Morgan Chase Bank) specializing in asset based lending and leveraged acquisitions. He is a graduate of Cornell University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

María Agui Carter

María Agui Carter is a writer, producer, director, and president of Iguana Films, a film and new media company working in Spanish and English language productions. Her recently completed feature documentary about women war journalists, No Job For A Woman (producer), opened at the UN Women’s Film Festival in 2011, and will broadcast internationally. Carter is in post for her independent feature documentary Rebel, about a woman Civil War soldier slated for PBS broadcast. In 2008, she was the only woman director commissioned for Discovery En Español’s Director’s Showcase series with her dramatic film Cleats. She is chair of NALIP’s Board of Directors.

Marcos C. Gonzalez

Marcos Gonzalez is an investment fund manager at MCG & Company, a corporate development and strategy consulting firm serving clients who seek growth from the U.S. Hispanic market and/or Latin American emerging markets. Marcos consults on capital raising and investment strategies, and is advising the development of The New Hollywood Fund, which invests in films reflecting multi-cultural America. Previously in the private equity investing industry, he evaluated hundreds of businesses and business plans; invested over $250 million in multiple companies; and supported entrepreneurs’ execution of their business models while at the $2 billion Darby Private Equity fund. Marcos encourages all conference attendees to email him questions, comments or ideas at Marcos@MCGandCo.com.

Maria Hinojosa

Maria Hinojosa is a multiple award-winning journalist, and anchor and managing editor of NPR’s Latino USA. She is also the anchor of the Emmy-award winning talk show “Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One” from WGBH/La Plaza, and a contributing correspondent on PBS’ “Need to Know.” For 25 years, Hinojosa has helped tell America’s untold stories and brought to light unsung heroes in America and abroad. In 2010, she launched The Futuro Media Group, aimed at producing multi-platform, community-based journalism that respects and celebrates the cultural richness of the American experience. Previously, Hinojosa was a senior correspondent for PBS’ “Now” and a CNN correspondent.

Dennis Leoni

Dennis Leoni is an award-winning executive producer, writer and director with over twenty-five years of experience developing and creating television pilots, series and movies. He is the creator of the groundbreaking “Resurrection Blvd.” – the first and longest running Latino dramatic series in the history of American television. Dennis has recently written and directed a new web series titled Los Americans for Robert Townsend and One Economy, and is also in development on a new series pilot for Showtime, along with several other projects under the banner of his company Mirador Entertainment.

Bernardo Ruíz

Bernardo Ruíz is an award-winning independent filmmaker who recently wrote, directed, and produced a one-hour documentary for PBS’ American Experience about Roberto Clemente, an exceptional athlete and committed humanitarian who challenged racial discrimination to become baseball’s first Latino superstar. The film was awarded the 2008 NCLR ALMA Award for Outstanding Made for Television Documentary. Currently, he is producing a feature-length documentary, Gardens of Paradise, which has been supported by the Sundance Documentary Fund and ITVS. Previously, P.O.V. commissioned him to produce Migrations, one of PBS’ first forays into new media storytelling.

Jesús Salvador Treviño

Jesús Salvador Treviño is a director, writer and producer. His national PBS documentaries about Latinos include America Tropical, La Raza Unida, Chicano Moratorium and The Salazar Inquest. He co-executive produced the PBS documentary series, Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. His television directing credits include “The Unit,” “Law & Order Criminal Intent,” “Prison Break,” “ER,” “Resurrection Boulevard,” “Bones,” “Crossing Jordan,” “Third Watch,” “NYPD Blue,” “Chicago Hope,” “The Practice,” “The O.C.,” “Dawson’s Creek,” “Nash Bridges,” “Star Trek Voyager,” among others. His latest effort is Latinopia.com, a website featuring videos on Latino history, art, music, literature, theater, cinema and food.

Speakers

Marcelo C. Alvarez

Marcelo C. Alvarez is a producer and casting director in the Latino-Hispanic commercial market. In the past 4 years he has created original content for Los Angeles based production companies in television, web, mobile and video on demand distribution. In 2009, he joined forces with producer/director Sergio Guerrero of Indi-Eye productions whose list of clients include Kraft Foods, Master Card, Colgate, Got Milk, Verizon Wireless, UFC, Ford, Snickers, Carl’s Jr. Marcelo is also the co-founder of My Production Workshop.

Panel: Make Money in TV Commercials!

Donna Michelle Anderson

Donna Michelle Anderson is an entertainment, education and new media expert, and president of Planet DMA. She has written, produced and run top-rated, non-fiction television series for CBS, Bravo, BET, A&E, TLC and more. In 2007, she launched Columbia College Hollywood’s new media department and created the first online production financials software. “Show Starter Scheduling & Budgeting Plus” was named one of MovieMaker magazine’s “Top 40 Indie Film Friendly Companies.” She also authored “The Show Starter Reality TV Made Simple System,” called the industry “bible,” and the “The 1-3-5 Story Structure Made Simple System,” the first and only story structure system integrated into Final Draft’s screenwriting software.

Panel: The Reality of Reality TV

Alice Bag

Alice Bag is the author of the new book, Violence Girl, From East L.A. Rage to Hollywood Stage, which is the story of her upbringing in East Los Angeles, her eventual migration to Hollywood, and the euphoria and aftermath of the first punk wave. Violence Girl reveals how domestic abuse fueled Alice’s desire for female empowerment and sheds a new perspective on the origin of hardcore, a style most often associated with white suburban males. Previously, Alice was the lead singer of the Bags, the first female-fronted punk band to play the Masque during the West Coast punk revolution of 1977.

Panel: A Conversation with Alice Bag

Martin Barajas-Llorent

Martin Barajas-LLorent is an award-winning Mexican director and writer whose passion since the age of seven was to tell stories. In 2010, he wrote and produced his first dramatic feature, Cartas A Elena (Letters to Elena). Martin won Best Director for that film at the L.A. Film + Music Weekend in 2011. It was also nominated for Best International Film at the 2011 New York International Latino Film Festival, as well as Martin being nominated for Best Director. He has made several short films, music videos and is working on his next film Mujer Descalza (Women Barefoot), an autobiographical story. Previously, he worked in advertising in Mexico and the U.S.

Panel: Crossing Over: Diverse Voices, Universal Content

Jim Berger

Jim Berger is chief executive officer of High Noon Entertainment, one of America’s most prolific creators of reality television, scheduled to deliver more than 500 hours of programming to twelve different networks for the 2012-13 season. He has created or contributed to dozens of series and specials, including “Cake Boss,” “Next Great Baker,” “Tough Love,” “Warriors,” “Disaster House,” “Guinness World Records Gone Wild,” “Trip Flip,” and “Heat Seekers.” Last year, High Noon formed its Latin America and U.S. Hispanic division, which will create broadcast and cable formats for both regions, in addition to Spanish and English-language programming for Telemundo, Univision, Mundo Fox, mun2, and others.

Panel: The Reality of Reality TV

Austyn Biggers

Austyn Biggers is the senior director of development for BET Networks, where he is involved in all facets of original series development and production. His BET credits include overseeing “Baldwin Hills,” “College Hill,” “Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is,” “First In,” “Being Terry Kennedy,” and most recently, “Born To Dance: Laurieann Gibson.” Previously, Austyn was the VP of development for SokoLobl Entertainment. He also provided freelance development, casting, and production services for other production companies and networks including Go Go Luckey, Ripe Digital, Ryan Seacrest Productions, E! and MTV, and served as talent producer on several shows branding A-List talent.

Executive: Latino Media Market/At The Table With…

Ray Bradford

Ray Bradford is AFTRA’s national director of equal employment opportunities, a position that addresses the issues and concerns of the union’s women, seniors, people of color, minors, persons with disabilities, and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Previously, he was an actor for over 20 years in Chicago. There, he also served AFTRA for more than 15 years as an unsalaried elected national officer and board member. Hispanic Business Magazine named him one of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics in America,” and is listed in the Who’s Who Among Hispanic Americans. He is past president of the Media Image Coalition, a program of the L.A. County Human Relations Commission.

Panel: Shooting in the Crosshairs: Telling Latino Stories in Volatile and Dangerous Times

Anthony Breznican

Anthony Breznican is a senior staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, covering film and pop culture. He previously worked for USA Today for six years, regularly covering the Oscars and the Sundance Film Festival, blogging from the scene and writing feature stories. He also spent six years with The Associated Press. His first novel, Brutal Youth, is a dark comedy and will be published in 2013 by Thomas Dunne Books. He was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Moderator: Saturday Keynote Lunch

Luis Castro

Luis Castro is an executive with HBO Programming. Previously, he was executive director of Philanthropic Initiatives at Time Warner, where he managed the company’s philanthropy. There, Luis helped create and launch The Time Warner New Works-New Voices Fund to support the development of new work by diverse playwrights and screenwriters. Through the Fund, Time Warner has partnered with best-in-class organizations such as The Public Theater, The Sundance Institute, NALIP, and The Tribeca Film Institute. Luis has worked on media, arts and education issues throughout his career, spanning both the public and private sectors. He received his B.A. from Harvard University.

Panel: Closing Plenary: Race and the Media

Leslie Cohen

Leslie Cohen is vice president of film programming at HBO, celebrating 18 years with the network in 2012. She is responsible for the acquisition of Spanish language films and series for HBO Latino, as well as acquisition of films from the major studios for both HBO and Cinemax. Previously, Leslie worked on the launch of HBO’s international ventures in Asia and Central Europe, and performed financial forecasting and deal analysis in HBO’s strategic planning group. Leslie is a board member of New York’s Picture House Regional Film Center and an advisory board member for Florida’s Gasparilla Film Festival Cinema by the Bay.

Executive: Latino Media Market

Marki Costello

Marki Costello is owner and president of the award-winning Creative Management Entertainment Group whose mission is to further artists’ careers by refining one’s image, encourage creativity, explore all performance, sales and marketing opportunities, among other things. Originally the only host management firm in town, CMEG has expanded to encompass a theatrical department, a casting division and a production arm. Widely acknowledged as the “queen of hosting” in Hollywood, Marki has worked as a casting director for major network studios including Disney, Warner Bros., FOX and TBS. She began casting classic reality and game shows before reality was even a genre.

ActorSummit: Breaking into Hosting

Pablo Cruz

Pablo Cruz is a producer and co-founder of Canana Films, a company making inroads in Mexican cinema and distribution. He also launched Canana On Demand, a partnership with Mexico’s largest cable company Cablevisión, making it the first production company to spearhead an On Demand project in Latin America. Cruz has produced nine films in five years, including Miss Bala, Sin Nombre, Abel, and “Soy Tu Fan,” a TV series sold to Telemundo in the U.S. and MTV in Latin America. Cruz was listed in Variety’s 2011 “People to Know” and its 2007 “10 Producers to Watch.” In 2008, Cruz entered theatre production with El Buen Canario (The Good Canary), which toured twelve major cities in Mexico.

Panel: Writing CHAVEZ

Antonio Cuevas

Antonio Cuevas is a writer, editor, DJ and marketing expert. Currently, he is senior marketing manager at the Los Angeles Times, where he is engaged in developing custom multimedia advertising products for advertisers in entertainment, lifestyle and technology. Previously, he was the strategic marketing manager at Variety, foreign rights manager at North Atlantic Books, and executive assistant at William Morris Agency, where he started in the fabled mailroom before landing a desk with the literary-motion picture team. Cuevas earned his undergraduate degree at University of California, San Diego and has attended Pepperdine University’s graduate business school.

Moderator: Filly Brown Q&A

Nikkole Denson-Randolph

Nikkole Denson-Randolph is vice president of specialty and alternative content at AMC Theatres. She oversees the strategic development and implementation of AMC’s specialty programming efforts and initiatives in addition to alternative content programming and expansion. She recently launched AMC Independent, a program designed to provide AMC Theatres’ guests with diverse, creative, on-screen storytelling from around the world, as well as socially and culturally relevant stories that represent their own interests. Previously, she was the director of business development for the Starbucks Coffee Company, president of Magic Johnson Entertainment, and president of Magic Hallway Pictures.

Executive: Latino Media Market/At The Table With…

Joe Escalante

Joe Escalante is the host of the syndicated entertainment legal advice radio call-in program, Barely Legal Radio, on the Los Angeles radio station Indie 1031. He is widely known as the bassist of the punk rock band The Vandals, who perform around the world for U.S. troops in such places as Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. Escalante also co-founded the independent record label, Kung Fu Records. To fund it, he opened a law practice and gradually built a roster of entertainment clients. He remains an active member of the California State Bar and serves as a Judge Pro Tem for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County.

Panel: A Conversation with Alice Bag

Maria Escobedo

Maria Escobedo is a television and film writer. She is currently writing an original movie for Lifetime TV. Previously, she wrote and directed the independent feature film, Rum and Coke, earned a Disney/ABC Television Writing Fellowship, and was a writer on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” Maria also wrote a TV pilot for Nickelodeon and an original movie for the Disney Channel. She has also written for Nick Jr.’s animated series “Dora the Explorer,” “Go, Diego, Go!” and Disney Channel’s “Special Agent Oso.” Maria is chair of the WGAW Latino Writers Committee.

Panel: Writing a MOW: A Sneak Preview and Case Study of Firelight

Geoff Fairbanks

Geoff Fairbanks is a manager in physical production at NBC Universal Features. With over twenty years of studio production experience, he has directed video and worked as a writer on his own projects. Geoff began his career as an actor on network television. He has won awards for his writing and recently published a children’s book, Merlin & Me. A teacher of acting and directing, he is completing his MBA at Pepperdine University and holds a master’s degree in screenwriting at USC.

ActorSummit: The Actors Checklist

Kathleen Finch

Kathleen Finch is senior vice president/general manager of HGTV, responsible for leading all aspects of program development and production, as well as crafting the overall strategic direction of the network. Since joining HGTV, Finch has overseen the addition of over a dozen new series and has helped solidify the network’s position as America’s leader in home and lifestyle programming. Previously, she was senior vice president/general manager of DIY Network, where she led the network through a period of spectacular growth and success in ratings, revenue and recognition. Prior to that, Finch spent seven years at Food Network, where she was senior vice president of primetime programming.

Panel: The Reality of Reality TV

Consuelo Flores

Consuelo Flores is the director of Agency, Member Education, EEO and the Frank Nelson Fund (FNF), at four departments at AFTRA. In Agency, she oversees the relationship between union franchised agents and talent to ensure talent is fairly treated and protected, and that agents abide by the signed contract. In Member Education, she creates programming for membership that provides training, information, access and networking opportunities. In EEO, she works with member committees, network heads, talent agents and others to increase employment opportunities for federally protected groups in the industry. In FNF, she oversees the financial assistance program.

Panel: Women in Media, Women Who Lead!

Shari Frilot

Shari Frilot is an award-winning filmmaker presently working on a feature film project about the crisis in water supply with producer Effie Brown’s production company, Duly Noted Inc. Her films include Strange & Charmed, A Cosmic Demonstration of Sexuality, What is a Line? and the feature documentary, Black Nations/Queer Nations?. Shari also maintains a career in festival programming. She is presently in her 11th year as a senior programmer for the Sundance Film Festival. She is the curator and driving creative force behind New Frontier, an exhibition and commissioning initiative focusing on cinematic work created at the intersections of art, film and new media technology.

Speaker: Opening Plenary

Sonia Fritz

Sonia Fritz is a director, writer and executive producer whose 2011 feature film América is based on the novel América’s Dream by Esmeralda Santiago, and selected by film festivals such as Cinequest, LALIFF, HBO Latino NY, Guadalajara, Montreal, and São Paulo. She has directed the 2011 short film Encuentrate/FindYourself, the 2009 film The Stars in the Estuary, which won the Jury Award at the Orlando Hispanic Film Festival, co-produced the psychological thriller Miente, and executive produced the comedy Manuela and Manuel. She has also directed the documentary Little Immigrants, and over twenty-five others about social and cultural issues in Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Panel: Crossing Over: Diverse Voices, Universal Content

Mark Gantt

Mark Gantt is co-creator and star of Crackle.com’s successful web series/feature film, “The Bannen Way,” which broke Crackle records with over 14 million views in six weeks. It also won 4 Streamy Awards, including Best Actor (Mark) and Best Drama, and was nominated for 2 Webby Awards. 
Recently, Mark guest-stared on “Dexter,” “The Guild,” “Once Upon” and “Leap Year.” He has also directed the short film Donor with Trevor Algatt and Alexis Boozer, and two episodes of “Suite 7” with Shannen Doherty, Jaime Murray, Eddie McClintock and Wilson Cleveland. Previously, Mark wrote, directed, produced and/or edited over a dozen short films and has acted in many films and TV series.

ActorSummit: How to Create, Produce, and Star in Your Own Webisodes!

Oscar Garza

Oscar Garza is an editor at Southern California Public Radio (KPCC-FM). He has more than two decades of experience as a senior editor in print and multimedia. Previously, he was arts editor at the San Antonio Light and the Los Angeles Times, deputy editor of the Los Angeles Times Magazine, editor-in-chief of Tu Ciudad, and editor of Daily Calendar at the Times, where he led that section’s involvement in the newsroom-wide Latino Initiative, which sought to increase and improve the paper’s coverage of the Latino community. That effort was recognized with the Raul Julia Award for Public Service from the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts.

Panel: Writing CHAVEZ

Christina Gonzalez

Christina Gonzalez is an award-winning broadcast journalist and general assignment reporter for Fox 11 10 O’clock News. Her undercover investigation, “Light of Gold Pyramid Scheme,” led to the raid and prosecution of what LAPD officials allege to be the most extensive pyramid fraud in the history of Los Angeles. For her documentary work, she received two L.A. Emmy awards in 2000: “Black and Brown – When Colors Collide,” and “L.A. Riots…From This Day Forward.” Previously, Gonzalez anchored the 6pm and 10pm newscasts for KMEX in Los Angeles. In 1990, she became the first journalist from a Spanish language station to successfully “cross-over” to English language TV news.

Panel: Shooting in the Crosshairs: Telling Latino Stories in Volatile and Dangerous Times

Marcos C. Gonzalez

Marcos Gonzalez is an investment fund manager at MCG & Company, a corporate development and strategy consulting firm serving clients who seek growth from the U.S. Hispanic market and/or Latin American emerging markets. Marcos consults on capital raising and investment strategies, and is advising the development of The New Hollywood Fund, which invests in films reflecting multi-cultural America. Previously in the private equity investing industry, he evaluated hundreds of businesses and business plans; invested over $250 million in multiple companies; and supported entrepreneurs’ execution of their business models while at the $2 billion Darby Private Equity fund. Marcos encourages all conference attendees to email him questions, comments or ideas at Marcos@MCGandCo.com.

Panel: Inside the Mind of the Investor

Tamara Gregory

Tamara Gregory is an executive for BET Networks, where she has helped successfully launch BET’s original scripted programming, and the launch of BET’s foray in the original webisode arena. This summer, Tamara oversaw the development and production of two new shows, “Reed Between the Lines” and “Gun Hill.” Previously, she was a supervising producer on BET’s “Sunday Best” and “The Family Crews.” She was also the senior vice president of production/development at Magic Johnson Enterprises, and the manager of creative affairs at Hollywood Pictures. She has authored the Los Angeles Times bestseller, Passport Diaries, for which she was hired to write the screenplay.

Executive: Latino Media Market/At The Table With…

Rashaad Ernesto Green

Rashaad Ernesto Green is a director. His feature film Gun Hill Road, starring Esai Morales and Judy Reyes, premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Competition. In 2010, Rashaad was one of Filmmaker magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film,” and in 2009, was one of indieWIRE’s “Top Ten New Voices in Cinema.” He has screened his shorts Premature and Cuts on HBO, and his short, Choices, premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. He is an alumnus of the Tribeca All Access program, IFP’s Independent Film Week and the Spike Lee Fellowship. He graduated from NYU’s Graduate Film Program where he now teaches.

Speaker: Opening Plenary

Julia Ahumada Grob

Julia Ahumada Grob is the co-creator and lead actor of “East WillyB,” an original, multiplatform web series that tells the story of an urban Latino community as they fight to keep their culture alive in the face of the hipster invasion of their neighborhood. Part comedy, part drama, and shot on location in Brooklyn, “East WillyB” (www.eastwillyb.com) has been called by entertainment industry pioneer Jeff Valdez as the “future of English-language Latino programming.” Named one of 25 emerging theater artists by Kevin Spacey, Julia is honored to be a 2011 fellow of NALIP’s Latino Producers Academy and Latino Artist Mentoring Program.

ActorSummit: How to Create, Produce, and Star in Your Own Webisodes!

Marc Grossman

Marc Grossman is communications director for the Cesar Chavez Foundation and spokesman for the United Farm Workers of America. He was Cesar Chavez’s longtime press secretary, speechwriter and personal aide. He is now working on a book about Chavez from the perspective of the people who knew him the best – his close family and friends. Among his duties with Chavez was responsibility for the union’s press relations; helping Chavez with speeches, correspondence, public statements, op-ed pieces and columns; serving as the UFW founder’s personal aide; traveling with him nationwide and advancing his tours. He began his activism with the UFW in the late 1960s as a grape boycott organizer.

Panel: Writing CHAVEZ

Sergio Guerrero

Sergio Guerrero is a writer, director, and producer. He has directed over 500 commercials for global clients including Master Card, Verizon and Carl’s Jr. Most notable are two award-winning commercials for Corona Beer shot in Moscow’s Red Square and on China’s Great Wall of China. Sergio also associate produced, co-wrote and was the second-unit director on the film, A Day Without A Mexican. He directed the film Wash and Wear, and the documentary Around the World in 80 Days. He also produced and directed Latinologues, the DVD series, among many other things. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences awarded Sergio an Emmy for the “Job Corps” campaign he produced and directed.

Panel: Make Money in TV Commercials!/At The Table With…

Paul Hardy

Paul Hardy is director of programming development for truTV, working on new television series and documentary proposals for 300+ hours of primetime original programming. He works closely with producers and agents to develop new television concepts, and oversees projects from their written development and presentation tapes to green-lighting. Hardy has worked on many shows from top production companies such as Mark Burnett Productions, Katalyst, and A. Smith & Co. Productions. He was a creator and an executive producer of the hidden-camera series “Motormouth,” a development producer on several MTV projects, and a senior producer on “The Greg Behrendt Show,” among many others.

Panel: The Reality of Reality TV

Darnell Hunt

Darnell Hunt is director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies and professor of Sociology at UCLA. He has written extensively on race and media, including four books and numerous book chapters and articles. He co-edited Black Los Angeles: American Dreams and Racial Realities, culminating an eight-year study of the past, present, and future of black life in Los Angeles. He is also principal investigator of a study examining the challenges to diversity in the UC system following the passage of California Proposition 209. He has worked with UCLA administration, community and campus-based groups to implement a new, more holistic undergraduate admissions policy designed to address these challenges.

Panel: Closing Plenary: Race and the Media

Cameron Johann

Cameron Johann is the head of development for Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions. He is also a producer on all recent Hallmark Hall of Fame productions (with 27 films to his credit). Before starting at Hallmark Hall of Fame in 1996, Cameron was a Broadway and film actor in New York City where he grew up. He attended NYU’s Tisch Film School, as well as the Film Program at Arts Center College of Design in Pasadena. He lives in Southern California with his wife and three children.

Panel: Writing a MOW: A Sneak Preview and Case Study of Firelight

Alicia J. Keyes

Alicia J. Keyes is a producer and founder of AJK Films, which develops story-driven feature films exploring and connecting with target specific audience groups, but that also has crossover potential due to their universal storylines and strong marketing hooks. Keyes works with established and up-and-coming filmmakers with unique voices and passionate ideas. She just completed the film Blaze You Out and is producing Biomass. Her next project is Greta’s How To. Previously, she was executive director of worldwide acquisitions and co-productions at The Walt Disney Company, and was manager of creative affairs for Hill/Fields, a Los Angeles based television production company.

Executive: Latino Media Market/At The Table With…

Q’orianka Kilcher

Q’orianka Kilcher emerged at the age of 14 into the front ranks of young actors with her portrayal of Pocahontas opposite Colin Farrell and Christian Bale in Terrence Malick’s The New World. Her performance won her the National Board of Review Best Breakthrough Performance Award in 2006. Kilcher had the title role in Princess Kaiulani (opposite Barry Pepper) and starred opposite Rhys Ifans and Anna Friel in the Syfy miniseries, “Neverland.” She is also a celebrity spokesperson for Thursday’s Child, an international charity for at-risk children.

Panel: Writing a MOW: A Sneak Preview and Case Study of Firelight

Velia La Garda

Velia La Garda is a five-time Emmy Award winning television producer. She recently launched CBS2’s news/public affairs show “Eye on Our Community.” Previously, Velia produced ABC7’s magazine show “Vista L.A,” which under her direction, won five Imagen Awards recognizing positive portrayals of Latinos in the industry. She also worked on TNT’s Century of Women, KCET’s Los Angeles History Project, and was involved in the research and development phase of PBS’ Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. She has more than twenty-five years of experience in radio/television news, working for general market and Spanish-language television stations throughout California.

Panel: Shooting in the Crosshairs: Telling Latino Stories in Volatile and Dangerous Times

Austin Lau

Austin Lau is partner programs manager at YouTube Next Lab.
 He focuses on new programs and initiatives that identify and cultivate video content creators on YouTube, empowering the most innovative and passionate video makers across the globe. Some of his most recent programs include YouTube Next Cause, YouTube Next Chef, YouTube Next Trainer, and YouTube NextUp. Austin is also preparing to unveil a number of exciting programs in the first half of 2012.

Panel: Anatomy of a Hit YouTube Channel

Jennifer Lawson

Jennifer Lawson is senior vice president of television and digital video content at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). She has over twenty years experience in public broadcasting and has served in many roles. Lawson produced the award-winning documentary, Security versus Liberty (2007) and the eight-part television series, “Africa” (2001), which aired nationally on PBS. She was the first chief programming executive at PBS (1989 – 1995) and later, vice chair of the PBS board. She was also head of the Television Fund at CPB in 1989 and general manager of Howard University Television – WHUT, Washington, D.C. for six years.

Panel: Closing Plenary: Race and the Media

Bibiana Leite

Bibiana Leite is partner manager at YouTube Latin America who has over ten years of experience in sales and marketing and online advertising. After four years working at Google in the Sao Paulo office, mainly with Google AdWords sales development, she transferred to YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California, to manage partners and programs and develop content acquisition for the largest video platform in Latin America. Bibiana graduated in marketing from FIA-USP.

Panel: Anatomy of a Hit YouTube Channel

Susan Lewis

Susan Lewis is the head of development for features and television at AK Worldwide. Previously, she ran development for Alicia Keys’ and Jeff Robinson’s Big Pita, Lil’ Pita Productions There, Susan set up the projects Firelight and Study Abroad and optioned the book House At Sugar Beach, which is currently being adapted into a screenplay. She also brought the acclaimed play Stick Fly into AK Worldwide. Susan was also a co-executive producer on the feature film Pariah, and spent seven years at MTV Films where she developed and co-produced The Fighting Temptations, helped acquire The Original Kings Of Comedy, and acquired the manuscript for Twilight.

Panel: Writing a MOW: A Sneak Preview and Case Study of Firelight

John Lightfoot

John Lightfoot is a program officer at Cal Humanities, an independent, non-profit state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Since 2007, he has managed the California Documentary Project, a grant program supporting the research and development, production, and public engagement stages of film, radio, and new media projects that document subjects and issues relevant to California and national audiences. Previously, Lightfoot produced and taught documentary film in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His independent films have received several awards, been broadcast on PBS, and shown at festivals and art museums nationally.

Executive: Latino Media Market/At The Table With…

Ruth Livier

Ruth Livier is an actress, writer, producer and voice-over artist. Her web series, “Ylse,” won the 2010 Imagen Award for Best Internet Program and Cal State L.A.’s Reel Rasquache Best Web Series award. She has guest starred in the ABC series “Switched at Birth,” and has been featured on the cover of the WGA’s magazine Written By as the first person to join the writers’ union for her work in new media. Ruth has acted in the film Drag Me to Hell and in the audio drama “The Mark of Zorro.” Her theater credits include A Perfect Wedding and Lovers & Executioners, among others. She is a founding member of Inside Out, an after-school program for at-risk youth.

ActorSummit: How to Create, Produce, and Star in Your Own Webisodes!

Cynthia López

Cynthia López is executive vice president and co-executive producer of American Documentary | POV, responsible for programming content, broadcast distribution, community-engagement activities, communications, marketing, online initiatives and overall strategic development of the organization. Under her leadership, POV has been honored with a Special Industry Emmy Award, IDA Award for Best Continuing Series (2009, 2011), 27 Emmys, 13 George Foster Peabody Awards, 10 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Broadcast Journalism Awards, three Academy Awards, and the Prix Italia. Cynthia has crafted national public awareness campaigns for over 150 POV films, and is slated for Tribeca Film Institute’s 2012 Latin America Media Arts Fund/Heineken Voces Jury.

Panel: Public Media and Latino Independents

Allen Martinez

Allen Martinez is a film and commercial director. His new feature, Red Market, is a dark sci-fi film that deals with health care in the near future, starring Merik Tadros (“NCIS,” Men Who Stare at Goats, The Kingdom). Allen has also directed national commercial campaigns for corporate giants like Coca-Cola, In-Bev, Subway, Blockbuster, AT&T, Anheuser-Busch, Hilton Hotels, Burger King, and many others. Allen began his career directing commercials for Lawrence Bender through Quentin Tarantino’s production company, A Band Apart.

ActorSummit: Demystifying the Audition Process

Ilyse McKimmie

Ilyse McKimmie is the associate director of Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, and has been for the past twelve years. She oversees selection of U.S.-based filmmakers for the Screenwriters and Directors Labs, performs outreach to new filmmakers and provides support to alumni, produces the Screenplay Reading Series, and works with the Creative Producing Fellowship. Films developed at the Labs during her tenure include Beasts of the Southern Wild, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Pariah, Sin Nombre, Half Nelson, and Maria Full of Grace, among many others. McKimmie began her career with positions at Sony-based Red Wagon Productions and at ICM. She is a graduate of UCLA.

Executive: Latino Media Market/At The Table With…

Lorena Mendez-Quiroga

Lorena Mendez-Quiroga is a documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on exposing human rights violations around the world. Her documentary, Border Echoes: Ecos de una Fronteras, exposes the embedded corruption of government officials and other key suspects in the murders of women and girls in the border town of Juarez, Mexico, through the eyes of investigative journalist, Diana Washington Valdes. Previously at KTTV-11 Fox News, she worked for ten years as an assignment editor and field producer, and worked in the undercover unit. She also founded the group, Justice for the Women of Juarez, which raises awareness about the issue and to support the families of victims.

Panel: Shooting in the Crosshairs: Telling Latino Stories in Volatile and Dangerous Times

Flavio Morales

Flavio Morales is senior vice president of programming and production for mun2, overseeing both West and East Coast production, as well as managing the programming team. Morales is also a leading member of mun2’s senior management team. Under his leadership, mun2’s creative content has received extensive industry recognition including a Peabody Award. In 2008, he was honored with a prestigious NAMIC Vision Award, which recognizes the cable industry’s commitment to diversity, and in 2009, was selected as one of Multichannel News’ “40 Under 40” visionaries. Previously, Morales was director of programming and music for LATV, of which he was also a founding member.

Panel: The Reality of Reality TV/At The Table With…

Tamir Muhammad

Tamir Muhammad is director of feature programming at the Tribeca Film Institute, responsible for directing and developing programs such as Tribeca All Access, TFI Sloan Fund, and other initiatives that scout and develop emerging filmmakers. Tamir has held several positions at numerous other festivals including The New York International Latino Film Festival and Urbanworld. Earning his B.F.A. at NYU Tisch, Tamir went on to serve as an international staff member for the University, traveling to South Africa, China, Brazil, and Cuba. He serves on the board for Firelight Media and Moving Mountains, Inc. and consults for a number of other arts organizations.

Panel: Opening Plenary/At The Table With…

Kimberly Myers

Kimberly Myers is director of diversity at the Writers Guild of America, West. Previously, she headed development for feature films, series and television movies at Maya Pictures. She began her career in the film industry in New York City. After a stint at “Saturday Night Live” producing short films and as a Showtime executive, she became director of drama at WNET, producing programs for “Great Performances” and “American Playhouse.” Kimberly also served as vice president of program development at Turner Network Television vice president of movies and mini-series at Fox Television Studios, and producer of television films for NBC, CBS, Lifetime and TNT.

Executive: At The Table With…

Lisa Navarrete

Lisa Navarrete is deputy vice president of public information at NCLR. She speaks on issues such as Hispanic poverty, discrimination, housing, education, employment, immigration, and health. She also oversees NCLR’s Media Advocacy Project and is the co-author of the report, Out of the Picture, Hispanics in the Media. Previously, she was NCLR’s public information director, and the senior civil rights policy analyst. She was also on staff of Senator Paul Sarbanes, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Congressman Robert Garcia. She has a Master’s degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor’s degree in politics from the Catholic University of America.

Panel: Closing Plenary: Race and the Media

Alex Nogales

Alex Nogales is president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition. He has led high-profile demonstrations against major media corporations for excluding Latinos, and has been instrumental in signing agreements with the major television networks to guarantee diversity. When Nielsen undercounted Latinos, Alex led efforts to force Nielsen to address this shortfall and take Latinos into consideration. Under his leadership, NHMC has increasingly engaged on media and telecommunications policies that impact Latinos, and has filed over fifty petitions to deny broadcast licenses with the FCC. Recently, he was one of seven Latino leaders who negotiated a MOU with Comcast to include Latinos.

Panel: Closing Plenary: Race and the Media

Luis Ortiz

Luis Ortiz, as Managing Director of Latino Public Broadcasting, oversees the development, financing and production of Latino-themed programming which is distributed for broadcast. He manages the operations of the organization, headquartered in Burbank, CA, and maintains the West Coast presence for LPB. He also administers LPB’s Public Media Content Fund and processes and supervises the distribution of LPB funded programs to PBS. Luis also serves as Series Producer for their signature Latino anthology series “Voces,” a showcase of documentaries that highlights the rich spectrum of Latino-American culture.

Panel: Public Media and Latino Independents/At The Table With…

Cristina Patwa

Cristina Patwa is president of FactoryMade Ventures, a boutique entertainment, media business development and consulting firm. She oversees the company’s partnerships with renowned global corporations and marquee Hollywood talent to cultivate concepts to execution. Under her leadership, FactoryMade combines the creation of rich content with the strategic use of traditional and emerging distribution platforms to deliver compelling entertainment experiences to millions of people worldwide. Her vision has led to numerous awards and recognition for FactoryMade’s partners and clients with her work involving companies such as Hasbro, HSN, RTL Group, Intel, Procter & Gamble, as well as talent such as Robert Rodriguez, Alicia Keys, and Whoopi Goldberg.

Panel: Women in Media, Women Who Lead!

Keir Pearson

Keir Pearson is the Oscar nominated screenwriter for Hotel Rwanda. His current project is a biopic of activist farm worker, Cesar Chavez. Pearson has done assignment work at various companies, including Mob Cops at Warner Brothers, Son Of Al Qaeda at Paramount, The Roberto Clemente Story at HBO and Playtone, and The Sally Goodrich Story at Participant. He attended Harvard University and wrote his senior thesis on Chinese cinema before attending NYU’s graduate program in filmmaking. He was also an Olympic athlete, having competed for the U.S. rowing team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Panel: Writing CHAVEZ

Fernanda Rossi

Fernanda Rossi is an internationally renowned speaker and story consultant. She has doctored over 300 films, including Academy Award nominees The Garden and Recycled Life, as well as hundreds of trailers, many of which received funding from ITVS, NYSCA and NFB. Fernanda has given presentations and seminars for major world conferences and organizations such as HotDocs, Sheffield Doc/Fest and SilverDOCS. Her columns and articles have been published in trade publications like The Independent and DOX. She is the author of the book that, according to industry professionals, is the bible on demo production: Trailer Mechanics: A Guide to Making your Documentary Fundraising Demo.

Workshop: Packaging Your Documentary For Success/At The Table With…

Richard Saiz

Richard Saiz is a story consultant and is serving as the American facilitator for the next International Public Television Conference (INPUT) in Sydney, Australia in May. Richard recently stepped down as senior programming manager after running the Open Call funding initiative at ITVS for nearly 12 years. He has more than 35 years experience as a broadcast journalist, documentary director, writer and producer. He has won numerous awards including best documentary at the San Francisco International Film Festival and the duPont-Columbia silver baton.

Panel: The Short Documentary

Michael Smith

Michael Smith is general manager of Scripps Networks Interactive’s newest lifestyle media brand, Cooking Channel. He currently oversees the creation, integration, programming and marketing of the network. Previously, he was senior vice president of marketing, creative and brand strategy at Food Network, where he led the network’s consumer marketing, advertising, media planning, creative services, on-air promotion and public relations activities. He was named one of CableFAX’s “Most Influential Minorities in Cable” for five consecutive years (2007-11), named Savoy Magazine’s 2010 “100 Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America,” and was a 2009 recipient of the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Cable’s Luminary Award.

Panel: The Reality of Reality TV

David Tamés

David Tamés is a documentary filmmaker and visual communication designer working in old, new, and future media, in both screen and physical space. His documentary work includes Remembering John Marshall, a short documentary about the late filmmaker, and he’s currently completing post-production on The David Hamilton Smith Story. David co-founded MIT TechTV, the video sharing site for the MIT community, currently works at Massachusetts College of Art and Design as media arts studio manager, and teaches documentary courses in MassArt’s Professional and Continuing Education program. He has earned an M.F.A. in Communication Design and an M.S. in Media Arts and Sciences.

Panel: The Social Life of Convergence

Hardie Tankersley

Hardie Tankersley is vice president of online content at Fox Broadcasting. He manages social media marketing for all shows on the network, and develops new platforms and interactive TV strategies including social media applications, mobile device interactions, digital distribution strategies, and new business growth opportunities. He started creating online and interactive entertainment by building a local BBS on a 300-baud modem on an Apple II. Previously, he managed the development of digital entertainment products including the first Internet access for Apple’s eWorld, the official backstage webcast of the Grammy Awards, the Moxi cable media center DVR, and Yahoo! Entertainment.

Panel: The Social Life of Convergence

Rahdi Taylor

Rahdi Taylor is associate director of the Sundance Documentary Film Program, responsible for finding, cultivating and financing documentaries worldwide for the Sundance Documentary Fund, totaling up to $1.5 million annually. Previously, Taylor was director of marketing and communications for California Newsreel, where she headed distribution campaigns for new releases and was responsible for strategic marketing and branding initiatives. She served as director of production assistance (development) at Women Make Movies, where she supported 20 documentaries annually from script to screen, and administered a fiscal sponsorship program. She holds a Master of Fine Art and was Adjunct Faculty at New College of California.

Panel: Documentary Financing

Joseph Torres

Joseph Torres is the senior external affairs director for the national media reform group Free Press in Washington, D.C. He writes frequently on media and Internet issues and is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media, a sweeping account of the class and racial conflicts in American news media, from the first colonial newspaper to the Internet age. Before joining Free Press, Joseph worked as deputy director of communications and media policy at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and was a journalist for several years.

Panel: Closing Plenary: Race and the Media

Oscar Torres

Oscar Torres is the writer and producer of Innocent Voices (Voces Inocentes), producer/writer/director of La Vida No Es Igual, and En Tus Manos, an anti-violent film about a young boy trapped in the gang life of Colombia, which won the 2010 Beverly Hills Film Festival and the Spirit Quest Film Festival. His latest film is Viento en Contra, and his film Mancora, directed by Ricardo de Montreuil, is now on DVD. Oscar is currently writing and producing several projects including Madre de Dios, The Mexican Singer, Hombre de Piedra, In My Corner, Chasing Paradise, and an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning book, Enrique’s Journey.

Panel: Shooting in the Crosshairs: Telling Latino Stories in Volatile and Dangerous Times

Joseph Tovares

Joseph Tovares is senior vice president for diversity and innovation at CPB. He provides strategic guidance and leadership to strengthen CPB’s capacity to serve as a catalyst for innovation and inclusion with public media, as well as broadening the reach and diversity of public media’s audience. Previously, he was senior director of operations for television programming. Prior to CPB, Tovares was the executive producer for La Plaza, the Latino production unit at WGBH, and was the series editor and director of new media at “American Experience.” His projects include Zoot Suits Riots and Remember the Alamo, and was executive producer of “Maria Hinojosa: One- On-One” and Luis Tiant, A Baseball Story.

Panel: A Conversation with Joseph Tovares (Filmmakers Lounge)

Jorge Trelles

Jorge Trelles is the senior production manager at ITVS for domestic and narrative initiatives. He manages award-winning, long-form social issue documentaries for PBS, and the award-winning online narrative series “Futurestates.” Previously, he taught directing, advanced editing and advanced special effects courses at San Francisco’s Academy of Art University, and produced and directed the independent feature Divisadero. Before that, Jorge was involved in commercial post-production work for MTV, Nickelodeon, ESPN, CNET, Walmart TV and Current TV. He was also post-production supervisor/senior editor for various, Bay Area production houses, and won awards for his trade video production and post-production work.

Panel: Public Media and Latino Independents/At The Table With…

Jesús Salvador Treviño

Jesús Salvador Treviño is a director, writer and producer. His national PBS documentaries about Latinos include America Tropical, La Raza Unida, Chicano Moratorium and The Salazar Inquest. He co-executive produced the PBS documentary series, Chicano! History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement. His television directing credits include “The Unit,” “Law & Order Criminal Intent,” “Prison Break,” “ER,” “Resurrection Boulevard,” “Bones,” “Crossing Jordan,” “Third Watch,” “NYPD Blue,” “Chicago Hope,” “The Practice,” “The O.C.,” “Dawson’s Creek,” “Nash Bridges,” “Star Trek Voyager,” among others. His latest effort is Latinopia.com, a website featuring videos on Latino history, art, music, literature, theater, cinema and food.

Panel: The Social Life of Convergence

Carol Varney

Carol Varney is the managing director for the Bay Area Video Coalition, a nonprofit media arts organization. She oversees all program areas and sits on the review panels for the Producers Institute for New Media Technologies and the Media Maker Fellow Awards. Previously, she was BAVC’s director of development, and before joining BAVC, worked in development at cultural organizations such as Stanford Lively Arts, Maine College of Art and the Portland Museum of Art. Carol serves on the boards of San Francisco Cinematheque and the Camden International Film Festival, and is a past board member of SPACE Gallery, the Maine Jewish Film Festival, Project Inform, and the Bay Area Chapter of the NAMES Project.

Panel: Public Media and Latino Independents

Rodrigo Paranhos Velloso

Rodrigo Paranhos Velloso is head of Hispanic and Latin American Content at YouTube. Previously, he was head of business development at Google Latin America for four years. Prior to that, he worked at Brazilian media conglomerate, Grupo Abril, for eight years where, among other roles, he was editor-in-chief of several publications, including Playboy. Rodrigo received his Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School of Business and his Bachelor of Arts in communications from the Annenberg School of Communications, both at the University of Pennsylvania.

Panel: Anatomy of a Hit YouTube Channel

Ligiah Villalobos

Ligiah Villalobos is the writer and executive producer of the independent feature film La Misma Luna. She recently wrote a one-hour pilot for NBC titled, “Hot House,” and is the writer of the upcoming Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, Firelight, airing on ABC on Sunday, April 22nd. Projects in development include, La Raza, a historical, 7-hour mini-series for Will Smith’s Co., “Study Abroad,” for Nickelodeon and Alicia Keys Co., and an animated series for Norman Lear’s Co., titled, “Mouse in the House.” In addition to her writing assignments, Villalobos is currently getting a degree in Creative Writing from Antioch University.

Panel: Writing a MOW: A Sneak Preview and Case Study of Firelight

Sandie Viquez Pedlow

Sandie Viquez Pedlow is executive director of Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), responsible for managing the operations of public media’s largest Latino-focused content developer and funder, which provides programming to public television’s 350 stations, multicast channels, and other media platforms. Previously, Pedlow was director of station relations at PBS Education, where she led capacity building and training of public television stations in the promotion and marketing of PBS online and digital media products and services. Prior to that, she was director of Programming Strategies; associate director, Cultural, Drama and Arts Programming; and senior program officer with CPB in Washington, D.C. for 10 years.

Panel: Documentary Financing

Scott Walker

Scott Walker is a storyteller, world builder and creative catalyst. He is president of Brain Candy, LLC, which works with content producers to construct custom narrative frameworks where audiences co-create value with producers. He is co-founder of Transmedia L.A., a monthly meeting of Angelenos who share their transmedia experiences, views and projects. He is also the creator of Shared Story Worlds, a website highlighting collaborative commercial entertainment properties and sharing best practices for participatory entertainment. Scott speaks often at events such as SXSW, Digital Book World, and DIY Days L.A. He is on the advisory council of StoryWorld Conference.

Panel: The Social Life of Convergence

Chris White

Chris White is the vice president of programming and production at POV, PBS’s premiere showcase for independent non-fiction film. He helps curate the series while overseeing all broadcast and delivery requirements. He produces and edits all on-air content surrounding each show including trailers and filmmaker interviews, as well as any short-form content streamed on the POV website. Chris is also the technical liaison for filmmakers, often working with them to cut down and re-structure their films for broadcast. He is a freelance editor who edits trailers for work-in-progress documentaries, and has recently finished a piece for The Hispanic Federation.

Executive: Latino Media Market

                   Past Speakers Include:

James McNamara

James McNamara is the chairman of Pantelion Films, and the founder and chairman of Panamax Films and Cine Latino, the most widely distributed Spanish language movie channel in the U.S. Hispanic cable market. His impressive experience as a pioneering Hispanic media executive and producer of quality Latino content make him one of the foremost experts in this industry.

Most recently, he was president and chief executive officer of Telemundo Communications Group, and president of JMM Management, where he focused on new media and international broadcasting. He is a member of the board of directors of Scandinavian Broadcasting Systems, which owns and operates broadcast television and radio stations in nine European countries. He has also served as a board member of Film Roman, one of the world’s leading suppliers of animating programming.

Peter Murrieta

Peter Murrieta is a writer and an executive producer of the Emmy award winning Disney Channel show “Wizards of Waverly Place.” He executive produced WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE: THE MOVIE, a Disney Channel Original Movie that was the most watched telecast of 2009. He is a partner in a new production company, FM78.TV, which is dedicated to bringing top-notch professional content directly to you via the Internet, and committed to changing the entertainment landscape. Peter is partnered with Justine Bateman and Jill Kushner. He was a co-executive producer on “Hope & Faith,” writer for “All About the Andersons,” and creator of “Greetings from Tucson,” which was based on his life growing up in that city.

Neyda Martinez

Neyda Martinez is a programming, marketing and communications specialist who founded Monserrat Ltd, which serves private sector and non-profit clients, including the Marguerite Casey Foundation, Random House, and Hachette Book Group USA (the world’s second largest book publisher), among many others. Recently, she conceived and developed a professional development initiative, which was awarded $100,000 from the Rockefeller Foundation to a nonprofit Latino Theater company. She has led initiatives and/or departments for The Joseph Papp Public Theater, The Vidal Partnership, and the Chicago International Art Expo. Neyda is the founder/executive producer of an arts and music initiative, Habana | Harlem, and is co-curator/co-producer of a film series titled Creatively Speaking.

Shana Waterman

Shana Waterman is vice president of current programming of Fox Broadcasting Company. She oversees several prime time series, including “House,” “Glee,” “Fringe,” “Raising Hope,” “The Cleveland Show” and “Family Guy.” Previously, she was manager of development at Timberman/Beverly Productions. For several years, Shana was a board member and former Chair of Cornerstone Theater Company, and worked as a consultant to New Haven’s Long Wharf Theatre. She also served as senior researcher for playwright/actor Anna Deavere Smith, and produced the play Ah Ha Moments, which was nominated for an NAACP Excellence in Theater Award. Shana currently serves on the New York Foundation for the Arts board.

Wilmer Valderrama

Wilmer Valderrama is an actor best known for his role as Fezon Fox’s “That 70’s Show.” He has produced, directed, written, hosted and acted in numerous projects over the past decade and has projects in development with his production company, WV Enterprises. He is starring in the upcoming revival TV show, “CHiPS,” and voices ‘Manny’ on Disney’s “Handy Mandy.” Wilmer recently acted in the films From Prada to Nada, Larry Crowne, and The Dry Land, and made his directorial debut in Creepshow Raw: Insomnia. Among his many film credits are Columbus Day, Fast Food Nation, Unaccompanied Minors, and The Darwin Awards. Wilmer also created, executive produced, and hosted MTV’s “Yo Momma” for three seasons.

Soledad O’Brien

Soledad O’Brien is an anchor and special correspondent for CNN/U.S.. Since joining the network in 2003, she has reported breaking news from around the globe and has produced award-winning and record-breaking documentaries on the most important stories facing the world today. She also covers political news as part of CNN’s “Best Political Team on Television.”

Her most recent project, “Latino in America,” was a wide-ranging look at Latinos living in this country, how they’re reshaping America, and how America is reshaping them. She has also reported for the CNN documentary “Words That Changed a Nation,” featuring a never-before-seen look at Dr. King’s private writings and notes, and investigated his assassination in “Eyewitness to Murder: The King Assassination.” Her “Children of the Storm” project and “One Crime at a Time” documentary demonstrate her continued commitment to covering stories out of New Orleans.

Roberto Orci

From sci-fi thrillers to romantic comedies, there isn’t any genre that Roberto Orci will not take on as a writer or producer in film and television, as long as the subject is challenging and the material is good. In 2003, Roberto and his writing partner/friend since high school Alex Kurtzman were approached to write for J.J. Abrams’ wildly popular television spy thriller “Alias.” Before long they were executive producers of the show.

In 2006, he re-teamed with Abrams and Kurtzman to co-write the third installment of the Mission Impossible franchise starring Tom Cruise. In the summer of 2007, the innovative team took on one of their biggest challenges by scripting Transformers, a live-action adaptation of the popular animated series that went on to be one of summer’s biggest hits. They also scored with audiences and critics with their screenplay and executive-producing chores on J.J. Abrams’ adventure hit Star Trek. The film was wildly successful and the pair will write and executive produce a sequel.

Kenny Ortega

Kenny Ortega is an Emmy-award-winning producer/director/choreographer whose box office gross for his creative work just surpassed $1 billion. Initially known for working with famous dancer/choreographer Gene Kelly on such films as XANADU, Mr. Ortega went on to his own fame when he choreographed the 1987 classic film DIRTY DANCING. He has won awards for choreography in music videos, such as Madonna’s “Material Girl, ” and, together with Michael Jackson , created and designed the Dangerous World Tour 1992-1993 and the HIStory World Tour 1996-1997. He has also choreographed the 72nd Academy Awards and multiple Olympics events. He is the director of HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2, HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR, and Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert.