FOUNDER
TICHI WILKERSON KASSEL(1926-2004)
An innovative businesswoman, Tichi Wilkerson Kassel was publisher emeritus of The Hollywood Reporter. As founder of The World Film Institute (formerly The Hollywood Reporter Industries Foundation), she distinguished herself with continued devotion and service to the entertainment industry. In founding Women In Film, Tichi’s intent was to aid women in the entertainment business by increasing their visibility, helping them to network with their peers, and unifying professional women in the industry. Benefits from the original concept are being enjoyed today by thousands of creative women nationally and in 20 countries around the world.
EXECUTIVE BOARD
JANE FLEMING
President
Ms. Fleming is a partner at Amber Entertainment which she founded in 2009 with fellow New Line Cinema veterans Ileen Maisel and Mark Ordesky,alongside renowned documentary and television producer Lawrence Elman. The company combines the acquisition of diverse intellectual property rights and their conversion into feature films, television, documentaries, interactive entertainment, publishing, direct-to-consumer platforms, and consumer products.
HILLARY BIBICOFF
Secretary
Hillary Bibicoff is a transactional entertainment attorney. She is a partner at Greenberg Glusker where she represents both established and "up and coming" actors, hosts, directors, writers, authors and independent producers, with a client list that includes Robert Benton, James Cameron, Pam Fryman, Lauren Graham, Jesse James, Ricki Lake, Staley & Long, Rip Torn, Robert Towne and the creator and executive producer of the HBO series "Carnivale," as well as several independent production companies. In addition to talent deals, she has negotiated book, screenplay and life story agreements, as well as various film finance and distribution deals and studio term deals. She also handles licensing, merchandising, endorsement and spokesperson deals for both traditional entertainment companies and those, such as 24-Hour Fitness, whose main business is outside of the entertainment industry. She has been involved with audits of major studios conducted on behalf of talent with gross profit participations and recently represented the two largest investors in the $500 million 25 picture film finance deal between Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros.
read more...
Bill Harris
CFO
Bill Harris is President of Jess S. Morgan & Company, a firm specializing in full service business management, investment advisory, tax and consulting services. In 1996 he started his career as a Business Manager working with production companies and he now works with clients in all areas of the Entertainment Industry. He has been involved with some of the industry’s biggest names, guiding them through the financial aspects of both their professional and personal lives. Bill is committed to making sure that his clients receive the individualized support they need in order for them to “Sleep through the night”.
read more...
ROBERT NIETO
VP, Technology
Robert Nieto, President of Greenhouse Marketing Group, Inc., is a 24-year veteran in sales and marketing, promotions and public relations. Over the years, Robert has created strategic branding and corporate relationships for his high profile special event clients tied to the the entertainment and the visual arts industries. Mr. Nieto has created and executed targeted marketing programs for Fortune 500 companies, such as Avery Dennison, American Airlines, ABC Television, ABC Daytime programming, The View television show, HBC Broadcasting, Univision Radio, General Motors, Target Stores, Farmers Insurance, Chevrolet, Lexus, FAO Schwartz, among other high profile clients. Mr. Nieto has degrees from Rutgers University and New York University in Paris. He speaks four languages fluently, French, Italian, Spanish, and English.
PAMELA RODI
VP, Marketing
Pamela Rodi has been a leader in entertainment marketing for over 20 years, and has the unique distinction of experience in all the major entertainment industries - music, home entertainment, motion pictures and television. Starting her career as a Creative Services staff member at Polygram Records in New York, working on album jacket designs and liner notes, Rodi then joined the fledgling home-entertainment start-up Vestron Video in international marketing. The company went on to become one of the biggest independent home entertainment companies in the world. When the company launched its theatrical distribution arm, Rodi was promoted to Creative Director, and spearheaded the campaign for indy phenomenon Dirty Dancing.
read more...
BOARD of DIRECTORS
IVY KAGAN BIERMAN
Ivy Kagan Bierman's practice includes the representation of entertainment and related companies in labor, production, distribution, technology and other business matters. She handles both transactional and litigation matters for clients.
Ms. Bierman is one of a select few of entertainment labor lawyers looked to by producers, distributors, national advertisers and advertising agencies for representation in guild and union matters. She regularly counsels entertainment and advertising companies about the SAG, AFTRA, DGA, WGA, AFM, Teamsters and IATSE agreements and handles claims arising out of such agreements.
read more...
BETH BOHN
As president of newly formed Beth Bohn Management, Ms. Bohn manages the careers of television professionals in the reality and alternative genres. Focusing primarily on advancing the professional efforts of production companies, directors, writers and producers, Ms. Bohn represents all aspects of her client’s television careers. States Ms. Bohn, “Since the only constant in the entertainment industry is that nothing is constant, my goal is to help my clients appropriately diversify their talents so that they will always remain as marketable as possible.”
Formerly a senior vice president at APA, Ms. Bohn served as a television packaging and literary agent. She represented clients from all areas and disciplines of television, including production companies, producers, writers and directors. Her clients created or had been key staff members in such shows as “The Shield”, “Sons of Anarchy”, “Divorce Court”, “MADtv”, “The Real Housewives of Orange County”, “Ellen”, “Family Feud” and many more.
read more...
DEBORAH BOTHUN
Deborah Bothun is a principal in the Advisory practice in the Los Angeles office of PricewaterhouseCoopers. She leads the US Advisory Entertainment, Media and Communications practice and is the Global Leader of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Digital Convergence initiative, focusing on assisting clients in adapting to the changing content and distribution marketplace. Ms. Bothun specializes in financial due diligence for entertainment transactions and financings, licensing and contract compliance, and intellectual asset management including economic valuation for insurance claims and legal disputes. Ms. Bothun has over 15 years of experience working with Fortune 500 Entertainment and Media clients. Her recent experience includes providing due diligence for financings supported by over $4 billion in entertainment assets, business interruptions insurance claim preparation for large entertainment company losses, and contract and licensing management services.
read more...
HOLLY HOLMBERG BROOKS
Holly Holmberg Brooks is a writer, producer, designer and the President and Founder of Highwood Productions and East/West Media LLC @ Studio 11. She is currently at work on several feature films, an original television series, and other new media programming. Ms. Brooks has enjoyed many years of creative collaboration while working alongside some of the best and brightest in the entertainment industry. Her early credits include Emmy-nominated script writing for Taxi and The Tracey Ullman Show, where her innovative idea to bring animation shorts to a restless variety format gave birth to the popular long-running series, The Simpsons. She has consulted and received credit for several Academy Award winning and nominated feature films including Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News, Jerry Maguire and As Good As It Gets.
read more...
JOANNIE BURSTEIN
Partner/Manager, The Burstein Company
Joannie is the President of her eponymous company, representing actors and writers for film, television, theatre and new media. Before owning her own management firm, she was a talent agent at various companies. A number of her clients have either won or been nominated for Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Tony Awards.
She resides in Pacific Palisades with her husband and their two children.
SUSANNE DANIELS
For the last three years, Susanne Daniels was President, Entertainment, Lifetime Networks. In September 2008, she left her position as President to spend more time with her family and to work as a media consultant.
Daniels was responsible for all programming on Lifetime Television and Lifetime Movie Network, the two highest-rated women’s networks in cable television.
At Lifetime, Daniels was responsible for bringing an array of new programs to the network, including the critically acclaimed hit drama series “Army Wives,” the highest-rated series in the history of the Network, from producer Mark Gordon, starring Kim Delaney and Catherine Bell. In reality programming, “How to Look Good Naked,” hosted by Carson Kressley, premiered as Lifetime’s most successful unscripted series ever and is currently in its second season.
This year, Daniels was instrumental in brokering a deal in which the Peabody Award-winning “Project Runway” series will join the network for its sixth season (along with a new half-hour series entitled “Models of the Runway”) as the centerpiece of a groundbreaking new partnership between Lifetime Networks and The Weinstein Company.
read more...
DIANA DERYCZ-KESSLER
Diana Derycz-Kessler is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Los Angeles Film School and The Los Recording School. The schools are private post-secondary educational institutions dedicated to teaching media arts to young adults. Diana also serves as manager and general counsel to various investment companies that are co-owned with her husband Paul Kessler, a financier. These companies invest in emerging, growing public and private companies. Diana is known as an enterprising business woman with a diverse business and law background in both the United States and Latina America. read more...
VICKI DUMMER
Vicki Dummer oversees Alternative Series, Specials and Late Night for ABC Entertainment as senior vice president, and heads the department along with John Saade. She reports to Stephen McPherson, president, ABC Entertainment.
In this role, Ms. Dummer focuses on current and specials for ABC’s alternative series, along with development and late night, as well as the management of the Alternative Series staff and spearheading the creative efforts for upcoming projects.
LISA GEWIRTZ
Born and raised in New York City, Ms. Gewirtz spent her youth touring all over the world with her family’s performing act, singing and playing a number of musical instruments, on her vacations from school. She attended the "famed" High School of Performing Arts, and immediately upon graduation moved to Los Angeles where she began working for various celebrities in a variety of roles. She continued to fill her creative needs by performing around town, accompanying others when needed, and singing and playing songs she wrote. She found herself over 17 years ago at a crossroads, wondering what life would have in store for her next. Within hours her phone rang with an offer from a payroll company of all things, in the entertainment industry.
read more...
IRIS GROSSMAN
Beginning her career as an assistant at International Creative Management (ICM), Iris Grossman quickly climbed the ranks and was upped to talent agent. After several years with the agency, Grossman was given the opportunity to become the Senior Vice President of Talent and Casting for Turner Network Television (TNT). In that capacity, Grossman oversaw all talent and casting issues related to TNT Original films and series. She spent nine years at TNT, and in October 2001, Grossman returned to ICM as a talent agent.
Grossman was instrumental in bringing TNT such top-name stars such as Diane Keaton (Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight); Robert Duvall (The Man Who Captured Eichmann); Gary Sinise and Angelina Jolie (George Wallace) Tommy Lee Jones (The Good Old Boys). She also cast Alec Baldwin (Nuremberg); Julianna Margulies, Angelica Huston and Joan Allen (The Mists of Avalon); and Chazz Palminteri (Boss of Bosses); William H. Macy (Door to Door); and John Turturro (Monday Night Mayhem).
read more...
CHERYL J. KAGAN
Cheryl J. Kagan has been able to effortlessly blend her expertise in many areas of the entertainment business in Los Angeles, New York and London. She established Cheryl J. Kagan Public Relations in 1998, after working as Executive Vice President, Entertainment at the illustrious Rogers & Cowan, for 17 years in Los Angeles. She has offices in L.A., the Midwest and London. Current and past clients include: The Smothers Brothers, Kenny Rogers, Hugh Grant, Michael Chiklis, Cybill Shepherd, Siegfried and Roy, Wayne Newton, opening of a $40 million dollar amusement park, MET opera star Denyce Graves, rap star Coolio, Treat Williams, Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Loni Anderson, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, William Shatner, Lance Burton, White House charity dinners, STAR SEARCH Grand Champion Jake Simpson, Jamie Farr, Sudan Peace Act, Production Designer/Creature Creator Patrick Tatopoulos, Children Uniting Nations, Moonlighting, Miami Vice, etc.
read more...
GABRIELLE KELLY
Gabrielle Kelly was born in Ireland, educated in England and has worked in the film business all over the world as a screenwriter, producer and production executive in both studio and indie films. Expert in all aspects of script development, talent attachment and financing, she is also a Hollywood-based analyst and trouble-shooter for international media companies, a hands-on producer of media related databases and a film educator both in the USA and around the world.
read more...
DANICA KRISLOVICH
Danica Krislovich has a strong background developing and producing high concept television series, specials, TV movies, features and documentaries for network, cable, digital, mobile, and theatrical release as a producer and production/development executive. She brings an entrepreneurial point of view to her productions and is known for being on the cutting edge of pop culture entertainment in her ideas and execution. Her diverse and loyal relationships with various producers, broadcasters, and talent have given her the opportunity to create, package and produce concepts and to cross over and develop talent from their traditional mediums into commercial entertainment. She has generated franchises, incorporated funding, ancillary distribution, advertiser integration, and strategically positioned content to capitalize and maximize revenue on all platforms (i.e. non-fiction & scripted series, video games, broadband and mobile) while creating alternative business models.
LILLAH MCCARTHY
Lillah McCarthy is Senior Vice President of Original Programming for TNT and TBS. Since joining the Turner networks in 2003, she has been instrumental in the development of all original series for the two cable networks. TNT scripted series include: “THE CLOSER”, the highest rated original series in cable history, starring Kyra Sedgwick, “SAVING GRACE” starring Holly Hunter, “RAISING THE BAR” from producer Steven Bochco, starring Mark-Paul Gosselar, “LEVERAGE” from producer Dean Devlin, starring Timothy Hutton, and “TRUST ME” from the producers of “THE CLOSER” starring Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh. The unscripted series “WEDDING DAY” from Mark Burnett and Dreamworks is presently in production and will premiere in the summer of 2009. For TBS, Ms. McCarthy supervised the development of “MY BOYS, THE BILL ENGVALL SHOW”, and “10 ITEMS OR LESS” among others.
HANNAH MINGHELLA
Hannah Minghella, president of production for Sony Pictures Animation, is responsible for the development and production of all films on the Sony Pictures Animation slate.
She most recently oversaw the production of CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS, inspired by the children’s classic book by Ron and Judi Barrett. She is currently working on the live action/animated motion picture, THE SMURFS MOVIE, based on the iconic and loveable blue characters by Peyo; and HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, an animated family comedy. In partnership with Aardman Animation, SONY PICTURES ANIMATION is also in production on the cg animated movie, ARTHUR CHRISTMAS and stop-motion movie, PIRATES!
read more...
NINA NISENHOLTZ
CHEVONNE O’SHAUGHNESSY
A veteran sales agent, Chevonne O’Shaughnessy has long been recognized as one of the most respected sales persons for independent movies. The reason for her success is she always responds to what the market wants with high quality entertainment product that appeals to the worldwide market. A woman of many languages and an accomplished businesswoman, Chevonne O’Shaughnessy served as Vice President at the established mini studio PM Entertainment for ten years. During her time at PM Entertainment she sold over 150 feature films and 2 TV series. She successfully guided the company to a dominant position within the global marketplace.
PAT QUINN
Pat Quinn is the head of Quinn Media Management. She is a new media revenue source advisor to
Clients include TV2 in
read more...
RENA RONSON
Ronson, currently Co-Head of UTA’s Independent Film Group, is one of the pre-eminent packaging and finance executives in independent film, and brings with her 23 years of experience in the global marketplace, including a 12 year career in foreign sales, production and co-production where she cultivated and continues to nurture relationships with the top distributors overseas. Her extensive experience abroad and in the United States gives her powerful insight concerning the global film market and the expanding economics of this business, and has led her to put together some of the most important independent films of the last few years.
read more...
MARION ROSENBERG, O.B.E.
Marion Rosenberg graduated from the Universities of Manchester, England and Grenoble, France. She started her show business career in the Bands and Acts Department of MCA. From 1960 to 1976 she worked in production on both sides of the Atlantic, on such films as I COULD GO ON SINGING (Judy Garland), THE BEST MAN (Henry Fonda), WHERE EAGLES DARE (Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood) and THE MISSOURI BREAKS (Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson). In l976 she became head of EMI Films in Los Angeles, and set up such productions as THE DRIVER, CONVOY and THE DEERHUNTER, on which she served as Associate Producer.
CATHY SCHULMAN
Academy Award™ winning producer Cathy Schulman became President of Mandalay Pictures in January 2007, at which time she also established Mandalay Independent Pictures alongside Peter Guber. Her experience as both an executive and producer dates back to 1987.
As President of Mandalay Independent, Schulman is a part of an elite group of women who head self-financed production companies. She started Mandalay Independent in order to produce self-distinguished projects with a social conscience and youth awareness, in the hopes of illuminating stories of consequence not commonly exposed in film.
read more...
SUSAN SIMONS
Susan A. Simons is an agent at David Shapira and Associates (DSA), with 9 years experience representing a diverse and wide range of production companies and independent writers, producers and directors in the alternative field. Her clients include Brennan Huntington, the Executive Producer, and Bob Loudin, the Director, of Merv Griffin’s Crosswords; and Chris Donovan, Director of the Golden Globe Awards. Previously, she was an agent with the Broder, Webb, Chervin, Silbermann Agency, where she founded the Alternative Television Department; and The Irv Schechter Company. Ms. Simons also worked at CBS as Director of Late Night Programming and Special Projects, overseeing all aspects of producing The Gordon Elliot Show.
read more...
BONNIE SPENCE
Bonnie Spence is currently World Wide Director of Special Feature/DVD at Warner Brothers. Her experience in the film and advertising industry has spanned 17 years as an award winning Senior Executive, Director and Producer with extensive Worldwide experience in film marketing.
read more...
SHELBY STONE
Award winning producer Shelby Stone’s works include: HBO’s Emmy, Golden Globe, and Image Award winning Lackawanna Blues which premiered at Sundance 2005; the critically acclaimed The Middle Passage; Boycott; and Lumumba, as well as the Emmy-nominated, multiple award-winning HBO public service spots Peace: Live in It or Rest in It staring Queen Latifah, Chris Rock, John Leguizamo, et al. Stone also produced Tamara Davis’ acclaimed Skipped Parts starring Jennifer Jason Lee with a cameo by Drew Barrymore. Stone began her career as an independent film executive working in marketing, acquisitions, and finally production before launching her own production company with DROP Squad a Spike Lee 40 Acres and a Mule production. Currently she is the Senior Vice President of Development and Production at Foxx/King Entertainment, a newly formed company lead by Jamie Foxx, Jaime King, and Marcus King.
MIKE TSCHIDA
Founder, Tschidakabat Entertainment Group
Tschidakabat Entertainment Group (TKEG) is a full-service Entertainment Marketing film strategically based in the heart of Hollywood, founded by partners Mike Tschida, an experienced celebrity agent and Curtis Kabat, an established corporate buyer.
read more...
