2017 Panelist Biographies As of 11/13/2017 Phil Contrino currently works as the Data and Research Manager for the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO). In this role, Phil has conducted custom research on movie-going habits with a special focus on millennials. In August 2016, Phil started a Young Members Committee within NATO in order to help young talent in the exhibition industry prosper. Before joining NATO, Phil was the Vice President/Chief Analyst for Boxoffice.com. During his time at Boxoffice, Phil built a data/prediction business, maintained relationships with trade publications in India and China, and was quoted regularly by CNN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Vox, Wired, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap, and many others. Joan Darling was the first woman nominated for an Emmy® for television direction. She was nominated four times winning both the Emmy® and the DGA Award. She is considered the first woman director of the modern age. She is widely recognized for her talents as a director and actress. In the early 1970s, Joan had a recurring character role in the television series OWEN MARSHALL, COUNSELOR AT LAW. In her early directorial career, Joan directed the pilot and many other episodes in the first season of the hit TV series MARY HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN. She also directed episodes of M*A*S*H*, RICH MAN, POOR MAN, and MAGNUM P.I., among others. She directed the “Chuckles Bites the Dust” episode of THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW, which was named “the number one TV episode of all time” by TV Guide. The New York Times named it “the funniest episode ever on TV”. Her first film, FIRST LOVE, was released in 1977, and was named one of the year’s ten best by CBS. Joan created the Directing the Actor workshop for the Sundance institute and has taught directing at the Sundance Lab for 20+ years. Deborah Riley Draper is an award-winning filmmaker and advertising agency veteran. Variety Magazine named Draper to their “2016 Top 10 Documakers to Watch“ list. Her 2016 documentary, OLYMPIC PRIDE, AMERICAN PREJUDICE, tells the untold story of 18 African Americans who defied Hitler and Jim Crow in 1936 and is a 2017 nominee for the NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Documentary Film, qualified for the 2017 Oscars, and had a successful festival run. Her debut film, VERSAILLES ’73: AMERICAN RUNWAY REVOLUTION, opened New York Fashion Week and Toronto Fashion Week in 2012. It is the first intimate look at the infamous Palace of Versailles fashion show fundraiser, which catapulted the American ready-to-wear designers to global prominence. The film was released theatrically and premiered on Viacom’s Logo TV in September 2015. Director Tate Taylor (THE HELP, GIRL ON THE TRAIN) optioned VERSAILLES ’73 and Draper will serve as executive producer of the upcoming feature film. Draper’s leadership in advertising can be seen in campaigns for Lamborghini, Coca-Cola classic, FedEx, and Adidas. She has earned two regional Emmy® Awards, a Gold Effie, and several Addy Awards. Otessa Marie Ghadar is a digital storyteller who uses writing, filmmaking, photography, and technology to share her narratives and build communities. As one of the web series medium’s earliest adopters, Otessa is a true forerunner of digital media. Starting in 2006, Otessa’s web series ORANGE JUICE IN THE BISHOP’S GARDEN is now the longest, continually running show online, with an audience in more than 145 countries. Otessa founded the DC Web Fest (one of the first of its kind and now in its 6th year) out of the need for digital content creators to showcase their works, inspiring creativity and innovation. A newly-initiated Google Next Generation Policy leader, Otessa works diligently to increase technology awareness and innovation among minority and marginalized communities. As an Adjunct Professor at AU, and through additional guest lecturing, Otessa uses her passions to guide the next generation of digital storytellers. Stemming from her knowledge and expertise, she published the world’s first new media textbook called The Wild West of Film. She is currently working on her next trans-media project – the Young Adult Science Fiction series, LEMMA. Bob Hone has had award-winning careers as documentary filmmaker (Peabody, Emmy®) as well as an interactive/game designer (Codie, Prix Mobius). Currently, Bob runs the Game Studio, part of American University's Game Lab, where he designs and manages collaborations with external organizations such as the NIH, ETS, WGBH, and the World Bank. Prior to AU, Bob was the Creative Director of Red Hill Studios, a boutique developer of innovative educational and health software and games. An accomplished grant-writer, Bob has received grants totaling $8M for a wide range of interactive and video projects. Diana Kerew is a producer and executive producer of films and mini-series for television, with over 50 produced projects to her credit. She is the recipient of two Emmy® Awards, the Peabody Award, a Christopher and a Humanitas, and the NAACP Image Award. In addition to this personal recognition, her films have garnered every major award in the industry: 10 Emmys®, Golden Globe nominations, 26 Emmy® nominations, and multiple nominations and wins for the DGA and WGA Awards. She produced BLIND AMBITION, a multi-Emmy- nominated 8-hour miniseries about Watergate: JOHN HERSEY’S THE WALL, about the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (Emmys®, Peabody Award) and THE BUNKER, about Hitler’s last days, for which Anthony Hopkins won the Emmy® for Best Actor. She also developed several films for the big screen: BUFFALO BILL AND THE INDIANS, directed by Robert Altman, and OH, GOD, written by Larry Gelbart and starring George Burns. She was also involved with the oversight of ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE and FORT APACHE THE BRONX. She produced several films and miniseries for television, including a remake of NIGHT OF THE HUNTER and the film PARIS TROUT, starring Dennis Hopper. The latter screened at the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes. In addition to supervising a slate of more than 30 projects in development at all networks, she produced/executive produced several films and miniseries, including HITLER: The Rise of Evil (multiple Emmy® nominations, PGA nomination) and WHEN BILLIE BEAT BOBBY, starring Holly Hunter as Billie Jean King, written and directed by Jane Anderson. Diana now teaches The Development Process in Film and Television for the University of Texas/Austin UTLA program. Matthew Lucas, currently a writer/director for WILL Interactive, is an award-winning independent filmmaker and playwright in Washington, DC. His blithe genre short films have screened in festivals in the US and overseas, and he has won awards for his work as a director, screenwriter, and editor. He was a 2016 CINE Golden Eagle finalist, and a four-time Gold TIVA Peer Award winner. He is co-author and composer of SASQUATCH: THE MUSICAL, which appeared Off-Broadway in 2014 at the West Village Musical Theatre Festival. His award-winning short film MOONSHOT is currently streaming on Amazon. He holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Marymount Manhattan College and an MFA in Film from American University. He works as a cinematographer and writer of interactive media. Dara Marks, Ph.D. is a leading international script consultant, seminar leader, and author of one of the top selling books on creative writing, Inside Story: The Power of the Transformational Arc. She has specialized in the analysis of the modern screenplay for the past three decades, and Creative Screenwriting Magazine has consistently rated her one of the top script consultants in Hollywood. Dara has worked for most major Hollywood studios and her advice has been sought on a variety of films and television projects. Her groundbreaking work in this field continues to help writers engage more deeply and effectively in the creative writing process. Currently, Dara leads seminars world- wide and is an adjunct professor at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara. Marina Martins has more than 25 years "on the set" practical experience covering each film production department. She line-produced MNEMOSYNE, edited OUT OF RAIN and TERROR AT TATE MANOR, produced SPIN, and written and directed many more projects. Her passion is international co-production and she has consulted for Entertainment Business Group, specializing in development, marketing and distribution. Marina’s company Pigmental Studios, which has offices in Washington, DC and Los Angeles, is home to a corps of renowned animation artists and technologists who produce groundbreaking work in cooperation with international production partners. Derek McDaniel has started three video game companies, Black Lantern Studios, Graphite Lab, and Seamless Entertainment, during his career which combined have developed over 150 titles. Derek specialized in children and family friendly titles working with the top licensors such as Nickelodeon, Disney, and Cartoon Network through Activision, Vivendi, Tecmo, and more. In his role in business development and producing, he has worked on every aspect of development from initial game design to QA. He is best known for his work on DORA THE EXPLORER, WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE, and primetime shows such as IRON CHEF and DEAL OR NO DEAL. Derek now works with WILL Interactive making immersive videos for the military, government, and commercial sectors. Carolyn McDonald is the award-winning executive producer of HBO’s AMERICA’S DREAM, the National Geographic documentary, BEARING LIGHT, TNT’s BUFFALO SOLDIERS and FREEDOM SONG. She has scripted works for 20th Century Fox, Propaganda Films, actor/director Glynn Turman, and a number of indie producers. Carolyn directed/produced the short film P.N.O.K. featuring Danny Glover and Elle Fanning, the documentary DESIGN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as several documentaries for the Nashville Film Festival, and an array of music videos and short films.