Here’s the Pitch! Judging Panel & Mentors DAVE CAPLAN, PhD, Judge* Executive Producer and co-showrunner on ABC’s The Conners, Caplan has a background in network prime- time television and feature films spanning more than 30 years. Previously he served as writer and Co-Executive Producer on the acclaimed Roseanne revival. Among shows Caplan has written and executive produced are the ‘90s cult hit Dinosaurs, The Drew Carey Show, Anger Management, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, Rizzoli and Isles and George Lopez, for which he won the coveted Humanitas Prize for the episode “The Kidney Stays in the Picture.” Caplan holds a PhD in Media Psychology and regularly speaks at schools and universities on topics ranging from media and news literacy to audience psychology and narrative persuasion. FELISCHA MARYE, Judge Creator, co-executive producer and showrunner of Bigger, currently in its second season on BET+. The provocative original series follows a group of thirty-something college friends re- calibrating their lives. Previously a writer on Netflix’s critically acclaimed teen drama 13 Reasons Why, Marye transitioned into the entertainment industry after a successful career in public relations and integrated marketing. A former Vice President at Flowers Communications Group in Chicago, she led account teams for blue-chip brands Sears, Kmart, Unilever and Miller Brewing Company; supervised advertising and communications for multicultural markets; and developed radio, TV and print campaigns. She holds an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA. BRIAN A. MILLER, Judge* Executive producer of HBO’s newly announced adult animation comedy Fired on Mars starring Pete Davidson. Former SVP/General Manager of Cartoon Network Studios, Miller has received 39 Emmy® nominations and ten wins. Previously Vice President of Production at Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Vice President of Production at Hanna-Barbera and Vice President of Production at DIC Entertainment. He was executive in charge of production for some of the most beloved kids’ shows of the 1990s and early 2000s, including Dexter's Laboratory, CatDog, Hey Arnold!, The Angry Beavers, ChalkZone, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, The Powerpuff Girls, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Cow and Chicken, Johnny Bravo, and the first and early second seasons of SpongeBob SquarePants. CAT RODRIGUEZ, Judge* Vice President, Unscripted Development and Programming, Lifetime. Rodriguez is responsible for developing and overseeing non-fiction programming for the network, currently overseeing the groundbreaking, award winning series Supernanny, Little Women: Atlanta and Marrying Millions. A highly sought-after showrunner with over 20 years of experience in the unscripted space, Rodriguez began her career helping to mold some of MTV’s most seminal shows, including Next, Date My Mom; Parental Control; and Bam’s Unholy Union. Rodriguez then went on to produce two stand-out seasons on the critically acclaimed LA Ink with Kat Von D, before producing The Real Housewives of New Jersey, where she became known for skillful and authentic storytelling. PROFESSOR TODD HOLMES, PhD, Panel Moderator Assistant Professor of Entertainment Media Management (EMM) at California State University Northridge (CSUN). As the option’s Area Head, Holmes teaches media management, television network programming and strategy, and media research. He has published in the Journal of Media Business Studies and presented award-winning papers at both national and international media conferences. Holmes began his career in outside sales positions within the broadcasting and telecommunications industries. As a senior account executive for WGFL, then the CBS, WB, and UPN affiliate for North Central Florida, Holmes led the sales team in achieving the highest revenues for any station within the WB 100+ Station Group. The affiliate earned the distinction of Station of the Year and Holmes Rep of the Year. BOB BODEN, Mentor Project: Hot & Sexy, Ready to Dance, Comedy, Sybil Azur (CSUN) EVP of Production & Development, Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios; Reality Programming Governor, Television Academy; executive producer of the nationally syndicated comedy celebrity game show Funny You Should Ask, currently in its fourth season. Overseeing programming at CBS, ABC, the Family Channel, FX and Game Show Network, to name a few, Boden has shaped development and production slates in numerous senior management roles. An industry leader in the game and reality genres, Boden was named to the top 50 Reality TV Power List by The Hollywood Reporter. An Emmy® nominee, he was Consulting Producer on two primetime series: ABC’s To Tell the Truth and Fox’s Superhuman; and executive produced the highest rated original series in GSN history, The Chase. KEVIN CLARK, Mentor** Project: Les Terribles, Drama, Sam Golzari (CSUN) Founder/President, Dakar Foundation for the Performing Arts; NAACP Award-winning producer (For Love of Liberty). Forging broad efforts in areas such as broadcast media, urban marketing, content delivery and business development solutions, Clark has worked with clients including CAA, AT&T, Sony, Wells Fargo and the U.S. Army. Fueling advertising and marketing obvious value programs to African American, Latino and Asian American consumers, Dakar aims to serve as a powerful, independent, broadband entertainment development company tracking market trends and needs to provide cutting edge product and content development, merchandising and packaging. STEPHANIE DRACHKOVITCH, Mentor Project: Third Eye and Sparrow, Drama, Xochitl Huerta (CSUN) Co-CEO and Co-Founder of 44 Blue Productions, the Peabody, Emmy®, Gracie and GLAAD award- winning non-fiction production company. During stints as Senior Vice President of Development for Warner Brothers Telepictures, and Disney’s Buena Vista TV unit, Stephanie developed for broadcast primetime The Bachelor, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and syndication Ellen. Her experience has helped shape 44 Blue’s diverse slate, including Netflix’s breakout hit Jailbirds, MSNBC's long- running series Lockup, and A&E’s Emmy®-nominated Wahlburgers. DAVID EILENBERG, Mentor** Project: Transcend, Drama, Avery Fox (CSUN) Chief Creative Officer at ITV America. Eilenberg is responsible for guiding the company’s creative strategy, leveraging intellectual property and identifying and managing emerging cable, broadcast and digital platform growth opportunities across the group. He also works closely with ITV’s UK-based team to exploit a range of formats for US development and production. Among the series Eilenberg spearheaded are CBS’s version of ITV hit format Love Island, FOX’s long-running Hell’s Kitchen and The Four: Battle for Stardom, the Netflix reboot of the megahit Queer Eye, for which he has won three Emmy Awards®. CAROLE KIRSCHNER, Mentor** Project: Weirdos, Comedy, Daniel Peña (CSUN) The Director of the Writers Guild of America’s Showrunner Training Program, the creator and Director of CBS Diversity Writers Mentoring Program, and author of the book Hollywood Game Plan: How to Land a Job in Film, TV and Digital Entertainment. Kirschner has worked as a senior level television development executive for eighteen years including posts at CBS and as Vice President of Steven Spielberg’s first Amblin Television. Through her popular, hands-on workshops, Carole teaches real world strategies so screenwriters, directors and producers can break in, move up and thrive in show business. DAVID & WENDY KNOLLER, Mentors* Project: The Second Sex, Drama, Sarah Chang Tadayon (CSUN) Co-Presidents of Knollwood Productions. The Knollers are a powerhouse entertainment industry couple. David, a prolific producer, director and writer, has helped shape award-winning premium cable series, including Carnivale, Power, and Big Love; along with the pilots of Freaks and Geeks and Lovecraft Country on HBO. Wendy has made her mark on such beloved, long-running shows as Star Trek: The Next Generation, Veronica’s Closet, Joey, and Friends, for which Wendy earned a 2002 Emmy Award® for Best Comedy Series. JOSH MANDEL, Mentor Project: WW’s End, Kids/Animation, Stuart Allan Bertman (CSUN) Sr. Production Executive, Amazon Kids. Mandel began his career in development and production at Miramax and Interscope. Producer of ten feature films premiering at festivals around the world, along with hundreds of hours of broadcast and digital content, he brings more than 15 years of experience with global brands including Mattel, Disney, Pixar, Warner Brothers, Universal, Sony, DC Comics, Dreamworks, Microsoft, Atlantic Records and WWE. Overseeing global marketing campaigns and consumer product tie-ins, he’s worked on billion-dollar franchise movies including Toy Story 4, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Aquaman and Cars 3. As a Senior Programmer of Slamdance, one of North America’s top film festivals, Mandel became known for his keen eye with discovering emerging talent. MICHELLE VICARY, Mentor* Project: Life Lessons, Drama, Brianna JeanJacques (Fullerton) EVP of Programming & Publicity and Crown Media Family Networks, home of three linear networks, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Drama; subscription video on demand streaming service, Hallmark Movies Now; and publishing division, Hallmark Publishing. In the course of her tenure, Vicary spearheaded Hallmark Channel’s highly successful foray into original primetime scripted series, including When Calls the Heart, Good Witch, and Chesapeake Shores. In addition, Vicary