Summit Speakers


Summit Agenda

Anthony Kaufman

SENIOR PROGRAMMER
(HE/HIM)
CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Anthony Kaufman is Senior Programmer at the Chicago International Film Festival and the Doc10 film festival, film instructor at the New School, DePaul and Loyola Universities, a freelance journalist, and co-author of Hope for Film: A Producer's Journey Across the Revolutions of Indie Film and Global Streaming.

B Glick

Vice President, GQUE FILMS
(They/Them)
GQUE FILMS

B Glick is just your typical cancer-surviving disabled non-binary gay agnostic Jewish film sales entrepreneur. Their company GQue Films focuses on films by, about and for under-represented demographics. This year they launched a first of its kind film sales/distribution initiative for films from self identified disabled filmmakers. 

B has spoken about creative approaches to distribution, accessibility & inclusion at festivals/markets around the world such as Sundance, European Film Market, SXSW, Outfest, Hot Docs, Bogota Audiovisual Market, and Doc Edge NZ

They also provide consultation services for fest, cinema and/or event accessibility. 

Cara Ogburn, Ph.D.

PAST PRESIDENT, FILM FESTIVAL ALLIANCE
(She/Her)
MILWAUKEE FILM

Originally from Seattle, Dr. Cara Ogburn moved to Milwaukee in 2002 to attend graduate school at UWM, where she completed her Ph.D. in English in 2015. In 2011, she joined Milwaukee Film in a seasonal capacity before joining the full-time, year-round staff in 2013. Since then, she has held many titles within the education and programming departments of Milwaukee Film, and in 2020 was named Artistic Director. Cara is the immediate past president of the Board of Directors of the Film Festival Alliance.

Eugene Hernandez

Festival Director and head of public programming, Sundance
(he/him)
SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

Eugene Hernandez is the Director of the Sundance Film Festival and head of public programming. Going into the Festival’s 40th edition, he is responsible for guiding and overseeing the Festival’s overall vision and strategy while collaborating with the programming and leadership team to further the inspiring artistic impact of the Sundance Film Festival. He also leads the Institute’s year-round public programming globally, championing the social and cultural role of artists while developing programs to foster dialogue and community with Sundance-supported work at the center.

Before Sundance, Eugene led the New York Film Festival as the Festival Director. He began the position in 2020 and brought NYFF back to cinemas at Lincoln Center and around New York during COVID. He joined Film at Lincoln Center in 2010 as the Director of Digital Strategy and, in 2014, became the Deputy Director, where he led strategy and special programs for the organization. Before joining the FLC, Hernandez was the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of IndieWire, which he helped build over 15 years into the leading editorial publication for independent and international films, filmmakers, industry, and audiences. He is a Member-at-Large of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and serves on the board of advisors for SXSW, SeriesFest, and Art House Convergence, which Sundance has supported. Additionally, he has worked extensively as a consultant for several nonprofits, written for major print and online publications, and annually participates in the international film festival circuit as a panelist and juror.

Grishma Shah, Ph.D.

ARTIST, PSYCHOLOGIST, DEIA CONSULTANT
(She/Her)
REEL ABILITIES FILM FESTIVAL CHICAGO

Grishma is an Entertainment Psychologist. She focuses on the impact of cultural messaging and consults with organizations in Hollywood championing for underrepresented stories and storytellers! And with ten years of experience in the film festival circuit as Co-director and Film Programming Manager, Grishma helps filmmakers and film festivals attract wider audiences through DEIA initiatives. In 2021 while completing her PhD, Grishma advocated for accessible dissertations as traditionally they are reserved for academics. Her dissertation titled, “The South Asian Perspective(s): Desi & Disabled” can be heard as a podcast and is screen reader accessible. 

Jason Matsumoto

CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR // CO-FOUNDER
(He/Him)
FULL SPECTRUM FEATURES

Jason is a fourth-generation Japanese American producer and musician from Chicago. Jason co-produced The Orange Story, an early Full Spectrum project funded by the U.S. National Park Service that aims to provide educational content about civil liberties as told through the lens of Japanese American incarceration during WWII. Jason is the director and primary composer for Chicago-based music ensemble Ho Etsu Taiko. Jason is also a strategy consultant for Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten (Tokyo), a 150 year old traditional Japanese instrument maker who officially serves the Emperor of Japan. Prior to joining Full Spectrum’s staff, Jason spent 10 years in the financial derivatives industry, retiring in 2017 as Director of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s strategic pricing team.

Leslie Raymond

Executive director, aaff
(SHE/THEY)
Ann Arbor Film Festival

Leslie Raymond joined the Ann Arbor Film Festival as its executive director in August 2013. In September 2019, Raymond’s leadership role expanded to include festival programming. Prior to her position with AAFF, as a teaching artist and educator, she founded the New Media Program at University of Texas at San Antonio and served as an assistant professor of art in digital video and new media art at Oakland University, where she was recognized with an Innovations in Teaching award. Raymond is a Film Festival Alliance board member, and a third-generation American of Chinese and Jewish descent. She holds a BFA in film/video from the Rhode Island School of Design, MFA in new genres from the University of Michigan School of Art & Design, and also studied film, video, and new media art at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Jonathan Jackson

Executive director, mke film
(he/him)
MILWAUKEE FILM

Jonathan Jackson is the artistic and executive director for Milwaukee Film and has been since the first Milwaukee Film Festival in 2009. He oversees the 15-day film festival, now ranking as a Top 10 film festival in the country, attracting 76,899 attendees, and Milwaukee Film’s 500+ annual events. He previously served as artistic director for the Milwaukee International Film Festival, taught courses for UWM’s Film Department, wrote for the Shepherd Express, curated film programs for the Milwaukee Art Museum, and served as Program Manager of UWM’s Union Cinema.

Jonathan was named to the Milwaukee Business Journal Forty Under 40 class of 2011, and received a Harvard Business School Club of Wisconsin scholarship to attend Harvard’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management course in July 2017. Jonathan is a die-hard Cleveland Browns fan who emigrated from Cleveland to Milwaukee in 1998 to attend the internationally renowned UWM Film Department. Today Jonathan, his wife Sara, and his cat Carmela are raising his two young children in Shorewood.

Karen Cardarelli

executive director, facets
(She/Her)
Facets

Since 2020, Karen has navigated FACETS through the passing of its founder Milos Stehlik, and its reopening after the Covid pandemic. Prior to that she served as Interim Program Director with Illinois Arts Council. A long-time theater administrator, she co-founded Chicago’s Emerald City Theatre leading its growth from infancy to an annual audience reach of 60,000 people and $2M operating budget. Karen has served as Strategic Partnerships Co-Chair for the City of Chicago’s Year of Chicago Theatre, Steering Committee Chair of Ingenuity’s Strategic Partnerships Committee and sat on grant review Theatre Panels for DCASE and Illinois Arts Council. Currently, she sits on the League of Chicago Theatres Board of Directors and the iHeart Media Local Advisory Board.

Lilly Wachowski

FILMMAKER

(SHE/HER)

Lilly Wachowski is a transgender woman from Chicago. She has collaborated on a number of moving picture cinematics for television and theatre and holds a half-finished Post baccalaureate certificate from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Marty Martin

PROFESSOR
(He/Him)
DEPAUL UNIVERSITY

Marty Martin is a Professor in the Department of Management & Entrepreneurship at DePaul
University and Research & Innovation Fellow.

In these roles, he leads a portfolio of degree
programs and an innovation fund for the University. He also serves on numerous boards
nationally and in his community.


Marty’s prior experience includes senior positions at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Tulane
Hospital & Clinics, and The National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health leading and
driving change in human resources, occupational safety & health and DEI.


His interests in the arts began as a high school student at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in
Washington, DC. Marty renewed his interest in the arts and began working with Chicago based
arts and theatre organizations offering training, consulting and coaching.

His publications include three books, 150 plus peer review publications and numerous book
chapters. He is completing his latest book titled 52 Sleep Tips.

NK Gutiérrez

CO-chaiR // black harvest film festival
(she/her)
Black Harvest Film Festival

NK is in the business of consciously creating equitable and just community through the lens of heart centered living. She puts her BA in Psychology, Mental Health First Aid and Consent certifications to use as an Intimacy Coordinator on film & TV sets as well as teaching mindful employee care practices in the corporate and nonprofit space. 

Gutiérrez currently serves as the co-chair of the Black Harvest Film Festival at the Gene Siskel Film Center, Head of Programming for the XL Festival and Co-lead of the Film Club at Soho House Chicago.

Troy Pryor

Founder, Creative cypher
(He/him)
Creative Cypher

Troy Osborne Pryor is a media producer, speaker, and coach, but his true superpower is the ability to connect people and resources. His collaborations have led to award-winning projects and content on multiple platforms. Pryor is the founder of Creative Cypher, a portfolio of media companies & investments, under his company Pryor Holdings. He is the co-chair and board member for several festivals and the founder of the new XL Film Festival based in Chicago.