American Film Institute

Betsy has worked as a Producer, Line Producer, UPM and a 1st AD over her 25 year career in the Motion Picture Industry. In 2004 she was the Co-Producer of a short film entitled TWO SOLDIERS, which won the Academy Award for best dramatic short at the 2004 Academy Awards. As a film production professional she was associate producer of the feature film WIND, directed by Carroll Ballard; head of production for a film production company called Filmlink International; first assistant director on such films as STEALING HOME, LADY IN WHITE and GOOD BURGER, in addition to work on numerous commercials and documentary films. Betsy was the co-founder of the PSA Committee of Women in Film a group created to produce and distribute public service announcements to local groups unable to publicize their services in any other way. Betsy also served at one time on the Board of Directors of Women in Film. Betsy was the Head of the Producing Discipline at the North Carolina School of the Arts from 2000 through 2003 and while there produced a marketing video which has become one of the school's primary marketing tools. She is currently Associate Dean/Director of Production Services at the American Film Institute and as such is responsible for overseeing over 100 short films each year.

Ed is owner and president of Broadcast Business Consultants, which specializes in all areas of broadcast business affairs, including talent payment, trafficking, continuity acceptance and celebrity talent negotiations. B.B.C works with a number of agencies and corporate clients including Shaller Rubin, Smith Garland, BBDO, Y&R, National Liberty Corp., Polaroid. Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tri-Star Productions, AT&T and Major League Baseball. Ed served as TV/Radio business manager at Kenyon and Eckhardt in New York and Ketchum MacLeod & Grove in Pittsburgh. His professional memberships include the National Academy of TV Arts and Sciences, American Film Institute, the Advertising Club of New York and the Friars Club. He maintains close contact with the ANA/AAAA's negotiating teams and the performing talent, music and craft unions. His many contacts at these unions enable him to have an insider's view of talent and unions. He earned a BFA from Columbia University, specializing in advertising and drama.

Director and Chief Executive Officer Geoff Alexander has been archiving academic films and writing on their history since 1994. Earlier, he spent eight years as an announcer and programmer in non-commercial radio at KTAO in Los Gatos, CA, and KDNA in St. Louis. He taught for two years in Special Education programs with the Santa Clara County Office of Education. Geoff attended San Francisco State University and Berklee College of Music, where he majored in flute and composition. His avant-garde musical compositions and performances were noted in Keyboard Magazine's "Experimental Music" special issue in January, 1987. Geoff crafted the first written history of jazz organ, now archived at Rutgers University's Institute for Jazz Studies, an excerpt of which was published in Keyboard Magazine (May, 1989). He received his B.A. in Creative Arts, and Masters of Education from San Jose State University. Geoff holds a life membership in the Association of Moving Image Archivists, whose membership includes the Library of Congress, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the American Film Institute. His monograph 'An Academic Perspective: The Life and Films of John Barnes' was published in The Moving Image, the journal of the Association of Moving Image Archivists, in November, 2002.

Fresh out of college, Jim Staylor was a speaker for the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, he then became assistant director of public relations at a hospital before going back to grad school for Radio, TV and Film. Anne Farrell Staylor is a registered nurse with extensive medical marketing experience. She is past president of the San Diego Chapter of Healthcare Communicators. To join this list, win some awards, and meet your project needs, contact Staylor-Made Communications.

Leslie Moonves is President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS Corporation. In this role, he oversees all operations of the company, including the CBS Television Network, The CW (a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), CBS Television Stations, CBS Paramount Network Television, CBS Television Distribution Group, Showtime, CBS Radio, CBS Records, CBS Outdoor, Simon & Schuster, CBS Interactive, CBS Consumer Products, CBS Home Entertainment, CBS Outernet and CBS Films. Prior to the Viacom separation in 2005, Moonves served as Co-President and Co-Chief Operating Officer of Viacom and Chairman of CBS, overseeing all of Viacom's domestic and international broadcast television operations, radio division and outdoor advertising operations. Moonves was promoted to Chairman and CEO of CBS in 2003, and prior to that, was President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS Television, a position he was elevated to in April 1998. He joined CBS in July 1995 as President, CBS Entertainment. Under Moonves' aegis, CBS has developed television's Number One drama, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation;" the king of reality series, "Survivor"; and hit series such as "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Two and a Half Men," "The King of Queens," "CSI: Miami," "Without A Trace," "Cold Case," "CSI: NY" and the Emmy Award-winning reality series "The Amazing Race." It was during this time CBS became America's most watched television network, going from last to first during Moonves' leadership. He joined CBS from Warner Bros. Television, where as President, he oversaw a television division that supplied the greatest number of programs to network television for nine consecutive years, culminating in a record-setting 22 series (including "ER," "Friends" and "The Drew Carey Show") on the 1995-96 network schedules. He had been President of Warner Bros. Television since July 1993, when Warner Bros. and Lorimar Television combined operations. From 1989 to 1993, he had been President of Lorimar Television. He joined the company in 1985 as executive in charge of its movies and mini-series, and became head of creative affairs in 1988. Earlier in his career, Moonves was Vice President of movies and mini-series for Twentieth Century Fox Television, where he was also in charge of first-run syndication and pay/cable programming. He had previously been Vice President, development, for Saul Ilson Productions (in association with Columbia Pictures Television) and a development executive for Catalina Productions. Upon graduation from Bucknell University, Moonves pursued an acting career at New York's Neighborhood Playhouse, studying under the renowned Sanford Meisner. He performed in numerous stage and television productions before opting to produce plays on Broadway and in Los Angeles. Moonves is a member of the NCAA Advisory Board, the board of directors of the Los Angeles Free Clinic and the board of trustees of the Entertainment Industries Council. He is a trustee of the National Council for Families and Television and of the American Film Institute and is past president of the Hollywood Radio and Television Society. He is also co-chair of the Los Angeles Board of Governors of The Paley Center for Media. In March 2003, Moonves was honored by the International Radio and Television Society as the recipient of the Gold Medal Award, one of most prestigious honors in media and entertainment. Since joining CBS, Moonves has also been named Variety's Showman of the Year and Entertainment Weekly's Most Powerful Man in Hollywood and received the Casting Society of America's Career Achievement Award. He is also a past recipient of the American Jewish Committee's Sherrill Corwin Award, given to outstanding leaders in the entertainment and communications industry.

Lisa's 25-year career in technology and marketing includes positions from systems development to business development and marketing to executive management. She has held executive level positions in Fortune 100 companies, headed venture-funded entrepreneurial initiatives and provided strategic business consultation for Xerox, Kodak and HP among others. Ms. Wellman has recently launched a new business venture to create a yearly Conference and Exposition called SustainCommWorld, The Green Media Show. The new enterprise will provide a forum for education, solution development and technological exploration addressing sustainability as it pertains to communication via analog and digital media. In 1991, Lisa was recruited by Apple to head up Commercial Publishing for the company's U.S. markets. Her success led to promotion as VP of Worldwide Publishing, Entertainment and New Media Markets, which her team built into a $3 billion revenue stream that accounted for 60% of Apple's bottom line. She drove key initiatives in Japan and China, opening up new market opportunities for the brand. Lisa recently served as turn-around CEO of Radarworks, a Seattle-based advertising and marketing services agency. Previously was CEO of CampusCE, an Application Service Provider (ASP) operating in an SQL environment selling infrastructure support tools for continuing education institutions and businesses. In 1999 she was recruited by HP to head up a dot com spin off, Deep Canyon, and that's how she wound up in Seattle. Lisa has held or is holding board positions with the American Film Institute, Cal Poly Graphic Communication Department, Data Depth (iCopyright), Very Juicy Records and the Washington Community Alliance for Self Help (CASH). She was recently appointed by Governor Christine Gregoire to the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB).

Veronika is a photojournalist who has traveled and lived all over the world in pursuit of her art. Based in Los Angeles she photographs a variety of subjects and currently serves as the official photographer for the American Film Institute. Passionate about outreach and activism, Veronika has joined our team because she is a firm believer in the power of photography to reveal truth, open minds and instigate change. Veronika taught the second workshop at the 450 in 2007 and is working on the third workshop in July 2008, as well as coordinating the upcoming exhibit in Los Angeles in November 2008.

Gene Jankowski has served as a director since 1994, when he was elected an independent director. In May 2003 he was elected by the Board to serve as Chairman of the Board (a non-executive position) of Trans-Lux Corporation. Mr. Jankowski is Chairman of Jankowski Communications System, Inc.; Advisor Managing Director of Veronis Suhler & Associates Inc.; Chairman Emeritus of the American Film Institute; formerly a Director of TV Azteca; formerly Co-Chairman of St. Vincent's College; formerly a Trustee of St. Vincent's Medical Center; and formerly President and Chairman of the CBS Broadcast Group.

Ariel Emanuel has served as a member of our board of directors since September 2007. Mr. Emanuel is a founding partner at Endeavor and a driving force in the direction and operation of the company. In the 12 years since its inception, Endeavor has become one of the top agencies in the entertainment industry and Mr. Emanuel has been an integral part of that success and in providing its vision. Mr. Emanuel is a member of the Board of Trustees of the American Film Institute and is active in P.S. Arts, an industry supported non-profit agency working to bring arts education to public school students all over Southern California. An environmental and political activist, he also served as the co-chair of the Earth to L.A. biennial fund-raising event for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Brad Marks International is the preeminent executive search firm exclusively dedicated to the entertainment and new media industries. Our organization has the longest tenure of any executive recruitment company in the world of entertainment, and in 1995 we added a new media practice that now equals the volume of our traditional media and entertainment divisions. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brad Marks, oversees the day-to-day activities of the company and is widely considered to be the pioneer of the entertainment executive search industry. Brad Marks International s client companies represent virtually every sector and function of entertainment. The firm has conducted numerous worldwide searches on behalf of major corporations encompassing the areas of television, film, cable, video, music, radio, theme parks, electronic publishing, interactive technology and online services.

Debbie Allen is one of the most respected, relevant, and versatile talents in the entertainment industry today. The talented and successful actress, director, producer, choreographer, singer, and dancer continues to redefine herself as an accomplished artist. In 2003, Ms. Allen took the reality television genre by storm, acting as the producer, choreographer, and host of the NBC hit reality show - FAME. The show has proven to be one of the NBC networks highest rated series, and it has introduced Allen to a whole new generation of fans. Most recently, Allen created and produced a ten city nation-wide talent competition entitled FAME-US that sought to discover talented young people who do it all: sing, dance, act, and has a sparkling personality. Dedicated to servicing the up-and-coming generation of young artists, Debbie Allen showcased the finalists in Los Angeles before a crowd of some of the top recording industry executives, casting directors, and talent agents. In addition, Debbie Allen has added the credit of author to her impressive array of merits. Allen has composed two children's books entitled, Brothers of the Knight, and more recently, Dancing in the Wings, both for Penguin Putnam Publishing. Debbie Allen continues to move forward with yet another exciting project proving that she is, indeed, one of the hardest working individuals in Hollywood. In 2001, Allen fulfilled a lifelong dream by opening the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in Los Angeles, California. Allen's academy offers a comprehensive curriculum for boys and girls ages four to eighteen in all the major dance techniques including Classical Ballet, Modern, African, Jazz, and Hip-Hop. In addition, special workshops are held for concentration in the Peking Opera, Martial Arts dance techniques, Flamenco, Salsa, and Tap. Debbie has been able to use her prestige to lure instructors from famous institutions such as the Kirov Ballet and the Peking Opera. In a classic example of "life imitating art," the Debbie Allen Dance Academy will bring Debbie back to her days where she played the title role of dance instructor, "Lydia Grant," on the long-running, hit television series, Fame. Similar to the show, Allen's studio provides a safe haven for kids to go to after school where dance professional motivate, and teach them to excel in their style of dance. Debbie plays an active role in each student's career as a dancer by offering her own hands-on instruction. In the year 2000, Debbie hosted and produced her own documentary series on the Women's Entertainment cable television network. The show chronicled the lives of ordinary women who do extraordinary things in their communities. During the same time period, Allen directed, co-produced, and co-starred along with her sister Phylicia Rashad in the critically acclaimed PBS Special The Old Settler. Allen's film work is also quite extensive with her last project being the successful and highly acclaimed Dream Works production, Amistad the story of a famed mutiny aboard a slave ship in 1839. With Debbie Allen producing, Amistad was the first film that Steven Spielberg chose to direct for Dream Works. Written by David Franzoni, and Academy Award winner Steven Zaillian, Amistad brought to life the dramatic and heroic story that Allen has possessed for more than 10 years a credit to her dedication and passion for the film. Perseverance and passion are no strangers to Allen, who received favorable notices for her role as Richard Pryor's feisty wife in the semi-autobiographical film, JoJo Dancer, Your Life is Calling. Her other feature films include Milos Foreman's Ragtime, and The Fish That Saved Pittsburg, which she also choreographed. Allen also directed the feature film Out of Sync, starring L.L. Cool J, Victoria Dillard, Yaphet Kotto, and Howard Hesseman. Set in the underground world of rave music, this film told the story of a down and out DJ trying to get his life back on track. Allen received two Emmy's and one Golden...

Has a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz and completed accounting studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Ms. Douglas joined the firm in 1983. She is a member of the American Society of Certified Public Accountants, the American Film Institute and Women in Film.

A private consultant specializing in the media, sports and entertainment industries, Gary Adelson has served as a director since April 2002. He brings vast experience to Youbet.com from a wide range of professional disciplines. Currently the director of Small World Kids, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of high-quality specialty toys and educational products, Mr. Adelson until September 2007 was the Managing Director of the international banking firm Houlihan, Lokey, Howard & Zukin. In June 2003 he co-founded and was a principal of Media Connect Partners, a provider of financial and operating advisory services to media, entertainment, sports and communications companies. In 1993, Mr. Adelson founded Interactive Cable Systems, a private cable and telephone company that was acquired by MCI. Mr. Adelson also has a long and celebrated career in the television and entertainment industry as a producer of television shows, mini-series and feature films including Eight Is Enough, The Last Starfighter, Hook, Universal Soldier, It Could Happen to You and the Emmy-winning Sybil. He is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the American Film Institute and the Directors Guild of America.

A native Washingtonian, Jim is best known as the founder of America Online, Inc. (AOL). He transformed what began as Quantum Computer Services in 1985 into the nation's leading independent provider of interactive online services to consumers. In 1996, he became AOL Chairman Emeritus and turned his energies to new challenges in business, philanthropy and personal diplomacy through the creation of the Kimsey Foundation. Over the past 25 years, Jim founded and served on the boards of a number of successful businesses in the Washington DC area. He currently holds presidential appointments to the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees and contributes his leadership to numerous civic and charitable organizations. Jim is also deeply engaged in international affairs. He accompanied former President Clinton to Vietnam and in his position as Chairman of the Board of Refugees International visited Bosnia, Timbuktu and Cambodia to assess refugee repatriation, land mine removal and other human rights concerns. In 2001, Jim was named Chairman of the International Commission of Missing Persons in Bosnia, by Secretary of State Colin Powell. He has also recently traveled to Iraq to assess the humanitarian situation. A decorated veteran, Jim served three combat tours as an Airborne Ranger, two in Vietnam, earning various awards for service and valor. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and studied at Georgetown University on an honors scholarship.

John E. Johnson is President of Avon Fields Productions. He began his film and television career when he appeared as a featured extra in the feature film, Simple Justice (starring John Avery, Andre Braugher, Samuel L. Jackson), which was filmed at Carolco Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina (USA). He later became a casting assistant for the independent movie, This Train, filmed in Cincinnati, OH. As a writer John has penned screenplays, stage plays and radio dramas including To No Avail, The Perfect Murder, The Last Time I Saw Sarah, The True-Life Adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Fish, and has completed a MOW script adaptation of a popular Christmas book, Christmas on Jane Street, which is in pre-development. He has also signed a deal with independent publisher, Trident-McCormick, to write an autobiography, The Pirates of Hollywood, of his experiences with ASA and Hollywood, offering insights for future screenwriting generations. John is also Executive Director of the American Screenwriters Association. He has overseen the American Screenwriters Association's growth to more than 1,300 members world-wide in 32 different countries on four continents and in 947 cities! ASA is now featured on more than 1000+ web sites around the world and growing! He started the ASA International Screenplay Competition, which receives more than 1,200 entries annually, and during the past few years John has read more than 3,000 scripts as a judge for screenplay competitions. He was invited by the Institute of World Business Law to be a speaker at the 57th Annual Festival De Cannes (Cannes Film Festival) talking on Adapting Literary Works into Screenplays. He has also lectured at the Les Journees du scenario a Marseille ("Days of the Scenario in Marseilles") in Marseille, France in 2001/2002/2004; taught at the Baltimore Writer's Conference, the Austin Film Festival, the Marco Island Film Festival, the Midwest Music and Film Conference, the Waterfront Film Festival, and the Selling to Hollywood International Screenwriters Conference. He is a Second Decade Council member of the American Film Institute (AFI), and has been invited to speak at numerous screenwriting groups around the USA in Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Hawaii, Florida and Virginia to name just a few. John is also a member of the Starwood (Hotels) Preferred Guest Advisory Board and the Mobile Suites Film School Advisory Board. John has appeared on CNN International as a speaker on Racism in Hollywood, and has been featured in various trade publications and newspapers such as Screenwriting Secrets (Writers Digest), Script, the Honolulu Star Bulletin newspaper and Creative Screenwriting. In 2000, he negotiated ASA's acquisition of the Selling to Hollywood screenwriters conference, which is the longest running screenwriting conference in the world.

Moctesuma Esparza serves as Board Member of the Los Angeles City Employees' Retirement System (LACERS) Board of Administration. A Los Angeles native, Mr. Esparza is an award-winning filmmaker, producer, entrepreneur, and community activist. As a partner of Esparza-Katz Productions, he has worked with such notable stars as Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez, Jimmy Smits, Martin Sheen and Halle Berry. His production credits also include Selena, Gettysburg, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, and The Milagro Beanfield War. In addition, he is a founder and board member of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers and serves on the board of the National Latino Media Council. He is an overseer for the Claremont University Consortium, a trustee of California State University and the American Film Institute, and a member of the Los Angeles County Latino Coalition Against AIDS. He is also the founder and chair of the Marathon Club and the Los Angeles Academy of Arts and Enterprise, a charter school. In the past, Mr. Esparza was the chair founder of the New America Alliance, a national business organization. Mr. Esparza studied theatre arts, motion pictures and television at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he received a Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Fine Arts.

Robert A. Iger is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. Mr. Iger, the sixth CEO in The Walt Disney Company's 83-year history, was appointed to this post on October 1, 2005. Previously, Mr. Iger served as President and Chief Operating Officer of The Walt Disney Company, a position he had held since January, 2000. In this role, he oversaw all aspects of the company's worldwide operations including its filmed entertainment, theme parks and resorts, media networks and consumer products businesses. Mr. Iger also became a member of Disney's board of directors at this time. Mr. Iger began his career at ABC in 1974. Over the last 32 years, Mr. Iger has held a series of increasingly responsible senior management positions at the company, including serving as President and Chief Operating Officer of Capital Cities/ABC, where he guided the complex merger of ABC with The Walt Disney Company. ABC saw tremendous growth during Iger's career there, becoming a market leader in broadcast television and expanding into numerous cable and related ventures. During Mr. Iger's years with ABC, he oversaw its broadcast television network and stations, radio, publishing and cable television businesses, which includes the market leading brands of ABC, ESPN, Lifetime, A&E and The History Channel. He officially joined the Disney senior management team in 1996 as Chairman of the Disney-owned ABC Group and in 1999, was given the additional responsibility of President, Walt Disney International. Mr. Iger is a member of the board of directors for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. He is a trustee of the American Film Institute Board and serves on the Executive Advisory Board of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. He was born in 1951. Mr. Iger has two daughters and two sons. He is married to television journalist and author, Willow Bay.

Steve Michaels joined Displayware LLC in December 2005 as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Michaels has an entrepreneurial background servicing record labels, Hollywood studios, television networks and advertising agencies. He served as CEO of Virgin's 525 Post Production in Hollywood, Mr. Michaels founded commercial visual effects company Method Studios and is also a partner in commercial and feature trailer effects house Brickyard VFX in Santa Monica. Steve has bachelor's degree from the business school at Eastern Illinois University where he majored in Accounting. Mr. Michaels resides in Palos Verdes California where he is a member of the Producers Guild of America, The American Film Institute and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.