Marc Turtletaub ”Carpe Diem”

Emily Atef (IG:@emily.atef) is a French-Iranian filmmaker born in Berlin. At the age of seven, she moved with her parents and brother to Los Angeles. At the age of thirteen, she settled in the Jura, the land where her mother grew up. Later, she attended a theatre school in London for several years. Finally, she moved to Germany to study filmmaking at the German Film Academy in Berlin. Her first feature film, MOLLY’S WAY, like her next two films, was co-written by Esther Bernstorff and won the Best Screenplay Award at the Munich Film Festival in 2005 Munich Film Festival and the Grand Jury Prize at the Mar del Plata Film Festival as well as several other awards. His second feature film, THE STRANGER IN ME, about a young mother suffering from postnatal depression, had its world premiere at the Critics’ Week in Cannes and won several awarded several times. She was offered a grant from the Cannes Film Festival’s Cinéfondation to write TUE-MOI. The film was voted Best Foreign Language Drama at the Bradford Film Festival 2013. In 2017, Emily Atef wrote and directed the feature film THREE DAYS IN QUIBERON. It depicts three emotional days of Romy Schneider during which she gave her last German interview to STERN magazine. THREE DAYS IN QUIBERON was in competition at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival and won 7 Lolas at the German Film Academy Awards Night 2018, including Best Film and Best Director.

Marc Turtletaub (bigbeach.com) has been a producer for over twenty years with two production companies, including Big Beach which he co-founded in 2004. He is also a director, whose most recent film, Jules, is now streaming.

Get Duany's (gerduany.com) childhood was marked by adversity on a skill that is difficult to imagine, but he has succeeded in healing some of the pain.  With close family members currently displaced inside South Sudan and in refugee camps in neighboring countries, Ger has dedicated his time to ongoing an intense humanitarian efforts.  He has committed himself to becoming one of the voices for the people of south Sudan, even as refugee and migrant have taken central states globally in the wake of unprecedented populations flows, from the middle east to Europe.  Ger spends his time educating people all around the world, on refugee crisis.  He also visits refugee camps in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia, interacting with fellow South Sudanese and refugees of mixed nationalities, exchanging experiences and ideals.  Ger is a true communicator with an eloquent voice, which allows audience  to feel his passion, he shares for the people of South Sudan.  He brings intrinsic authenticity to any discourse on the condition and experience of refugees.Ger's rise from a herds boy in the grasslands of South Sudan, to his experiences in Sudan’s brutal Civil War, to the sheer effort that acquired him a college education, and enabling him to become an actor, fashion model and a writer, enable him to tell his story with his heart and soul, irrespective of the audience before him.

Estefanía Fadul (estefaniafadul.com) is a Colombian-born, New Hampshire-raised, NYC-based director and creative producer with a passion for new work. Recent directing includes the world premieres of Eva Luna adapted by Caridad Svich from the novel by Isabel Allende (Repertorio Español), The Garbologists by Lindsay Joelle (Philadelphia Theatre Company), The Same Day by Stefan Ivanov (Sfumato Theatre, Bulgaria), Scissoring by C. Quintana (INTAR), and the Drama League-nominated Carla’s Quince, which she conceived and developed with The Voting Project Ensemble to mobilize Latiné voters to the polls. She has developed new plays and musicals off-Broadway and regionally at the Public Theater, Chautauqua, Latinx Playwrights Circle, Playwrights’ Realm, NYTW, Audible, Goodspeed, Long Wharf, Juilliard, and more. She was on the producing team for Soho Rep.’s first all-ages, site-specific show Washeteria, and is a co-producer on the upcoming world premiere of Raquel Almazan’s La Paloma Prisoner. Estefanía is a member of the leadership circle of the Center for Performance and Civic Practice (CPCP), the Drama League Board of Directors, Latinx Theatre Commons advisory committee, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, and SDC. She was the 2020 recipient of New York Stage and Film’s Pfaelzer Award, is a New Georges Affiliated Artist, and an alumna of the Advocacy and Leadership Institutes of the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, the Drama League Directors Project, O’Neill/NNPN National Directors Fellowship, Clubbed Thumb Directing Fellowship, Civilians’ R&D Group, Foeller Fellowship at Williamstown, and Van Lier Fellowship at Repertorio Español. She has a B.A. from Vassar College, where she co-founded Idlewild Theatre Ensemble to create and uplift work by women/fem-aligning artists.

Luke Yankee (yankeehillproductions.com)(IG:@lukebyankee)is a playwright, director, author, producer, actor, and teacher. He has assistant directed six Broadway shows, run two regional theatres,and  directed, produced, performed and taught all over the world.  His latest play, MARILYN, MOM & ME is the recipient of the Stanley Award and will receive its world premiere on the west coast in February of 2024.  

Ariana Sarfarazi (she/her) (LI:@arianasarfarazi)(IG:@sarfariana) is a transactional entertainment attorney specializing in theater, a theater producer, and the Executive Director of Noor Theatre, a NYC-based non-profit theatre with the mission of supporting, developing, and producing the work of artists of Middle Eastern, North African, and Southwest Asian descent. As a theatrical attorney, Ariana represents producers and investors in the development, production, and financing of live stage productions; counsels not-for-profit theater companies and related theatrical organizations; and advises a wide range of creative talent including Tony Award-winning bookwriters, composers, lyricists, directors, choreographers, and actors. As an Executive Director, Ariana leads overall operations at Noor, including programming, fundraising, and financial planning— in addition to overseeing the theatre company's strategic planning, developing institutional partnerships, managing Board relations, and leading operational support for the rest of the team. Once a proud “theatre kid” herself, Ariana is passionate about marrying her legal education with her deep-rooted love of the arts and social justice to support an evolving industry. Ariana serves on the board of Broadway for Arts Education, a nonprofit organization that uses arts education to dismantle systemic barriers to success for underserved youth, is a member of Theatre Producers of Color (TPOC), and is proud to serve as a volunteer pro bono attorney with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. She is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and The George Washington University Law School. 

Liz Carlson (elizabethjcarlson.com) is an NYC-based creative producer and director committed to the development of new stories. Prior to stepping in as Interim Artistic Director, Liz produced and directed with NYSAF in various capacities over the past 15 years, notably as the full-time Artistic Producer for the past seven, supporting artists such as César Alvarez, Jaki Bradley, Lyndsey Bourne, Lily Houghton, Keelay Gipson, Jessica Huang, Melissa Li & Kit Yan, Don Nguyen, Brian Quijada & Nygel D. Robinson, Kirya Traber, Lauren Yee, and hundreds more. Liz also served as the Artistic Director for the new works incubator Naked Angels from 2013-2016. As a director, Liz has developed plays and musicals with Ars Nova, The Dramatists’ Guild, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Flea, Keen Company, Manhattan School of Music, Manhattan Theatre Club, The New Group, Playwrights Horizons, The Playwrights Realm, Signature Theatre Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and more. Upcoming directing projects include a new-play workshop with Minita Gandhi at Berkeley Rep’s The Ground Floor, and the final installment of a musical podcast with the Drama Desk-nominated folk band The Lobbyists. MFA The New School for the Performing Arts, Drama. Recipient of The Drama League Fellowship. 

Matthew McLachlan (matthewmclachlan.com)(IG:@19martymcfly85) was born in Scotland, raised in Florida, and currently survives in New York City. He is a Dramatist Guild Member, a two-time ScreenCraft Stage Play Finalist, and Samuel French OOB Festival Finalist. His plays include: The Demand of Avarice, This God Damn House, Jack & Melissa, Orion, and The Place We Are Meant to Be, among others. His plays have been presented by Abingdon Theatre Company, The Chain Theatre, Nylon Fusion, The NOW Collective, The Farm Theater, The PIT, Thespis Theater Festival, and performed regionally in Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Wyoming, New Jersey, West Virginia, & Florida. Other credits include: Nominated for Best Writer of a Web-Series (ADULTish), The Roast of Michael Musto (Head-Writer), & his published works A Collection of One-Acts & Other Things You May or May Not Enjoy and full-length play Orion are available now at The Drama Bookshop and on Amazon.  

Kate Cohen (IG:@katecohendavis)(LI:@kate-cohen) is an award-winning director, producer, and entrepreneur with two decades of experience leading high-profile projects from inception to completion. She is a creative producer with a long track record of business development, raising financing from some of the most powerful entrepreneurs across the globe, and developing and packaging projects with A-list talent. As Founder of KCD Media, she produces films with Hollywood’s elite players, including Natalie Portman, Johnny Depp, Christopher Nolan, and Spike Lee, among many others. Cohen is also a lifelong advocate for youth mental health and has mentored countless young girls, inspiring resilience and success. Cohen recently Co-Founded Straight Up Impact, whose mission is to create commercial films that move audiences to enact social change. Prior to KCD Media, Cohen co-founded Straight Up Films, in partnership with David Boies, and had a successful 14 year run as co-CEO. Her current slate includes Joseph Merrick, based on the life of “the Elephant Man” to be directed by Rupert Sanders; Man’s Search for Meaning, a film adaptation of Viktor Frankl’s best-selling memoir; a compelling docu-series addressing systemic causes of the youth mental health crisis; and several other film and TV projects in varying stages of development with high-level talent. Kate has also recently established herself as an award-winning director for the film LUNA, which will be released in 2023. Kate wants to empower the next generation of filmmakers and has recently created the 8-week course “How to Close a Deal in Hollywood” to share her hard-won knowledge from nearly two decades working with the best in the business. More info can be found at: MasterCourseHollywood.com. 

Joe Rosko (builtforthestage.com) (IG:@builtforthestage) is the founder and CEO of Built For The Stage, Broadway’s #1 online fitness training platform. In the past six years, Built For The Stage has had clients represented in over 50 Broadway shows and on international stages around the globe! Rosko began his professional career as a trainer and actor at the exact same time in 2007. Since then, it has been his mission to build a bridge between the worlds of fitness and theatre. Rosko believed that actors were truly professional athletes but didn't feel as though the theatre community was equipped with the proper resources to train like said athletes. This realization led to the creation of Built for the Stage.  Built For The Stage is an interactive and personalized online fitness training program utilized by a worldwide family of actors with the common goal of bettering their fitness so that their abilities on stage can come to complete fruition. Rosko and his coaches pride themselves in having the unique abilities to continue a performer’s fitness progress while being in or out of a show. All professional athletes train a certain way while in season or out of season, and with actors it’s no different. Actors are athletes, and thus, they should train like one.  BFTS clients can currently be seen in 21 Broadway shows, 15 West End productions, national and international tours, and collegiate theatre programs. Rosko and his team have also trained The Rockettes, NFL football players, and professional CrossFit athletes.  Rosko is the creator and host of the Built For The Stage podcast. With over 200 episodes to date, the podcast features inspiring stories of the raw struggles of how Broadway stars chased their dreams. BFTS is a proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network and is available on all streaming platforms.. In addition to Built for the Stage, Rosko owns a CrossFit training brand called Move Fast Lift Heavy with partner, Christian Harris. Move Fast Lift Heavy has training clients in North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Australia. They have had numerous athletes of theirs compete at the CrossFit Games (the Olympics of CrossFit).