Film Festival Jury
Summer 2021
John Diaz
Producer
John Diaz has had a successful career in production for some of the major animation studios, which include Hasbro Studios, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Warner Bros. Currently, he is a production manager for Trilogy Animation Group.
Romell Foster-Owens
Filmmaker, Producer, Director, and Writer
Romell Foster-Owens is an award winning Filmmaker, Producer, Director, and Writer of television series, shorts, commercials, and independent feature films. A 20 year veteran of TV and film, Foster-Owens has produced over 100 hours of television, produced 30 films and directed the feature films, Reach For The Skies and The Three Muscatels, both distributed by SONY.
Foster-Owens has the rare distinction of three films, that she produced, being “Official Selections” of the Cannes Film Festival. Other festivals include Sedona, Palm Beach, Pan African International Film Festival, Dances With Films, and the Milan, Madrid and Cleveland International Film Festivals.
Additionally, she produced The Lift, winner of Best Film and Best Director at the Madrid International Film Festival and My Mom And The Girl, winner of the Best Picture and Jury Award at the Connect Film Festival. She produced feature films, First Love and The Lonesome Trail.
Foster-Owens’ numerous awards include an EMMY Award, NAACP Image Award, and the Black Filmmaker’s Hall of Fame Award for Best Independent Film, the National Council of Christians and Jews Humanitarian Award and the Platinum Aurora Award for Best In Show. She also the winner of three Gold Aurora Awards, four Telly Awards, four Addy Awards and the Women In Film Spotlight Award for Outstanding Achievement as a producer.
Foster-Owens is a graduate of the prestigious American Film Institute (Directing), San Diego State University (Theatre), the Producers Guild of America’s Power of Diversity Workshop and Robert De Niro’s Tribeca All Access Program. Foster-Owens is a member of the Alliance Of Women Directors, Women In Film, and Board Member of the Gang Alternatives Program and a Board Member Emeritus of The American Film Institute’s Center for Advance Film Studies. Foster-Owens is the President of Jowharah Films.
Alexander Gray
Producer
An Emmy nominated producer, Alexander Gray has brought his unique perspective on DC Comics and Comic book entertainment to the Warner Bros. brand. First as a studio Executive Producer, with his years of experience through Warner Home Entertainment, to founding and leading the company Studio West Pictures, Inc.
Gray was instrumental at the start of the DC Universe animated movies, by challenging the system to include complex thought-provoking documentaries, which captured the stories and emotion that fans like him were excited to see.
From the first DC Entertainment Animated movie under his watchful eye, Superman Doomsday, to the most current offering, the collaboration between the film studio and Gray has lead the stride to elevated and entertaining special feature documentaries for over 40 feature films in the DC Universe, as well as hundreds of other documentaries and advertising/social content pieces that have encapsulated hit shows such as HBO’s His Dark Materials, HBO’s Lovecraft Country, and HBO’s Watchmen.
With a passion for the American Western, Gray saw great success with A&E’s Longmire television series, as he and his team brought to life the depth of the modern cowboy detective pitted against the backdrop of the open range of Wyoming.
Shuja Paul
writer/director
Shuja Paul is a writer/director. In 2011, he was among eight writers selected to pitch his script Tie the Knot at the American Film Market, which led to its production and a Netflix deal with worldwide distribution.
Paul transitioned to filmmaking after managing global business development for ten years at ABB, a large multinational power and automation corporation.
Shuja is also a trained SAG actor with credits including HBO TV show Brink, TNT TV show Murder In The First and Lifetime TV show Help What’s Killing Me.
Paul directed an international team in Laos and Thailand
for the production of Waiting To Explode, a documentary based on danger zones of unexploded ordinances. He has also directed four annual TV shows for Sony Pictures Entertainment with guest celebrities Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors and Sunil Gavaskar.
Additionally, Paul has three TV series and six feature films in development including Unusual Assets, a story based on Paul’s travels to over 25 countries.
Shuja studied filmmaking at New York Film Academy, where he directed several short films before his first feature film.
Deborah Pratt
Executive Producer
Deborah Pratt was the first African-American Drama and SciFi Executive Producer in TV when she co-created, wrote 25, and co-wrote another 15 episodes of the iconic TV series Quantum Leap for NBC. She was Co-EP and head writer for Tequila and Bonetti for CBS and created for TV and Executive Produced The Net series for USA.
Pratt has sold pilots to Paramount, CBS, and NBC. Her sold feature films include Woman for Warner Brothers and the musical prequel to Anastasia for FOX.
She has written new franchises like The Adventures Of Calia Mcquade and stand-alone feature film dramas Heartswear and Chevalier & Antoinette, both currently in development.
Pratt is an award-winning graduate of AFI/DWW and made her directorial debut with Cora Unashamed for Masterpiece Theatre’s The American Collection for BBC and PBS. Pratt is a graduate of the FOX/AFI feature film director’s initiative, and she recently directed the season finale of Grey’s Anatomy. She is a 4-time Emmy nominee, a Golden Globe nominee, and recipient of The Lillian Gish Award from Women In Film, the Golden Block Award, and various festival awards.
Koji Steven Sakai
Writer/Producer
Writer/Producer Koji Steven Sakai is the founder of Little Nalu Pictures LLC. He has written seven feature films that have been produced, including, The Commando, a feature film starring Michael Jai White and Mickey Rourke; Haunted Highway (2006), The People I’ve Slept With, Santa & Me, #1 Serial Killer, and Dying to Kill.
Most recently, Sakai wrote and produced a feature film, Last Girl, which is in post-production. The film was the directorial debut of Arsal Asal and stars Jeanne Lau, Stephen L. Wilson, Sarah Wong Thompson, and Christopher Dionne. In addition, his screenplay, Romeo, Juliet, & Rosaline, was optioned by Amazon Studios.
Sakai has also produced a one-hour comedy special on Starz, Dwayne Perkins: Take Note; Comedy InvAsian, a television series featuring the nation’s top Asian American comedians, and Brash Girls Club, a limited comedy series, which premiered on Tubi TV. He produces and hosts three podcasts; Guy Code; Best OR Worst Podcast with M. Martin Mapoma; and Midnight Watchers with Quentin Lee and Jennifer Field.
A graduate of the University of Southern California’s Masters of Professional Writing program, Sakai is currently a screenwriting instructor at UCLA Extensions, New York Film Academy in Burbank, and Chapman University.
Bonnie Spence
Senior Creative Executive
Accomplished Senior Creative Executive highly regarded for extensive experience in developing and executing award-winning documentaries and special features, unique marketing, and ad campaigns.
Recognized as a proactive leader, known for the rare combination of highly creative big picture ideation enhanced by success from both a production background and studio executive perspective.
Thrives in collaborative environments, leveraging vibrant strategic storytelling with showrunners, marketing, vendors, and movie and series writers.
Distinguished Warner Bros. product from competitors via fan favorite In-Season Pass, which launched current TV shows and special features across digital platforms next day after air for top DC Arrowverse properties. Replicated protocols for major shows (Supernatural, Big Bang Theory, HBO’s Watchmen, and Westworld) across various platforms.
Danielle Stallings
Producer/ Director
Danielle Stallings is a producer/ director who began her career as a professional stage actor. After earning her BFA at USC’s School of Cinema & Television and an MFA in film production from Loyola Marymount University, she went on to a successful career in Hollywood working with some of the most famous negotiators in the entertainment industry. Stallings held managerial positions in legal and business affairs at SAG/AFTRA, Turner Networks, Sony Pictures Television and two top-tier entertainment law firms.
As a writer/director, her award-winning films have played at festivals worldwide including several prominent sci-fi and horror festivals in the USA, UK, Europe and Asia. Her 16mm short, Porn Queens of the 70’s was honored by the Directors Guild of America. Recent achievements include two 35mm films based on classic literary pieces.
Stallings has a 14-year history of animal welfare activism. She is most proud of having served as the point-person and facilitator of the negotiations between Chris DeRose of Last Chance For Animals and HBO for the ground-breaking documentary Dealing Dogs.
Stallings has proudly executive produced over 500 short films and 20 PSA’s delivered to non-profit clients. She currently holds the position of residential faculty in film production at the Scottsdale School of Film+Theatre.
Scott Stevenson
Director, Media and Digital Marketing at Warner Bros
Scott Stevenson is the Director, Media and Digital Marketing at Warner Bros. He leads Warner’s operations for linear, online, and social media, including campaign management across the product lifecycle including feature films, DC animation, TV shows, and video games.
In partnership with media and creative teams, Stevenson defines processes that drive return on ad spend. He led the 4K UHD remastering of Warner’s catalog and current film trailers. Stevenson successfully launched a Digital Asset Management tool to transcode and deliver video worldwide.
A high performing team leader, Stevenson prides himself on building, creating, and innovating. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from UC Riverside and a Bachelor’s Degree in Telecommunications from the University of Florida.
Sue Vicory
Film Director, Writer, Producer and Executive Producer
Three-time Telly Award winning filmmaker, Sue Vicory has been a film director, writer, producer and executive producer for the past 15 years. She has filmed across the country, as well as Europe and Africa.
She created Heartland Films, Inc., a 501(c)(3) to create films which inspire and educate. Her first documentary film, Homelessness & The Power Of One, premiered in 2005, screened coast to coast, won multiple awards and raised $200,000 for shelters.
Vicory’s second film, Kansas City Jazz & Blues; Past, Present & Future, a feature documentary aired on PBS. In 2015, Vicory created Team XX, an all female cast and crew of 25 for the San Diego 48 Hour Film Project, and completed a film titled Down Stage. It was nominated for the Spirit of San Diego Award.
Vicory has been an Emmy judge both regionally and nationally. She has spoken on panels around the world, including Sundance Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival. Vicory has been a producer, presenter and judge for the San Diego Film Awards multiple years.
She is a member of the Alliance of Women Directors. Vicory received a Master’s degree in Computer Resource Management from Webster University.
Denise Wakeman
Digital Marketing Consultant, founder of the Marketing Trailblazers community
Denise Wakeman is a Digital Marketing Consultant, founder of the Marketing Trailblazers community, and Director of Digital Marketing for the South East European Film Festival in Los Angeles.
Since 1996, Wakeman has worked with hundreds of professionals, creators, and online entrepreneurs around the world to help them build their business and strategically use digital marketing tactics and tools to get more visibility, traffic, leads, customers, and opportunities.
Todd Waterman
American Animator, Director, Producer and Storyboard Artist
Todd Waterman is an American animator, director, producer and storyboard artist. He is currently the executive producer/ showrunner and supervising director spearheading a modern revival of The VeggieTales Show (2019), the beloved and classic children’s series.
Waterman is recognized for directing Hasbro Studio’s animated series Transformers Prime (2010-2103), and Transformers: Robots In Disguise (2013-2016), which he was twice nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Directing in an Animated Series.” He is known for working at such major studios as MGM Animation, Fox Studios, Sony Pictures, Nickelodeon, and at Walt Disney Animation Studios where he was an animator on Mulan (1998), and The Tigger Movie (2002).
In 2018, Waterman was hired by Trilogy Productions, as Executive Producer. Waterman has since formed Trilogy Animation Group, where he is responsible for all animated content and production on all new episodes of The VeggieTales Show (2018 – present). Trilogy Animation Group plans to expand with multiple projects currently in development.