Filmmaker Conference

Bethany is an award-winning filmmaker with a love for writing and directing stories within the horror genre. With nearly 10 years of experience on commercials, shorts, and features, Bethany has stepped into many different roles on a set. She is currently a Talent Agent at Docherty Agency, helping actors level up their skills and land roles across film, television, and commercials.

Stephen is the owner of The Talent Group agency, the first SAG-AFTRA franchised talent agency in Pittsburgh, and Pennsylvania and Ohio’s premier full-service agency for models, actors, and voice talent. With offices in both Pittsburgh and Cleveland, The Talent Group represents actors and models for Film, TV, Commercials, Print, Live Events, and Voice work.

Mr. Black was a successful actor, director, and highly respected acting teacher in New York, Toronto, and Los Angeles before moving to Pittsburgh in 1994 and opening The Talent Group with Richard Kohn. With his extensive experience in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, as well as Pittsburgh and Cleveland, Stephen brings a wealth of experience knowledge, and valuable insights to the Pittsburgh and Cleveland entertainment industry.

Missy is a Regional Associate Casting Director with nearly two decades of experience in film, television, and commercials. A graduate of Point Park University with a BA in Cinema and Digital Arts, she began her career on the 20th Century Fox film Love and Other Drugs, assisting with principal casting and the costume department. After several years as a Costume Coordinator, she returned to casting full-time with Emmy Award-winning casting director Donna Belajac, where she has worked for over a decade.

Missy is a proud member of IATSE 489, the Casting Society of America (CSA), and the Television Academy. She has contributed to more than 40 film and television projects across three states, earning Artios Award nominations for Judas and the Black Messiah, Happiest Season, Rustin, and A League of Their Own. She is passionate about discovering new talent, supporting union initiatives, and bringing projects to life! 

Darrien Michele Gipson is the Executive Director of SAGindie, an educational organization for independent filmmakers. Darrien is a graduate of UCLA, where she received her BA in English Literature; and USC, where she earned an MFA from the Peter Stark Producers Program. She was the Vice President of Development for DEF Pictures before joining SAGindie in 2002 as Festival Coordinator. Through SAGindie, she traveled extensively to film festivals, film schools, and conferences, hosting workshops and teaching filmmakers how to hire professional actors using SAG-AFTRA’s low budget contracts. Since becoming SAGindie’s Executive Director in 2006, Darrien has expanded the organization to reach more festivals and help even more creators on all platforms to bring their projects to fruition. She continues to travel around the world speaking on panels, mentoring writers and filmmakers, and championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the entertainment industry.

Andrew works creatively with sound and moving images. A former motion picture and television sound editor and mixer in New York City, he is currently Chair of the Department of Film and Animation at Point Park University. His current creative work and research focus on immersive storytelling, with particular emphasis on the role of sound in shaping immersive experiences.

The Executive Director of Film Festival Alliance (FFA), Mallory is a nonprofit and cultural leader with more than fifteen years of experience bringing film, communities, and big ideas together. She specializes in building dynamic programs, leading collaborative teams, and creating spaces where artists and audiences connect in meaningful ways. Before joining FFA, she served as Artistic Director of the Cleveland International Film Festival, guiding the organization through a period of major transition while expanding partnerships, fundraising, and audience engagement. She is also the co-founder of rePRO Film, an initiative in which cinema and conversation spark dialogue around reproductive justice.

After graduating with a media arts degree from Ohio University, Mallory began her film festival career at the Athens International Film and Video Festival, and remains passionate about the power of festivals to inspire conversation, creativity, and community. Her happy place is at the movies with her son and partner, with buttered popcorn in one hand and a Coke ICEE in the other.

Nancy is the owner and casting director of Nancy Mosser Casting, LLC, one of Pittsburgh’s most established casting companies. With decades of experience casting film, television, commercial, and other media projects, Nancy is passionate about helping filmmakers and actors through the casting process.

Kristen is a filmmaker and animator whose films examine identity, remembrance, traditions, and ways that people are interconnected. Spanning narrative film, handmade animation, dance film, and VR, she’s had work screen at New Orleans Film Festival, Cindependent, Dance on Camera, Cucalorus, and Paris International Festival of Animated Film. Kristen loves living and creating in her hometown of Pittsburgh where she is also a professor and the Chair of Arts, Design & Communication at Chatham University.

Emily Thomas is a writer, producer, educator, and advocate who has spearheaded nationally recognized scripted and documentary content that encourages and advances meaningful public discourse around consequential issues, most notably for the Netflix Original Series Longmire, which “paved the way for Native representation in entertainment” (United Press International), and Kartemquin Documentary Films, which was “founded to make democratic documentaries [and] be an actor in a democracy” (Current). She is an alumni of the Columbia College Chicago School of Film and Television and has worked with WME Entertainment, Warner Horizon Television, and Jerry Bruckheimer Productions. Emily is currently a Teaching Artist in Point Park University’s nationally ranked Conservatory of Performing Arts where she teaches screenwriting and creative producing. Her personal work explores an expansive definition of interpersonal and systemic violence and seeks to reframe our shared societal conception of the exploitive use of power and control.

Gabriel Theis is a neurodivergent writer/director with a B.A. in Media Communications from the University of Houston. Upon seeing the original Spider-Man no less than eight times in theaters at the tender of age of four, he knew that filmmaking was his passion. After working on local film productions and grabbing snacks for Drake and Travis Scott, Gabriel wrote, directed, and produced his micro-budget mockumentary, The Curse of Professor Zardonicus, which is currently available on VOD and streaming on Tubi. An alumnus of Roadmap Writer's Career Writer Program, Gabriel was signed by Industry Entertainment through Top Tier. A freelance writer and genre movie enthusiast, he has bylines at Polygon, Fangoria, Dread Central, and more

As an audio engineer, producer, and musician, Jesse has had the privilege of working with some of the top artists in the industry, ranging from international touring musicians and Broadway actors to some of the most prestigious orchestras in the world. Some of his past clients include The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Andre Bocelli, Atlantic Records, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Ewan McGregor, Warner Brothers Ent., Leslie Odom Jr., HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, and Manchester Craftsman’s Guild Jazz.

Shawn brings decades of audio experience to Red Caiman Studios. After attending Full Sail University in Florida, he began working in Pittsburgh and has since completed a wealth of different projects. Doing post-production, ADR, voiceover, and sound design for countless jobs, Shawn earned himself the title of “Noise Stylist” for his inventiveness and creativity. Shawn recently completed work on the documentary Hive and the award-winning film Unsinkable.