MODERATOR

Dr. Nathan Adam

Dr. Nathan Adam is an award-winning media producer, TEDx speaker, and Associate Professor of Film, Television, and Media Production at Belmont University. Over a 25-year career, he has seamlessly blended media education with industry innovation, most recently pioneering advanced AI workflows for filmmaking and pre-production. This is highlighted by his recent work producing the AI-driven short film sizzle reel and development for the historical book adaptation of The Cost of Valor. Dr. Adam’s extensive industry background includes audio engineering for legends like Vince Gill and Earl Scruggs, mixing orchestral scores, and post-producing over 140 episodes of national television for the RFD Network. A passionate educator, he has mentored thousands of students through Belmont University and the annual GRAMMY Camp. He is the founder of Multi-Platinum.com, co-author of multiple Pro Tools text guides, and holds a doctorate in education exploring the future of media and technology.

PANELIST

Marc Rucker

Marc Rucker serves as Director within the Brand Marketing and Industry Relations group at SoundExchange. Marc is responsible for establishing and building key artist, management, and content owner relationships. He helps raise the profile of SoundExchange in the music industry and deepen creator engagement in Nashville and beyond.

 Marc is a passionate ally to the creative community who has been embedded in the music industry for over 15 years, with experience in artist & business management, publishing,innovation and entrepreneurship.

 Before joining SoundExchange, he managed the careers of multiple successful recording artists, helped co-found Young Entertainment Professionals and consulted on live entertainment in major sports venues. Marc is also a member of Leadership Music’s class of 2026 and participated in the charity boxing match Rumble on The Row. Additionally, he’s active participantand investor in the AI and digital asset ecosystems.

MODERATOR

Nealy Gleen

Nealy Glenn is a filmmaker, actress, and entrepreneur who masterfully intersects high- caliber storytelling with sophisticated business development. Holding an MFA on full scholarship from the NYU Graduate School of Acting, Nealy has spent decades navigating the entertainment and hospitality industries to bring vital stories to life through events, art, and community. Nealy first established herself as a screenwriting talent alongside her writing partner, Stephen Hauser. Currently, her screenplay THE MANNERS OF MADNESS is in production talks with Swington Productions. Nealy is also an accomplished performer; her extensive acting credits span dozens of film, television, and theatrical productions nationwide. As founder of Feminine Productions, Nealy has directed ambitious, female-driven narratives like THE WALL OF DEATH, a 37-part short film anthology series honoring the true histories of women. Simultaneously, she is producing and starring in the dark comedy The Lady Doth Protest. Following sold-out runs at Estelle in Nashville and 59E59 Theaters in NYC, the production is heading to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August.Nealy translated her industry expertise into a premier hospitality portfolio in Nashville, founding three top-tier event venues: The Cordelle, Saint Elle, and Estelle. She single- handedly managed the financing, construction loans, and project timelines for all three. Launched on time and on budget, the venue pre-booked dozens of events prior to opening and has hosted over 1000 events in the last decade. A graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program and the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, Nealy is deeply committed to civic leadership. Nealy serves on the Nashville Film Festival board, has served on the NCVC board for over five years, and on the Sexual Assault Center board for over two.

PANELIST

Jermaine Johnson

Jermaine Johnson is a partner, manager, and Academy Award-nominated producer at 3 Arts Entertainment who represents writers and directors across film and television. His credits include Netflix’sFrom Scratch and Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction, which won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. His clients include Attica Locke (From Scratch), Cord Jefferson (American Fiction,Watchmen), Dana Ledoux Miller (Moana 2), Julia Bicknell (Yellowjackets), Justin Hillian (The Chi), and Jia Tolentino (Trick Mirror), among others. He has been named to The Hollywood Reporter’s 35 Under 35 Next Gen list and Variety’s New Leaders list. As head of 3 Arts’ Atlanta office, Johnson is based in the city he has long considered a second home — drawn by its creative community, its position at the forefront of the cultural conversation, and his belief in the next generation of storytellers emerging from the South.

MODERTATOR

Louie Stephens

Louie Stephens is Creative Director of Film/TV/Visual Media at Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), working closely with composers across film, television, and video games. With a background spanning music publishing, DSP strategy, and music for picture, he brings a holistic perspective to supporting composers and building connections across the entertainment industry.

Prior to BMI, Louie held creative roles at Kobalt Music, where he led initiatives across digital platforms, songwriter development, and pubcos. He also co-founded the music library Pacific Sound House, with placements across television, streaming, and brand campaigns. His work continues to focus on fostering creative careers and building meaningful bridges between talent, platforms, and industry partners.

MODERTATOR

Andres Perez Durante

Andrés Pérez-Duarte is a Mexican storyteller based in Nashville, TN. His work spans films, games, and immersive media, centering queer-of-color stories with heart, humor, and a rebellious streak. He co-wrote and co-created “Lili”, a screen-life thriller reimagining Lady Macbeth in modern Iran, premiering at the ‘25 Cannes Film Festival (Immersive). He also co-created “Hero”, a VR experience on migration, winner of the AIS Lumiere and Tribeca Storyscapes Awards. Other credits include the BAFTA-nominated game “1979 Revolution”, “Fire Escape”, and “Mexican Delight”. A GLAAD List alum, Andrés is developing his feature debut “The Last Supper” with Moon7 films, and co-chairs the WGA LGBTQ+ Salon. He was the winner of the MACRO x The Black List Incubator powered by Warner Bros, he’s an alum of the ‘25 Gotham Week Market, and a ‘26 Film Independent Screenwriting Lab Fellow.

PANELIST

Arabella Oz

Arabella Oz is a New York-based filmmaker whose work blends comedy with a heightened sense of reality to dig into psychological patterns. She wrote her debut feature “Mallory’s Ghost” while working as a mental health counselor, where she became increasingly fascinated by the mechanisms of healing. She made the film in close creative collaboration with her husband, Nick Canellakis. “Mallory’s Ghost” premiered at SXSW 2026 in the narrative feature competition.

MODERATOR

Emily Best

Emily Best is the founder and CEO of Seed&Spark,  the #1 crowdfunding platform in the world for storytellers on a mission to make entertainment more diverse, inclusive, connected and essential. Seed&Spark’s platform and national education program have helped thousands of bold storytellers raise over $86M and counting.  Emily is dedicated to making the resources for creators to build independent, sustainable careers free and accessible: Seed&Spark launched The Crowdfunding Playbook and alongside Kinema also launched The Distribution Playbook, freeand open- sourced field guide for independent filmmakers to succeed from funding to distribution. She has produced films, VR, shorts and series that have premiered at Sundance, SXSW, Slamdance, Tribeca and more. She produced RATIFIED, a feature documentary about the 100+ year struggle for the Equal Rights Amendment, which premiered on Independent Lens October 20, 2025 and her new film MR JESUS is about to hit festivals. Both were crowdfunded.

PANELIST

Christie Marchese

Christie Marchese is the founder and CEO of Kinema and EVP of Entertainment Partnerships at Publicis Media. Kinema is a global streaming and screening event platform that leverages the power of community and social interaction to distribute films and series. She was previously the founder of the impact entertainment agency Picture Motion, which was acquired by Publicis Media in 2024 as part of PMCI Entertainment, an entertainment studio that funds and distributes brand-backed original film and TV. Prior to launching Picture Motion, she led impact efforts for Righteous Pictures, developed digital strategies for the social action group at Participant Media, and managed program coordination and social media for Norman Lear’s nonprofit, Declare Yourself. Christie is also the co-author of The Distribution Playbook and has won several industry recognitions, including being named one of Fortune’s Rising Female Founders in 2023 and Fast Company’s Most Creative People in 2021. She’s currently on the boards of Subject Matter, The Redford Center, Chieck&Egg Films, and The Reinvent Stockton Foundation. She holds a BA from SDSU in International Security and Conflict Resolution (ISCOR) and Comparative Religions, with a concentration in Arabic and the Middle East.

PANELIST

Inga Headland Seppala

Inga Headland Seppala is a creative director and pitch deck consultant specializing in cinematic story development for film, television, and branded entertainment. Through Seppala Studio, she has developed visual pitch decks, sizzle reels, and storyworld presentations for projects associated with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, and independent production companies across film and television. Known for blending strong visual identity with narrative strategy, she works closely with writers, directors, and producers to help shape projects from concept through pitch. She previously led a pitch deck workshop for the Nashville Film Festival and is passionate about helping filmmakers communicate tone, world, and emotional hook.

PANELIST

Jim “Moose” Brown

Jim “Moose” Brown is a songwriter/record producer/session musician based in Nashville, Tennessee. As a songwriter Moose won the Grammy award for Best Country Song for co-writing “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere”, and co-wrote the top 10 hit for Darryl Worley “If Something Should Happen”. Moose recently co-wrote and produced four songs in the Amazon Prime series “The Gray House”, which was executive produced by Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman. As a record producer Moose co-produced Daryl Worley’s top 10 single “Sounds Like Life To Me” as well as the critically acclaimed album by Jamey Johnson “That Lonesome Song” which features the ACM and CMA Song of the Year “In Color”. The Platinum selling album was nominated at the Grammys, ACMs and CMAs for Album of the Year. As a session player Moose won the Academy of Country Music award for “Piano/Keyboard Player Of The Year” in 2015, 2017, and 2023. He has played on over 50 #1 singles as well several movie Soundtracks. Jim “Moose” Brown was inducted into the Arkansas Entertainer’s Hall of Fame (2010) and The Michigan Country Music Hall of fame (2024).

PANELIST

Jeff Fahey

Jeff Fahey is an American actor, humanitarian, producer, and songwriter whose career spans nearly five decades across film, television, theatre, and music.

His body of work includes more than 260 film and television productions across a wide range of genres. His screen credits include The Lawnmower Man, Silverado, Wyatt Earp, Lost, Justified, Fire Country, Horizon: An American Saga, D.O.P.E. Unit, and Stephen King’s The Institute, in which he portrays the mysterious “Man on the Phone.”

 Fahey’s theatre career includes performances on Broadway and London’s West End.

 Beyond his work in the entertainment industry, Fahey has spent decades involved in humanitarian initiatives, collaborating with organizations working in conflict and post conflict regions around the world. His efforts have supported communities affected by war, displacement, and humanitarian crises.

In recent years, Fahey has expanded his creative work into songwriting, collaborating with Grammy winning producer Jim “Moose” Brown and acclaimed Nashville songwriter Erin Enderlin. His songs have been recorded by artists including Willie Nelson, Shania Twain, Drake Milligan, The War and Treaty, and Larkin Poe. He also serves as Executive Producer of music for The Grey House soundtrack and other film projects.

 Throughout his career, Fahey has worked across film, television, theatre, humanitarian service, and music, continuing to explore a wide range of creative and humanitarian endeavors.

PANELIST

Sam Pollard

Inga Headland Seppala is a creative director and pitch deck consultant specializing in cinematic story development for film, television, and branded entertainment. Through Seppala Studio, she has developed visual pitch decks, sizzle reels, and storyworld presentations for projects associated with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, and independent production companies across film and television. Known for blending strong visual identity with narrative strategy, she works closely with writers, directors, and producers to help shape projects from concept through pitch. She previously led a pitch deck workshop for the Nashville Film Festival and is passionate about helping filmmakers communicate tone, world, and emotional hook.

HOST

Zach Hoffman

Zach Lazar Hoffman is a full time American actor and voice actor. His experience ranges from film and TV having appeared in Fear the Walking Dead, The Resident, and National Treasure, to animation and video games including voices like Steve Murphy in Narcos: Rise of the Cartel, Nightmare Fredbear in Five Nights at Freddy’s: Ultimate Custom Night, Tigreal and many other characters in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang;  as well as commercial experience having voiced major brands that range from The Las Vegas Raiders, BMW, Pirate’s Booty, and ESPN. He has narrated over 25 books on Audible and many more outside of the platform ranging multiple American and UK dialects. Zach Is dedicated to the art of acting, devoted to the craft of storytelling, and committed to the process of becoming another to bring his art to life.

PANELIST

Gisela Moore

Gisela Moore is the Project Manager at the Tennessee Entertainment Commission, where she supports film, television, commercial, animation, still photo shoots and music video projects annually. With a background in radio and a deep knowledge of Tennessee’s production landscape, Gisela assists filmmakers with locations, crew, and state resources such as the TN Production Directory and Locations Library. Also guides filmmakers through the Tennessee Entertainment Commission’s incentive programs, helping them understand eligibility requirements and application processes. She collaborates closely with TEC leadership and regional film commissions across Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. Her credits include 42, Nashville TV Series Seasons 1-6, Amazon’s “Scarpetta,” “9-1-1 Nashville” Season 1, “The Wingfeather Saga Series 1, 2 and 3,” among many others.

PANELIST

Chris Conner

Chris Conner has been active in the film & television industry for 25 years, with projects ranging from feature films, television series, and documentaries to music videos, national commercials, live concerts, and Pollie Award-winning political campaigns. This body of work has provided him opportunities to work with Grammy, Emmy, and Oscar winners along with senators, congressmen, and a presidential candidate. Conner has produced national television commercials for global brands including Ford and Merck. And for many years, he’s partnered with comedy musical act The Cleverlys as a producer and director. Since 2014, Conner has worked with Hideout Pictures serving as a producer on “Still the King,” “Howard’s Mill,” “Howard’s Mill: The Truth Revealed,” and as a co-producer on “Old Henry,” as well as executive producer on the documentary “Pencils vs Pixels.” Most recently, Conner completed work as an executive producer on animated project “The Piano” and feature film “Shed.” Upcoming productions include producer roles for features “The Hollow Heart” and “Marbles.”

PANELIST

Nayt Cochran

Nayt is an animation director based in the suburbs of Nashville. He cofounded Hey Neighbor, an animation studio, where he acts as Executive Creative Director. His personal work focuses on telling stories with an earnest and sometimes satirical approach to the significance of love, kindness, and individuality.

PANELIST

Tom Bancroft

Tom Bancroft has over thirty-five years of experience in the animation industry beginning with Walt Disney Feature Animation where he worked on projects such as Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Tarzan , Brother Bear , as well as creating Mushu the dragon in Disney’s Mulan . Additionally, he is the co-creator of the VeggieTales DVD series, The New Adventures of Larryboy , co-director for the “Superbook” series as well as a podcaster, author, instructor and producer. He recently directed the animated feature film, “The Light of the World” via his animation company, Pencilish Studios. He lives with his family in Franklin, Tennessee.

PANELIST

Olly Rowland

Olly Rowland was born and raised in Essex, England, where a childhood fascination with James Bond films sparked his ambition to become a professional stunt performer. Building on a foundation in Karate, he trained extensively in disciplines including rock climbing, scuba diving, trampolining, horse riding, and motocross—developing the versatile skill set that would launch his career in film. He continued training and earned his first major break at age 20 in Robin Hood alongside Russell Crowe. From there, he went on to work as a stunt performer on major productions including Captain America, Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy, Maleficent, Snow White & the Huntsman, and Game of Thrones, among many others. At the same time, Olly expanded into the live music industry after joining close friends on tour to assist with logistics and tour management. He founded his own touring and production company, RAGE Touring. Through the company, he worked on arena tours with major British acts including McFly and Bros. Since then, Olly has overseen production for global icon Dolly Parton across live performances, television productions, music videos, and major commercial campaigns. Working out of NOZ Entertainment’s Nashville sound stages, he has produced campaigns and appearances for brands including T-Mobile, Taco Bell, and Cracker Barrel, while leading production on major performances such as the ACM Awards, the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Halftime Show, and promotional appearances surrounding Dolly Parton’s record-breaking 2023 album, Rockstar. Olly now resides in Nashville with his wife Charlotte and their Goldendoodle, Roady. Beyond entertainment, he is a passionate advocate for Type 1 diabetes awareness, working closely with JDRF to inspire newly diagnosed diabetics and demonstrate that with resilience, adaptability, and determination, extraordinary achievements are still possible.

PANELIST

Margaret Miller

Margaret Miller is a Nashville-based producer with a dynamic slate of upcoming feature films, including the Western drama The Isolate Thief and the horror-thriller The Whistler (p.g.a.). She also served as Co-Producer on the thriller Spirit Halloween and Associate Producer on the acclaimed Western Old Henry. Beyond her feature film work, Margaret is a highly sought-after television professional, lending her talents as a Culinary Producer to hit Netflix shows like Is It Cake? and Nailed It!.

PANELIST

Shannon Houchins

PANELIST

Alan Umstead

Alan Umstead is the Founder, Concertmaster, and Lead Contractor of Nashville Music Scoring, one of the world’s premier orchestras and contracting services specializing in elite film, television, and video game scoring. A graduate of Indiana University’s prestigious music program, Alan is an accomplished violinist whose career spans over 40 years as a full-time recording musician. Throughout his illustrious career, he has personally performed on or contracted for more than 20,000 songs, commercial jingles, and major media scores. Before shaping Nashville into a global epicenter for orchestral media recording, Alan established himself on the international classical stage. He served as a principal violinist for the Orquesta Nacional de Venezuela, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the Nashville Symphony. Recognizing a growing demand for a world-class, full-sized orchestra dedicated specifically to large-scale media projects, he founded Nashville Music Scoring. Under his leadership, the company has become a trusted partner for entertainment giants such as Disney, Sony Pictures, Netflix, Fox, Amazon, EA, HBO, and Microsoft. Alan’s extensive contracting and concertmaster credits span some of the most iconic franchises in modern entertainment. His prominent film and television projects include John Wick: Chapter 4, Elvis, Pearl, Deadwood: The Movie, Netflix’s One Piece, and Rizzoli & Isles. In the realm of television and video games, his leadership is woven into the Star Wars universe (The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Skeleton Crew, Star Wars Outlaws), alongside blockbuster gaming franchises like The Last of Us, God of War, the Call of Duty series, Destiny 2, Ori and the Blind Forest, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Today, Alan continues to connect the industry’s top composers with exceptional musical talent, managing both union and non-union remote and in-studio sessions from his base in Nashville. 

PANELIST

David Shipps

David Shipps is an active orchestrator and conductor based out of Nashville, TN, where he has worked for the last two decades. A graduate of the University of North Texas, David has had the opportunity to work alongside some of the entertainment industry’s most well-known composers in the areas of film, television and videogame scores, such as John Debney, Trevor Morris, Heitor Pereira, Stephen Barton, Wil Roget, and Carter Burwell. Projects have included notable game franchises such as EA Sports College Football, Star Wars: Outlaws, and Call of Duty with movie and television titles ranging from Despicable Me 4, 80 for Brady, London Has Fallen, American Underdog, and Vikings.  Coinciding with his busy schedule as an orchestrator, David has also developed into a well-respected studio conductor, having led ensembles of various sizes on over 50 projects just in the last few years alone.  He enjoys the process of collaborating with studio musicians in order to give clients the performance that they envision, a task that often finds him serving his client in 3 distinct roles almost simultaneously – conductor, orchestrator and producer. When he is not orchestrating or conducting, David enjoys exercising, serving in his local church and spending time with his family. David makes his home in Spring Hill, Tennessee, with his beautiful wife, Elizabeth and their two sons, Drew and Dawson.

PANELIST

Jake Allyn

Nashville local filmmaker Jake Allyn has dedicated his career to deeply American stories rooted in real issues and purpose. His upcoming film Clean Hands, which Jake wrote and directed, made its world premiere at Tribeca, and Vertical Entertainment will release the film theatrically later this year. The inspirational true story of a drug cop turned recovery advocate, the film stars Emmy-winner Zach Braff, Esther McGregor, Abigail Spencer, Lucas Till, and Holt McCallany. Jake spent six years interviewing the real story members, and even lived for a time at a drug recovery home along America’s infamous “heroin highway”, in order to research where the real story took place. His directorial debut Ride currently streams on PARAMOUNT+. A modern-western about rodeo, Jake followed Kevin Costner & Taylor Sheridan to win Best Movie at the 2024 Western Heritage Awards and was Variety’s “Critic’s Pick”, who noted “It isn’t just good – it’s masterful”. Jake wrote-directed-starred in the film beside C. Thomas Howell, Annabeth Gish, and Forrie J. Smith. His first screenplay was IFC FILMS border drama No Man’s Land, which Jake also led beside Frank Grillo, Andie MacDowell, and George Lopez. The film topped the box office on opening weekend, as the LA Times called it “An immigration tale told with empathy and humanity.” Also an accomplished actor, Jake’s been in franchises like Venom: The Last Dance and HBO’S The Last of Us, as well as leading Fathom romance-drama Someone Like You, based on the Karen Kingsbury NYT best-selling book, as well as the Amazon Prime drama series The Baxters for three seasons.

PANELIST

Mila Vilaplana

Mila Vilaplana is a Cuban-born filmmaker whose work centers on women’s stories and the female experience, explored through a distinct and intimate lens. Drawn to the tension and unease of psychological thrillers and horror, she uses genre as a way to examine the inner lives of her characters. SHED marks her debut feature film. While her early work lives in the darker corners of suspense and fear, Mila sees herself as a storyteller without limits, eager to explore every genre over the course of her career.