NORTHWEST FILM FORUM BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jennifer Roth, President
Filmmaker/Film Producer
Jennifer Roth is a 17 year veteran of the film industry. In 2006 she was the executive/line producer on the Miramax film "Smart People" starring Dennis Quaid and Sarah Jessica Parker and "Trainwreck: My Life as an Idoit" starring Seann William Scott and Gretchen Mol. She has served as line producer on several films including "The Squid and the Whale," "Songcatcher" and "Black and White." Her early production credits include "Bad Lieutenant," "Smoke," "The Crow," "Deadman" and "Lawn Dogs." She also serves on the Washington Film Works board of Washington State.
Peter J. Vogt, Vice-President
Filmmaker
Serving two
years from August 2004
Peter J. Vogt began making films and videos
in the mid 1980's. His early work snapped up awards from the Seattle
Video Shorts Festival and Northwest Cable Programmers competitions,
showed at Bumbersoot and the Center On Contemporary Art in Seattle, and
was broadcast locally and regionally on PBS. His first theatrical
release Windows won a Cine Golden Eagle, and showed at film festivals
around the world. In the 90s he co-produced the film Hype! which
premiered at Sundance in 1996, won the Seattle Film Festival's feature
documentary competition and achieved worldwide theatrical release. In
1999 he created Outsider Films community. Nuts&Bolts, the first in the
Outsider series, won a special jury prize at the 2000 Seattle Film
Festival, was short listed for AFI's digital film award, and showed
regionally on PBS. Other "Outsider" films include Blue Moon People,
which had two runs on PBS, and October, which was an official selection
of the New York Film Festival in 2003. His latest film Up Thornton Creek
(2004) was an official selection of the Seattl Film Festival and will be
distributed nationally by PBS (everywhere but Seattle) as part of the
Natural Heroes series.
Along with his ongoing commercial and
non-profit film work, Vogt is currently working on a feature length
documentary about baseball legend Bill "Spaceman" Lee. He is part owner
of t Optimistic Camera, a film camera to promote interesting, marginally
represented voices in the Seattle rental company.
John DeShazo, Secretary
Woodworker, actor, theatre
technician
Serving two years from August 2005 (third term)
Serge Gregory, Treasurer
Filmmaker; Manager of Web
Communications, Providence Health System, Washington
Serving two
years from August 2005
Northwest Film Forum board treasurer Serge
Gregory is a Seattle filmmaker who has made eight short films since
1997. Funded by grants from the Seattle Arts Commission, 4Culture and
Artist Trust, his films have been widely exhibited in festivals, on TV,
and in museums, galleries and alternative venues in the U.S. and abroad.
Gregory is the Web Communications Manager for Providence Health System
Washington. Born in China of Russian parents, he came to the U.S. when
he was seven years old. Gregory is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the
College of William and Mary, spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar at
Leningrad State University, and holds a Ph.D. in Russian Language and
Literature from the University of Washington. He is married and has two
children.
Alan Pruzan, Immediate Past President
Founder, Forrest-Pruzan
Creative
Serving two years from August 2005 (third term)
Alan
Pruzan is a principal at Forrest-Pruzan Creative, a product invention
studio specializing in games, toys and other social entertainment
products. He was Lead Gamemaker at Entros in Seattle from 1993 to 2000,
in addition to dabbling in film, video art, multi-media installations,
conceptual art, and performance. He is proud to have served on the board
of directors of Northwest Film Forum since 2000, and as board president
since 2003.
Michael Seiwerath, Executive Director of NWFF
Michael Seiwerath is the Executive Director of the Northwest Film Forum, a Seattle based film arts organization operating two cinemas and WigglyWorld Studios, a film production collective which produces nearly 100 films a year. He oversees a staff of ten, and has Executive Produced three feature and numerous short films.
Nicholas Hanauer
Chairman and CEO, Avenue A Internet
Media, Founding partner, Second Avenue Partners; Executive Vice
President, Pacific Coast Feather
Serving two years from August
2005 (third term)
Elizabeth Heile
Film Producer, Business Consultant
Elizabeth Heile began channeling her energies into the film industry in
2006, after fifteen years in the investment services and non-profit
sectors. She supports independent film production during their pre- and
post- production phases, by providing financial services such as
building business plans, budgeting and contracts negotiation.
Elizabeth's recent local work includes production support on "Zoo,"
(directed by Robinson Devor, Documentary Competition, Sundance Film
Festival, 2006) and assistance with business plan and budget development
on "#2," (directed by David Russo, a grantee of the Northwest Film
Forum's prestigious Start-to-Finish program). In the past, Elizabeth
supported post-production and distribution logistics as Business Manager
to "Inlaws & Outlaws," (directed by Drew Emery). Elizabeth currently
serves as the Director of Finance with GadZook Media.
Johan Liedegren
Investor, Consultant, Filmmaker, Writer.
Liedegren owns Captain Queenie Films, Mijo Ventures and Honkworm
International. He is currently on the board of Loudeye Technologies,
GoMed, Goodway Technologies and Fusion Filmfund. Johan Liedegren is also in a partnership with
Digital Kitchen and Adventure Divas.
Betsey Brock
Development Associate, Henry Art Gallery
Serving two years from August 2005 (second term)
Mark Bashore
Filmmaker, Editor, Executive Producer
Serving two years from September 2007
Mark Bashore is Executive Producer and General Manager of Digital Kitchen, a film production and motion design firm. Mark has overseen concept, live action, design, and post-production on several highly acclaimed sequences for film and television. He is currently producing a number of large-scale environmental film pieces on behalf of dk. With a background in digital editing, he continues to write, direct, edit and produce documentary and experimental works.
Dave Rosencrans
Serving two years from September 2007
Pablo Schugurensky
Serving two years from September 2007
Jim Brown
Serving provisionally until September 2008 elections
Northwest Film Forum Advisory Board
- Steven Shaviro, Media Studies Professor/Theorist
- Andy Pratt, Andy Pratt Negative Cutting
- Bob Cumbow, Graham & Dunn
- Sandy Cioffi, Seattle Central Community College
- John Comerford, Paradigm Studios
- Ben-Alex Dupris, The Hatchery
- David Skinner, ShadowCatcher Entertainment
- Norm Hill, 518 Media
- Cathy Sarkowsky, Community Representative
- Gregg Lachow, The Film Company
- John Mullen, Financial Consultant