Co-Founder

Rudy Callegari is a seasoned media entrepreneur and former producer with over 25 years of experience in film, television, and commercial production. He began his career in New York and founded Bright Pictures, producing content across various platforms. In 2006, Rudy co-founded Edge Auto Rental, now a leading provider of production vehicle rentals in NYC. He also co-founded Emerald Green Trailers, offering eco-friendly mobile solutions to the entertainment industry. In 2021, he launched the Production Initiatives Association (PIA), which lobbies for film tax incentives in New York. Rudy is known for his innovation, leadership, and industry advocacy.

Co-Founder

Andrew Stern is the Founder and CEO of Be Electric Studios, a leading NYC-based production hub launched in 2014. Powered by 100% renewable energy, the studio is committed to sustainable practices, including planting five trees for every shoot or rental. Be Electric offers Level 2 Qualified soundstages, a full-service equipment house, and cutting-edge virtual production with two LED volumes specializing in in-camera VFX. Andrew also serves as Co-President of the Production Initiatives Association (PIA), which helped expand New York’s film tax credit in 2023. PIA continues to lead advocacy efforts in 2025, advancing policies to support long-term industry growth and job creation.

Executive Director West Coast

Jason Fisher, Founder, CEO, StageRunner Originally from Connecticut, Jason is a founder, award-winning producer and studio executive who has helped define the modern era of prestige television and global content production. Serving as the Head of Production at Disney+, Paramount, AMC Networks, and First Look Media, Jason has led production on iconic series including The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Loki, and The Mandalorian. Now, as the founder and CEO of StageRunner, Jason leads a fast-growing global soundstage marketplace and media company serving the production community and connecting 850+ studios across six continents. StageRunner is a growing media platform covering production and stage news, and the latest virtual production and AI technologies transforming how content gets made.

Executive Director 

Gannon Murphy is a strategic advisor in entertainment, production infrastructure, AI/new media, and public policy. He leads 25th Strategic Solutions and previously served as a senior executive at an international film and TV service provider, where he helped build the studio platform across the US. His policy work includes leadership roles with the GA Screen Entertainment Collation, the Screen Alliance of New Jersey, and the Coalition for American Production. He also serves as Vice Chair of the Alzheimer's Association Georgia Chapter.

Executive Director

Brian Papworth is a seasoned film and television executive with over three decades of experience at the intersection of production, labor relations, and strategic media initiatives. As Executive Director of the Coalition for American Production, Brian leads the charge in advocating for the growth and sustainability of domestic production, ensuring that the United States remains the premier global destination for high-impact storytelling.

An active and long-standing member of both the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and the Producers Guild of America (PGA), Brian brings a dual perspective to the Coalition—combining the creative "boots-on-the-ground" experience of a seasoned producer with the high-level strategic oversight required to manage complex industry shifts.

Most recently, Brian served as Deputy Commissioner and Senior Advisor for Strategic Initiatives at the NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME). During his tenure, he was instrumental in navigating the legislative and logistical frameworks that support one of the world's busiest production hubs. His deep understanding of studio infrastructure and crew development is backed by his management of an extensive database and networks.

A resident of Long Branch, New Jersey, Brian is a vocal proponent of the evolving "Hollywood East" corridor.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Black Ink Services

Colin Barnhart is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Black Ink Services, where he advises small and mid-sized businesses on financial strategy, operational effectiveness, and long-term planning. He also founded Paper Street Strategies, a venture capital and private equity partnership focused on supporting early-stage companies through strategic investment and operational guidance. Prior to starting his own firms, Colin held leadership roles advising organizations on financial planning and business transformation. He holds extensive experience in financial operations, business governance, and strategic growth, and is committed to helping leaders build sustainable, high-performing enterprises. 

COO, Synapse Virtual Production

Aaron Gordon is a serial entrepreneur and recognized leader in creative innovation, virtual production, and company culture.

As Co-Founder and COO of Synapse Virtual Production, he is helping build a next-generation, filmmaker-centric, real-time production ecosystem. This includes a growing national network of LED volumes, currently in LA, Texas, and NY. Synapse collaborates with partners such as Netflix, Amazon/MGM, Marvel, Paramount, and Artists Equity, and supports an even broader roster of top commercial production companies and agencies across the advertising industry.

Before launching Synapse, Aaron founded Optic Sky Productions, where his team delivered global campaigns for Google, Amazon, Wegmans, Lenovo, Snap, Zillow, and dozens of other category-defining brands.

Aaron is also deeply committed to education and mentorship, helping develop the next generation of entrepreneurs, directors, artists, and creative technologists.

Aaron is a true industry lifer, beginning his career at just ten years old as a production assistant on his father's award-winning commercial sets. That early start gave him a foundation in production that he built into a career spanning decades. He went on to co-found and scale multi-million dollar creative agencies, partnering with publicly traded technology and hospitality brands and consistently delivering work that married creative ambition with business results. What sets Aaron apart is his ability to pair creative vision with strategic and managerial skill. He has led diverse teams, structured partnerships with corporate stakeholders, and managed budgets and deliverables at scale—experience that makes him uniquely capable of leading complex, high-stakes projects. Today, he is bringing that expertise to the City of Chula Vista, where he is spearheading the development of a next-generation film studio and creative campus. With his track record of aligning artistry, technology, and strategy, Aaron is well-positioned to reignite the film industry in San Diego.

Founder and CEO of Company 3

Stefan Sonnenfeld is the Founder and CEO of Company 3, where he has led the company through decades of evolution in the ever-changing landscape of post-production. Over the past 25+ years, he has remained not only a visionary leader but also one of the industry’s most sought-after colorists, trusted by many of the world’s most innovative filmmakers. With an unparalleled eye for color, Sonnenfeld has helped shape the look of some of the most artistically and commercially successful films of all time, including globally recognized franchises such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers, and many others.

He recently worked on director Antoine Fuqua’s Michael, the highest-grossing music biopic; director Joseph Kosinski’s F1: The Movie, the highest-grossing auto racing film of all time; and director James Gunn’s Superman, a reimagining of the iconic superhero and a major global box-office success.

Senior Vice President, Sales & Business Development, Sunset Studios & Quixote

Sean Griffin joined Hudson Pacific in 2023 and serves as Senior Vice President, Sales & Business Development for Sunset Studios and Quixote. He leads sales and business development across the company's entire portfolio of studios and production services.

Prior to joining Hudson Pacific, Griffin was Chief Executive Officer of Nomadic, a publisher of virtual reality games based on leading entertainment franchises. He also previously worked for location-based virtual reality experience The Void, The Walt Disney Company, The Boston Consulting Group and HarperCollins Publishers.

Griffin earned a Master of Business Administration from The Wharton School and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Boston College.

Policy Advisor
venable.com

Tim Ursprung is a skilled advisor who brings nearly a decade of Capitol Hill and government relations experience to his clients. Tim develops and executes targeted advocacy and lobbying strategies to help his clients adjust to public policy developments and comply with ever-changing regulatory requirements. Prior to joining Venable, Tim worked as the vice president of federal legislative affairs at a lobbying firm, where he represented client interests before members of Congress and administration officials. Before the private sector, Tim worked in Congress for six years, where he advised then U.S. representative Peter T. King, who served as a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee.

Senior Policy Advisor
venable.com

Richard Ward is a skilled advisor with more than a decade of experience in government relations, critical infrastructure, national security, communications policy, industry-government coordination, advocacy, coalition-building, and crisis communication. Most recently, Richard worked as the senior director of government relations for the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), which is the association representing all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. There, he led the development and implementation of a federal affairs strategy to advance the electric sector’s priorities in cyber and grid security, resilience, communications, privacy, and drones.

Producer

Adam Brightman is a producer, line producer, and production manager with over 35 years of experience in film and television. His feature credits include Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, Two Family House (Sundance Audience Award), On_Line (Sundance 2002), and I Think I Love My Wife. Other credits include Leave the World Behind, Basquiat, The Dark Tower, and You Don’t Mess With the Zohan. In television, he’s worked on Dexter: New Blood, Power, Pan Am, and Escape at Dannemora. Adam has also produced commercials, music videos, and branded content for major clients. He serves on the boards of the Adrienne Shelley Foundation and the Production Initiatives Association, and is a member of the DGA.

Executive Director East Coast

Jackie Stolfi, an Emmy-Nominated producer based in NYC, boasts an eclectic and impressive career in entertainment. Starting as a script intern on "Late Night with Conan O’Brien", she quickly rose through the ranks, honing her skills on iconic shows like "Sex and the City".Jackie's diverse production experience spans film, TV, new media, and various formats from single-camera to multi-cam, short to long form. She's produced 250 +hours of content acrosspilots, TV and web series, features, and animation, while also making her mark in the indie scene.  Her independent film career extends over two decades with notable projects screened at Tribeca, Woodstock, SXSW and Vancouver Film Festivals.  As an Executive of RIPFEST Film Festival, she shepherded 85+ short films.

Business Advisor

Tiffany A. Donaldson, Esq. is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law. 

Originally from Maryland, she built her law firm Donaldson Legal Counseling PLLC in New York. 

She focuses her practice in ip, business entity oversight, operations advising, and governance.