Bio for Director of Seminars

Stephanie Robinson is a graduate of Brown University and Case Western Reserve University Law School.  She received a John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts ACTF National Award for her performance in THE COLORED MUSEUM and has since worked as a refugee and asylum attorney with the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Kampala, Uganda.  While in Uganda Stephanie was an extra in THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND.  She works currently in the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the Department of State and is the Director of Seminars and Panels for DCIFF.

Steve Bennett

Steve Bennett has attended numerous anime conventions over the years and has also lent his talents to Loyola University in Louisiana, the Smithsonian Institution and the Iowa Gallery of Art.

Carol Bidault

Carol Bidault is President of MediaFusion & Executive Director DCIFF.

Carol Bidault de l’Isle is an international motion picture and television senior consultant, specializing in media asset acquisitions & management, financing and distribution. She brings with her 30 years of industry experience in the United States, Europe and Latin America. Her recent clients have included: government agencies (currently the lead researcher on the Cultural Industries and an Economic Impact Study of the Audiovisual Sector in Latin America; European Union's MEDIA program, MEDIA Salles (Italy), Latin American Film Conference (Organization of American States), World Bank); non-profit organizations (Executive Director& founder of Washington, DC Independent Film Festival & Market, Cine Latino; the Washington, DC Moving Image Center (DC Film Center)); and private investors from the USA, China, Europe, and Latin America.

Alex Cox

Born outside Liverpool, England in 1954, Alex attended Worchester College, Oxford; Bristol University and UCLA. He wrote and directed REPO MAN in 1983. The film opened the following year at the Berlin Film Festival.

In 1985 Alex co-wrote and directed SID & NANCY. The film screened at the Cannes Film Festival. His first two features were both critical and commercial hits. In Hollywood, Alex was suddenly very hot and turned down quite a variety of other people's movies, preferring to go his own way.

That route led him to Almeria, Spain for the revisionist cult western STRAIGHT TO HELL, which he co-wrote and directed. The film received the Critic's Prize, awarded by Sergio Leone, at the Madrid Festival.

In 1987 during the Reagan Administration, he directed the staunchly anti-imperialist WALKER in Nicaragua in co-operation with the Sandinista Government. The film screened at the Havana Film Festival, the Torino Festival and in competition at Berlin. Universal Pictures had been persuaded to finance this film and after the rounds of recrimination stopped, Alex's LA sojourn was at an end. The film is currently being restored for DVD release by Criterion in 2008.

But Alex Cox has never stopped working and his new film SEARCHERS 2.0 is as fresh and provocative as his best work.

Tod Davies

Tod Davies in San Francisco is a screenwriter and producer. Davies's screenplay credits include Three Businessmen, in which she also appears briefly as an actress; and as a co-writer for the draft screenplay of the adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. She is also the producer of Three Businessmen and Revengers Tragedy, the founder of Toxteth TV, an educational/media studio for young people, based in Liverpool, and the editor/publisher of the online magazine, Exterminating Angel Press. 

Temple Fennel

Jane Love joined the staff of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and Screen Actors Guild in 1989 as a Contract Administrator covering radio and TV commercials, industrial-educational non-broadcast videotapes and feature films.   Before joining the union staff, Jane worked for 3 years as a production coordinator on feature films and television movies/specials.  She holds a BA in English from the University of Virginia and an MA in Journalism and Public Affairs from the American University.  She has been the Assistant Executive Director of the Washington/Baltimore Local of AFTRA/SAG since 1994 responsible for the administration of all of AFTRA and SAG’s national contracts, including the SAGIndie contracts, in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia.

Bennett J. Fidlow

Bennett J. Fidlow has been practicing entertainment law since becoming a member of the California Bar in 1988.  Mr. Fidlow has been involved in all levels of the entertainment industry.  He was a senior executive with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists, has handled numerous rights acquisition and option deals, and acted as production counsel on a large number of both studio and independent films, including Memento, The Score (with Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando and Edward Norton), John Singleton’s films Illegal Tender and Hustle & Flow (the 2005 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award winner), and The Final Season (which premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival).  A complete list of Mr. Fidlow’s productions can be found at www.imdb.com/name/nm0275778.  He was also on the legal team handling NBC's merger with Vivendi/Universal and Sony's acquisition of MGM.  After 15 years in Los Angeles, he moved his family to Richmond, Virginia where he and Kirk T. Schroder opened the doors on their boutique entertainment law practice, Schroder Fidlow, PLC, in October of 2003.  Mr. Fidlow regularly negotiates deals and advises clients in all areas of the entertainment industry, with an emphasis on film, television and home video transactions.  He currently serves on the boards of several entertainment organizations and teaches Entertainment Law at the University of Richmond, School of Law.  

Sharvonique Renee Fortune

Sharvonique Renee Fortune, founder of Sharvonique Studios, holds an AA in Fine Arts and a BFA in Media Arts.  Ms. Fortune specializes in Character Animation.  She is also a member of Women in Animation; ASIFA-East; and the Washington, DC chapter of Women in Film and Video.

Adam Johnson

Adam A. Johnson owns and operates Architect of Sound, a music company that provides custom music scoring and sound design for Film/TV/New Media projects both in the U.S. and abroad with clients in Canada, Ireland, Haiti, Egypt, and Dubai. Credits include the United Nations, Aquafina-Pepsico, the National Endowment for the Arts, US Customs, Exxon, NYC Mayor Bloomberg and more. Additional services include sonic branding, foley, audio sweetening and mixing, and music supervision. Visit www.architectofsound.com for more details on Adam Johnson and his work, visit www.sfxsource.com to visit his online sound effect library or email adam@architectofsound.com

Ken Kaufman

Mr. Kaufman’s practice focuses on entertainment law, copyright, Internet law, content licensing, e-commerce and the evolving new technologies in the entertainment and computer fields.

Mr. Kaufman represents a wide range of clients in the entertainment, computer, online, sports and communications industries, including television networks, computer and Internet technology companies, media and technology investors, private equity firms, television and video producers, new media entrepreneurs, music publishers, recording artists and authors.

Mr. Kaufman has extensive experience as both in-house and outside counsel in the entertainment and communications industries. Immediately prior to joining the firm, Mr. Kaufman was a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel of Showtime/The Movie Channel Inc. (now known as Showtime Networks Inc.); as Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs and General Counsel of PolyGram Records, Inc.; and as General Counsel of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In two of those positions, he was the first in-house attorney and organized the in-house legal department. He also served as assistant counsel of a U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee and as law clerk to Judge Warren J. Ferguson of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

Mr. Kaufman is a frequent speaker and author on entertainment law, intellectual property and issues involving the convergence of the entertainment, communications and computer industries. He has chaired programs and spoken at industry conferences for the Practising Law Institute, the Computer Law Association, the National Association of Broadcasters, the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the District of Columbia Bar, among others. He also served as a Visiting Lecturer at Yale Law School, teaching a course on copyright, entertainment and Internet law. Mr. Kaufman has been profiled by Legal Times as one of the leading intellectual property lawyers in the Washington, D.C. area. He was also selected for inclusion in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (for intellectual property and media & entertainment) and in The Best Lawyers in America 2008 (for entertainment law and intellectual property law).

Zhibo Lai

Zhibo Lai is a local, DC Independent Filmmaker. His background includes courses with New York Film Academy and ertifications at Arlington Independent Media. He has written, directed, edited, and produced several short films, which have premiered at the AFI Silver theater in Silver Spring for the 48 Hour Film Project, as well as, the DC APA Film Festival, and the Rosebud Film Festival.  He recently launched a free filmmaking workshop that brought many local working and aspiring DC filmmakers together to produce a short film in just 4 hours. Following the success of this workshop, he would like continue to educate and inspire more people in the art and craft of filmmaking.

Rosemarie Levy, IATSE

Rosemarie M. Levy is the Business Agent for The Mid-Atlantic Studio Mechanics, Local 487, I.A.T.S.E.  Since her election in 1996 Rosemarie Levy  has been negotiating contracts with the “Major Studios” and Independent production companies, administrating collective bargaining agreements, promoting and securing employment opportunities for the members as well as establishing a rapport with numerous State and Governmental officials. Prior to her election to The Mid-Atlantic Studio Mechanics Rosemarie M. Levy held positions with “I.A.T. S. E. International” receiving assignments through-out  the country, Local 52, I.A.T.S.E. as their Philadelphia representative and maintained an Executive Board position with Local 487 since 1992

 Ms. Levy is a graduate of Temple University with a Bachelor of Science degree from The School Of Communications

Tim Lorenz

Tim Lorenz is a Senior Account Executive and Technical Consultant for Interface Media Services. Lorenz's special emphasis is in the development of high definition production for television and digital filmmaking. He has worked closely with local and national producers and production companies specializing in independent films, network IDs, infomercials, commercials, PSAs, and documentary programs. As in-house producer and post supervisor he created proposals, and managed budgets and staff for projects that utilized 24p High Definition, Da Vinci 2K digital color processing, 5.1 surround and stereo sound design, visual effects, etc.

Jane Love

Jane Love joined the staff of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and Screen Actors Guild in 1989 as a Contract Administrator covering radio and TV commercials, industrial-educational non-broadcast videotapes and feature films.   Before joining the union staff, Jane worked for 3 years as a production coordinator on feature films and television movies/specials.  She holds a BA in English from the University of Virginia and an MA in Journalism and Public Affairs from the American University.  She has been the Assistant Executive Director of the Washington/Baltimore Local of AFTRA/SAG since 1994 responsible for the administration of all of AFTRA and SAG’s national contracts, including the SAGIndie contracts, in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia.

Dave Mallen

A veteran singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist on the DC music scene, Dave Mallen is also Producer/Owner of Innovation Station Music, providing studio recording, original composition/scoring, and music business consulting services to both local and national artists. Mr. Mallen is also the Co-Coordinator of the 2008 DC Independent Music Festival.

Summer Manchero

Sumner Menchero is a Senior Program Associate in Program Development > and Independent Film at PBS. Working as the first eyes and ears on > hundreds of submissions a year, she provides feedback to producers and > recommends projects for further review by the programming team for the > national primetime schedule. In addition to considering both verbal > and written pitches in her role at PBS, she also participated in the > 2005 IFP Market, served as a panelist for the Student Pitch Sessions > at the 2006 and 2007 Silverdocs Film Festival, and co-instructed a > course on “The ABC’s of Pitching” as part of American University’s > 2007 Summer Film and Digital Media Institute.

Rita McClenny, VFO

Since 1991, Rita McClenny has directed the efforts of the Virginia Film Office to recruit film and television production work to Virginia and promote the state as a destination for film, video and digital production.   The office supports the development of a growing indigenous production industry. The economic impact for feature films, episodic television, broadcast commercials and documentary work was over $597 million in 2006 covering every region of the state.

She served as the official mistress of ceremony on the occasion of Virginia’s Royal visit by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh at the State’s Capitol.  She played in the inaugural America’s Cup of Polo match between the United Kingdom and America and served on the committee which planned the international polo match.

A native Virginian, Rita attended Vassar College and received a BS in Economics from Fisk University.  She is a Southampton County native and resides in Richmond, Virginia. She directs the office of film production recruitment for the State of Virginia. She serves on the board of the Virginia Film Festival at the University of Virginia, Virginia Center for Media and Culture, Maymont Foundation, The Byrd Theatre Foundation and is a member of the Washington, D.C. chapter of Women in Film and Video.  Her interests include: polo, tennis, gardening and the arts.  

Kirk T. Schroder

Kirk T. Schroder has an extensive entertainment and arts law practice. Kirk has been named to the 2008 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® for the field of entertainment law. In October, 2007, Kirk was elected by his national peers in the entertainment and sports law profession to be the Chair-Elect of the American Bar Association's Forum on the Sports & Entertainment industries His law practice draws entertainment and arts related clients from all over the United States and the world.  His areas of practice include motion picture, television, and radio broadcast, literary and music publishing, multimedia, advertising, marketing and visual arts.  Kirk is also actively involved in education and children's issues.

Joe Sisto

Joe Sisto is a media and entertainment lawyer with Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Canada’s largest law firm, and has counseled and represented major Hollywood studios, independent producers, distributors, private and institutional financiers, talent agents, actors, writers, directors, radio personalities and musicians, among many others. He is particularly active in the area of international motion picture co-productions. His writings on various entertainment industry issues have been published in numerous reputable publications including Entertainment & Sports Lawyer (a publication of the American Bar Association); Filmmaker Magazine (a publication of the Independent Feature Project); Entertainment, Publishing and the Arts Handbook (a publication of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s Dualstar Entertainment); and The Lawyer’s Weekly. He makes guest appearances as a legal commentator on Montreal’s 940 AM radio and CH Global Television. He has spoken at major industry-related conferences including the Banff World Television Festival and International Publishers Association Copyright Symposium. Joe graduated from McGill University Law School with distinction where he obtained both Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Civil Law degrees. He also obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with distinction from Concordia University in 1993 and a Master of Arts in International Relations from McGill University in 1998.

Joe has been credited on 26 feature film, television and video productions and has been consulted on dozens more.

Adam Sledd

Adam Sledd has worked in almost every area of the media industry over the last ten years including film, television, internet media, marketing, and publishing. Even before graduating from Pitzer College with a B.A. in media studies Adam had worked for the Chesterfield Writer’s Film Project (a Paramount subsidiary), Arpil Entertainment, the Nashville Screenwriting Showdown, and award-winning writer/director Gordy Hoffman. Focusing on exploring new opportunities in the media business, Adam’s previous projects include founding the River City Write Off screenwriting competition and taking an active ownership position in RVA Magazine. His most recently produced film, Beer, Chocolate, or You, screened at the 2007 Cannes Film Market and is in the process of licensing worldwide television and internet rights to the Mini Movie Channel. His current projects include the digital entertainment company RVATV and the feature film Border Town, currently in pre-production.

Christopher Wanamaker

The District of Columbia Anime Club (DCAC) was founded by Chris Wanamaker (President), Jules Chang (Vice President) and Craig Vaughn (Sgt in Arms) on Saturday June 5, 2003.   DCAC was established in 2003 to introduce and educate people in the Washington, DC area about East Asian culture, through the viewing and discussion of Japanese animation (also known as anime) and Japanese comics (manga).  DCAC is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization, contributions to DC Anime Club are tax deductible to the extent allowable under the law.

The DC Anime Club has  a strong membership that continues to grow, most of which are teenagers.  The club also works to provide a positive, alternative activity to the youth in the area by exposing them to foreign culture, encouraging artistic expression and creativity, and providing opportunities for participation in community activities and leadership.

In addition to our weekly meetings, the club holds an Annual Art Show, an Annual Costume fundraising event, and visits local schools to do presentations on anime. The club also works with the Smithsonian Freer Gallery and DC Asian Pacific American Film Festival on their anime screenings, and has helped locally promote performances for Japanese bands such as Puffy Ami Yumi and Pine am.