TODD MORRIS
FOUNDER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & JUROR
Todd is an award winning New York based commercial producer who's been working in the film business for nearly three decades. He's also written and directed several short films and two indie features including the legendary 1996 cult film, "A Gun For Jennifer," that's screened at dozens of festivals around the globe and can still be seen in Parisian art houses from time to time.
JOCELYN O'NEIL MORRIS
CO-FOUNDER, CO-DIRECTOR & JUROR
Jocelyn is a founding member of the Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival, with almost two decades of experience as a classically trained actor and filmmaker in New York City. She has showcased her work in festivals nationwide, from performing Shakespeare with The Aquila Theatre Company to taking on lead roles in feature films, producing and writing short films, and appearing in national TV commercials. As the director of communications for JTIFF, Jocelyn now utilizes her expertise to manage the festival's social media content and programming.
TONY MARTINEZ
PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR
Tony Martinez is an original founder of the Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival. He plays a vital role in producing marketing content, training volunteers, coordinating events, and ensuring smooth operations. In 2019, Tony and his wife Brynn spearheaded TM Production, a highly regarded photography and video production service. He also has an extensive on-camera portfolio and achieved viral fame in 2020, amassing over 1.3 billion views across social media platforms including TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter.
GILLES BOULENGER
FRENCH PROGRAMMER & ADVISOR
After creating a French film magazine in 1991 called LE CINEPHAGE and writing books on Oliver Stone, John Carpenter and William Friedkin, Gilles became co-director and head programmer of L’ETRANGE FESTIVAL from 1995 till 2007. In 2002 he started the French distribution company, ZOOTROPE FILMS, that specializes in documentaries, genre films and arthouse fare. Gilles lives in Paris.
MATTHEW CURRY
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR & JUROR
MPC is an audio aficionado for both location sound and audio post production, working on commercials, films, content as well as unique capture and multichannel immersive sound art pieces. Being an internationally-acclaimed musician and DJ helps him compose and design sci-fi sounds and being a nerd helps him with technical know how for AV club and to help festivals like JTIFF. He has had a long history in production, helping run a Brooklyn-based production company with two stages, Chemistry Creative, as well as operating a recording studio, Transmitter Park Studio. Before moving to NYC he was mixing for broadcast at Al Gore's news station, Current TV, in San Francisco.
MTUME GANT
EAST COAST PROGRAMMER & JUROR
Mtume is a NY based Director, Actor and Writer and a graduate of NYC's Laguardia HS & The Acting Conservatory at SUNY Purchase. Since his screen debut as “Louis" in the Sundance award winning film, HURRICANE STREETS, Mtume has worked nonstop on stage, screen & TV in such shows as HBO's OZ and had a lead role in CARLITOS WAY: RISE TO POWER. His 2015 Directing debut, SPIT, screened at two dozen festivals, won numerous awards and was included in The ABFF Independent short film series on Aspire TV. His second film, WHITE FACE, a critical investigation of whiteness in America, screened at dozens of festivals around the globe and took home many awards (including Best Actor at JTIFF 2017), establishing Mtume as a Filmmaker to watch.
ROBERT HERRERA
JUROR
Robert T. Herrera is a Mexican American filmmaker from Corpus Christi, Texas, currently based in St. Louis, Missouri. He directed, shot, and edited the 2011 feature-length documentary, The Gray Seasons, which is currently with EPIX and Amazon Prime. He created the 2017 no-budget feature narrative, Palacios, distributed by Freestyle Digital Media.
Herrera is a 2020 Sundance Feature Film Fellow, a grant recipient from the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation, and an SFFILM Westridge Grant winner with his latest screenplay, Pink Casa, which is currently in development. He is also in production with his latest feature documentary. He runs a content company, Gray Picture, where he creates a wide range of content for commercial, entertainment, and fine art use.
ERIC VOLLWEILLER
MARKETING & SPONSORSHIP DIRECTOR
Eric has been producing and marketing film festivals and entertainment events since 2005. His focus is selling sponsorships, advertising, filmmaker prizes and booking speakers. Some of his favorite events include: The Hip Hop Film Festival in NYC; Silver Lake Film Festival in LA; the Latino Filmmaker Network Sundance Film Festival event; the Saratoga Springs International Film Festival; Independent Filmmaker Day during the Toronto International Film Festival; and the Garden State Film Festival in Asbury Park, NJ.
RICARDO JATTAN
JUROR
Originally from Toronto, Ricardo has been a Production Designer on commercials and feature films throughout the US, Canada and Australia for more than twenty years. He's worked on a dozen features and 500+ commercials and has collaborated with well-known directors, producers and celebrities from all over the world. After two decades in this business, Ricardo is still passionate about his job and knows without a doubt that designing is in his blood. He lives in Los Angeles.
AMY PIENTA
ART DIRECTOR
Guns blazin' and champagne bottles in hand, Amy - an award-winning graphic designer with over 20 years in the industry - left behind 14 years of living in the neon desert of Las Vegas and returned home to Pennsylvania. With her, she brought Somersault Letterpress - a boutique letterpress and creative studio that she founded in 2011, and moved here to the heart of Jim Thorpe with her eternal partner-in-crime, Mitch Hanson.
JAY SLATER
UK PROGRAMMER
For the past 25 years, Jay has traveled the globe attending countless film festivals as a journalist and critic, writing for magazines such as Fangoria, Rue Morgue and The Dark Side. He's also written press releases for Quentin Tarantino, co-produced the feature-length thriller, "The Devil’s Business," and for distributors, acquired UK Theatrical rights for "The Horseman," "Pontypool," and video rights for Italian shockers like "Cannibal Holocaust" and "Zombie." Previously, he was the Senior Editor for Black Flame where he proposed novels based on New Line Cinema and 2000 AD properties such as "The Butterfly Effect," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Blade: Trinity" (sadly, "Jaws does Tokyo Bay" never materialized). Jay's latest challenge is starting a micro-brewery in Surrey. He loves the mission.
FRANK SUN
JUROR
Frank is a NYC & LA based Director, Cinematographer, Still Photographer and Producer. He's also one of the founders of the New York commercial production company, XY Content. Frank got his start shooting the network reality series, 'Survivor' before moving on to indie shorts, features, music videos and commercials. Frank's work as a still photographer has been published in Interview, Cosmopolitan, W, Esquire and other publications in the US and Europe.
AKI SUSKO
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Aki brings her strategic sales and marketing experience with national brands to her chosen hometown of Jim Thorpe to reach the right online audiences with the newest and most updated info and happenings at JTIFF. Aki and her digital marketing agency, 40 North Marketing, offers high-level marketing strategies and audience development, paired with performance-based digital tactics.
BRYNN WELLER MARTINEZ
ASSISTANT PROD. SUPERVISOR
In addition to being a professional dancer for the past 20+ years and more recently as On-Camera talent for commercials and live events, Brynn currently works as a video editor and a camera operator for TM Productions. Brynn has also been a valued member of the JTIFF team since its founding in 2017.
JEN CHRISTMAN
WEBSITE MANAGER
She speaks a language that is foreign to most people. RGB, CMYK, raster, vector, database, dynamic, html, SEO to name a few. Digital and print graphic design, coupled with 25+ years experience in marketing makes her stand out from the rest. Jen specializes in on-brand website design that maximizes the user experience to get measurable results. We are proud to have this local, self starter, successful business woman on our team!
JESSICA CORBIN
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Jessica relocated to Jim Thorpe in 2020 with her family and has become active in the performing arts scene as a pianist, singer, and songwriter. She splits her time between here and Brooklyn, where she lived and worked for over 20 years. Her experience includes her current position as Music Director and Lecturer of Music and Theatre at CUNY - Kingsborough Community College, as well as vocal coach for the Musical Theatre programs at Marymount Manhattan College and Western Connecticut State University, and for 18 years she was the Founding Artistic & Executive Director of Bella Voce Singers (now Brooklyn Treble Choir). Additionally, she and her husband Chris own Trend & Source in Jim Thorpe, a shop featuring work by local artists and artisans. Her new album, “Simple” will be available in early summer 2023.