Scott Young - Festival 2001 Chair Rev. Scott Young is the 2001 Chair and Co-Founder of the City of the Angels Film Festival.  He is the director of Graduate Student/Faculty Ministry for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in the Southern California region.  Rev. Young is a campus minister at UCLA and an instructor at a number of educational institutions including Fuller Theological Seminary and the Art Center: College of Design in Pasadena.  He served on the ecumenical jury at the 1996 Berlin International Film Festival and was co-director of Reel Spirituality, 1999.

Barbara R. Nicolosi -  Co-Chair, Publications Coordinator Barbara R. Nicolosi is the Director of Act One: Writing for Hollywood, an educational program sponsored by Inter-Mission to train screenwriters from the Christian community for mainstream entertainment industry careers.  Miss Nicolosi is a screenwriter, monthly media columnist, and frequent speaker at writer's conferences.

Craig Detweiler - Co-Producer Craig completed his MFA from USC's School of Cinema and Television in 1996. His feature documentary, Williams Syndrome: A Highly Musical Species won the Crystal Heart Award at the Heartland Film Festival and the CINE Golden Eagle.  Craig's original comic screenplay, The Duke, was recently released by Buena Vista Home Video.  He co-wrote the high-energy feature film, ExtremeDays. He teaches "Faith, Film and Culture" at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center and co-directs Reel Spirituality, a think-tank for filmmakers and clergy.

Rebecca VerStraten-McSparran - Co-Producer Rev. Rebecca Ver Straten-McSparran is the pastor of Tribe, a new church located in the Miracle Mile District of Los Angeles.  She has for many years been involved in urban ministry, living and working in urban communities with families and gang members, currently spearheading the development of the inner city Commonwealth Neighborhood Council.  Rebecca also is very involved with ministry in the visual arts and film arts, having created a gallery, leading and facilitating art and film groups and retreats.  She is the co-producer of the City of the Angeles Film Festival this year, and on the board of Reel Spirituality.

Charles Robert Carner Charles Robert Carner wrote the feature films Let's Get Harry and Blind Fury.  He wrote and directed television episodes of Midnight Caller, Reasonable Doubts and The Untouchables.  He has also directed the television films A Killer Among Friends, The Fixer, and One Woman's Courage.  His most recent project is the soon to be released ABC movie Judas and Jesus.

Robert K. Johnston, Ph.D. - Panels Robert is Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. Dr. Johnston teaches courses both in Theology and Film and in Constructive Evangelical Theology.  His books include Evangelicals at an Impasse: The use of the Bible in Theology-Evangelical Options, and his most recent, Reel Spirituality: Theology and Film in Dialogue.  He and his wife Catherine Barsotti are regular movie reviewers for The Covenant Companion.

PLANNING COMMITTEE
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Jerry L. Jackson - Marketing/Promotion, Web & Electronic Media An award-winning feature writer/producer/director, as well as web designer, new media journalist, film festival director, conference speaker, teacher and dad.  Currently in production on two documentaries, developing a feature screenplay, mini-series, dramatic series and a reality based series, Jerry is a member of the Writer's Guild of America where he serves as co-chair of the New Members Committee, a member of the New Media Committee and has served on two Board Nominating Committees.  As V.P. of the International Interactive Communications Society, he co-produced and hosted the first Interactive Summit Awards and served as a judge in the first National Information Infrastructure Awards.

Mary Cass - Panels Mary V. Cass, is from Boston and graduated in Social Work from Simmons College (Boston).  Mary did graduate work in Florence Italy in philosophy and the social sciences.  After a career of 16 years in Social Services, Mary now serves the international Focolare Movement as Co-Director of the West Coast Region - after directing Focolare Centers in Boston and New York.

Annette Lopez - Volunteer Coordinator Annette Lopez is the Resident and Student Life Director of the Los Angeles Film Studies Center.  She also teaches very part time at the Mid-Wilshire Christian Shools as a computer instructor for all grades.  If working with students is not enough, she is also a student at Fuller Seminary, pursuing a Masters degree in worship and the arts.  Any free time she has is spent with her church Tribe or at a coffee shop.

Garrett Lambert - Marketing/Promotion Garrett Lambert, a screenwriter and filmmaker, was formerly a youth pastor in Orange County and student at Biola University.  He is the founder of Centurion Media Project, an advertising and promotional company utilizing video, web and print.  In March 2001, he began Dialog, a group designed to stimulate thought and growth in our society through the opening of a conversation between Art and Theology.

Mike Hernandez - Publications
Mike Hernandez graduated from Biola University in 1999 with a B.S. in drawing/painting.  He works as a preparator and executive assistant at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena.  He continues painting, reading, and learning in preparation for graduate school.

Larry Wilson - Publicity
Larry Wilson has been a journalist, writer, and editor for 18 years, since graduating from Multnomah Bible College with graduate certificates in Bible and in Religious Journalism.  For 12 years he edited such award-winning magazines as Moody Monthly and World Vision.  In 1999 he co-wrote Praying for the World’s 365 Most Influential People, which was nominated for a Gold Medallion award.  He is currently the managing editor of the American Bible Society’s ForMinistry.com, publishing articles and reviews equipping churches, families, and individuals to make a difference in their communities and in the world.

Chris Pack - Film Acquisitions, Box Office

Brian Oppenheimer - Documentaries
Brian has written for newspapers and magazines, everything from small town papers to the "slicks," had plays produced in New York and Minneapolis, written numerous episodes for one-hour t.v. series (currently writing for a to-be-named Fox series now in production), reader for The Humanitas Prize, judge for the Malibu Film Festival, Executive Board member of Catholics In Media Associates (C.I.M.A.), written a dozen feature scripts, all of which have either been optioned, commissioned or bought outright.
 

Aaron Gautschi - Documentaries Aaron has worked in various forms of communications in both film and television for the last two years.  Some of his credits include Associate Producer of the "Golden Rose Award" winning program "The Rest" and Associate Producer of "The MovieGuide Awards."   Before moving to California, Aaron worked with overseas missions and now is a founding member of "Tribe."  Aaron's vision is to express honest messages of love and truth in the arts and media.

Kevin Rolly - Publications Kevin is an award winning photographer, filmmaker and Pittsburgh ex-patriot.  Though he never actually received an award for leaving Pittsburgh, he does have a student Emmy for his film “An Early October” and his fashion photography has been seen in such magazines as ELLE, Mirabella, W and Detour as well as the current issues of Modern Bride and BRIDES.  His work has taken him throughout Europe and America and his latest trip to Africa resulted in the 2001 Calendar “Mission of Hope.”

Fred Messick - Publicity

Heather J. Herkenhoff - LMU Box Office

Dottie Davison - Fuller Box Office