We are proud to share the Jury for SeriesFest: Season 9! Your work is immeasurable and invaluable to the process of uplifting new episodic creators to the forefront of the industry, and we couldn’t make this festival happen without you!
INDEPENDENT PILOT COMPETITION: DRAMA
Angie Han has been a TV critic at The Hollywood Reporter since 2021. Previously, she was deputy entertainment editor at Mashable and managing editor of Slashfilm.
Mark Linsey is President, Scripted, overseeing BBC Studios’ teams in Drama Productions, Daytime, Continuing Drama Series, and Comedy Productions, alongside its scripted labels (Lookout Point, Sid Gentle, Clerkenwell Films, Baby Cow Productions, House Productions), and the Scripted indie minority shareholdings and distribution relationships.
Prior to being President, Scripted, Mark was the Chief Creative Officer at BBC Studios having joined from the previous BBC Studios (formerly BBC in-house production) after it merged with BBC Worldwide in April 2018. Before this, Mark held a number of senior positions across both the BBC and the independent production sector, working for companies including Talent Television, Zeal TV, and Tiger Aspect.
Anastasia Puglisi is SVP and Supervising Producer for Wolf Entertainment. In her position, Anastasia is responsible for day-to-day creative and production-related activities for all nine of Wolf Entertainment’s scripted series (the Law & Order, One Chicago, and FBI series) including the new Amazon series On Call, plus all development and operational-related activity at the company.
In 2022, Anastasia was named on Variety’s list of “Hollywood’s New Leaders” and was also included on Broadcasting + Cable’s LA TV Week “40 under 40” list.
Ashley Holland is the senior vice president of Scripted Programming at Onyx Collective. She joins Onyx from WME, where she was a partner who represented top-level talent, including Prentice Penny and Ryan Coogler (both with Onyx Collective overall deals), Boots Riley, Riz Ahmed, and more. She was intimately involved in the selling of shows like HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show” and Starz’s “P-Valley.”
In 2021, Holland was named in Variety’s annual Women’s Impact Report, and in 2020, she was included in The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Gen list of 35 Rising Executives Under 35 and accepted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
INDEPENDENT PILOT COMPETITION: COMEDY
UTA Talent Agent Yasmine Pearl is central to uplifting diverse narratives both on- and off-screen. She is the point agent for renowned POC creatives, including Chanté Adams, Marsai Martin, Courtney B. Vance, Algee Smith, Dominique Fishback, and Jesse Collins Entertainment, and plays a key role on the teams for Tiffany Haddish, Issa Rae, Cardi B, Lil Nas X, and more. Most recently, she attached Adams to Netflix’s A Man in Full for Regina King; Myha’la Herrold in Netflix’s Leave the World Behind opposite Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali; and Smith in Young. Wild. Free., which was produced by Charles King/Macro and premiered at Sundance 2023.
She is an advocate for advancing inclusion within the industry, having spoken on a panel for Harvard Business School’s African American Studies program about DEI within the entertainment business, hosting an HBCU in LA panel, and providing mentorship to young POC colleagues at UTA.
Adam Ray is a comedian, actor, podcaster, and voice-over artist. In addition to headlining comedy clubs around the country, Ray is best known for playing Vince McMahon in the NBC show YOUNG ROCK, playing Jay Leno on Hulu’s PAM & TOMMY, the bad guy in the Paul Feig action comedy THE HEAT, MadTV, and guest spots on HACKA, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Arrested Development, Welcome to Flatch, 911-Lonestar, and Welcome to Chippendales! His podcast ABOUT LAST NIGHT has featured guests such as Sandra Bullock, Bill Burr, Matthew McConaughey, Adam Devine, Jason Derulo, Melissa McCarthy, Dana Carvey, Joel McHale, and more!
Nigel Smith is Senior News Editor, Movies at PEOPLE. He is an Entertainment Editor and Writer with more than 10 years of experience in the online and print industries as a journalist, storyteller, proofreader, and manager. He has written feature stories and reviews including interviews with Ryan Reynolds, Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Hudson, and Russell Crowe. Prior, he served as News Editor at The Wrap in Los Angeles, and Entertainment Editor at The Guardian, where he covered the red carpet at major awards shows including the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Governors Awards, Grammy Awards, and Independent Spirit Awards. He also attended and reported on major film festivals at Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, Telluride, SXSW, and Tribeca. Smith has appeared as an expert commentator on numerous morning and entertainment shows including Good Morning America, Today, NBC News, BBC News, Access Hollywood, NY1, PeopleTV, and more.
INDEPENDENT PILOT COMPETITION: UNSCRIPTED
FredAnthony Smith is a 2-time Emmy, NAACP Image, and Webby Award-winning director and producer. He is currently vice president and head of non-scripted development at SMAC Productions, a division of SMAC Entertainment, the content creator, cultural connector, and business incubator founded by Constance Schwartz-Morini and Michael Strahan. In his role, most recently, FredAnthony produced the highly successful “Coach Prime” for Amazon, “Cupcake Guys” for Roku, and is currently producing the much-anticipated Bishop Sycamore documentary, set for release with HBO.
Prior to joining SMAC FredAnthony was one of the primary creative forces for some of NFL Media’s most impactful content. Overseeing original content for NFL Media’s Entertainment & Initiatives division, FredAnthony directed, produced, and was showrunner on multiple NFL series and initiatives, including the league’s “NFL 100” and “Inspire Change” initiatives.
Leading the Hamptons International Film Festival since 2012, Anne Chaisson founded the Advisory Board and served as Co-Chair for a decade. Chaisson has 25 years of experience in the industry, working as an award-winning feature film producer with her production company Dirty Rice Films, producing films including, ROGER DODGER (2002 Nominee for Independent Spirit Award Best Picture), DIGGERS (2006 SXSW/Toronto) and P.S. (2004 Toronto), and in corporate branding working with Fortune 500 brands to create unique major film distribution experiences for several entertainment non-profit organizations. Chaisson is a member of New York Women in Film and Television, the Gotham, a founding member and former Treasurer of the Film Festival Alliance, the Hamptons Arts Network, and has served on film festival juries and panels around the world.
Tony Tackaberry was CEO of Lion Television US, which he helped launched more than 20 years ago. Under his leadership, Lion became a leader in true crime, boasting multiple marquee series on Investigation Discovery, including Dead Reckoning, Diabolical, Crimes Gone Viral, Deadline Crime with Tamron Hall, and more. Tackaberry was responsible for rebooting Lion’s global format Ca$h Cab for Bravo, which surpassed 500 episodes in the US under his stewardship, and ushered the company back to its premium doc roots with Smithsonian Channel’s Just One Man. Before joining Lion, Tackaberry worked for major international production companies, including Endemol, Freemantle, and Tiger Aspect.
DIGITAL SHORT SERIES COMPETITION
Jason Hiro Kim began his entertainment career in representation as a personal manager at Lovett Management. Throughout his 15 years with the company, he was instrumental in sculpting and servicing a diverse roster of clients in both Film and TV. Always having a passion for producing, he was an EP on Justin Chon’s feature film GOOK which won the audience award at Sundance in 2017.
In 2020, Kim followed that passion and transitioned from representation into running longtime client Kunal Nayyar’s (‘The Big Bang Theory’) production company. Good Karma Productions started out with an overall deal with Warner Brothers Television setting up various projects across multiple platforms. Today, the company is independently financed and is focused on telling redemptive, heartfelt, and entertaining stories from diverse creators that will make a lasting impact on audiences.
Bruce Robertson: A highly effective media executive with a proven track record of success across all non-scripted genres working at a senior creative level with the likes of ITV Studios America, Lucky 8 TV, Meredith Corp, and now 11:11 Media. A creative storyteller, with extensive experience in development, production, culture, and strategy. A proven builder and leader of highly accomplished and inspired teams.
Matt Bolish is the Managing Director of the New York Film Festival and Vice President of Operations at Film at Lincoln Center. He oversees festival partnerships for the organization including collaborations with the Museum of Modern Art, the Jewish Museum, New York Asian Film Festival, Governors Island, and others. As Producer of NYFF, Matt is part of the festival leadership team and intimately involved in all aspects of the annual event. Between 2010-2019 he curated Convergence, Film at Lincoln Center’s interactive program which focused on immersive storytelling and the intersection between technology, audiences, and creators. Prior to Film at Lincoln Center, Matt worked at a number of film festivals and organizations including the American Film Institute, Outfest, and the Dallas Film Society.
Julie DeJoie is an executive producer on FX’s Snowfall. She currently works alongside award-winning director Thomas Schlamme under his Shoe Money Productions banner, overseeing both development and production. She has produced numerous series including Jack & Bobby, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Pan Am, Mr. Sunshine, Manhattan, and the Emmy® award-nominated variety special, A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote for HBO Max.
LATE NIGHT COMPETITION
Arthur Meyer is an Emmy-nominated writer who most recently served as a staff writer for the upcoming Amazon/Freevee show, “Dinner with the Parents.” From 2012 through 2019, he was a writer, supervising writer, and performer at “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Prior to that, he was a long-time contributing writer to The Onion, and he also wrote for “The Onion News Network” TV series. With his sketch comedy groups Pangea 3000 and Two Fun Men, and as a solo act, Arthur wrote and performed in six full-length shows at the UCB Theater. Arthur is one of three creators of the fake takeout menu FUDS, as well as a co-author of the book “FUDS: A Complete Encyclofoodia.” Arthur has also appeared on the TV shows “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “High Maintenance,” and “Shrill,” and he had a lead role in the 2012 Worldwide Pants-produced “We Made This Movie.”
Named one of Variety’s “10 Producers to Watch” in 2023, Valerie Steinberg is a producer based in LA, whose credits include EP of A24’s The Inspection (Golden Globe nominee), as well as EP of Riley Keough’s directorial debut War Pony, which won the Caméra D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival ’22. She is the lead producer of Karmalink, a Cambodian Buddhist sci-fi feature that opened Venice Film Critics’ Week ’21, and released theatrically in the US and abroad.
She recently served as Executive Producer for all 21 episodes of the Hulu series Bite-Size Halloween, working alongside Disney’s 20th Digital Studio to produce the work of emerging genre filmmakers. With her slate of feature films in development, Valerie has been honored with selections by the Sundance x Women in Film Financing Lab, the Rotterdam Lab, Berlinale Talents, Venice Biennale College Cinema, Gotham Week, Film Independent Producing Lab, and Tribeca All Access.
Erich C. Smith has been a talent agent for over a decade. Smith ran the talent department at a boutique agency where he became known for identifying amazing comedic talent as well as diverse character actors. Since being at TCA, Erich has continued the work he was known for while expanding his portfolio to include staffed writers, produced playwrights, and indie film directors.
Saloni Gajjar has been a staff writer (TV) at The A.V. Club since 2021. Her previous work experience includes NBC, Mashable, Complex, and Interview Magazine. She’s a member of the Television Critics Association & Writers Guild Association.
