Kelly Stables: Host
Kelly Stables is an American actress most known for her comedic work on Superstore, Two and a Half Men, Romantically Challenged, The Exes, and No Tomorrow. Her Guest-Starring credits include Mom, Get Shorty, Baby Daddy, Greek,'Til Death, Bones, Hung, Mad Love, Life, Cavemen, The Ring 2 and Horrible Bosses 2. This Christmas she stars in the feature film Holiday Twist and will also make a special appearance on the new NBC sitcom Extended Family.
Kelly's unique voice is featured on Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First, Adventures in Odyssey, W.I.T.C.H., and Tom & Jerry: The Lost Dragon, for which she was nominated for the BTVA Best Female Vocal Performance in a Theatrical Short. Kelly is active in local Los Angeles theatre, having performed in over two dozen plays and musical productions. She portrayed “Marion ‘Daisy’ Davies” in the world premiere musical W.R. & Daisy, “Wendy” in Peter Pan, “Tip Toes” in Tip Toes and “Cindy Brady” in A Very Brady Musical, which she also choreographed. Before moving to Los Angeles, Kelly graduated magna cum laude from the University of Missouri, earning a BA in Theatre and Communications.
Kelly is honored to be hosting tonight's awards gala and congratulates all filmmakers on their hard work and achievement. She also wishes to thank Tim Burton, who gave her her first job in Hollywood, as an ape kid extra, in Planet of the Apes
Tim Burton: Honoree
Tim Burton, director and artist, is widely regarded as one of cinema’s most imaginative and visual filmmakers. Burton grew up in Burbank, California and attended the newly opened California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). As one of the earliest students of the famed Character Animation Program, his work attracted the attention of Walt Disney Productions and gained him an apprenticeship at the studio.
In 1982, while there, he directed his first short, Vincent, a 6-minute black-and-white stop motion film based on a poem by Burton and narrated by his hero, Vincent Price. During his time with Disney, he also directed the 1983 kung fu–inspired short film adaptation of Hansel and Gretel, and the 1984 live-action short film Frankenweenie, which would later be remade as a feature-length stop motion film in 2012.
Over the years, Burton has achieved both critical and commercial success in the live-action and animation genres. 2007’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street won the Golden Globe for Best Film—Musical or Comedy and earned Burton a National Board of Review award for his directing work. Many of his films – such as Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Big Fish (2003), and Alice in Wonderland (2010) – have garnered numerous Academy Awards, BAFTA, and Golden Globe nominations and wins, cementing his status as one of the greatest film makers of our time.
He has a dedicated following, notably for classic features such as his 1985 directorial debut and unexpected comedic hit, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure; the wildly inventive Beetlejuice (1988); the action blockbuster Batman (1989); and its follow-up Batman Returns (1992). Perhaps his greatest industry achievement is helping to reinvigorate the stop-motion industry, starting with his 1993 creation and cult classic Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas; followed by the 2005’s Corpse Bride and 2012’s Frankenweenie, the latter two both Academy Award and BAFTA–nominated films. Arguably though, his most beloved film is the 1990 romantic fantasy Edward Scissorhands—directed, co-written and produced by Burton.
His most recent project is the hit series Wednesday, for which he served as executive producer & director. Wednesday is Emmy-nominated for OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES & OUTSTANDING DIRECTING For A Comedy Series.
Scott Feinberg:
The Hollywood Reporter
Scott Feinberg is The Hollywood Reporter's executive editor of awards coverage. He has worked at THR since 2011, having previously covered awards for the Los Angeles Times beginning in 2008. He is best known for his “Feinberg Forecast,” his regular assessment of the standings of various showbiz awards races, and for Awards Chatter, the interview-centric podcast for which he has conducted career-retrospective interviews with more than 500 of showbiz’s biggest names.
Born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, and an alumnus of Brandeis University, he is also a trustee professor at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, serves on the board of the Los Angeles Press Club and is a voting member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the Critics Choice Association.
Mayor Konstantine Anthony: Presenter
Konstantine Anthony grew up in the small suburban town of Castro Valley, just outside of Oakland, CA. He spent his middle school years in rural Iowa and studied film at San Francisco State University with a diverse group of students from all over the world. In 2004, he moved to Burbank and became a union actor in film and television.
With 20 years of experience in improv comedy, Konstantine has appeared in numerous television shows and movies. That experience, and a passion for social justice, made running for office in the Media Capital a natural next step. On his second run for Burbank City Council, he won a seat with a record-setting 17,529 votes. In doing so, he also became the first openly autistic elected official west of the Mississippi.
Konstantine has been a SAG-AFTRA member since 2006 and a member of SEIU 2015 since 2019. He has served with the Burbank Advisory Council on Disabilities since 2018, as executive board of Burbank PFLAG since 2019, and with the Burbank Transportation Commission from 2017-2020, resigning from his position as Chair to take his City Council seat. It is through these networks of advocacy that he takes on the issues facing our fair city.
When not deliberating on the dais, you can find Konstantine driving around town in his blue Prius, taking constituents to their destinations through various rideshare apps. He hopes to meet you one day and get you involved in local politics, too.
Vicky Luu: Presenter
Vicky Luu is a comedy writer of Vietnamese and Chinese descent. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she moved to Los Angeles to attend USC School of Cinematic Arts, where she received her B.A. in Film and Television Production. She has written on various shows including Marry Me (NBC), The Grinder (FOX), Superstore (NBC), and American Auto (NBC). She currently serves as Co-Executive Producer on Apple TV+’s Loot starring Maya Rudolph. Outside of work, she enjoys bingeing shows with her wife, working really hard to make her baby laugh and imbibing with friends.
Bridget Kyle: Presenter
Bridget Kyle is a comedy writer, who hails from Cleveland, Ohio. She attended Boston University’s School of Communications, where she earned a B.A. in Film & Television. She has written on various shows including Marry Me (NBC), The Grinder (FOX), Superstore (NBC), and American Auto (NBC). She currently serves as Co-Executive Producer on Apple TV+’s Loot starring Maya Rudolph. She and her husband Sam are honored to be invited to the Burbank International Film Festival Awards Gala.
Kat Conner Sterling: Presenter
Kat Conner Sterling is an actress that hails from Memphis, TN. She began performing in local theatre at age 10 after begging her “non performer” family to let her just try it out. She ventured into film and television in 2019 as she began acting in notable shows and films such as Marvel's The Gifted, Fox's 9-1-1, Fox's The Resident, and Netflix’s We Have a Ghost. She went on to win a leading role as Presley in Netflix’s A Week Away after sending in a single self tape for a national open call. She can next be seen this Halloween in the starring cast of the highly anticipated Universal/Blumhouse film “Five Nights at Freddy’s” based on the hit video game.
Queen Ajima: Presenter
Queen Ajima, born and raised in Los Angeles, California is a first generation American whose parents migrated from Sierra Leone. She is an actress who started as young as 8 years old in Shakespeare's "Henry IV: Part 1 & 2" and slowly moved on to dance, modeling, and writing over the years. She has done LA, NY, Africa, and Swim Fashion Week, danced in celebrity artist’s music videos such as Jhene Aiko's "Lyin’ King”, and has starred in multiple independent films and national commercials. She most recently is known for HULU's "All I Want for Christmas", "Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story", BET's "Haus of Vicious", and Amazon’s “Bora”. Her next step she's taking will be her directorial debut in her comedic, short action film that she wrote called "Capture The Flag". "I'm not in this industry to become famous. I just want to create art, have fun, and get lost in the characters I play in order to make the audience feel something".
George Larkin: Presenter
George Larkin is a Professor and Chair of Filmmaking at Woodbury University. He's a graduate of Yale University, has an M.A of Shakespearean Studies from the University of Birmingham (England), and has Ph.D. in Film & Media Studies at the University of California Berkeley. Routledge Research published his book, Post-Production: the Invisible Revolution of Filmmaking, in 2018.
He was the head of development and post-production supervisor on two of David O. Russell's films (Spanking the Monkey & Flirting With Disaster) as well as Manny & Lo, The Last Good Time, and Wigstock: the Movie. They starred Patricia Arquette, Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson, Téa Leoni, Adrian Pasdar, David O. Russell, and Ben Stiller among others. The films premiered at the Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, and Avignon Film Festivals and were distributed by Miramax, New Line, Sony Classics, and Samuel Goldwyn
Sandy Hernández: Presenter
Sandy Hernández is a Dominican-American actress based in LA, best known for playing Minerva Mirabal in the Disney Production for Star+ ''The Roar of the Butterflies'', Elisabeth Serra in ''The Calling'' (Peacock), and Milly Quezada in the upcoming musical biopic about the Queen of Merengue ''Milly."
Ben DeJesus: Presenter
Award-winning, Emmy ® and Tony ® nominated filmmaker Ben DeJesus has created over 100 hours of content specializing in the US Latinx, urban and youth markets. His work includestelevision, non-fiction, branded and digital content.
DeJesus began his career over 15 years ago as a stage actor followed by an internship at MTV,where he became one of the original producers and writers for MTV Cribs. He also produced and wrote for MTV News, VH1, MUN2, NICK @ NITE and for many of the on-air VJ’s.
DeJesus co-founded NGL Studios in partnership with John Leguizamo and David Chitel. At NGL Studios, he directs and produces a growing slate of original television, documentary, non-fiction and digital projects.
In 2018 his feature length documentary John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway, about the actor’s creative process while writing his latest one-man show, premiered on the PBS series: Great Performances. The film received the Imagen award for Best Documentary. Also, in his 2018 debut as a Broadway producer, he was nominated for a Tony ® award for Best Play for John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons, which toured nationally in 2019 breaking ticker sakes records at the Ahmanson Theatre.
In 2019, his critically acclaimed documentary Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage premiered in Los Angeles, New York City and Puerto Rico to sellout crowds. The documentary was nominated for an EMMY® award in the Documentary of a Non-Fiction Series category as part of the PBS AMERICAN MASTERS series.
Other documentaries include Tales From a Ghetto Klown, produced by DeJesus and Academy Award Winner® Fisher Stevens (The Cove.) The film premiered nationwide and received the National Association of Latino Independent Producers’ (NALIP) Estela Award.
As a music video veteran, his work with Romeo Santos, Don Omar, Machine Gun Kelly,Noreaga, Chino y Nacho, Prince Royce, Fat Joe and Sean Kingston among others, has accumulated over one billion views.
Joel M. Gonzales: Presenter
Joel M. Gonzales is an award-winning film producer and founder of Action Faith Media and Untold Content. Joel lives by the servant leader mindset. He is an entrepreneur and an award-winning filmmaker with an extensive background in business, marketing, and film production. His film "The Long Game" won the Audience Award at SXSW in 2023. He is currently developing of the Redd Foxx documentary and has an exclusive deal with Sony Pictures for his series "Los Regionales."
Joel M. Gonzales' journey began with a broken heart and just nine-hundred dollars to his name. A native of Los Angeles, he grew up in the inner-city community of Watts. Despite these early challenges, he has gone on to become an accomplished entrepreneur and award-winning producer with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He is also a member of the prestigious Producers Guild of America (PGA).
Joel's passion for filmmaking led him to produce his first feature films, "Followed Home" and "Exorcist: Prayers in the Dark," both made on a shoestring budget but still available on many digital platforms and box retailers as prime examples of no-budget filmmaking.
Through his dedication and hard work, Joel quickly gained a reputation as the go-to producer for filmmakers seeking quality on a micro-budget. In 2014, he founded Action Faith Media, producing his first film, "Crave: The Fast Life," which has won over 22 awards worldwide and remains a top 20 trending faith/Latino film on Amazon. Other notable releases from Action Faith Media include "Riding Faith" (Netflix), "Redeemed" (BET Originals), "Blanco" (Amazon), and "My Brother's Keeper" (Amazon) which was nominated for the coveted GMA Dove Award.
Joel's talents and expertise led to his appointment as SVP, Head of Latinx Content and Physical Production for Confluential Films, where he produced the HBO documentary "Juice Wrld," the feature film "Die Like A Man" starring Cory Hardrict, and developed "The Cola Wars," the amazing true story behind the "Coke versus Pepsi" battle of the 80s.
Today, Joel is at the helm of Untold Content Group, which develops and produces films, television, documentaries, and podcasts that are diverse, authentic, and culturally reflective of today's global audience. Among his recent achievements, Joel developed and co-produced the 2023 SXSW Spotlight Audience Choice winning film, "The Long Game," starring Dennis Quad and Jay Hernandez, as well as the BET Original "The Life of Me," starring Brian White and Danielle Nicolet. He is currently working on several projects, including "Los Regionales" for Sony, "Pass The Mic" for NBCUniversal, and "Thank You For Your Service: A Burn Pits Story".
In addition to his work in the entertainment industry, Joel serves as the president of Nosotros, the oldest Latino Arts Advocacy non-profit founded by the iconic Ricardo Montalbán in 1970. He is also a national speaker, a board member of the International Christian Film Festival in Orlando, a mentor for the Los Angeles Film Connection program, and serves on various steering committees for the Producers Guild of America.
Residing with his family near the City of Angels in the City of Trees, Joel's collaborative spirit, networking prowess, and commitment to inspiring others make him an invaluable resource for aspiring artists and industry professionals seeking knowledge and guidance.
Maria Estrada: Presenter
A native Diegan, Maria started taking dance classes and performing in countless musicals at San Diego Junior Theatre. Then on to USC’s School of Dramatic Arts, dancing in Parades at Disneyland, and on to New York City. Fate stepped in and she joined the animation community as a casting and voice director for the past 33 years. She was part of the team that started Universal Cartoon Studios and MGM Animation. Freelancing for the past 23 years, she is proud to have been part of the creative teams for Back To The Future, American Tail, The Pink Panther, Bubble Guppies, Doc McStuffins, Vampirina, Spidey and His Amazing Friends, Alice’s Wonderland Bakery, and the upcoming Robogobo, Kindergarten the Musical, and Playdate With Winnie the Pooh.
Yancey Arias: Presenter
Yancey Arias was born in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. At the age of twelve his first experience in entertainment was when his grandmother threw him on stage to sing a song for a neighborhood talent show at Henry Street Settlement in downtown Manhattan.
Yancey was discovered by Professor James Green at Saint John's Prep High School in Astoria, Queens, New York. Green then introduced Yancey to Stage Door Manor in Loch Sheldrake, New York, where he studied theater under Jack Romano every summer, and in winter with fellow actors Vincent Laresca, Christian J. Meoli, and Josh Charles.
During his last two years at Moore Catholic High School in Staten Island, New York, Under the supervision of Fran Jorin and Mrs. Sparago Yancey won first-place honors in New York City on the forensics team, and took third in the nation for the drama category. Yancey went on to study theater in college at Carnegie Mellon University. On his way back to his junior year, he was discovered by the producers of Miss Saigon on Broadway and left school to join the cast for the next five years. During his years on Broadway, he continued his studies with Alan Savage, and Yancey honors that relationship greatly for having given him so much continued care and knowledge. In 2000, Yancey Joined the cast of George C. Wolfe's "The Wild Party" with Eartha Kitt, Toni Collette, and Mandy Patinkin.
During his years on Broadway, he had the opportunity to work on several TV series as a guest star. He starred in and co-produced two independent films, Destination Unknown and Home Invaders, which helped pave the way to his eventual move to Los Angeles. In 2002, Yancey had the privilege to be discovered by David Mills and Allen Coulter; Mills cast him in the title role of Miguel Cadena in the hit NBC miniseries Kingpin. Yancey continued to thrive in television and film. Soon after the completion of that show, he was given the opportunity to work in many projects with such greats as Edward James Olmos in American Family and Andre Braugher in Thief, to name a few. Today, Yancey continues to excel as an actor in film and TV. He has added directing, writing, and producing to his experience as an artist. Recently he stared in the hit USA series "Queen Of The South" as General Cortez. Yancey is grateful to every agent and manager who has helped him over the years, such as Jean Fox of Fox and Albert Management, Jean Fox, Chris Henze at Thruline Entertainment, the Paradigm agency, APA, and now Matt Luber and April Lim at GAA . He continued his studies with Alan Savage in New York, and Catlin Adams and 'Howard Fine' (III) in Los Angeles. Yancey honors his family, mentors, and God for all the support, love, and education he has received over the years. Yancey and his wife Anna welcomed to the world their first son Jiancarlo Arias. A few years later they also welcomed to the world their daughter Giovanna Arias.
Jesse Metcalfe: Presenter
Award-winning actor and producer Jesse Metcalfe was born in Northern California's Carmel Valley.
Raised in Waterford, Connecticut, as an only child, Jesse's family relocated time and again. He attended three different elementary schools: Cohanzie, Quaker Hill and Oswegatchie Schools as well as Clark Lane Junior High School. An extraordinary visual artist in high school, his life-like pencil drawings and paintings were exhibited at the renowned Lyman Allyn Art Museum.
After aspiring to, and achieving middle class status and financial security, Jesse's mother Nancy and stepfather Scott encouraged Jesse to attend The Williams School, a prep-school for gifted students situated on the Connecticut College campus in New London. There Jesse excelled, receiving a fist rate education, which led to being accepted to New York University.
In 1995 Jesse was discovered and signed with a major modeling agency. He began splitting his time between Connecticut and Manhattan. The work ethic Jesse learned from his parents served him well helping him juggle his studies and demanding modeling career.
Jesse fell in love New York City, where he worked regularly with Seventeen and YM Magazines, and many high-end brand campaigns. His modeling career would last through his Junior year in college, and would introduce him to Europe, participating in Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks and would ultimately lead to being discovered as an actor.
In a life-changing experience, he was discovered yet again, at an open call for the daytime NBC television show, Passions. After being chosen to play Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald on the hit, cult-classic soap, he left NYU for sunny California where he later gained widespread attention as John Rowland in Desperate Housewives.
Television credits include Passions (NBC), Desperate Housewives (ABC), Dallas (TNT) and Smallville (WB) among countless others.
Film credits include John Tucker Must Die (20th Century Fox), The Other End of The Line (MGM), God's Not Dead, Fortress (Lionsgate), The Latin From Manhattan (Doom Inc.) and the soon to be released On A Wing And A Prayer (Amazon Studios.)
Awards and nominations include a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor in an ensemble in Desperate Housewives (2005), Teen Choice Award Nomination for Desperate Housewives and a Soap Opera Digest Award for Passions.
Adam Weissler: Presenter
Adam Weissler is a Burbank born Senior Producer and On-Air Music Correspondent for the TV show Extra. He has earned 3 Emmy Awards, a Golden Mike Award, and was recently the recipient of the 2022 ICG Publicist Guild “Press Award”. Adam has personally interviewed thousands of artists and actors from stage and screen - everyone from George Burns to George Michael, Depeche Mode to Donna Summer, Clint Eastwood to Carly Simon.
Adam has a regular, nationally televised music segment on Extra TV and Extra online.
He is known nationwide for his knack of discovering and featuring new talent on air. He was the very first to interview and showcase Katy Perry, Norah Jones, Sam Smith, Fiona Apple, Jason Mraz, and many more, helping to launch their successful careers. He's interviewed the reclusive Morrissey, and was one of the few journalists to do an English language broadcast interview with the late Selena. Cutting edge artists such as St. Vincent, Meg Myers, Nikki Lane and Adia Victoria were first featured in Adam's segments. Adam has also garnered personal exclusives with artists like Billy Bob Thornton, Herbie Hancock, Jeff Bridges, Nelly Furtado, Danny Elfman, and Adam Ant. Adam has also produced and staged live music events with artists including Stevie Wonder, Hall & Oates, Ed Sheeran, Miranda Lambert and many more.
Adam is a frequent host and moderator at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles for public programs showcasing musical artists. Adam is featured in Dennis DeYoung's music video With All Due Respect, and the IMAX short film, Adventures in Wild California.
Adam's broadcast career began in some of Burbank’s most prominent newsrooms, working with such iconic broadcast names as Jerry Dunphy, Paul Moyer, Kelly Lange, Tritia Toyota, Linda Alvarez, Dr. George Fischbeck, and Keith Morrison, and was mentored by legendary entertainment reporter and critic David Sheehan.
Eric Petersen: Presenter
Eric Petersen has worked extensively in Television and on the Broadway stage. Television credits include: Kevin on “Kevin Can F*** Himself” on AMC, Ant’ney on the hit children’s show “Madagascar: A Little Wild” on Hulu (EMMY Nominated for his role), Owen on “High Desert”, and “Kirstie” (TVLand) where he played the role of Arlo Barth alongside Kirstie Alley, Rhea Perlman, and Michael Richards. Eric has made guest star appearances on “Big Bang Theory”, “Modern Family”,”Chicago F ire”, “NCIS”, “CSI”, “GCB”, and the Lifetime movie “The Brittany Murphy Story”. Eric has many Disney channel credits including the shows “Jessie”, “Sydney To The Max”, “Kirby Buckets” and “Pair of Kings”. Eric appeared in the Oscar nominated Coen Brothers ’ film “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” for Netflix. He has appeared in 4 Broadway shows, and countless region theatre projects. Broadway credits include: “School of Rock” (Dewey Finn), “Shrek: The Musical” (Shrek on the 1st National Tour and Shrek Standby on Broadway), “Escape To Margaritaville” (Brick, OBC), and “Peter & The Starcatcher” (Ted). Graduate of Bradley University.
@ericpete (insta) @theportlygentleman (insta)
Derek Cecil: Presenter
Derek Cecil can trace his acting career back to when he was 17 years old. He also appeared in the TV movie "The Unspoken Truth" (NBC, 1995). He also landed a few movie roles at the time, appearing in "Pop Love" (1995) and the Tommy Lee Jones box office smash action picture "Men in Black II" (2002). His passion for acting continued to his roles in projects like "Frank the Rat" (2007) and the comedy "Reunion" (2009) with Christopher McDonald. He also worked in television around this time, including a part on "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC, 2005-). Film continued to be his passion as he played roles in the crime drama "Winter of Frozen Dreams" (2009) with Thora Birch, the dramatic adaptation "The Next Three Days" (2010) with Russell Crowe and the drama "Friends With Kids" (2012) with Jennifer Westfeldt. He also appeared in the Jason Statham suspenseful adaptation "Parker" (2013). Most recently, Cecil acted in "Mall Cop" (2014).
Derek left a mark on television, with a memorable stint on "Grey's Anatomy" and a pivotal role as a regular cast member in the acclaimed series "House of Cards," where his exceptional acting contributed to the show's success. Derek Cecil continues to impress with his enduring contributions to the entertainment industry.
Gillian Vigman: Presenter
Gillian will next be seen in Alexander Payne’s comedy THE HOLDOVERS alongside Paul Giamatti and in Focus Features’ THE AMERICAN SOCIETY. On the television side, Gillian is recurring in Disney+’s upcoming series GOOSEBUMPS. Gillian was also recently a lead in Amazon Freevee’s comedy pilot OPEN BOOK, created by Tom Kapinos (CALIFORNICATION). In the world of animation, she is a lead in Paramount’s animated comedy STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS voicing the role of “Dr. T’Ana”. Prior credits include a recurring role onHBO Max’s THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS, HBO’s DIVORCE opposite Thomas Hayden Church, and a Series Regular on The CW’s drama LIFE SENTENCE, starring opposite Lucy Hale. Gillian is often recognized for her role in FOX’s NEW GIRL on which she played “Schmidt’s” boss. And in film, she’s known for her roles in all three HANGOVER films playing Bradley Cooper’s wife, “Stephanie”; and also, Adam McKay’s STEP BROTHERS, appearing opposite Will Ferrell and John C Reilly. Additional feature appearances include Will Ferrell & Amy Poehler starrer “The House,” and Judd Apatow’s “The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Alessandro Gentile: Presenter
Alessandro Gentile is an award-winning director and cinematographer. His short film “Lodo” had its World Premiere at the Santa Barbara Int’l Film Festival in 2022 and has won five awards to date, including the Tim Burton Visionary Award for directing at the Burbank International Film Festival. Most recently, Gentile participated as a cinematographer on the award-winning feature film, “Moon Garden” now screening in select theaters in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Gentile’s “Della” short film is currently in post-production. In 2012, Gentile shot the television pilot for the Emmy Award-winning series “Schitt’s Creek.” In 2014, he co-founded the Highland Park Independent Film Festival. In 2020, Gentile was acknowledged at the Brazil Int’l Independent Film Festival by receiving a Best Cinematography award for his cinematography work on the feature film “Trade” and has garnered two Telly Awards for innovation in youth education. In the commercial world, Gentile has provided services to corporate clients such as Microsoft, BMW and Acura. He has a bachelor’s degree in Film Studies from UC Santa Barbara and studied cinematography at UCLA.