Wyatt Gallery, a person not a place, was raised in Philadelphia and received his BFA from NYU Tisch School of The Arts in 1997. He is the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship, the PDN 30, the PDN Rising Stars, and 25 Under 25 Up-and-Coming American Photographers by Duke University. His photographs are in numerous public and private collections such as the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the George Eastman House, the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Worcester Art Museum, Comcast, Twitter, and American Express. His work has been featured in Esquire, Departures, Condé Nast Traveler, Mother Jones, The New York Times, Oprah’s OWN Network, and NBC, amongst others. Wyatt was an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and continues to lecture at New York University, the School of Visual Arts, the New School, and more. His first book Tent Life: Haiti was featured in the Moving Walls 19 exhibition at George Soros’ Open Society Foundation and has sold out of the first edition. His most recent book #SANDY was selected for “Best Photo Books of 2014” by American Photo magazine. 100% of the royalties from both books have been donated to support rebuilding efforts and have raised over $50,000 to support communities in Haiti and New York City. Wyatt recently exhibited his new series, SUBTEXT, at Foley gallery in New York City, which received reviews in The New Yorker, PDN, Feature Shoot, and more. His forthcoming book Jewish Treasures of The Caribbean will be released in the Spring of 2016 by Schiffer Publishing.
Jo Piazza is an award-winning journalist, editor, digital content strategist and author. She is currently the Managing Editor for Yahoo Travel. Piazza is also the author of the highly acclaimed Celebrity Inc.: How Famous People Make Money, an economic case study of the Hollywood Industrial Complex, the novel Love Rehab and the non-fiction book If Nuns Ruled the World. Her new novel, The Knockoff, which she co-wrote with Lucy Sykes, will be published in May 2015 by Doubleday.
Howard Rosenman has established himself as one of the most prolific producers in film and television, best known for the hilarious remake of FATHER OF THE BRIDE starring Steve Martin and Diane Keaton, the cult phenomenon BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and THE FAMILY MAN starring Nicolas Cage. Rosenman’s films have won 2 Peabody Awards, an Academy Award and top honors at the Sundance, Berlin and Cannes Film Festivals. His work ranges from the above-mentioned films plus THE MAIN EVENT with Barbra Streisand, STRANGER AMONG US with Melanie Griffith, and YOU KILL ME with Sir Ben Kingsley, to the acclaimed documentaries, CELLULOID CLOSET (nominated for an Oscar and a Peabody) and COMMON THREADS: TALES FROM THE QUILT (which won an Oscar and his second Peabody) as well as PARAGRAPH 175, about Gays in the Holocaust, to the TV series JOHN FROM CINCINNATI for HBO. He also produced GROSS ANATOMY, STRAIGHT TALK with Dolly Parton, SHINING THROUGH, TRUE IDENTITY, Hugh Hudson’s LOST ANGELS starring Adam Horowitz of the Beastie Boys, RESURRECTION with Ellen Burstyn, NOEL with the late Robin Williams and Paul Walker, Penelope Cruz and Susan Sarandon. He produced MY FIRST MISTER and Harvey Fierstein’s TIDY ENDINGS, which won several EMMYS. Rosenman remade his very first movie, "Sparkle" starring Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks. Another Rosenman-made documentary, BRAVE MISS WORLD about his great friend Linor Abarg’il who was crowned Miss World, was directed by Cecilia Peck, sold to Netflix and nominated for an Emmy. Rosenman made his acting debut in Gus Van Sant’s MILK playing David Goodstein (founder of “The Advocate”) opposite the Oscar-winning Sean Penn as “Harvey Milk.” He has since acted in six more movies and is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA. His current film projects in development include: BETSY and THE EMPEROR starring Al Pacino as Napoleon, AMERICAN NEUROTIC at Sony Pictures, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME to be presented by James Ivory of legendary “Merchant–Ivory” fame and directed by Mr. Ivory and Luca Guadagnino. Peter Soears is his partner. Additionally, Rosenman is currently preparing MATTER OF SIZE, a remake of Israel’s most successful comedy, released in 2009, at Paramount Pictures with Jon Turtletaub directing. He is also preparing a movie called SHEPHERD: A Tale of a Dog in World War II, based on the best-selling Israeli novel with Lynn Roth writing and directing. He just sold a Mini-Series to David Ellison’s Skydance TV, six hours of television based on Michael Oren’s book THE SIX DAY WAR with Rob Eshman writing. Rosenman is also putting together a film based on the life of ANITA BRYANT written by Chad Hodge, to be directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, starring Uma Thurman and Zach Quinto. Darren Star and Jeffrey Schwarz are his partners. He just returned from Israel where he set up his cousin, Ora Ahimeir’s best-selling book, BRIDE (a Sapir nominated book, about their great-grandparents, set in Mandatory Safed and Hungary in the Nineteen Forties) at Herzeliya Studios. It will be his first movie in Hebrew and will be filmed in Israel. In addition Rosenman is preparing a Broadway Musical based on a dream he had in 1985 after having seen PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and LES MISERABLES in one day in London, ANNE RICE'S “VOCE.” It is being written by Craig Lucas with music by Lance Horne and Lisbeth Scott. His producing partners are Belinda Casas-Wells, Chuck Martinez and Allan Levey. In January 2009, Rosenman became a Contributing Editor of the Los Angeles Times Magazine. His articles about his longtime friendships with Leonard Bernstein, Elizabeth Taylor and Diane von Furstenberg can be found on http://www.latimes.com/features/. As an educator, Rosenman has lectured at USC’s Stark Producing Program, UCLA, Yale, Columbia, NYU, Brandeis and AFI. Rosenman tours the world with his seminar “HOWARD ROSENMAN’S THE HOLLYWOOD SELL,” an inside look at producing for the screen in which he shares his insights and adventures with writers, actors, directors, producers, and anyone who loves film and TV. The seminar has been presented in Memphis, Omaha, Philadelphia, Boston, New York and Los Angeles with upcoming engagements in Seattle, Austin, San Francisco, South Africa and Israel. He is currently at work on his first book also entitled THE HOLLYWOOD SELL, which will be both a memoir and a how-to-produce guide for aspiring filmmakers. Rosenman is Co-Founder of Project Angel Food in LA, which provides meals-on-wheels for patients with terminal illnesses and is now one of the largest charities in Southern California. In 2009 Beth Chayim Chadashim awarded him with the Herman Humanitarian Award. He was honored by film organization Power Up as “one of 2010’s ten amazing men in show business.” In 2013 he received the Inspiration Award from ORT America. He currently serves on the advisory board overseeing the construction of the new film school at his alma mater Brooklyn College, and just offered a faculty job there as a Distinguished Professor. Born in Brooklyn, NY and raised on Long Island, Rosenman is the son of seventh generation Israelis from Jerusalem. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brooklyn College with a degree in European Literature. In 1967, he took a leave from medical school to serve as an extern medic in the Six Day War as a part of the Israeli Defense Forces where he met his mentor Leonard Bernstein who encouraged him to go into show business.
Ivo H. Daalder is President of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Founded in 1922, the Council is a leading independent, nonpartisan organization committed to educating the public and influencing the discourse on global issues of the day. Prior to joining the Council in July 2013, Daalder served as the Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for more than four years. For his service he was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service by Secretary Chuck Hagel. Daalder also served on the National Security Council staff as Director for European Affairs from 1995-97. Ambassador Daalder is a widely-published author. His most recent books include In the Shadow of the Oval Office: Profiles of the National Security Advisers and the Presidents they Served — From JFK to George W. Bush (with I. M. Destler) and the award-winning America Unbound: The Bush Revolution in Foreign Policy (with James M. Lindsay). Other books include Beyond Preemption: Force and Legitimacy in a Changing World (2007); Crescent of Crisis: U.S.-European Strategy for the Greater Middle East (2006); and Winning Ugly: NATO’s War to Save Kosovo (2000). Daalder is a frequent contributor to the opinion pages of the world’s leading newspapers, and a regular commentator on international affairs on television and radio. Before his appointment as Ambassador to NATO by President Obama in 2009, Daalder was a Senior Fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings Institution, specializing in American foreign policy, European security and transatlantic relations, and national security affairs. Prior to joining Brookings in 1998, he was an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy and Director of Research at its Center for International and Security Studies. Ambassador Daalder was educated at Oxford and Georgetown Universities, and received his PhD in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is married to Elisa D. Harris, and they have two sons.
Professor Kotler, who began teaching at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management over 50 years ago, is a global expert on marketing and has been called “The Father of Modern Marketing.” He has authored over 150 articles, written 57 books, founded the first ever Museum of Marketing, and became the first marketer in the world to appear on a postage stamp. Professor Kotler was selected by the Financial Times as the most influential writer/management guru and by the Wall Street Journal as the 6th most influential person in the world on business thinking.
Paula is the Editor-in-Chief of Yahoo Travel. She is also the New York Times best-selling author of the novel, “Mercury In Retrograde”. For ten years Paula was the Deputy Editor of the New York Post’s gossip column, Page Six. In January 2012 she won a Gold Medal award from the North American Travel Journalists Association for her piece in Playboy on Iraq, “Down And Out In Baghdad.” Paula is originally from Ohio and Kentucky and loves to travel to places where the USD still means something.
Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and former President of Timor-Leste, was born in the country’s capital, Dili, on 26 December 1949. Ramos-Horta began his career in journalism in 1969 in Timor-Leste, and was a co-founder of FRETILIN (Revolutionary Front for the Independence of Timor-Leste). He has held key government posts within his nation including: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Information in the first government proclaimed in December 1975 following Timor-Leste's Unilateral Declaration of Independence, and Representative, Spokesperson, for the Resistance (1975-1999); Cabinet Member, United Nations Transition Administration for East Timor (2000-2002); Senior Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (2002-2006); and Prime Minister, Minister of Defense (2006-2007). In 2007, with a 70% margin, Ramos-Horta was elected President of Timor-Leste, a position he held until 2012. Since then, he has served in a number of posts both in and out of Timor-Leste. He is currently a Member, Council of State, an Advisory Body to the President of Timor-Leste, and just completed his assignment as Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Integrated Peace Building Mission in Guinea-Bissau. Throughout his career, Ramos-Horta has worked tirelessly on behalf of human rights and the eradication of extreme poverty. He has been an advocate for indigenous and minority peoples' rights, mutual respect and tolerance among faiths. In January 1990, at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, he launched the first ever human rights education and training program in Asia, “Diplomacy and Human Rights”. The program is an innovative approach in the teaching of human rights. It remains the most successful program of its kind in the entire Asia-Pacific region, with training sessions conducted throughout the year in various countries. To-date, more than 2,000 human rights advocates have benefited from the initiative. Additionally, in July 1994, Ramos-Horta led the first ever human rights education and advocacy training program in Burma. Since then, training programs have been conducted in Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Malaysia, Thailand, The Philippines, Hong Kong, India, Nepal, and Qatar. As Head of State, Ramos-Horta did not shy away from publicly condemning human rights abuses in North Korea and Iran when other Asian leaders were silent. During his Presidency, Ramos-Horta launched a series of simple, creative anti-poverty initiatives, aimed at improving the lives of the poorest of the poor. Among them, he launched a community-based housing program for the extremely poor and vulnerable, empowering youths to participate in cash-for-work programs. For the five years of his term in office, President Ramos-Horta donated half of his monthly salary and the "13th month bonus" to social and humanitarian projects. All his local travel per-diem was donated to the lowest paid staff in his office. Plus, his paid public speaking engagements were donated to different groups in Timor-Leste, particularly, NGOs providing shelter, protection and counseling to women and girls who were victims of domestic and sexual violence. During his assignment in Guinea-Bissau, Ramos-Horta personally paid for numerous poor and critically ill patients to be evacuated to Lisbon for urgent treatment. Throughout the years, Ramos-Horta has received distinguished awards, along with numerous academic honors from the world’s most prestigious universities. Along with Bishop Carlos Belo, for “their work towards a just and peaceful solution to the conflict in Timor-Leste” Ramos-Horta was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December 1996. Besides his mother tongues Tetum and Portuguese, Ramos-Horta is fluent in English, French and Spanish. He resides in Dili.
Seth pens the Frugal Traveler column for the New York Times. A graduate of Yale and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Seth began freelancing for the Times while working for the city of New York. He eventually gave up his day job to devote himself full time to writing for the Times where he covered the Bronx, wrote the Weekend in New York column in the Travel section, and ultimately took over the Frugal Traveler column in June 2010. Along the way, Seth co-authored "Nueva York: The Complete Guide to Latino Life in the Five Boroughs", contributed to Time Out New York, Wallpaper, Conde Nast Traveler, Food & Wine and the Washington Post. He also taught a journalism course at New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies. In October 2014, Seth will be debuting a “how to” video series in Portuguese, for Brazilians visiting New York City.
Foster Hirsch, Professor of Film at Brooklyn College, is the author of 16 books on film and theater. Among his titles are LOVE, SEX, DEATH, AND THE MEANING OF LIFE: THE FILMS OF WOODY ALLEN; A METHOD TO THEIR MADNESS: THE HISTORY OF THE ACTORS STUDIO; and THE DARK SIDE OF THE SCREEN: FILM NOIR. Professor Hirsch is now at work on a history of Hollywood in the 1950s. He is a frequent host/moderator/interviewer at numerous venues, including the National Arts Club, the American Cinematheque, the Film Forum, the Loews Jersey, and the Harvard Club. He has lectured on film in Germany, Israel, India, China, Dubai, England, France, New Zealand, Italy, and Finland.
Emmy award-winner David Ushery is the co-anchor for the weekend editions of “News 4 New York” at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. and is the host of “The Debrief with David Ushery.” “The Debrief,” created by Ushery in 2009, has been nominated for an Emmy Award for three consecutive years. “Eight million stories in the naked city….give us just a few minutes to bring you up to speed on what New Yorkers are talking about” remains the opening lines of the show since its inception and launch. In 2010, a Debrief segment featuring a blog by New York City mothers launched the spin-off program, “Moms and the City and a Dad named David.” Ushery and the mothers examined issues from a parent’s point of view. “The Debrief” is a half-hour broadcast that provides viewers a unique behind-the-scenes perspective of the news utilizing an unscripted conversational approach interviewing NBC 4 New York’s news reporters as they cover important stories in the viewing area. “The Debrief” airs on NBC 4 Sundays at 5:30 a.m. as well as on COZI TV. Since 2003, Ushery has been an integral part of NBC 4 New York’s coverage of some of the most noteworthy events, including the devastation and aftermath of both Hurricane’s Irene and Sandy, the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., the emergency landing of US Air Flight 1549 in the Hudson River and the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. Ushery traveled to Rome to cover the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and the 2013 papal conclave electing Pope Francis, the current Pope of the Catholic Church. Ushery joined NBC 4 New York from WABC-TV, where during his ten year tenure he rose from general assignment reporter to full-time anchor of the early morning and noon broadcasts, as well as primary fill-in anchor for the evening newscasts. Ushery was also noted for his work on the street. His reports include extensive, in-depth coverage of the shooting death of Amadou Diallo and the September 11 terrorist attacks. Ushery has reported extensively outside the tri-state area as well as abroad. He was sent to Houston for the space shuttle disaster, to Los Angeles for the O.J. Simpson trial, and to Utah to cover the disappearance of Elizabeth Smart. He traveled on multiple occasions to Haiti for a serious of reports on the island’s political and economic unrest; to Africa and Toronto for Pope John Paul II’s visits to those countries, and to South Africa to cover the United Nation’s conference on racism. Prior to joining WABC, Ushery was the lead evening reporter for WFSB-TV in Hartford, Conn. He also reported for the Hartford Courant and the Los Angeles Times. When he was 11, Ushery was selected from a Connecticut-wide search to host the local edition of “Kidsworld,” a nationally syndicated television show. He hosted Kidsworld until he was 18. Ushery, recognized for his commitment to NBC 4 New York's viewing audience, is a sought after emcee and keynote speaker who participates in school and nonprofit events that raise funds for programs and services that benefit the community. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards that include: 2013 “Excellence in Journalism” award from the Public Relations Society of America; 2012 Emmy Award for Special Programming: Dead Sea Scrolls; 2011 McDonald’s Black Media Legends: Faces of Black History Award; the National Association of Black Journalists Award for his series of reports on children and violence. The Network Journal and Black Professionals Business Magazine named Ushery one of its “40 Under-Forty” for his journalistic accomplishments. The Israeli Consulate in New York City honored him for a series of comprehensive reports and for his commitment to the community. Ushery later covered a visiting political delegation in Jerusalem. A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Ushery is married and has a son.
Three-time World Dance Champion and Emmy-nominated choreographer Louis van Amstel is best known for his nine stunning turns on the smash hit TV show “Dancing with the Stars.” When not tearing up the dance floor on TV, Louis continues to grow his highly popular dance fitness program, " LaBlast®", which is spreading rapidly and currently available in multiple cities worldwide. Louis has an extensive background as a professional choreographer, coach and trainer. He served as a choreographer on FOX’s dance hit show “So You Think You Can Dance,” marking the first time any “DWTS” talent had crossed over to work on both shows at the same time. He has also choreographed for Fox’s “Lie to Me” and he trained the contestants on ABC’s reality show, “The Bachelor Pad.” Additionally, Louis served as choreographer, creative director, and performer for the immensely popular “Dancing with the Stars” live stage show in 2006 and 2007, bringing his unique teaching and edgy style to millions of dancing fans around the U.S. Louis’ artistic and inspired choreography brought ballroom to the people and his creative vision helped to make the “Dancing with the Stars” tour one of the most successful live shows. Louis established himself as an expert on achieving fitness through dance after helping to transform the bodies of past "Dancing with the Stars" celebrity partners Kelly Osbourne, Niecy Nash, and Margaret Cho. As a longtime passionate advocate of healthy living, Louis created LaBlast® to promote fitness and make working out fun - all through the power of dance! “I run this class for the people who think they can’t dance or have two left feet, and offer five levels catering to everyone from the absolute beginner to the already experienced dancer!” Louis created LaBlast® to combine the worlds of dance and fitness - providing a one of a kind workout that motivates and empowers students of every fitness level to keep dancing and have a Blast!!
Lester Wunderman, consultant, professor, author and photographer is Chairman Emeritus and Founder of Wunderman. After an apprenticeship at several agencies, Mr. Wunderman joined Maxwell Sackheim & Company in 1947, where he became Executive Vice President. In 1958, he founded Wunderman, Ricotta & Kline, now known as Wunderman. In 1967, in an address at MIT, Mr. Wunderman identified, named and defined Direct Marketing, and for more than four decades he led the theoretical and practical growth of the industry. Among his numerous achievements, Mr. Wunderman was responsible for the research, business development plan and launching of the American Express Card and changed the way many of the world's best known brands marketed their products to consumers forever, including Ford Motor Company, Gevalia, Time, Inc. and the U.S. Zip Code. His innovative and competitive spirit was captured by best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell in 'The Tipping Point'. Mr. Wunderman's, 'Being Direct', was first published by Random House in January 1997 and an updated and revised edition, which includes the first-ever consumer Bill of Rights and his views on the Internet, was subsequently published and distributed by the Direct Marketing Association in 2004. It has been translated into many languages, including Mandarin and Japanese. An earlier book, 'Frontiers of Direct Marketing', was published in 1981, and his speeches and articles have appeared in publications worldwide. Mr. Wunderman has addressed industry and government groups in more than 25 countries. He has been the featured speaker at many important functions of the Direct Marketing industry, as well as Chairman of the first Direct Marketing Day in New York in 1971 and Chairman again in 1983. He was Visiting Professor of Direct Marketing at the School for Continuing and Professional Studies at New York University, 1998-2000. He has also lectured on Direct Marketing at Columbia University, Fordham University, Boston University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He attended Brooklyn College, The New York School for Social Research and Columbia University, where he did graduate work in cultural anthropology and art history. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by the City University of New York in June of 1984. Mr. Wunderman was formerly a Director of the Advertising Council and also served on the Board of Directors of the Direct Marketing Association. He was Secretary/Treasurer of the American Association of Advertising Agencies for two years and a member of its Operations Committee and Board of Directors. He is former Chairman of the Executive Committee of The Center for Direct Marketing of New York University, and was Founding Chairman of The DMA International Strategic Forum on Direct Marketing. He also served on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Direct Marketing of the Medill School of Journalism of Northwestern University, and was formerly Chairman of the Communications Design Advisory Committee of the Parsons School of Design and a member of its Board of Overseers. Mr. Wunderman served as Chairman of the Visiting Committee of the Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and served on UNESCO's International Fund for the Promotion of Culture. He was also a long-time trustee of the Sesame Workshop (formerly known as the Children's Television Workshop). In 2007, he was honored as Communication Man of the Year by the Communications Division of the UJA. In 2011, his papers were collected by Duke University and the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum. He has received many awards and tributes from the Direct Marketing industry. Mr. Wunderman is also a photographer. He studied with Dan Weiner at the Photo League in New York and with Berenice Abbott at the New School for Social Research. He owns the largest privately-held collection of Dogon art in the world, which toured 13 major U.S museums in the early 1970s. His collection and travels in Africa were the subject of three one-hour network television programs. As a writer and photographer he has contributed articles and photographs to a number of magazines and books. His photographs of the Dogon people of Mali are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum, The Louvre and have been exhibited at The Art Institute of Chicago and 12 other U.S. museums. Mr. Wunderman is married to the former Suzanne Oksman Cott, who, under the professional name of Sue Cott, was Director of Editorials for WCBS-TV for many years.
Brendan Jay Sullivan is a writer, producer and DJ best known for his work with Lady Gaga. His first book RIVINGTON WAS OURS, catalogues their downtown days. Andy Rourkey from the Smiths called it, "A fascinating and vivid depiction of the cauldron that formed a great musician." Gary Shtynegart said, "Brendan Jay Sullivan is a writer's writer. He's that good." Brendan writes for Vice, Esquire and Interview in the U.S. and L'Optimum and L'Officiel in France.
Richard Quest is CNN's foremost international business correspondent and presenter of Quest Means Business; the definitive word on how we earn and spend our money. Based in New York, he is one of the most instantly recognizable members of the CNN team. Quest Means Business, which airs weekdays at 1600ET/2200CET on CNN International, destroys the myth that business is boring, bridging the gap between hard economics and entertaining television. CEOs and global finance ministers make a point of appearing on QMB. Guests of the show have included world leaders such as David Cameron and Petr Necas of the Czech Republic; the biggest names in banking such as Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase and Robert Zoellick, the former President of the World Bank; European policy makers including IMF boss Christine Lagarde, EC President Jose Manuel Barroso, and former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn; and some of the most influential names in corporate America including DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg and Ford CEO Alan Mulally. Quest’s dynamic and distinctive style has made him a unique figure in the field of business broadcasting. He has regularly reported from G20 meetings and attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland each year. Quest has covered every major stock market and financial crisis since Black Monday in 1987 and has reported from key financial centers globally including Wall Street, London, Sao Paolo, Tokyo and Hong Kong. In addition, Quest is the established airline and aviation correspondent at CNN. He currently presents the monthly CNN Business Traveller show, the definitive authority on making the most of doing business on the road - moving from A to B on company time. As a business travel specialist, Quest has become a voice of authority on subjects like the launch of the Airbus A380. In 2012 Quest covered the US Election campaign with his own series, American Quest, in which he travelled across the country interviewing a diverse range of voters. Quest is also the face of CNN’s coverage of major UK events. In 2012 he guided an international audience through the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations live from the banks of the River Thames and used his expert knowledge of the British Royal Family to front the channel’s coverage of the 2011 marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. His coverage of breaking news, which has spanned two decades, has seen him report on a range of stories from, the death of Yasser Arafat, the Lockerbie Pan Am 103 crash to the death of Michael Jackson. Quest is more than just business; there are few journalists who have had guests as varied, from His Holiness, The Dalai Lama to actress Joan Collins to founder of Playboy Magazine, Hugh Hefner. Prior to joining CNN he worked at the BBC, where he was the North America business correspondent, based on Wall Street for 12 years. Quest is British, holds an LLB (Hons) degree in Law from Leeds University, and was called to the Bar.
Jimmy Nelson started working as a photographer in 1987. Having spent 10 years at a Jesuit boarding school in the North of England, he set off on his own to traverse the length of Tibet on foot. The journey lasted a year and upon his return his unique visual diary, featuring revealing images of a previously inaccessible Tibet, was published to wide international acclaim. Soon after, he was commissioned to cover a variety of culturally newsworthy themes, ranging from the Russian involvement in Afghanistan and the ongoing strife between India and Pakistan in Kashmir to the beginning of the war in the former Yugoslavia. In early 1994 he and his Dutch wife produced Literary Portraits of China, a 30 month project that brought them to all the hidden corners of the newly opening People’s Republic. Upon its completion the images were exhibited in the People’s Palace on Tiananmen Square, Beijing, and then followed by a worldwide tour. From 1997 onwards Jimmy began to successfully undertake commercial advertising assignments for many of the world’s leading brands. At the same time he started accumulating images of remote and unique cultures photographed with a traditional 50-year-old plate camera. Many awards followed. When he started to successfully and internationally exhibit and sell these images, this created the subsequent momentum and enthusiasm for the initiation of Before they Pass Away. To learn more about the journeys in Before they Pass Away, follow Jimmy on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Jimmy.Nelson
Melanie is known for her iconic portraits of renowned chefs, artists, musicians, celebrities and other prominent figures. Her photography has been published and exhibited worldwide and she has been honored with awards from American Photography, PDN, Communication Arts, Graphis, Society of Publication Design, International Photography and The Lucie Foundation. Melanie has published five successful books including the acclaimed My Last Supper series (www.mylastsupper.com). The success of the My Last Supper brand led to Melanie hosting her own radio show on Martha Stewart Radio and her My Last Supper web series. She has also appeared on Charlie Rose, Rachael Ray, Top Chef, and The Chew. She is currently a global ambassador for the charity Operation Smile and serves on the Food Bank For NYC Marketing Advisory Committee. Melanie lives in New York City and is represented by Creative Photographers inc. Follow her on Twitter @mylastsupper.
Robin has written jokes for emcee Rosie O’Donnell at The Matrix Awards where featured presenters included Martha Stewart, Rupert Murdoch and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Her original comedy songs have played on Sirius Satellite Radio and The Wiseguy Show hosted by Vinny “Big Pussy” Pastore. Robin's been on VH1’s “Awesomely Badder Videos,” AMC’s “Liza Life Coach” with Cheri O’Teri, and has starred in a commercial directed by Spike Lee. Her critically-acclaimed solo show, “My Salvation Has a First Name (A Wienermobile Journey),” premiered at the New York International Fringe Festival. As a storyteller, Robin has performed at The Moth, RISK!, Mortified, and is the creator of the monthly storytelling series, “Yum’s the Word,” that features her homemade ice cream cakes. She also created the web series “Auntie, Do Tell” with her 72 year-old aunt, has been featured in Marie Claire magazine, and writes for Huffington Post Comedy. Robin's twitter handle is: @robingelfenbien The next Yum's the Word show is: Friday, March 14 (Pi Day! "Just Desserts: Stories of Payback" 7:30 p.m. Show (7:00 p.m. Doors) The Gallery at LPR (le poisson rouge) 158 Bleecker Street $10 tickets at https://www.ticketprophet.com/events/9615/orders/new $15 day of the show
Taylor is a veteran and much celebrated versatile performer. He made his film debut in 1982 as a love-struck, pill-popping, dancing intern in “Young Doctors in Love,” and as the forever memorable Mr. Pizza Guy who delivers Sean Penn a pizza in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” He has starred in an HBO special and made appearances on the Tonight Show. Taylor achieved critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival with “The Unbearable Lightness of Being Taylor Negron –.” Directed by opera director David Schweitzer, “Unbearable Lightness,” also ran in the 2009 Best of New York Solo Festival at the SoHo Playhouse and at the Barrow Street Theater. He directed the original New York Stage Musical production of “Who Loves You, Baby” exploring the life of the late, self-proclaimed macho man “Telly” Savalas. The production played to sold out audiences at Huron Club in the SoHo Playhouse and ran for more than 2 years In Los Angeles Taylor appeared in “ Streeptease” - An evening of Meryl Streep Monologues performed by 8 men. The Los Angeles Time wrote “Things take a surprisingly serious turn with Taylor Negron’s monologue from 'Sophie’s Choice,' a quietly delicate performance that does fitting service to Streep’s mastery. He is a contributor to The Huffington Post and Jane Magazine. His comedy essays are currently published in the anthology “ Dirty Laundry” (Phoenix Books) and “Love West Hollywood: Reflections of Los Angeles" (Alyson Books). Taylor is also a Painter and has studied at Art Center, The Academy of Art in San Francisco and The Art Students league in New York City.
Ted sold his debut novel, Eat What You Kill, to St. Martin’s Press for publication on March 25, 2014. Famed Hollywood producer Edward R. Pressman (Wall Street, American Psycho, The Crow, etc.) has purchased the film rights. Acclaimed performer Armand Schultz will read the audiobook for Recorded Books, which will also be released in March. After graduating from Vanderbilt University, Ted began his career as an entrepreneur, starting a political consulting firm in Louisville, Kentucky, his home town. He sold his company’s assets and returned to Vanderbilt University, where he earned a JD and MBA in finance. In his role as an attorney, Ted represents entrepreneurs who often need more than accomplished counsel – the excitement and stress of conceiving a new venture demands sound business advice, shared passion, experienced leadership, and the empathy that only a fellow entrepreneur can provide. Ted serves as the General Counsel of Icebreaker Entertainment, LLC, a multi-brand consumer products company with products in stores including Target, Walmart, Kohl’s, Dollar General, Barnes & Noble, Five Below, and more. Founded by Ted’s wife, entrepreneur and contemporary artist Christi Scofield, the company is expanding to Europe in 2014. Christi & Ted are the co-authors of the Cocktails & Curiosities travel books. With the tagline “bar crawls for smart people,” the tours combine the best elements of walking tours with the revelry of pub crawls. Ted has extensive media experience including appearances as a political commentator on WPIX Channel 11 in New York City. He has been quoted in USA Today, The New York Times, BusinessWeek and dozens of other regional and national publications. Ted lives in Manhattan with his wife, Christi. They were married in November of 2007 on the island of Anguilla.
Milo is a world class adventurer who broke out of his Manhattan attorney office and started the bespoke adventure company, EXP Adventures. Along with a team of some of the world’s most elite professionals, he provides personalized access to his client’s dream destinations. As a result of the early success of his company, he endeavored on his present journey that takes him around the world to diverse environments where he is receiving specialized guide training. He is quickly becoming the explorer to follow and capable of making your wildest dreams of adventure possible.
With over 18 years of both corporate and entrepreneurial experience, Elissa brings a unique and fresh understanding to the world of fashion and business. She has worked corporately for Bloomingdales and Anthropologie and has taught fashion entrepreneurship at Drexel, Moore College of Art and Design, and Philadelphia University. Elissa launched a successful accessories brand, Elissa Bloom New York, which she oversaw for eight years. While managing all aspects of her company including design, sourcing, manufacturing and distribution, Elissa learned what it takes to run a successful fashion company. She has a strong understanding of both the creative and commercial side of business and is committed to sharing her experience with others to help them achieve success in the business world. A graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Elissa lives in Philadelphia with her husband Jeff, son Avi and their Bernese Mountain Dog, Bertha.
Larry is the Founder and Editor of SMITH Magazine, and its younger cousin, SMITH Teens. SMITH Magazine is best known for launching the Six-Word Memoir® project, which is a bestselling series of seven books and a global phenomenon. Anticipating the micro-blogging explosion, SMITH originally launched the Six-Word Memoir® project in November 2006 in partnership with Twitter with a simple online challenge asking: “Can you tell your life story in six words?” Larry has been called a “luminary in the story world” on the A Storied Life blog, and one of the “most interesting people of the day” on CNN. Oprah Magazine said of Larry “Smith is on a quest to spark the creativity of aspiring writers”. Prior to launching SMITH, Larry was the Articles Editor of Men’s Journal, and has been the Executive Editor of Yahoo! Internet Life, Senior Editor at ESPN The Magazine, a Founding Editor of P.O.V., and Editor-in-Chief of its sister publication, EGG, as well as an Editor of Might magazine. While living in San Francisco, he was Managing Editor of the wire/syndication service AlterNet, and now serves on its board. Additionally, Larry’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, Popular Science, Men’s Health, Salon, and Slate. He lives in Brooklyn, as all storytelling types are supposed to, with his wife, the writer Piper Kerman and their son.
Steven began his career as a comedic actor/writer at the legendary Second City Theater appearing both in Chicago and Toronto. He wrote on and produced the hit television show WKRP IN CINCINNATI before co-starring on the successful Newhart show two years later in the role of Kirk Devane. He has appeared as an actor in eight movies including a featured role in Club Paradise with Robin Williams, For the Boys with Bette Midler, and Analyze That with Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal. He co-wrote the hit comedy Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield and co-wrote and co-directed the film Stealing Home starring Jodi Foster and Mark Harmon. Other film credits include The Couch Trip with Dan Aykroyd and the cult classic Clifford starring Martin Short. His Christmas film, Special Delivery, debuted on the Fox Family in December 2000. Until May of 2010, Steven had been teaching senior English, creative writing, screenwriting, and public speaking at Blair Academy in New Jersey for the last twelve years. He also held the title of Writer in Residence. Steven co-wrote, directed, and appeared in Second City’s film Buzzkill (2012) featuring Krysten Ritter and Darrell Hammond. He has just completed writing his first dramatic play entitleed Great Shame. He’s currently writing a collection of comedic short stories tentatively titled, “Crazy Goats on Cliffs.”
Born and raised in Athens, Greece, Christopher Papakaliatis is a highly acclaimed stage, film and television actor as well as a successful screenwriter and director. He was first cast at age 16 for a role in the hit Greek TV drama "Guards of Ahaia". Following numerous roles in a string of successful TV series, at 23, Christopher wrote his first TV script, "Our Life is a Path" which was aired on Mega Channel during 1999-2000 to much critical acclaim. The following season he wrote and starred in the TV series "Take Care of Me". That was followed by the TV movie "Three wishes". In 2003 Christopher wrote and starred in the TV series "Close Your Eyes" and directed most of the second and third seasons. The show was one of the highest rated in Greece. Two years later, he wrote, directed and starred in a new drama-thriller series "Two Days Only", which was artistically acclaimed as one of the best filmed TV series. Christopher’s small screen credits also include directing and starring in the TV Series “4”. In 2010, Christopher was accepted as a member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (EMMY International). Two years later, he starred opposite Catherine Deneuve and Sebastian Koch in the feature film "God Loves Caviar" directed by Iannis Smaragdis. Christopher’s first feature film, "What If", in which he wrote, directed and starred, is a love story set in Athens during the European economic crisis. It is now one of the biggest box office hits in Greece. The multi-talented artist resides in Athens where he’s currently writing his next feature film.
In 1998, Russell became the youngest CEO in JNF’s history. He works tirelessly, traveling around the country and visiting Israel almost every month, to ensure JNF’s vision is more relevant and meaningful today than ever before. Today, more than 110 years after it was founded, JNF gives all generations of Jews a unique voice in building and ensuring the prosperity of the land of Israel through their generosity and partnership with the people of Israel. Jewish National Fund is a leader in environmental activism, Zionist education, sustainable community development in the Negev and Galilee, the protection of historical landmarks, and water resource development. No other organization makes a greater impact on the land and the people of Israel. Under Russell’s direction, JNF is one of the most recognized non-profits for its work, cultivation of a younger donor population, business management, financial integrity and volunteer involvement. Russell is featured in the best selling management book, “The 24 hour Turnaround, How Amazing Entrepreneurs Succeed in Tough Times.” Russell is a sixth generation American Jew. His family first laid down its American roots in Petersburg, Virginia after emigrating from Alsace Lorraine in the late 1700’s.