This year's submissions included over 1,000 category entries - a record number - competing for more than 30 awards. We are deeply grateful to our more than 250 international preliminary judges who together reviewed over 5,000 hours of media. The Final Jury will be viewing films up to the Summit, with winners announced at the Grand Teton Awards Gala, Thursday, September 26 at the Center for the Arts in downtown Jackson Hole.
Final Jury
Aneeta Akhurst
Aneeta Akhurst is the Director of Programming at Seeker, an award-winning science digital media brand, delivering over 2 billion annual video views and ranking #1 in scale and engagement on social. Seeker empowers the curious to understand how science shapes their world, and celebrates relentless curiosity with an insatiable drive to question, inspire, and create. In her role, Aneeta oversees all original programming and production, spanning best-in-class documentaries, science news and hosted explainer series that air across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Amazon and linear. In addition to her work with Seeker, Aneeta has over ten years of experience working on short-form digital, and long-form broadcast productions for Discovery, The BBC, National Geographic and PBS.
Aneeta Akhurst is the Director of Programming at Seeker, an award-winning science digital media brand, delivering over 2 billion annual video views and ranking #1 in scale and engagement on social. Seeker empowers the curious to understand how science shapes their world, and celebrates relentless curiosity with an insatiable drive to question, inspire, and create. In her role, Aneeta oversees all original programming and production, spanning best-in-class documentaries, science news and hosted explainer series that air across YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Amazon and linear. In addition to her work with Seeker, Aneeta has over ten years of experience working on short-form digital, and long-form broadcast productions for Discovery, The BBC, National Geographic and PBS.
Lynn Hirshfield
Lynn Hirshfield is Participant Media’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Alliances. She joined Participant Media in September 2005 and is responsible for leading the development of ancillary content and strategic partnerships for the company’s social impact campaigns.
Lynn also launched Participant’s publishing division to complement the company’s films and social action campaigns. She has since published 8 books with PublicAffairs/Hachette, two of which hit number one on "The New York Times" bestseller list and is the author of "Girls Gone Green" and two more books for younger readers, the "Sassafras" series.
Lynn Hirshfield is Participant Media’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Alliances. She joined Participant Media in September 2005 and is responsible for leading the development of ancillary content and strategic partnerships for the company’s social impact campaigns.
Lynn also launched Participant’s publishing division to complement the company’s films and social action campaigns. She has since published 8 books with PublicAffairs/Hachette, two of which hit number one on "The New York Times" bestseller list and is the author of "Girls Gone Green" and two more books for younger readers, the "Sassafras" series.
David Martin
David Martin is a nature lover and conservationist who serves as the Director of Partnerships for Mongabay, a popular online environmental science and conservation news platform with 30 million readers worldwide. At Mongabay, he helped his team strategize and ultimately launch a video program focused on short form content, with the goal of inspiring new audiences to love nature and to get involved in conservation. Beyond his work at Mongabay, David serves as the Vice President of the Francis and Christine Martin family foundation, where he focuses on philanthropically supporting innovative and effective conservation projects around the planet. David deeply believes that media plays a powerful role in shaping the world as we know it, and wishes to support solutions-oriented content that can move the needle in creating a livable and equitable planet for all.
David Martin is a nature lover and conservationist who serves as the Director of Partnerships for Mongabay, a popular online environmental science and conservation news platform with 30 million readers worldwide. At Mongabay, he helped his team strategize and ultimately launch a video program focused on short form content, with the goal of inspiring new audiences to love nature and to get involved in conservation. Beyond his work at Mongabay, David serves as the Vice President of the Francis and Christine Martin family foundation, where he focuses on philanthropically supporting innovative and effective conservation projects around the planet. David deeply believes that media plays a powerful role in shaping the world as we know it, and wishes to support solutions-oriented content that can move the needle in creating a livable and equitable planet for all.
Kathleen McInnis
As programmer/curator, creative producer and strategic publicist, Kathleen McInnis provides strategic collaboration with emerging World Cinema filmmakers to merge their creative and business development. Kathleen helps to expand filmmaker networks, broaden and cultivate audience and raise profile for both the films and filmmakers, starting in development, continuing through production and on to the world premieres at festivals such as Toronto, Sundance, Berlin, Rotterdam, and Karlovy Vary.
Kathleen was Festival Director for the Palm Springs ShortsFest as well as Director of Programming at Aspen Shorts; she launched the International ShortCuts section at TIFF, programmed for Hot Docs and Tribeca, and currently curates the New Work in Progress Forum at the Seattle International Film Festival. She is co-producing BROADCAST, the debut documentary feature from award-winning filmmakers Axel Danielson and Maximilien van Aertryckm (Ten Meter Tower, 2017) along with Plattform Produktion (Sweden). Kathleen has served as a mentor for IFFR-Rotterdam’s Cinemart, the Directors Guild of Cyprus, Berlinale Talent Campus, BAL LAB (Buenos Aires), and Creative Europe, and has served on festival juries at Vilinus, Galway, Grimstad (Norwegian Short Film Festival), Tel Aviv (Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival) and Winterthur International Short Film Festival, among others. She is a qualified international advisor for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development small grant program in film.
As programmer/curator, creative producer and strategic publicist, Kathleen McInnis provides strategic collaboration with emerging World Cinema filmmakers to merge their creative and business development. Kathleen helps to expand filmmaker networks, broaden and cultivate audience and raise profile for both the films and filmmakers, starting in development, continuing through production and on to the world premieres at festivals such as Toronto, Sundance, Berlin, Rotterdam, and Karlovy Vary.
Kathleen was Festival Director for the Palm Springs ShortsFest as well as Director of Programming at Aspen Shorts; she launched the International ShortCuts section at TIFF, programmed for Hot Docs and Tribeca, and currently curates the New Work in Progress Forum at the Seattle International Film Festival. She is co-producing BROADCAST, the debut documentary feature from award-winning filmmakers Axel Danielson and Maximilien van Aertryckm (Ten Meter Tower, 2017) along with Plattform Produktion (Sweden). Kathleen has served as a mentor for IFFR-Rotterdam’s Cinemart, the Directors Guild of Cyprus, Berlinale Talent Campus, BAL LAB (Buenos Aires), and Creative Europe, and has served on festival juries at Vilinus, Galway, Grimstad (Norwegian Short Film Festival), Tel Aviv (Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival) and Winterthur International Short Film Festival, among others. She is a qualified international advisor for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development small grant program in film.
Pragna Parsotam-Kok
Pragna Parsotam-Kok is a film and television producer. She has a passion for the documentary genre with a focus on conservation, natural history, social justice and call to action filmmaking. With a Bachelors Degree in Social Science (majoring in Culture, Communication & Media Studies as well as Drama & Performance Studies), her business skills include strategic planning and management. Pragna focuses her time on the research and development phase of filmmaking as well as budgeting, financing and producing. in addition to conducting ongoing research on the South African and international television and film landscape. Pragna is passionate about women empowerment and particularly women in film. She has served on the Council of the Writers’ Guild of South Africa. Pragna produced a film on the History of Film in KwaZulu-Natal which was used to launch the KwaZulu-Natal Film commission produced and has won an award for Best Documentary Short for the film “Behind the Monologue”. Her forte into wildlife began when producing the edu-tainment conservation 13-part TV series titled Code Green which was broadcast on SABC 1, South Africa’s national broadcaster targeted specifically for a South African local audiences. Determined to diversify and transform the wildlife filmmaking landscape in South Africa, Pragna together with her partner founded Nature Environment & Wildlife Filmmakers (NEWF). NEWF is a platform dedicated to inspiring and cultivating African filmmakers and scientists and is designed to create a path to conservation through film. Through year round impact and outreach NEWF supports and develops the next generation of conservation filmmakers. NEWF’s signature event is the annual NEWF Congress which has become the premiere destination in Africa for convergence of nature, environment and wildlife filmmakers.
Pragna Parsotam-Kok is a film and television producer. She has a passion for the documentary genre with a focus on conservation, natural history, social justice and call to action filmmaking. With a Bachelors Degree in Social Science (majoring in Culture, Communication & Media Studies as well as Drama & Performance Studies), her business skills include strategic planning and management. Pragna focuses her time on the research and development phase of filmmaking as well as budgeting, financing and producing. in addition to conducting ongoing research on the South African and international television and film landscape. Pragna is passionate about women empowerment and particularly women in film. She has served on the Council of the Writers’ Guild of South Africa. Pragna produced a film on the History of Film in KwaZulu-Natal which was used to launch the KwaZulu-Natal Film commission produced and has won an award for Best Documentary Short for the film “Behind the Monologue”. Her forte into wildlife began when producing the edu-tainment conservation 13-part TV series titled Code Green which was broadcast on SABC 1, South Africa’s national broadcaster targeted specifically for a South African local audiences. Determined to diversify and transform the wildlife filmmaking landscape in South Africa, Pragna together with her partner founded Nature Environment & Wildlife Filmmakers (NEWF). NEWF is a platform dedicated to inspiring and cultivating African filmmakers and scientists and is designed to create a path to conservation through film. Through year round impact and outreach NEWF supports and develops the next generation of conservation filmmakers. NEWF’s signature event is the annual NEWF Congress which has become the premiere destination in Africa for convergence of nature, environment and wildlife filmmakers.
Audioscape
Sponsored by the Television Academy Sound Peer Group
Bob Bronow, C.A.S.
Bob is a three-time Primetime Emmy Award winning sound mixer with an additional 11 nominations under his belt. His recent projects include Genius: Einstein and Picasso and fourteen seasons of Deadliest Catch. He currently serves on the Board of Governors at the Television Academy and on the Cinema Audio Society's Board of Directors. |
Frank Morrone, C.A.S.
Frank is a two-time Primetime Emmy Award mixer with an additional five Emmy nominations. His television projects include Criminal Minds, Lost and The Kennedys. He has mixed films with Ron Howard, Tim Burton, John Singleton and Lasse Hallstrom on projects including Ransom, Sleepy Hollow, Shaft, The Cider House Rules and the Oscar-winning documentary When We Were Kings. He currently serves on the Board of Governors at Television Academy and on the Cinema Audio Society's Board of Directors. |
Karol Urban, C.A.S.
Karol is a sound mixer and editor with over 20 years of experience in television and film. She is a co-owner of Urban Audio Post. She started her career focusing principally on documentaries. She now enjoys working on mixing scripted productions. She has been a mixer for the past eight years on Grey’s Anatomy, amongst many other shows. She currently serves as the President of the Cinema Audio Society. |
Special thanks to our preliminary judges:
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Adrian Bailey
Akanksa Sood Alessandro Ponzo Alex Goetz Alex Rapaport Alexa Elliot Alexandra Lexton Alexandre Stoloff Ali Grossman Allison Argo Ana Blanco Ana Santos Andie Clare Andrew Wilson Anna Etaka Anne Tarrant Annette Scheurich Arlene Burns Ashira Greene Barry Clark Birgit Skulski Brad Forder Brandon Navratil Brendan Fisher Brett Kuxhausen Caitlin Bailey Candice Odgers Cari Anne Ritzenthaler Carla Rebai Carol Fleisher Carrie Richer Cepa Giblin Cesar Leite Chris O'Leary Christi Cooper Christina Kotlar Christina Sauer Chun-Wei Yi Cindy Fletcher Claire Hoffman Corey Robinson Crystal DiMiceli Danielle Steinberg Danni Wang Danny Copeland Darlene Anderson Davd Leon David Coffey David Grober David Murdock David Wulzen Delta Willis Denis Jensen Devon Massyn Diane Woods Dolores Meng Guo Don Hahn |
Dustin Kukuk
Dustin Renwick Elah Feder Eleanor Grant Emma Baus Eric Bendick Erin Ranney Ethan Summers Floran Sax Frieda Farfour Brown Gaelin Rosenwaks Galen Knowles Galen Knowles Geralyn Abinader Gregory Ryabishev Hans Kummer Harry Rabin Hilary Sparrow Iris Ho Jack Hessler Jacob Crawford Jaime Cavalier James Glancy James Manfull James Swan Jan McAlpine Janelle Balnick Janet Frawley Janine Baker Jeff Hogan Jeff Reed Jen Guyton Jennifer Tsang Jeremy Hogarth Jessica Kantor Joao Pasquale Jocelyn Bentley Joe Cordelle Joe Kennedy Joe Levine John Ellerbrock Jolene van Antwerp Jonas Stenstrom Jorge Franzini Julia Hill Julie Kling Justin Lotak Kali Collado Karen Gibbs Karen Perry Kate Raisz Katharina Pechel Kathryn Furby Katie Bauer Katie Carpenter Katie Jepson Keisha Sedlacek |
Kelly Smith
Kelly Sweet Kimberly Guidone Kirk Cooper Kirstie McLure Kirstin Anderson Klaus Scheurich Krist Jake Kyle McBurnie Lacy Wittman Lars Ostenfeld Lauren Amable Lauren Walsh Leigh Anne Tiffany Lina Collado García Linda Harrison Lindsey Parietti Liz Smith Luc and Nick Lucy Meadows Luke Cresswell Lynn Booth Maggie Lane Maggie Stogner Majid Mohammaddoust Mallory Clark Marina Cappabianca Marjee Chmiel Mark Fletcher Mark Romanov Mark Shelley Marni Walsh Martha Parker Marvin Stodolsky Mary jo Kinser Maryanne Culpepper Matt Jones Mauricio Handler Maya Drake Meg Landis Melanie Haft Michael Daunt Michael Mavretic Michael Parfit Michael Sanderson Michael Werner Michelle Lotker Mike Birkhead Mike Kasic Monty Dobson Morgan Jacobson Nicola Brown Nikki Tilley Noah Waldron Oliver Goetzl Olivia Schmidt Owen Bissell |
Patrick Morris
Paul Sher Paula Korn Pelumi Oladokun Per Argentine Peter Coan Phil Duncan Phil Streather Rachelle Keeling Raisa Chizhova Rebecca Martin Rick Smith Rob Nelson Roshan Patel Roy Campbell Sabrina Sally Snow Sam Barton-Humphreys Sara Spurk Scott Meddaugh Sean Solowiej Shane Moore Shannon Malone-deBenedictis Shaz Syed Shloka Nath Stacey Douglass Stephani Gordon Steve Burns Steve Uzzo Steven Reich Steven Zorn Subbiah Nallamuthu Sue Houghton Susan Kelly Susan Scott Susannah Smith Susanne Lummer Suzanne Chisholm Suzanne Harle Taima Hervas Tara Meyer Taylor Johnson Terry Clark Timothy Treuer Tom Veltre Tria Thalman Tristan Chytroshek Valerie Abita Vanina Harel Verena Schönauer Virginia Lynch Dean Virginia Moore Whitney Beer-Kerr Yvette Oosthuizen Zuzana Gedeon |
