Lee Cipolla’s first two feature films HARDER THEY FALL and KNOW THY ENEMY were acquired by Lionsgate and distributed on Netflix. His third feature, THE SHIFT, stars Danny Glover and is available on Amazon Prime. He also has directed content for Disney, Canon, AT&T and Warner Bros. He was a participant in Ron Howard’s Project Imagination program as well as a staffed director for Walt Disney Imagineering.
Mae is a fifteen year old Deaf girl from The Netherlands. In 2022 she played the main role of Jamie in the film OKTHANKSBYE. This was her first role in a movie.
ELSBETH FRAANJE (1979) is a creative documentary director, researcher and programmer. CBC labeled her documentary Sexual Healing as one of the 9 films not to miss at Hot Docs Canada. In her author driven, often stilistic films she shows compelling stories of ‘ordinary’ people and how these reflect on daily society. Indirectly and mildy comical, she puts down serious questions about our own life’s struggles. Her films are shown and won awards at festivals such as Hotdocs, IDFA, CPH:Dox, Jihlava, Krakow, DMZdocs. Highway Confessions (2017) won the Dutch Academy Award. The documentary Highway Confessions (2017) won the Dutch Academy Award. She is an alumnus of the IDFA Academy and Kids & Docs Workshop.
“I like to make films that scour and reveal and I try to portray unexpected stories in an appealing way. With my films I want the audience to reflect on ‘big questions’ with a lighthearted approach.”
In his role as Digital Projects Director at The Shubert Organization, Kyle works on understanding who your audience represents, one of the most important focuses for arts and entertainment. He is responsible for overseeing strategy, data integration, analytics and partnership development for digital marketing and emerging in-venue technologies. Previously, Kyle worked in marketing for Plum Benefits and the Kansas Health Foundation. Kyle serves on the Board of CO/LAB Theater Group, a non-profit organization offering individuals with developmental disabilities a creative and social outlet through theater arts.
Candace Thompson-Zachery, Director of Programming and Justice Initiatives, Dance/NYC
Born in Trinidad and Tobago, now local to Brooklyn, NY, operates between the spheres of dance, cultural production and fitness and wellness, with a focus on the Contemporary Caribbean. She has had an established career as a performer, choreographer, fitness professional, cultural producer, teaching artist, community facilitator and Caribbean dance specialist. In addition to her work in these areas, she leads ContempoCaribe, an ongoing choreography and performance project and is the founder of Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE, an organizational platform for Caribbean dance in the diaspora that spearheads the New Traditions Festival in Brooklyn, NY. She graduated from Adelphi University’s BFA program for Dance, and has presented, performed and taught at major venues including: Queen’s Hall (T&T), John F. Kennedy Center, New York Live Arts, Brooklyn Museum, and The Ohio State University. She was an inaugural member of the Dancing While Black Fellowship Cohort 2015/2016, was an awardee of Adelphi University’s 2017 – 10 Under 10 program, and a Dixon Place Artist-in-Residence for fall 2017. As a cultural producer and strategist, Candace has worked with the Dance and Performance Institute of Trinidad and Tobago, WIADCA (NY), Sydnie L. Mosley Dances, Renegade Performance Group, and curator Claire Tancons, for the 2019 Sharjah Biennial. Ms. Thompson-Zachery holds an M.A. in Performance Curation from the ICCP program at Wesleyan University and a certificate from the Executive Program in Arts & Culture Strategy at UPenn. with National Arts Strategies. Of tantamount importance to her is the vital role dance plays in our communities and she is eager to see dance artists of various styles, practices and traditions thrive in New York City.
Born in Queens NY and raised in Hong Kong, Arnold is a Media Studies graduate at CUNY Queens College, running half marathons and working as an actor and filmmaker.
As a passionate and dedicated filmmaker, I am constantly seeking ways to improve my craft and enhance my skills. With a deep understanding of the fundamentals of filmmaking, I am eager to take on new challenges and expand my knowledge in all areas of the industry. Whether I am working on a film set as a director, cinematographer, editor, or sound designer, I always approach each project with the same level of enthusiasm and commitment. I believe that every role in filmmaking is important and that each member of the team plays a crucial part in creating a successful film. Through hard work, determination, and a willingness to learn, I am confident that I can continue to grow as a filmmaker and make meaningful contributions to the world of cinema. My overall goal is to make films more accessible to those with disabilities which allows making film more immersive as a whole.
Since her diagnosis with ALS at age 32, Gwen Petersen has poured her energy into advancing the science of her disease. Gwen’s unprecedented access to safe, experimental therapies in clinical development is what fuels her work in advocacy. With access, brings hope for many ALS patients. Gwen is not the stereotypical ALS face; she is a member of the global sisterhood, Her ALS Story, a group of women diagnosed with ALS before our 35th birthday. One of Her ALS Story’s key objectives is to dispel the myth that ALS is an older man’s disease. Gwen is married to her best friend, Nathan, and they are parents of an exuberant Goldendoodle named Annabelle. Prior to her diagnosis, Gwen worked as a Recruiter for one of the top ten medical centers in the country.
Jeff MacGregor is an award-winning communications executive known for helping science-based organizations establish and develop their communications capabilities and strategies. He is Vice President of Communications for Science at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) and Head of Communications and Brand at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub (CZ Biohub) where he oversees their communications and brand functions and serves as chief science communications advisor to their scientific leadership, co-founders, and co-CEOs.
Jinsy Andrews, MD, MSc – Featured Clinician/Researcher/ALS Expert
Jinsy A. Andrews, MD, MSc, FAAN is an Associate Professor of Neurology, in the Division of Neuromuscular Medicine and serves as the Director of Neuromuscular Clinical Trials. She currently oversees neuromuscular clinical trials and cares for patients with neuromuscular disease, primarily with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Dr. Andrews has extensive experience in all phases of human clinical trials and drug development in both the academic and industry settings. Dr. Andrews is the elected co-chair of the Northeastern ALS (NEALS) Consortium, which is a network of over 100 ALS clinical research centers internationally. She is also elected to the National Board of Trustees of the ALS Association and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology (FAAN). Dr. Andrews has also received the Diamond Award for ALS clinical research from Wings Over Wall Street and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Dr. Andrews received her BS from Union College, M.Sc. in Biostatistics (Patient-Oriented Research) from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and M.D. from Albany Medical College. She completed her residency training in Neurology at the University of Connecticut and served as the Chief Neurology Resident in her final year. Dr. Andrews completed fellowship training in Neuromuscular Disease/ALS and Clinical Neurophysiology at Columbia University. She is board certified in Neurology, Neuromuscular Disease, and Electrodiagnostic Medicine.
