sTAFF
BEARS REBECCA FONTE
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR -- Bears Rebecca Fonté is a transgender filmmaker, festival programmer, and journalist. She founded Other Worlds Film Festival after two years as the Director of Programming for Austin Film Festival. Her SciFi shorts ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE, PRENATAL, and THE SECRET KEEPER have played 150+ festivals including Fantasia, SciFi London, Boston SciFi, FilmQuest, Austin Film Festival and Dances With Films. Her LGBTQIA Horror short CONVERSION THERAPIST made is world premiere at Inside Out in Toronto and US Premiere at aGLIFF. Her feature thriller iCRIME, which she wrote and directed, was released on DVD, VOD and streaming by Breaking Glass/Vicious Circle Films in 2011. Bears Rebecca also was one of the producers on the Sundance Jury-Award Winning short THE PROCEDURE. She has written for Hammer to Nail and AMFM Magazine since 2014, covering independent film, including regular coverage of Sundance, SXSW, Fantasia, and Fantastic Fest. Prior to arriving in Austin, she self-produced two web-series which were seen by a combined ten million viewers, wrote coverage for independent producers and coverage services in LA and placed in nearly every single screenwriting contest out there including Screenwriter’s Expo, Final Draft Big Break, Page International, Story Pros and Austin Film Festival. Bears Rebecca received her BA from Carleton College in British Studies and Theatre Studies and a MFA in Directing from Indiana University and has directed over forty plays, including the Austin Critics Table nominee Corpus Christi, and the Austin Shakespeare Festival's Complete Works of Shakspeare Abridged.
MARSHA MILAM
Grant Facilitator -- Marsha Milam is a self-professed serial entrepreneur. Making magic is her calling and she loves to create something out of nothing. She is the originator of Chuy’s Children Giving to Children Parade, which collects toys for Austin Police Department’s Blue Santa program. Marsha is also one of the co-founders of the Austin Film Festival, the first festival to recognize the writer’s contribution to the film and television industry. She has also produced countless music shows across Texas entertaining more than 100,000 fans a year with her free live music concert series. Most recently, after a visit to the Kentuncky bourbon trail, founded what is now Milam & Greene Whiskeys.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
TODD HOGAN
PRESIDENT -- Todd Hogan has worked in media marketing and ad sales for over two decades and has been a lifelong, active supporter of the nonprofit community.
Todd has been an executive for top media companies including Clear Channel Communications, Entercom Communications, Border Media, and Univision where he has a track record of success in creating unique, results-oriented marketing solutions for multiple radio and television brands and their clients. He combined his knowledge of general market media with his passion for Intercultural communication to become a leader in the vibrant Hispanic and multicultural marketing media markets. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors and Communications Committee for Con Mi MADRE, he is also the Chair of the Marketing Committee for Greater Austin Chamber's Education Leadership Council. He has been an active ally for dozens of other organizations during his career including Alliance for Women In Media, Salvation Army of Austin, Austin Partners In Education, and Austin Child Guidance Center.
Orlando Canova
VICE PRESIDENT
HUNTER COLEMAN
TREASURER -- Hunter studied Psychology, Literature, and Global Politics at Columbia University in New York. He serves clients across the United States as a financial planner. He believes in the benefits of diversity and the importance of a values driven process. He has also served as board member and remains an active member of the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Hunter lives with his partner Ransom in Austin.
jeremy teel
Queer Black Voices Fund Chair
Jeremy A. Teel is a seasoned advocate for equity and inclusion, with a history of elevating marginalized voices, particularly within POC and LGBTQIA+ communities. As the driving force behind Jeremy A. Teel Creative + Consulting, he has engineered impactful programs, ensuring equitable resource allocation and fostering systemic change for equality.
Beyond consulting, Jeremy is a distinguished photographer, capturing the nuanced lives of underrepresented groups. His work not only celebrates their existence but also challenges their erasure from mainstream narratives. Jeremy's commitment to social justice and his artistic insight makes him a compelling addition to any team dedicated to diversity and empowerment.
M’EAIL FLOWERS
Board Member --
Dawn Green
Board Member -- Using her programming skills, Dawn Green founded ThunderTix, and event and box office management system in 2000. Arriving to Austin via Boston, she can still remember when the "owl building" (Frost Bank) was the tallest one in the city, and Rainy Street was a sleepy residential neighborhood with exactly two bars. Her first aGLIFF festival was in South Austin before the turn of the century.
The Board of Directors governs and guides the vision of aGLIFF and supports the implementation of key strategic goals from fundraising to programs. To learn more about the Board of Directors, or to apply to join the Board, contact Bears Rebecca Fonte.
Program Screening Committee
Bears Rebecca Fonté - Artistic Director
Wendy K. Callier - Assistant Programmer
Austin King - Assistant Programmer
Be Allatt - Screener
Jamie Corum - Screener
Deborah Davison - Screener
Janny Hanna-Chambers - Screener
Joy Ruth - Screener