TPP Team

 

President & Founder: Wendy Dubit

A social entrepreneur with extensive experience in content creation and education, Wendy Dubit founded The Producers' Project in Spring 2002 as a way to help K - 12 students and teachers make and share music, film and television that is relevant, far-reaching and academically aligned.

Wendy's numerous entertainment, non-profit, publishing and new media initiatives -- built under the Vergant and WonderWorks brands and for such companies as Bertelsmann Music Group, America Online, New Line Cinema, Pantone, Primedia and Unilever -- all carry strong and central threads of lifelong learning. In 1997, with America Online and New Line Cinema as partners, Wendy founded HEAVEN: Helping Educate, Activate, Volunteer and Empower via the Net. HEAVEN's technology training programs taught web production, journalism and leadership skills to NYC students and staff, won significant contracts from the New York City Department of Education, and were honored by ComputerWorld/Smithsonian for their "visionary use of technology in education."

Prior to HEAVEN, Wendy was Director of Business Development for The Hub (a joint venture of America Online and New Line Cinema); worked with BMG to launch Jim Henson Records, the music and video careers of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and the "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego" audio line; served as founding editor of Wine Enthusiast magazine; and wrote for and consulted to a variety of publications and corporations. Through The Producers' Project, key skills from each of these industries are harnessed to education, fostering the creation and distribution of compelling Math, Science, Social Studies, English Language Arts and Arts programming by and for students and teachers. To date, the program has involved hundreds of thousands of students and teachers, and is now in it 15th season of TPP-TV.

 

Director & Co-Founder: Susan Finley

Award-winning new media artist, screenwriter and film producer, Susan Finley co-founded The Producers' Project to provide K-12 students and teachers the opportunity to use storytelling and media to re-connect with their innate intelligence and creativity, and broaden their world view. Since 2002, she’s designed and co-produced youth-made documentary, animation, and narrative filmmaking programs in a range of topics, including: ecology, diversity, transforming trauma, considering consequences, coping with bullies, and death and dying; and is currently directing The Power of Wow on the science of the mind.

Before TPP, Susan wrote, designed and produced Lizzy and Gordon Visit the Sculpture Garden, an original animated story and interactive web feature for the Education Department of the National Gallery of Art (NGA). Featured on CNN and in USA Today and awarded Best Site 2000 by Education World, the site has been visited by thousands of educators and students. The Lizzy, a cd-rom and website created by Susan for her Masters thesis at NYU's Interactive Telecommunication Program, uses animated interactive stories to teach kids about emotional intelligence. The Lizzy won NYU’s award for "Pioneering Work in Interactive Media," New Voices, New Visions, and was featured at the Milia Festival and in the Museum of Web Art. In film, Susan co-authored The First Time for New Line Cinema and was Script Consultant for Wall Street for 20th Century Fox and Iron And Silk for Miramax. She wrote Ocean Voyager, an adventure game for the Smithsonian's Ocean Planet Exhibit that won the Silver Medal at the 1995 Interactive Multimedia Competition, "Hi, It's Me," an interactive exhibit featuring AT&T Lab's newest technology at the Tech Museum, and has written for Zillions, (Consumer Reports for Kids), Sesame Workshop and The College Board.



Production and Program Manager: Alla Sobel

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Alla joins the The Producers' Project team as the manager for The Power of Wow -- bringing extensive management experience to every aspect of this groundbreaking science and film project. Alla’s management experience spans direct project management on an individual project through overseeing a twenty person department, where her responsibilities included facilitating creative discussions on both strategic and tactical directions.

As Senior Director of Information Technology at Standard & Poor’s, Alla managed several teams responsible for developing in-house custom software. She brings the experience of organizing numerous parallel tasks and coordinating with diverse stakeholders throughout an organization.

In addition to her management background, Alla has a passion for science and the environment. She has a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University. Within this area, she has done research on environmental issues at the Network for New Energy Choices and the Office of the Manhattan Borough President.

 

Senior Producer: Peter Barton

Our producer for The Power of Wow is Peter Barton. He has received 3 Emmy  nominations, three CINE Golden Eagles, three first prizes at the International Film and TV Festival, and the Edward R. Murrow Award for Names Can Really Hurt Us, a CBS- TV special still screened in the classroom to combat prejudice.

His digital improvisation feature, Suicide Auditions, was named best fictional narrative at the Georgetown Film Festival. His work has appeared on HBO and Showtime. Hatebusters, his WNET public service spots in which young people rap, rhyme, and speak out against prejudice, were syndicated nationwide.

Dial Press published his non-fiction book of portraits of un-rich, un-famous actors, musicians, and dancers, Staying Power, illustrated with his photographs.  He has written for the PBS science show 3-2-1 Contact, for Reading Rainbow and has had poetry published in The Saturday Review and the New York Times.

He has taught film production and screenwriting at Bennington, Columbia, Brooklyn College and New York University.

He recently created a website where military veterans and their families can record their stories. Please visit http://harvestinghistory.org.

Examples of some of his work can be viewed at:

http://www.blip.tv/file/2498724/  a documentary-in-progress about a dance company from Memphis composed of young adults with Down syndrome;

http://blip.tv/file/1115506/ an experimental video inspired by first person accounts from Nagasaki, after the atomic bombing.

 

Events Producer: Bruce Rayvid

Bruce Rayvid is a Producer, Special Events Manager and Strategic Planning Consultant with twenty-five years experience in developing and driving fast-paced, cutting edge, image oriented communications companies and events.

He is the principal of Bruce Rayvid Projects, a full-service event production and management company who has earned a reputation for cutting-edge design and execution of dynamic high-profile events.

Bruce was the Founding Producer of 7th on Sixth, the American Fashion Collections in Bryant Park. His diverse producing experience includes events for: NYS Governor David Paterson, NYS Governor Elliot Spitzer, UNFPA, WHO, The Global Creative Leadership Summit and The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Additionally, he served as Launch Director for boo.com, Production Manager for The Council of Fashion Designers of America and Vice-President of ExhibitGroup.

 

Producer: Daniel DeVito

Daniel DeVivo graduated from Harvard University in 1999 with a B.A. in social anthropology and a view of filmmmaking as a powerful resource for popular education. His first feature documentary, "Crossing Arizona," was an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival and recipient of the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Masters Series Award for independent documentary filmmaking. Dan is proud that his work within The Producers' Project provides youth with real skills in media making and helps to develop the self-confidence they'll need to reach their goals.

 

 

Producer: Kitama Seeger Jackson

Kitama Seeger Jackson is a documentary filmmaker who has worked on dozens of documentaries for the Travel Channel, History Channel, PBS and theatrical release. His credits include Associate Producer on “Pete Seeger: Power of Song” and as an Assistant Editor on "Feel Like Going Home," the first episode of Martin Scorsese’s PBS series “The Blues.” In 2005, Kitama started his own production company, Black Wasp Productions. He is currently producing, directing and shooting a feature documentary, “Children of Prisoners.” Kitama has been involved in the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater's campaign to clean up the Hudson River for his entire life and currently serves on their board of directors. His girlfriend, Jeannine Cahill, is Clearwater's onboard educator. Kitama and Jeannine live in Harlem.

 

Producer: Lisa Hepner

Lisa Hepner Lisa Hepner is a non-fiction television director and producer based in New York City. Summer 2004 marked her first teaching job for the Producer's Project. "What a thrill it was to teach kids from all over the world," said Lisa, describing her experience teaching a video production boot camp at the Manhattan Learning Center. "The kids picked up the basics really quickly despite the fact that English was their second language."

Lisa has always enjoyed meeting people from all over the world. For the past nine years, this Canadian-born journalist has racked up thousands of air-miles, producing a variety of programs for HBO, A&E, PBS, Lifetime, MTV and Columbia Tri-Star Television. Most recently, Lisa wrapped Peace by Peace: Women on the Frontlines, which marked her feature directorial debut. Shot in Afghanistan, Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burundi and the US, this documentary profiled the unheralded work of women peace builders. The film had its premiere at the United Nations October of 2003 and aired nationally on PBS a year later. Prior to Peace by Peace, highlights of Lisa's career include working with the director Michael Apted for the A&E documentary Married in America; directing the Australian chapter of the HBO documentary, Naked World; producing a one-hour portrait of ABC News correspondent Cokie Roberts for Lifetime Television; and co-producing a feature-length documentary for HBO, Life Afterlife, with Director Lisa F. Jackson and Executive Producer Linda Ellerbee. When not working on documentaries, Lisa can be found in such far-flung places as Tonga, where she helped to produce a live broadcast of their millennium celebrations.



Co-Founder Emeritus: Yvette DeBow

Yvette DeBowYvette DeBow, who founded The Producers' Project with Wendy Dubit in Spring 2002, has long and deep experience as a Media and Internet consultant focusing on the convergence of digital and traditional media and its implications for children's education.

Before joining 3Path, Yvette was an executive at Jupiter Communications, a leading Internet economy research and advisory services firm, for more than five years. She is also the President of Women in New Media, a non-profit, volunteer driven, educational and networking organization for professional women in the new media industry; previously, she was chair of WINM's community service committee and helped create WINM's scholarship program for college-bound high school seniors, raising over $30,000 in its inaugural event. Prior to joining Jupiter in January 1995, Yvette was a business and technology journalist. Yvette has also volunteered and financially supported organizations involved in children's education development, including MOUSE, HEAVEN, the East Harlem Tutorial Program, and Paul Robeson High School's Virtual Enterprise program.



]Advisory Board and Consulting Experts

 

Barbara Frerichs. Barbara is President of Lion Marketing, Inc., which specializes in building strategic partnerships for companies and causes. A noted author and entrepreneur, Barbara is also an eCommerce pioneer with a strong background in finance and technology. She has consulted with a number of technology and content companies on strategic marketing; has played roles ranging from interim chief operating officer to advisory board member; and has been responsible for raising more than $35 million in capital for early-stage businesses and non-profit organizations. Prior to her consulting work, Barbara founded ReadUSA.com, where she pioneered the first online interactive transaction sites with partners such as America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy and others. She served as CEO and president of ReadUSA.com for seven years. Currently she is also involved in several publishing and media projects and is active in business-related associations and several charitable organizations, among them, the City Parks Foundation, Women in New Media and The Producers' Project.

 

Kim Brizzolara. In addition to her extensive experience as a private investment manager, Kim is co-chair of Hampton's International Film Festival, Films of Conflict & Resolution, where she oversees an international advisory board in the development and production of a juried section of films from conflict zones of the world. She is also involved with the festival's Science in Films section, and works with ChildrenÂ’s Media Project to facilitate student participation in the festival. She has also served as a grantsmaker for the Threshold Foundation, where she designated funds to non-profit organizations that focus on peace and national security issues; as acting director of the Coexistence Center at Baruch College School of Public Affairs, which focuses on conflict resolution, race relations, ethnic diversity and equity in the academic environment and in the community; as conference coordinator for Economists Allied for Arms Reduction and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights; as a campaign organizer for Mario Cuomo, David Dinkins and Michael Dukakis; as author of numerous policy and position papers, grants proposals and freelance articles; and as a reporter for East Side Express and The Philadelphia Inquirer.

 

Diane Paragas. Diane is a producer/director of international television documentaries and commercials. She began her career in advertising where she developed and produced campaigns for companies seeking to bring their brands overseas. for her work she received Effie and Addy awards for international marketing and branding. In 1995, Diane moved to MTV where she helped launch MTV in Asia. While there, she also created MTV's first interactive CD-ROM for international and domestic use. After moving to Hong Kong in 1997, Diane was taken on as supervising producer of a 13-part documentary series called living Asia for Discovery Channel. Returning to NY as a freelance producer/director, Diane worked for Vh-1, BBC, CNN and the Grammy Awards. After almost 8 years of paying dues, Diane finally decided to go it on her own and start her own company with colleague, Amy Lawday. Together they produced content for Oxygen, IFC and Bravo. At the same time, Diane directed her first feature length documentary for PBS called Kababayan about Filipinos in America. Today, Civilian Studios, Diane's latest and greatest venture, is the culmination of a long road of struggling to find a voice and means to tell the stories that she longed to tell. Bound and determined to make content that is meaningful and exciting, Diane hopes that CIVILIAN will be a force to be reckoned with in the Digital Age. In addition to running the company, directing commercials, films and theater, Diane likes to paint, write music and help other CIVILIANS to get their stories out there.

 

Barbra Stoddard. As founder and president of Stoddard Tech Tactics, Barbra is a consultant and trainer with deep and long expertise in analyzing, planning, implementing, assessing and evaluating technology and education initiatives. From 1995 - 2000, she worked in increasingly broad capacities for Edison Schools Inc., first as Technology Director of the Boston Renaissance Charter School, for which she created, implemented and supported the educational technology program; later as Director of Educational Technology for schools across the country, where she was responsible for the hiring, training and support of school technology directors and conducted on-site reviews of technology personnel, programs, and plans; and most recently as Vice President of Start-Up School Technology, where she managed the hiring and training of first-year school technology directors, planned and coordinated training institutes and conferences, and provided mentoring and ongoing professional development and support. Prior to this, Barbra served as Technology Specialist for Falls Church City Schools, where she coordinated the computer curriculum and collaborated with the Department of Education on model teaching projects. Barbra is a frequent presenter at educational conferences and forums and is widely published in educational journals.

 

Dennis Crowley. Webmaster extraordinaire and fluent in such languages as HTML, ASP/VBScript, WAP/WML/HDML/cHTML, dHTML & CSS, BuddyScript, Javascript, and vXML/XML, Dennis is the founder and lead developer of Dodgeball.com – a network of city guide products built around the concept of user-generated content. He has developed applications for the web, internet-enabled mobile phones, Palm /PocketPC organizers, instant messenger clients, and IVR/voice response networks. Previously, Dennis was a member of the product development team at Vindigo – the leading developer of personal navigation applications for wireless and mobile devices – where he shaped user experience of and defined UI and functionality changes for both Palm OS and WAP-enabled products. Dennis also served as Senior Producer/Web Production Manager for Jupiter Communications, where he acted as project manager for front-end design and production of Jupiter's website and was responsible for the production and maintenance of all online content and deliverables.

 

Crystal Sershen. Crystal is an independent filmmaker whose first documentary film, Echo the Silent Sun, is currently in post-production and is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2003. This documentary film imparts the history and philosophy of the ancient martial art Shotokan karate, in which Crystal holds a second-degree black belt. Crystal is also an associate story editor and assistant editor at Zanzibar Productions, whose critically acclaimed documentary series, The It Factor, airs on the Bravo Network. Crystal graduated as the valedictorian of her class in 1998 from the Cinema Studies Department at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and is currently a master's candidate in documentary filmmaking and martial arts history at NYUÂ’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Crystal has worked as an assistant director and production manager for several theatre productions, and additionally freelances as a cinematographer and editor for her own company, Nemesis Films.

 

Gary Welz. Gary has over 20 years of experience in education and media as a teacher, writer, speaker, producer, consultant and journalist. He has special expertise in science and mathematics education as well as digital media production, asset management and distribution. For 12 years, Gary was an Adjunct Lecturer in Mathematics at John Jay College and Lehman College of the City University of New York. He taught Calculus at the Barnard School in New York and he has also taught basic multimedia authoring classes at various levels. Gary is the author of many conference papers and trade press articles about the development of the media industry on the Internet and multimedia technologies. In 1991, with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, he conceived and authored a business plan for a television network for scientists and engineers. As founder of Science Television, he produced and directed video lectures by several well-known mathematicians. The American Mathematical Society distributes these tapes.