Current Judges
Writer-Scripts sold (The Champion Inside, Scar Across My Heart)
Creator/Producer/Director (Blood, Bruises & Broken Bones – Reality TV show)
Screenwriter/Producer/Director (A Sense of Purpose: Fighting For Our Lives, Touch With Your Eyes, A Cup Full of Crazy- in post production)
Actor (Law & Order, Svu, Zeno, Saint X, The Right Stuff, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Castlerock, Grace & Frankie, Longmire, Manhattan, Hail, Caesar!, Love You Man
Writer/Producer (Issues)
Lee Daniels is an Academy Award® nominated filmmaker whose work is trademarked by authenticity and candor. Some of his renowned movies include The Butler, Monsters Ball and Precious, The United States V.S. Billie Holiday as well as TV works such as EMPIRE and Star. Lee also recently produced the Broadway show Ain’t No Mo‘,
Writer (Around the World in 80 Days, Return to Return to Nuke ’em High AKA Volume 2, Mikey Mouse, Get Blake, Transformers: Robots in Disguise)
Formerly, Executive Manager, Lightstorm Entertainment (Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Titanic, Avatar)
Producer/Writer: Julia Fisher Farbman wrote and produced the upcoming feature film “Audrey’s Children” about revolutionary pediatric oncologist and co-founder of Ronald McDonald House Charities, Dr. Audrey Evans. The film, coming out in 2024, wrapped production in the Philadelphia-area and stars Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones), Jimmi Simpson (Pachinko), and Clancy Brown (Dexter: New Blood). In recent years, Fisher Farbman produced the Emmy-nominated ABC/U.N. Women Special: Celebrate Equality: The Future of Women’s Rights, and has interviewed the likes of His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. She also co-created, hosted and executive produced MODERN HERO (Amazon), an award-winning series that features female role models, including former First Lady, Michelle Obama and Dr. Audrey Evans, whose video amassed 17 MILLION views across platforms.
Joe Gangemi wrote the screenplays for WIND CHILL starring Emily Blunt, \STONEHEARST ASYLUM starring Ben Kingsley and Michael Caine, and BLACKWAY starring Anthony Hopkins and Ray Liotta. He was co-creator and showrunner of comedy series RED OAKS, starring Paul Reiser and Richard Kind, which ran for three seasons on Amazon Prime. Upcoming projects include a period comedy series for Lionsgate TV. He is a graduate of Swarthmore College and lives in Haverford with his wife and children.
Alan Gasmer is the Co-founder at Veritas Entertainment Group. Credits as Executive Producer/Producer include: A Complete Unknown, Elvis Presley: The Searcher, The Mosquito Coast, Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla.
Writer/Director (ABC’s The Good Doctor, ESPN 30 for 30: Playing For The Mob, Insecure) Co-founder, Steel Titan Entertainment
TV: Executive Producer (Underground, Jesus Christ Superstar, Sherman’s Showcase, Rhythm and Flow)
Film: Producer/Executive Producer (La La Land, Monster, Southside With You, Jingle Jangle, Loudmouth)
Theater: Producer (Jitney and Turn Me Loose)
– Development/Grants Consultant, Board Secretary Deaf West Theatre
– Humpty’s Riddle (Short) Writer, Producer, Actor
Sheila Nevins is an American television producer and former head of MTV Documentary Films division of MTV Entertainment Studios. Previously, Nevins was the President of HBO Documentary Films. She has produced over 1,000 documentary films for HBO and is one of the most influential people in documentary filmmaking.
Producer
(The Best and the Brightest)
The Perfect Man (Universal), Never Again (Focus Features), Bad Hair Day (The Disney Channel), A Christmas Carousel (Hallmark 2020), Nature of Love (Hallmark 2021), Royally Wrapped for Christmas (Peacock), Maps & Mistletoe (Lifetime 2021), Warming Up to You (Hallmark 2022), Well Suited for Christmas (Lifetime 2022), Record Breaking Christmas (Lifetime 2022), Laughing All the Way (Lifetime 2023), Romance with a Twist (Hallmark 2024), Head Over Heels (Hallmark 2024). Dawn also served as Executive Producer on two Award Winning short films (The Boy, Butterflies).
ERNIE VECCHIONE is an award-winning screenwriter, producer and novelist. He has written for HBO and Miramax and is a former winner of the Set In Philadelphia Screenwriting Competition. He wrote and produced the Streamy and Webby nominated web series SEX ED: THE SERIES for YouTube, which has more than 160 million views worldwide. His novels, THE AMISH GIRL and DEVIL’S CATCH, are available on Audible and Amazon.
Past Judges
Holly Brown
Mark Christopher
Lisa Cortes
Jim Young
Ben Hickernell
Geoffrey Klein
Michael Lee
Stephen Rivele
Mark Rosenthal