Speaker/Panelist Bios

BROOKE BOWMAN: Vice President, Programming & Development, ABC FAMILY. At ABC Family Channel, Brooke Bowman solicits and develops both scripted and reality projects for the network. She staffs writers, directors and on-air talent for current productions and oversees show progress, internally develops potential series ideas and attaches appropriate producers, writers, etc. Prior to ABC Family Channel, Brooke worked in development and production at various companies, including Buena Vista Productions, VH1 and Fox Searchlight. Brooke is a former English teacher. She attended Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT where she was a Master’s Degree Candidate and Duke University, where she received a B.A. in English and Modern Literature, Cum Laude and made the Dean’s List.

PENNY FINKELMAN COX: Executive Vice President, SONY PICTURES ANIMATION. Along with her partner, EVP Sandra Rabins (former WHW panelist), she is responsible for all aspects of developing and producing CG-animated films for Sony Pictures Entertainment. The two executives have recruited an impressive team of directors and artists to work on the company’s inaugural slate of films, Open Season and Surf's Up!

Prior to joining Sony Pictures Entertainment, Penney Finkelman Cox served as executive producer on the computer animated hit comedy "Shrek" the blockbuster box office hit of 2001 and winner of the first Academy Award for best animated film. She joined DreamWorks in February of 1994 to start the Animation Division and to produce "The Prince of Egypt." She focused on the creative development of animation material at DreamWorks and was also instrumental in transforming commercials visual effects house, PDI, into a feature film facility for DreamWorks and executive produced their first computer-generated movie, "Antz".

In addition to her producing responsibilities, Ms. Finkelman Cox worked with Aardman Animation on its first stop-motion animated feature, "Chicken Run" and served as the executive producer on DreamWorks' first direct-to-video animated release, "Joseph: King of Dreams."

She came to animation from a background in live-action production. Her feature producing credits include: "Honey I Shrunk the Kids," "Welcome Home, Roxie Carmichael" and "Till There Was You". She served as executive producer for James L. Brooks on "I'll Do Anything" and co-produced two other films for Brooks: "Broadcast News" and the Oscar winning "Terms of Endearment."

As Executive Vice President of Sony Pictures Animation, Ms. Finkelman Cox is currently overseeing all aspects of production for the division's first two films, Open Season and Surf's Up!

Along with Ms. Rabins, Ms. Finkelman Cox is credited with bringing cartoonist Aaron McGruder, creator of "The Boondocks," to Sony Pictures Entertainment. While Sony Pictures Animation is in development on an animation CG feature based on the "The Boondocks," Penney and Sandra were instrumental in establishing the property as an animated television series for Sony Pictures Television and Cartoon Network.

Among the many projects in development at Sony Pictures Animation include an adaptation of the classic children's book, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," the space-themed project, "Big Nasty," and "Disenchanted Forest," based on an idea by Jules Feiffer.

Born in Havertown, Pennsylvania, Finkelman Cox made her entrance into the performing arts as a press assistant for the Joffrey Ballet, and did a training internship with the National Endowment for the Arts. She segued into film production with her acceptance into the Directors Guild of America Producer Training Program in New York. Penney is married to writer-producer Jim Cox and has two children, Leland, 14, and Vanessa, 10. (Penny will meet privately with a lucky attendee)

MARGARET RILEY & KASSIE EVASHEVSKI: (Full Bios & Photos pending) Managers/Producers, BRILLSTEIN-GREY ENTERTAINMENT

BONNIE BRUCKHEIMER: Producer, BONNIE BRUCKHEIMER PRODUCTIONS. BONNIE BRUCKHEIMER is a producer of substance who has enjoyed success for many years. Her most recent endeavor as a film producer gave us "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood", starring Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn, James Garner, Ashley Judd, and Maggie Smith. Former producer partner of Bette Midler, with whom she formed All Girl Productions in 1985, she made her debut as a film producer on "Beaches," having served previously as associate producer on "Big Business," the hit comedy that starred Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin. Since then, she has gone on to produce or executive produce several films and television shows, including the hit comedy "Man of the House," "For the Boys," "That Old Feeling," "Hocus Pocus," (co-producer), "Diva Las Vegas" which earned ten Emmy nominations and won three Emmy awards, including "Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special," the highly rated CBS special television production of "Gypsy" starring Bette Midler, which won both Emmy and Cable Ace Awards and “Bette” sitcom. Through her own production company, Bonnie Bruckheimer Productions, Bonnie produces features, made-for-TV/Cable Movies, etc.

NANCY MILLER: (Full Bio & Photo pending) Creator/Executive Producer/Showrunner/Writer (CSI: Miami, The Closer, Threat Matrix, Any Day Now)

NANCY NIGROSH: (Full Bio & Photo pending) Literary Agent, INNOVATIVE ARTISTS AGENCY. Nancy represents established as well as emerging writers, producers, executive producers, directors, associate, consulting/ producers including Stuart Beattie (Collateral, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl), Mario Van Peebles (Baadasssss!) and Joan Chen (producer, director, writer, cast). Other clients credits include Legally Blonde (1 &2), The L Word, Me, Myself & Irene, Ali, Stand And Deliver, and American Pie II.

ELIZABETH CULLEN: Vice President, Acquisitions & Co-Productions, OXYGEN MEDIA

Over the last six years, Elizabeth Cullen has been the Vice President of Program Acquisitions and Co-productions at Oxygen Media, in this position she is responsible for all finished programming acquisitions for the cable channel as well as evaluates potential co-production
opportunities. Before joining Oxygen, Ms. Cullen was the manager of program acquisitions at Showtime, Networks, Inc., where she evaluated
potential acquisitions for exhibition on the network, and was responsible for analyzing the financial implications of current and future program acquisitions. Ms. Cullen graduated from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics.

Oxygen Media is a 24-hour cable television network on a mission to bring women (and the men who love them) the edgiest, most innovative entertainment on television. With innovative shows from such diverse talents as Oprah Winfrey and Carsey Werner, Oxygen airs more original series and specials than any other women's network. Founded in 1998, the network is independently owned and is currently available in over 52 million cable households. Oxygen Media also owns and operates oxygen.com

MARIA ALONTE MC COY: Senior Vice President, Film & TV Soundtracks, NETTWERK MUSIC GROUP/NETTWERK AMERICA.

Maria represents Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Barenaked Ladies, Guster, Josh Rouse, Sum 41, to name a few. During her 8 years with Nettwerk, she has produced the following soundtrack albums: Transamerica (Golden Globe and Oscar nominated song, Travelin' Thru by Dolly Parton), Because of Winn Dixie, Thirteen, Uptown Girls, and television soundtracks: Veronica Mars, Nip/Tuck, Everwood, Felicity and Roswell. Maria is also personally managing folk/pop group The Weepies. Prior to running Nettwerk's Film & Television dept., Maria worked in the Licensing dept. at Arista Records.

JUDY COPPAGE: (Full Bio pending) Head, The Coppage Company. This management company represents working actors, producers, directors, screenwriters, TV writers, Book Authors, Playwrights, Below-the-Line Talent.

Judy Coppage is the President of THE COPPAGE COMPANY, a literary and talent management company, which was first founded in 1985 as an agency. Predominantly a literary company, Ms. Coppage sold the DIE HARD novel to 20th Century Fox. Other movies which have been produced from her sales include RAINBOW DRIVE (Showtime), DEVLIN (Showtime), WITH A VENGEANCE (CBS), SEX, LOVE, AND COLD HARD CASH (USA), A VOW TO KILL (USA), MAD DOG TIME (feature film/UA), UNDERWORLD (feature), FOREVER LULU (feature film/Millennium), SECOND SKIN (HBO), GO TO THE DEAD (HBO), MICHAEL LANDON: THE FATHER I KNEW (CBS), PURGATORY (TNT - nominated for a WGA Award), LADIES NIGHT (USA), THE PIERRE HEIST (USA). Beyond these, DODGING BULLETS (a spec script sold to Silver Pictures), and LOST AT SEA for TNT plus CLANDESTINE at TNT should go into production shortly. Also in development as features are DEATH SENTENCE, MANIFEST DESTINY, and THE MAN WITH THE KALIDESCOPE EYES with Joe Dante as Director.

Many of her clients have or are currently working on TV Movies for CBS, HBO, NBC, TNT, and Showtime, and television series, some of which include CSI:NY, MADtv, GIRLFRIENDS, EMERIL, TITUS, THE DIVISION, and EYES.

ANGELA CHENG CAPLAN: Literary Manager/Head, Cheng Caplan Company -- (The company represents established as well as emerging writers, producers, directors, including Will Rokos, writer of Monster's Ball). Angela Cheng Caplan is the President and CEO of Cheng Caplan Company, Inc., a boutique literary/talent management and production company based in Los Angeles, California, representing Academy Award nominated filmmakers, best-selling book authors, Pulitzer Prize winning journalists and world famous comic book creators.

Two weeks after finishing college, Angela was in Los Angeles working for a talent and modeling agency. By the age of 25, Angela became Hollywood's youngest literary agent. After working for two prestigious agencies in Los Angeles and New York City, she opened Cheng Caplan Company, Inc.

Most recently, she was elected to the Board of Directors of the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, and heads the New Writers Award committee, whose 2001 winner, Alice Wu's SAVING FACE was in theaters this summer.

Angela holds a BA in Semiotics-French from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She is supported and encouraged by her husband and their daughter.
 

MELANIE COOK: Entertainment Attorney Extraordinaire

QUOTE: "My business power is derivative. I am powerful because my clients are powerful. I understand it is not about me. It is my job to guide my clients n exercising their power. But what makes me feel powerful? A triple pirouette: making good decisions, running fast, conquering my fears, and being asked my opinion." -- Melanie Cook, Lawyer to the stars, dance teacher, soccer mom.

Melanie Cook is a partner in the law firm of Ziffren, Brittenham, Branca, Fischer, Gilbert-Lurie, Stiffelman & Cook LLP (the sole female partner at the firm). In 1997, she was the first woman honored as Entertainment Lawyer of the Year by the Beverly Hills Bar Association. Ms. Cook is frequently listed on Hollywood "power lists" and recognized as an expert in her field. Ms. Cook's practice includes representation of actors, actresses, writers, directors and producers in feature film and television.

Dubbed the most prominent female dealmaker in Hollywood, Melanie Cook is THE entertainment attorney to the stars. Clients have included Keanu Reeves, Barry Sonnenfeld, Scott Rudin, Sam Mendes, Tim Burton, Christina Ricci, among others.

Ms. Cook received her J.D. and B.A. (she was a dance major) from UCLA with academic honors including Order of the Coif and Phi Beta Kappa. Her article “Moving to a New Beat: Copyright Protection for Choreographic Works” was the winner of the ASCAP Nathan Burkan Award.

Melanie is on the Board of Painted Turtle, the West Coast sister camp to the Boggy Creek Gang Camp founded by Paul Newman which furnishes the camping experience to chronically and seriously ill children. She is active with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, and is Co-Chair of their 50 Year Anniversary Gala. She is also on the Committee for Les Girls -- which supports the National Breast Cancer Coalition. Melanie is a Founding Member of Hollywood For Habitat for Humanity and is on the Host Committee for this September’s housing build. She is also on the board on the newly formed The Private Bank of California (an organization).

She lives in Beverly Hills with her husband of 20 years, Woody Woods, their sixteen-year-old daughter, Madeline, and a thirteen-year-old son, Willy. She loves to ski, dance, bicycle and travel.

SANDRA RABINS: Executive Vice President, Sony Pictures Animation. Along with her partner, EVP Penney Finkelman Cox, she is responsible for all aspects of developing and producing CG-animated films for Sony Pictures Entertainment. The two executives have recruited an impressive team of directors and artists to work on the company’s inaugural slate of films, Open Season and Surf's Up!

Prior to joining Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sandra Rabins served as executive producer on the computer animated hit comedy Shrek, the blockbuster box office hit of 2001 and winner of the first Academy Award for best animated film. She joined DreamWorks in February of 1994 to start the Animation Division and to produce The Prince of Egypt. Although her primary focus was on the producing animated films at DreamWorks, Ms. Rabins was also instrumental in transforming commercials visual effects house, PDI, into a feature film facility for DreamWorks and executive produced their first computer-generated movie, Antz.

In addition to her producing responsibilities, Ms. Rabins fulfilled executive roles at DreamWorks from 1994 to 2001. She was responsible for the preparation of the studio business plan (television, animation, theatrical, distribution, marketing and music). In addition, she helped to establish the animation and interactive divisions and Pop.com, while producing DreamWorks first animated film.

As Executive Vice President of Sony Pictures Animation, Ms. Rabins is currently overseeing all aspects of the division's first two films, Open Season and Surf's Up! Directed by Roger Allers (The Lion King) and Jill Culton (Monsters, Inc.), Open Season features the vocal talents of Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher, Debra Messing, Gary Sinise, Billy Connolly, Jon Favreau, Patrick Warburton, Jane Krakowski, Georgia Engle and Gordon Tootoosis. Producing the film is Michelle Murdocca; Amy Jupiter serves as line-producer. Open Season is scheduled for release on September 29, 2006.

Set against the backdrop of the high-octane world of competitive penguin surfing, Surf's Up will feature Jeff Bridges, Shia LaBeouf, Zooey Deschanel, James Woods, Jon Heder, Mario Cantone, Jane Krakowski, Michael McKeon and Brian Benben. The film will be directed by Ash Brannon (Toy Story 2) and Chris Buck (Tarzan) and produced by Chris Jenkins, with Lydia Bottegoni serving as co-producer. Surf's Up is scheduled for release summer, 2007.

Ms. Rabins is credited with bringing cartoonist Aaron McGruder, creator of The Boondocks, to the attention of Sony Pictures Entertainment executives. While Sony Pictures Animation is in development of an animation CG feature based on the The Boondocks, she was instrumental in establishing the property as an animated television series for Sony Picture Television and Cartoon Network.

Among the many projects in development at Sony Pictures Animation include an adaptation of the classic children's book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, the space-themed project Big Nasty and a feature film version of Imageworks' Academy Award-winning short film, The ChubbChubbs.

Born and raised in Hollywood, Sandra Rabins began her career at Paramount Pictures, serving as a production accountant on many films including Terms of Endearment. In 1985 she moved to Walt Disney Studios, where she remained until 1993, achieving the title of Senior Vice President of Production and Finance for Buena Vista Pictures. During her tenure at Disney she was responsible for establishing the production entities to create and animate Roger Rabbit in England, Tim Burton's The Nightmare before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach in San Francisco. She was also instrumental in helping Pixar establish itself as a digital film entity to create Toy Story. She left Disney in 1993 to executive produce Dangerous Mind.
 

MARCIA ROSS: Exec VP, Feature Casting, Buena Vista Motion Pictures. Highly-esteemed casting director, Marcia Ross has been nominated eight times for the Artios Award from the Casting Society of America and has won five times. In 2002 Marcia was the recipient of an award from the Hollywood Film Festival for “Outstanding Achievement in Casting,” and in November 2005, Marcia will be receiving the Hoyt Bowers Award for “Career Achievement in Casting” from The Casting Society of America. Such recognition from one’s peers in a business that does not easily dish out accolades is rare, even for one who is the Executive Vice President of Feature Casting at Buena Motion Pictures.

In her ten years as an executive at the Walt Disney Company Marcia has overseen the casting of well over 200 films. She has also been the casting director on eighteen of those films, which introduced such new talent as Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Jennifer Garner, Spencer Breslin, Anne Hathaway, and Rachel McAdams

Marcia Ross began her career 25 years ago as the assistant to the head of Casting at CBS Television in New York City. One year later she was invited to move to Los Angeles by the well-known casting director Judith Holstra to work as her Casting Associate. Eighteen months later Marcia became Judith’s partner in a company called Holstra/Ross Casting. During their eight year association Marcia served as the casting director on over 100 projects including such television movies as “Bitter Harvest”, one of the last films Ron Howard appeared in as an actor, the pilot and the first season of episodes for the acclaimed television series “thirtysomething”, “Baja Oklahoma” co- starring a very young Julia Roberts, and the feature film “48 Hours”.

In 1988 Marcia was hired by Harvey Shepherd, President of Warner Bros. Television, to be his VP of Casting. In the course of her five years at Warner Bros. Marcia oversaw dozens of television pilots and on-air series including such shows as “Murphy Brown”, “China Beach”, “Head of the Class”, “Growing Pains” and “Night Court.” She also served as the casting director for most of the Studio’s television movies including the award winning projects “Murder in Mississippi” and “Sinatra”.

When Warner Bros. TV merged with Lorimar Television Marcia returned to her own business, Marcia Ross Casting. As an independent casting director she cast the seminal film “Clueless.” It was during that time, in 1994, that she came to the Walt Disney Company to run the feature film department for Walt Disney Pictures and Touchstone Films, and later Hollywood Pictures.

Marcia is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
 

JENNI SHERWOOD: VP, Development & Production, HBO Films. At HBO, Jenni has championed a long list of award winning films including THE LARAMIE PROJECT, HYSTERICAL BLINDNESS, NORMAL, and THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PETER SELLERS. She is currently in production on PU-239, starring Radha Mitchell and Paddy Considine.

Prior to her current position as VP, Development at HBO, she held post as Director of Development and Production for the company after relocating from New York in 1999.

Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, she attended New York University where she earned a B.F.A in acting at the Tisch School of the Arts. Immediately following her graduation in 1992, she joined Miramax Films. At Miramax, Sherwood was able to form and nurture relationships that ultimately would launch her career. It was here that she worked in every area possible, from publicity assistant, to script reader, to Bob Weinstein’s executive assistant. She found herself in the unique position to not only learn about every side of the film business, but also have direct access to the owner of the company.

When the Walt Disney Company acquired Miramax Films in 1993, the Dimension subdivision was founded, and Sherwood was brought on board as Story Editor. She quickly advanced to Story Analyst and Director of Development and Production.
 

LAUREL STEARNS:  -- Director, A&R, Capitol Records. Laurel Stearns started working in the music industry running recording studios when she was 19 years old. She worked at 4 major recording studios and was involved in many sessions with top names, from the Pixies to Rod Stewart to Ozzy Osbourne etc. An entrepreneurial spirit, she partnered with an independent manager when the studio business became a bit slow due to the rise of home recording, and went on to manage The Descendents, ALL, GWAR, Dirty Dozen Brass Band and a few others. Laurel had managed talent for 8 years when she was asked to "scout" by the Sony WORK group, which she did while still managing. Laurel loved working with talent and when the WORK group was shut down, she decided to do A&R full time. Laurel joined the A&R department at Capitol Records 6 years ago, where she is now a director. She has signed several clients with whom she works closely. Her artist roster currently includes Fischerspooner, Shout Out Louds, Sparklehorse, Starlite Desperation and King Elementary.

 

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