David Stem is a screenwriter and producer whose films have grossed over $2.5 billion worldwide. He is best known for shaping iconic family franchises like Shrek 2, The Smurfs, Rugrats, The Rugrats Movie, and Disney’s Disenchanted. His work blends heart, humor, and high-concept storytelling that resonates with global audiences.
A veteran of both studio blockbusters and original animation, David co-founded The Writer’s Forge, a creative training platform for emerging screenwriters. Through workshops and mentorship, he helps writers develop strong narrative structure, compelling voice, and real-world industry skills.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and an active member of the Writers Guild of America, David continues to create film and television across genres while championing the next generation of storytellers.

Jeff Bushell is a writer, producer, and showrunner with credits spanning hit television series and studio features. His film work includes Ricky Stanicky and Beverly Hills Chihuahua, where he served as writer and executive producer, as well as the upcoming feature Open House. On television, he was the showrunner of Bella and the Bulldogs and held staff writer positions on acclaimed and iconic series including The Bernie Mac Show, MADtv, and Zoey 101. His career reflects a deep command of comedy across both television and feature film.

Michael Schilf is an award-winning filmmaker and the co-founder of Lunar Door, an independent production company. His work has earned over 90 international awards and 41 nominations, including 13 Best Director honors. He is the producer of the sports adventure documentary Tracing the Divide, the coming-of-age drama The Fall, and the writer-director of the upcoming horror mystery thriller The Wolf and the Lamb.

Michael is currently attached to direct three action thrillers: Ashes, Confession, and The Artisan. Known for his sharp visual storytelling and genre versatility, he continues to develop bold, original narratives for film and television.

Jon has twenty-five years of experience in the independent film, festival and streaming communities, a rare leader with a unique combination of leadership, filmmaking and curation skills. He has led divisions for a number of successful start-ups and founded several that served as curated internet portals. As a filmmaker with impact driven Cause Pictures, he has produced a number of award-winning documentaries; and as a consultant, he has guided many independent film projects through the maze of festivals and distribution models. As a co-founder of the Slamdance Film Festival (1995), he led the event the next two seasons before being named the Festival Director for the prestigious AFI Film Festival in 1997. After running AFI Fest for three years (1997- 1999), he created a consulting business, guiding the launch of numerous film festivals (Bahamas, Lone Star, Orlando), directing several others (Santa Barbara, Topanga and Naples), and consulting to dozens more, while sharing insights, articles and videos through On the Circuit. In October of 2012, Jon authored his first book, entitled Filmmaking for Change: Make Films That Transform the World. He has also created numerous podcasts, blogs and courses, serving as guest, host and author as appropriate.

Brooks Elms is a WGA screenwriter with 45+ scripts, 2 indie features directed, and 1,000+ students taught at UCLA Extension. He’s also a life coach for writers, drawing on 30 years of personal growth work—exploring everything from a hero’s deepest fear to your deepest fear. Today, Brooks is focused on bringing his own IP directly to audiences online and helping other writers do the same—so every client can build 10,000 raving fans and a lifelong revenue source.