Board of Directors & Founder's Circle

Jann Baskett - President
Jann is principal of Austin-based creative agency FBA (Foxtrot Bravo Alpha), founded in 2008 and specializing in brand strategy, user experience and design. Previously, she spent eight years as principal and director of brand strategy at Milkshake Media. Jann was previously vice president of marketing for Girl Games, a company that created interactive products for teen girls, and before that, marketing director for Texas Monthly Magazine.  Before moving to Austin from New York, she worked in creative services for several national magazines, including Details and Mademoiselle at Condé Nast, and prior to that, The New York Times Magazine Group. She and her husband also own Yard Dog, an art gallery on Austin's South Congress Avenue.

Mike Blizzard - Vice President
Mike Blizzard is President and co-founder of Blizco Productions, which provides strategic consulting, public and media relations, advertising design and placement, and collaboration on creative projects such as screenplays, books and documentary films. He previously managed numerous legislative, judicial and municipal candidate campaigns, and led municipal and county bond campaigns that have provided nearly $300 million for the preservation of parks and open space in Central Texas. He is the producer of NO NO: A DOCKUMENTARY, about the life & times of controversial 1970s baseball pitcher Dock Ellis, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Hill Country Conservancy. Mike resides in South Austin with his wife Karen and their two adventurous dogs.

Rodney Gibbs - Treasurer
As Chief Innovation Officer with The Texas Tribune, Rodney helps all departments leverage technology and audience engagement tools more efficiently and collaboratively. While he started his career in journalism working for PBS and Time, Inc. Magazines, he spent the last ten years detouring through technology start-ups. Rodney founded two tech companies — one in gaming, the other in mobile, both of which he sold. Rodney serves on the boards of the Austin Film Society, Austin's NPR affiliate (KUT-FM), and Austin's PBS station (KLRU). A graduate of Rice University and the University of Texas at Austin, he is married to textile designer Nancy Mims with whom he has two kids and a rabbit named Butter.

Chris Adams - Director
Chris is a tax partner in the firm of Maxwell Locke & Ritter LLP, Austin's largest locally owned and managed accounting and consulting firm. A native Austinite, Chris graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance.  Before beginning his public accounting career, he held the position of Chief Accountant for St. Edward's University, Woodward Manufacturing Company and The Texas State Commission for the Blind. Since becoming a CPA in 1982, Chris has developed a well-rounded client base with a particular concentration in Austin's emerging film industry. He provides services to various closely-held entities and their owners, including filmmakers and film production companies.  As a tax partner, his focus is on tax planning, tax compliance and business consulting. He is a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Todd Allen - Director
Actor-writer-producer Todd Allen has appeared in over 50 films and television programs. Among the more notable are three films with director Lawrence Kasdan, SILVERADO, GRAND CANYON, and WYATT EARP. Todd also co-starred with Robert Duvall in his Academy Award-nominated, THE APOSTLE and again in the Emmy-Award winning AMC original mini-series, BROKEN TRAIL. He co-starred in three films with Academy Award Winner Kevin Costner. As a producer, Todd has multiple projects in development in features and television through his company, Presidio Pictures and is preparing to launch the company with the much heralded, true story of a Medal of Honor Recipient from the Vietnam era, THE LAST FULL MEASURE. He was previously the Keynote speaker at the Ozark Writer’s Conference and at the 2010 Texas Ranger Annual Reunion. Todd is a 5th generation Texan, and a native of Austin. He has lived in NY and Los Angeles for the past 27 years and has recently returned, with his family, to his hometown of Austin where he remains a devoted Texas Longhorn fan.

Louis Black - Director & Founder's Circle
Louis Black received an MFA from the University of Texas in Austin with a concentration in Film in 1980. The next year he co-founded The Austin Chronicle, which he currently edits, and in 1987 helped launch SXSW Music, Interactive & Film Festivals and Conferences of which he is still a Director. He executive produced SXSW Presents, a local PBS show highlighting Film Festival films and Margaret Brown's documentary BE HERE TO LOVE ME: A FILM ABOUT TOWNES VAN ZANDT. He associate produced her follow-up feature THE ORDER OF MYTHS, which played the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and won a Peabody Award. He executive produced the first-ever DVD release of Eagle Pennell's 1978 indie classic THE WHOLE SHOOTIN’ MATCH, a film that Robert Redford cites as the one that made him decide to start the Sundance Institute. Louis was a founding Board Member of the Austin Film Society and the first board President. Along with Texas Tribune's Evan Smith, he created the Texas Film Hall of Fame and continues to serve on the talent committee. Louis wrote the liner notes for Dualtone’s CD re-release of Daniel Johnston’s first two tapes, "Songs of Pain" and "More Songs of Pain" and for the CD "Welcome to my World," a Best of Johnston anthology.

Gloria Castro - Director
Gloria made Austin her hometown in 2006, after concluding a long career with Xerox Corporation. Originally joining the southern region office of Xerox in Dallas, she progressed through a number of management roles in Human Resources in Dallas and at the company’s national headquarters in Rochester, NY. Later Gloria moved to southern California, where for several years she was of head of HR for the company’s western region. Her last role was with the international division of the corporate headquarters in Stamford, CT, as HR Director for Latin American operations.  Over the years, she has served on boards of numerous non-profits.  A life-long film fan, Gloria served as board member and president of Cine Las Americas in Austin. She is a graduate of the University of San Francisco.

Lee Daniel - Founder's Circle

Kevin Dartt - Director
Kevin Dartt is general counsel and studio manager for Troublemaker Studios. Prior to joining Troublemaker, Kevin was an entertainment attorney with Graves, Dougherty, Hearon and Moody.

Jordan Levin - Director
Jordan Levin, the former CEO of The WB Network, has been instrumental in launching many high-impact entertainment franchises for more than two decades as a network and studio executive, producer, director and new media entrepreneur. Levin put his deep understanding of young adult audiences to work in 2006 when he partnered with other leading media executives from television, film, digital, advertising, production and talent management to launch Generate. Over a six-year period, the full-service studio and talent management company has become a leading connector for advertising, technology and entertainment companies by executing ideas from concept through production entirely in-house. In January 2012, Alloy Digital, an affiliate of Alloy, Inc., acquired Generate to form the first of its kind, multi-platform, next generation media company. Levin joined The WB as part of the founding executive team. As the youngest CEO in broadcast television history, he helped launch hit shows including “Dawson’s Creek,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Felicity,” “7th Heaven,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Smallville,” “Sabrina, The Teenage Witch,” “Reba,” “The Surreal Life,” “Everwood” and “One Tree Hill.” Levin also created The WB’s original movie division, and oversaw Kids’ WB!, a top-rated Saturday morning children’s network. Prior to The WB, he helped revitalize the Disney brand in network television through shows including “Home Improvement” and “Ellen.” A published author and member of the Directors Guild of America, Levin is co-chair of the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE), and serves on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations, academic institutions, political advocacy groups and media companies. Additionally, Levin has been named one of the University of Texas at Austin’s 125 Extraordinary Execs.

Richard Linklater - Founder's Circle & Artistic Director
Before writer/director Richard Linklater made SLACKER, an experimental narrative revolving around 24 hours in the lives of 100 characters that garnered acclaim in 1991, he made many shorts and completed a Super 8 feature, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO LEARN TO PLOW BY READING BOOKS (1988). Linklater's credits include DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993); BEFORE SUNRISE (1995); SUBURBIA (1997); THE NEWTON BOYS (1998), a western/gangster film set in the 1920s; animated feature WAKING LIFE (2001); the low-budget, real-time drama TAPE (2001); the short documentary LIVE FROM SHIVA’S DANCE FLOOR (2003); SCHOOL OF ROCK (2003); the critically-acclaimed BEFORE SUNSET (2004); the irreverent comedy BAD NEWS BEARS (2005); A SCANNER DARKLY (2006), based on the novel by Philip K. Dick; and FAST FOOD NATION, based on the New York Times Best-seller of the same name. Recent credits include INNING BY INNING: A PORTRAIT OF A COACH (2008); ME AND ORSON WELLES (2009); BERNIE (2012); Hulu's UP TO SPEED (2012).

Chale Nafus - Founder's Circle & Director of Programming
Chale Nafus was reputedly conceived in the top balcony of the Majestic Theater in Dallas, TX, two weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. His first profound movie memories were THE RED SHOES and some Abbott and Costello horror movie, both of which explain something about his life. His father was particularly fond of British comedies, so young Chale was often called upon in junior high to "speak British." At the same time he was learning lots of interesting things, including Texas-Spanish, from his best friends, all of whom were gang members. The only sport he enjoyed playing was soccer, but the school deemed it "Communist" and removed it from the playground. Totally unprepared by the public school system for SMU, he dropped out before it was cool and took a job at Texas Instruments, where he made a hella lot of money for a 19 year old. But, after two years of his own version of walking on the wild side, he decided to go back to school, this time to UT Arlington where he got his B.A. in English. By that time Fellini and Bergman were happening. Read more of Chale's bio >>

Gary Newsom - Director
Born and raised in Big Spring, Texas, Gary Newsom attended Texas A&M and West Point, where he was the captain of the baseball team and second in command of the Corps his senior year. After graduation in 1973 and commission into the Infantry, he received his Ranger tab and jump wings and served for four years as a paratrooper in northern Italy. After his distinguished military career, Gary was accepted to the University of Texas Medical Branch and received his MD in 1983. After a training at the Texas Tech University Health Science Center (TTUHSC) in Lubbock, Texas, he was a partner in nephrology practices in Lubbock and Midland until retiring in 2011. Currently, Gary is the head of Newsom International, LLC, an east African-centered venture company involved with production and sale of an affordable nutritional supplement, bottled water, and oil and gas exploration. Other accomplishments include co-founding the West Texas Kidney Foundation, chairing the board for the Center for the Study of Addiction at Texas Tech, memberships with the Lubbock Area Foundation and the state of Texas Aging and Disability Services Council, and serving on the board of the West Point AOG. In 2007 after a medical mission to Uganda, he and his wife created the Lux Luceat Foundation. That entity raised enough money to construct a new wing of a rural hospital. After a trip to Tibet in 2011, he became an executive producer of THE VULTURES OF TIBET by Russell O. Bush. He is married to Beverly, an accomplished musician, and resides in Austin with her and two daughters, Brooke and Brittanny.

Charles Ramírez Berg - Founder's Circle
Charles is a professor of film studies at UT at Austin and is the author of Latino Images in Film: Stereotypes, Subversion, and Resistance; Cinema of Solitude: A Critical Study of Mexican Film, 1967-1983; and Cine Mexicano: Posters from the Golden Age, 1936-1956. He has written many journal articles, book chapters and encyclopedia entries on Latinos in U.S. film and on the history and criticism of U.S., Mexican, and world cinema. He has published fiction, poetry, and co-authored a children's book, The Gift of the Poinsettia with Chicana poet Pat Mora. Charles was appointed to the National Film Preservation Board of The Library of Congress, and was a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, 1997-1998. From 1991-1994, he served on the Executive Council of the Society for Cinema Studies (now the Society for Cinema and Media Studies). Charles is a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers (1996) and has won every major teaching award at UT, including the Friar Centennial Teaching Fellowship (1999-2000), the Piper Professor Award (2003), awarded by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation "for outstanding academic and scholarly achievement and for dedication to the teaching profession," the Chancellor's Council Outstanding Teaching Award (2004), and the Board of Regents' Outstanding Teacher Award (2009). Most recently he was named one of the Top Ten Great Professors in the June 2011 issue of the UT alumni magazine, The Alcalde. Charles was an extra in SPY KIDS and SLACKER, and his last name was a visual plot point in THE DARK KNIGHT.

Catherine Robb - Director
Catherine is of counsel in the Austin office of Haynes and Boone, LLP.  Catherine represents clients in the broadcast industry. Her practice is focused on commercial and business litigation, First Amendment litigation, pre-publication review and editing, copyright and trademark litigation, general commercial litigation, open government issues and privacy concerns. She advises clients concerning media law issues for an extensive array of content providers including online and traditional newspapers, magazines, radio and broadcasters, cable television stations, production companies and music entities. She earned her J.D., 1998, with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law and her B.A. from The University of Virginia. Catherine serves on the Board of KLRU (where she is the Vice -Chair and also serves on the Austin City Limits committee) and Humanities Texas and on the advisory council  for the University of Texas School of Undergraduate Studies and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. She previously served as a board member of the Austin Music Foundation, the Ann Richards School For Young Women Leaders, and the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. She served on The University of Texas' Commission of 125 and is an active member of Leadership Austin (where she was a member of the class of 2003). Catherine is also the founder and chairman of the LBJ Library Future Forum. In addition to these positions, Catherine volunteers for several non-profits in the community, including Reading is Fundamental of Austin, Trinity Center, and Volunteer Legal Services.

Jane Schweppe - Director
Community Volunteer

Jeanette Scott - Director
Jeanette Scott has worked in film as a set decorator and art director for the past twenty years. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from UT Austin, Jeanette spent a few years "knocking around the globe" before landing in Mexico & attending art school. Upon returning to Texas, she settled into the world of film and felt she had found her home. She was attracted to the art department by the opportunity to be creative in a collaborative medium with ever changing challenges. She has since traveled extensively with her work. Her favorite experience was decorating MISSISSIPPI MASALA, the first film to shoot in Uganda since 1951 when Bogart was there to film THE AFRICAN QUEEN. Jeanette's personal interests are art/design, languages, travel and swimming. In addition to her film work, Jeanette has volunteered for several non-profits in the community, including Impact Austin, The Austin Museum of Art, the Ronald McDonald House, Emancipet, the Zilker Summer Musical, the Texas Motion Picture Alliance, and her local schools. She lives with her husband, daughter, alley cat and a rescued miniature dachshund.

Beth Sepko - Director
Beth Sepko is a local Emmy award-winning Casting Director with over 20 years expertise in the Texas market. First a talent agent for six years, she then moved over to casting in 1994. It is that ladder Beth has been persistently climbing ever since casting both principals and extras for Feature Film, Television, Commercials, Industrials, Music Videos – you name it! Texas principal casting credits include the films SIN CITY, THE ROOKIE, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, SPY KIDS 2, SPY KIDS 3, ROLLING KANSAS and television episodes of Foto-Novelas and America’s Most Wanted. Among Ms. Sepko’s extras casting credits are the films SECONDHAND LIONS, THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE, MISS CONGENIALITY, ARLINGTON ROAD, RUSHMORE and OFFICE SPACE. The last couple of years have been busy with Friday Night Lights (TV series); Robert Rodriguez’ and Quentin Tarantino’s GRINDHOUSE; THE HITCHER; an episode of Blood on the Wire for BBC Television; and Kimberly Peirce’s (BOYS DON’T CRY) STOP LOSS. Beth was honored with an Emmy for Outstanding Casting of Drama Series for the 2007 season of Friday Night Lights; she was nominated again for the 2008 season.

George Sledge - Director
George Sledge works as an assistant director, director and producer. His work includes documentaries, commercials, narrative films, streaming virtual reality concerts, sit-coms, reality tv, and an assortment of cooking/travel/cultural web series.

Rick Triplett - Director
Rick Triplett has served as the Austin Film Society’s attorney since 2000, negotiating a lease with the City of Austin that establishes Austin Studios' boundaries and presence until 2042, and negotiating numerous subleases with AFS' sublessees.  Rick practices in the fields of entertainment (specializing in film) and commercial real estate (specializing in transactions).  Rick is active in continuing education for lawyers and other bar association activities. He has served as chair of the Texas College of Real Estate Attorneys and as one of 16 members of the governing Council of the State Bar of Texas Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section. He received his B. A. (with highest and special honors) and J.D. (with high honors) from the University of Texas at Austin.  Rick is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Order of the Coif. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America® published by Woodward/White, Inc., Real Estate Law from 1995 through 2011. His services to the community includes a previous term on the AFS Board of Directors from 2000-2006 and the Board of Directors of SafePlace of Austin from 1995-1999.

Suzanne Weinert - Director
Before beginning her career as a screenwriter/producer, Suzanne Weinert was the VP of Shoelace Productions where she participated in the development and production of more than 25 projects including ERIN BROCKOVICH and STEP MOM, as well as several award winning wildlife documentaries in Borneo and Mongolia. Suzanne recently completed production on the western THE LEGENDS OF HELL’S GATE, starring Eric Balfour, Henry Thomas, Jenna Dewan and Summer Glau. The film has its world premiere at the Dallas International Film Festival in April 2011 and played in limited release in theaters throughout Texas. Lionsgate released the DVD in June 2012. Her most recent writing/producing was EX-TERMINATORS, starring Heather Graham, Jennifer Coolidge and Amber Heard. The film had its world premiere at SXSW in March 2009 and was available in 90 million homes via VOD and Pay Per View. The DVD was released through Warner Bros. Suzanne will begin pre-production on the comedy LOST IN AUSTIN and is set to produce STALLWORTH, a post apocalyptic drama in Spring 2013. In addition she is developing HANNAH’S DREAM, based on the best selling novel by Diane Hammond. Suzanne holds an M.F.A. from the School of the Arts, Columbia University; a Graduate Certificate from The Writing Program, Columbia University and a B.A. in Writing from Columbia University. She splits her time between Austin TX and New York City.

A. Travis White - Director
A. Travis White has more than 30 years of experience in semiconductor operations, marketing, manufacturing, and engineering. Most recently, Travis was President and Chief Executive Officer of Centillium Communications (Nasdaq: CTLM). Prior to joining Centillium, he was President of Sony Semiconductor of America and Senior Vice President of Sony Semiconductor (Japan). Before joining Sony, Travis was an Executive Vice President of LSI Logic Corp., where he also was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the company's Canadian subsidiary from 1991 to 1996. During his 12-year association with LSI Logic, Travis served in various senior capacities in central operations and planning, worldwide assembly and test, and as senior vice president of European Operations. Travis is currently a member of the board of directors of Staktek and the board of two privately held companies. He earned his B.S. in biological sciences and chemistry from the University of Texas at El Paso.