Inspired Minds

Independent film producer Veronica Nickel discusses powerful stories, influencing audiences and her segue into documentary filmmaking. Credits include: the 2021 documentary "InHospitable," Netflix Originals "First Match" and "Uncorked,” “A Kid Like Jake," "Stand Clear of the Closing Doors," "Dead Man's Burden," Wildflower" and "Moonlight," which won an Academy Award for Best Picture. Nickel was chosen to take part in the Sundance Institute Creative Producing Summit, LAFF Fast Track Lab, Tribeca All Access Lab and as a San Francisco Film Society fellow. While earning her MFA at Columbia University, she was awarded the Arthur Krim Award for excellence in producing. 

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Adam Glass is an executive producer, screenwriter and comic book writer. Writing and producing credits include “Supernatural,” “Cold Case,” “Criminal Minds” and “In from the Cold,” a new thriller on Netflix. As a comic writer, Glass wrote “Deadpool” and “Luke Cage” for Marvel Comics and "The New 52" phase of Suicide Squad in DC Comics.

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Isabel Dréan is an award-winning screenwriter, director, and producer who likes to explore human nature’s dualities of light and dark through psychologically intricate storytelling.

Raised by a single mother and now mother to two children herself, the theme of motherhood is an important and recurring one in her stories, with "Let Go" taking an uncompromising look at the devastating realities of losing a child. In general, Isabel is passionate about exploring female perspectives through thought-provoking narratives that cover various contemporary themes such as female revenge, #metoo, and women overcoming the impossible.

Her screenplay, "Rush of Blood to the Head "sees a woman escaping an abusive relationship via an unpredictable road trip, and in her Nicholl Fellowship quarter-finalist thriller, "The Wife of Frank B," she further investigates the harrowing effects of abuse through a boundary-pushing story exploring battered woman syndrome (BWS) with female empowerment at its core. 

Isabel’s expertise in handling darker themes has resulted in a prolific career as a writer and director of complex psychological horrors and thrillers. Her short film, "Let Go," which she both wrote and directed, won numerous awards including Best Short, Best Directing, and Best Cinematography at Los Angeles New Wave International Film Festival. Other award wins include Best Directing at HollyWeb Festival and Austin WebFest for her short format series, Manigances, about a famous novelist who employs a dinner party to orchestrate his own death. The series became one of the most-viewed online series in Canada and led to Isabel optioning the series to a major Hollywood studio.  

In response to the inescapable pandemic gloom, Isabel has felt compelled to tell lighter-hearted, uplifting stories under romcom, holiday, and coming-of-age umbrellas. For the latter, she developed unique narratives from her own personal experience, including her screenplay for "Love Letter to Laos," in which an adventurous woman settles in Laos to open the first bookshop after the communist era. Originally from Montreal, but a global wanderer at heart, Isabel’s love of travel has taken her beyond Laos to all corners of the world, immersing her in wonderfully diverse cultures that continue to influence and inspire her storytelling.

Breakthrough Entertainment & Vast Entertainment acquired FOUR of her scripts in the last twelve months. Two were produced and aired in 2021 and the others are all slated for production in 2022.

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After 25+ years in Film Acquisition at HBO, where she served as SVP of Film Programming and was responsible for the HBO Latino programming model, Doris Casap made a leap of faith and launched MOTHER FILMS as Founder/CEO, an independent production, sales and advisory company based in NYC. In her first year, Casap executive produced and sold (to Amazon and Peacock) “A Most Beautiful Thing," a documentary depicting the journey of the country’s first all-Black rowing team, a group of high schoolers from Chicago’s West Side. Her short film, "F^¢K '€M R!GHT B@¢K" starring rapper Ddm Ddm, was accepted into Sundance and won Best Comedy Film at the Aspen Shortsfest. She was also a consulting producer and sales distributor on “Surge,” a documentary sold to Showtime about the surge of female candidates in the 2018 Midterms and the triumphant victory of now-Representative Lauren Underwood, the youngest Black woman ever in Congress, with Executive Producers Alyssa Milano and Katie Couric. Diving into the horror genre, she executive produced “Red Pill,” written and directed by Tony Award winning actress, Tonya Pinkins, a political horror movie which premiered during the 2021 Pan African Film Festival in Feb/Mar 2021 and was released on multiple platforms, including iTunes, Prime Video and Direct TV, after receiving glowing coverage in a growing number of publications and platforms, running the gamut from Forbes to Black Girl Nerds. Tonya’s political horror film tells the story of a posse of progressives who ride into red country armed with idealism on the eve of the 2020 Election, when they should have brought heavy artillery. In addition to films, she oversaw the acquisition and commissioning of HBO Latino branded music programming. Awards for these programs include a Latin Grammy for Sony Music for music special “En Letra de Otro” with Pedro Capo, which led to a series of specials including “En Letra de Otro” with Farruko. Concerts included Carlos Santana, Gilberto Santa Rosa , Gente de Zona, Juanes, and many others. Along with being on the board of Almanack Screenwriters, Casap was most recently on the boards of the New York Urban League and El Museo del Barrio. Currently, she is an advisor to Second Act Women, Team TLC New York, and the upcoming Reading Rainbow Live. She has been an activist for the promotion of social justice and liberal causes, including the election of women, immigration and voting rights.  Looking at film as a throughline, she believes "comedy that moves culture through its humanity, and it’s culture that’s necessary to have been moved to make policy possible."

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With “The Batman” storming through theaters, Executive Producer Michael E. Uslan dives into the origins of the franchise, its monumental impact and Bruce Wayne's drive to defend humanity. Uslan, a legend in his own right by bringing the Caped Crusader to the screen, has executive produced every Batman-related movie since Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman” with Michael Keaton, up to Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” with Robert Pattinson. This includes "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Joker," along with animated favorites like "The Long Halloween" and "The Killing Joke." After buying the film rights with producing partner Benjamin Melniker in his twenties, a ten-year battle to make the franchise a reality reflects the determination of Batman himself. His incredible journey is detailed in "The Boy Who Loved Batman: A Memoir" and a follow-up, "Batman's Batman: A Memoir from Hollywood, Land of Bilk and Money."

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Neuroscience researcher, therapist, columnist, public speaker and Behavioral Therapeutics founder Marlowe Kaufmann M.Sc., tells her personal story and reveals the science and stigma behind mental health. In today's world with 450 million people struggling with addiction and mental health disorders worldwide, the topic is shrouded in stigma. She discusses this uneducated thinking and her comprehensive approach as a Behavioral Strategist. Gelmon is a University of British Columbia graduate, Keynote Speaker for CBC Radio and Global News, a Contributing Writer for "Today's Parent Magazine," the Director of Mental Health Education at Living Well Now, Behavioral Therapist at Behavioral Therapeutics Calgary, Capital Campaign Director for the Neurological Wellness Association and CEO/Founder of Neuro INSights.

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Twice Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning director/producer Mark Mori explores the documentary side of Hollywood. His harrowing, world-renowned films, "Building Bombs," "Kent State, The Day the War Came Home," "Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann," "The Atlanta Child Murders" and "Bettie Page Reveals All" have been both controversial and widely acclaimed. Earlier this year, his master catalog was released to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Music Box Films Home Entertainment libraries. Mori has also made documentaries for National Geographic, MTV, Discovery, Animal Planet, HBO, BBC, Fox TV and Turner Classic Movies. Future projects include: the COVID-19 social impact documentary "Blue Collar America" and "The Lost Print: The Making of Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons."

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Two-time Emmy award-winner, producer and “New York Times” bestselling author Phoef Sutton digs into the creative process onscreen and on the page. Some TV/film credits include: “Boston Legal,” “Cheers,” “Kevin Can Wait,” “Darrow and Darrow,” “Past Malice,” “Defiance,” “Rob,” “Valentine” and “The Soulman.” He also wrote the Tony Scott cult classic “The Fan” starring Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes, as well as “Mrs. Winterbourne” with Shirley MacLaine, Ricki Lake and Brendan Fraser. Novels include: “Heart Attack and Vine,” “Wicked Charms: A Lizzy and Diesel Novel,” “Curious Minds: A Knight and Moon Novel,” “From Away,” “Always Six O'clock,” “Fifteen Minutes to Live,” “Colorado Boulevard: A Crush Novel,” “Crush,” and “The Dead Man: Freaks Must Die - Slave to Evil - The Midnight Special.”

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Spiritual entrepreneur, human connection coach, Rabbi and “Showing up with Asher G” podcast host Asher Gottesman talks addiction-recovery and radical honesty. After losing a multi-million-dollar real estate business at the age of 33, Asher dedicated the rest of his career to helping others “restore wholeness” in their lives. Armed with a renewed sense of self, profound life experience and entrepreneurial passion, he founded Transcend in 2008, building an internationally recognized recovery community. Now sober twelve years and counting, he has counseled hundreds of men and women and built a renowned reputation, recognized by his three hallmark pillars of recovery: Accountability, Community, Unconditional Love.

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Genein Letford, M.Ed is a bestselling author, corporate trainer, podcaster, TED Talks speaker and the CEO of CAFFE Strategies. Now one of America's most popular and innovative keynote speakers, her mission is to reignite the creative flame in people of all ages. Books include "16 Diamond Tools of Creative Thinking," "From Debt to Destiny: Creating Financial Freedom from the Inside Out," "I am Creative!" and "The 7 Gems of Creativity." Letford joins "Inspired Minds" to explore neuroscience and the meaning behind Intercultural Creativity. 

Podcast | Inspired Minds (inspiredmindspodcast.com)

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