Advisory Board

Assistant Vice President at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith Inc.

Thomas Armstrong is a financial advisor based out of Birmingham, Alabama, who has 33 years of work experience. Armstrong currently works as the Assistant Vice President at Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Smith Inc.

Owner of Juniper Street Productions

Founded in 1998, Juniper Street Productions has become an industry leader in providing production management for Broadway, across North America, and internationally. Juniper Street has strong ties within the theatre community in New York.

CEO and co-founder of NBTV Studios

Established in NYC in 2008, NBTV is a booming global media and interactive studio that creates innovative, multi-platform, media experiences on television, film, web and mobile for industry heavyweights such as NBC Universal, Coke, Walmart, Warner Music, and Johnson and Johnson. NBTV innovative shoppable channels include Spirits Networks and the Golf Nation.

President and Co-Founder of PRG Productions
PRG Scenic Technologies

Fred holds patents for theatrical equipment he designed and frequently serves as a consultant on the engineering of theatrical rigging systems for theatres worldwide. Over the last decade, he has designed the renovation of over 135 theatres to enable them to present large and technically sophisticated productions. In 2020 he was awarded at the Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre.

Tony-nominated Broadway Producer

Lucas Katler develops innovative projects across Theater and Film. Current Broadway credits: the critically acclaimed immersive musical Here Lies Love by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim and the revival of Stephen Sondheim's beloved Merrily We Roll Alongstarring Daniel Radcliffe and Jonathan Groff. Past Broadway credits: the most Tony-nominated play in Broadway history, Slave Play (Tony Nomination), and POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, which won the BroadwayWorld Audience Pick for Best Play of 2022. Lucas also produced the Robert O’Hara-directed Off Broadway (NYT Critic's Pick) for Broadstream alongside playwright Jeremy O. Harris and has produced a number of sketch comedy shows around NYC. Lucas has worked for Theater Agent Susan Weaving at WME, as Associate Producer to the Tony Award-Winning Barbara Whitman (Fun Home, A Strange Loop), and across all departments for Scott Rudin. Lucas completed the Commercial Theater Institute's 14-Week Producing intensive workshop, and he is a proud alumnus of Dartmouth College.

Influencers, Founder, Chief Scientist, Author

Jon Levy is a behavioral scientist best known for his work in influence, human connection, and adventure. He is the author of the upcoming book, You're Invited: The Art and Science of Cultivating Influence and previously, The 2 AM Principle: Discover the Science of Adventure.

Artistic Director and CEO, Berkshire Theater Group

Berkshire Theater Group’s mission is to support wide-ranging artistic exploration and acclaimed performances in theatre, dance, music and entertainment. Berkshire Theatre Group’s celebrated four stages reflect the history of the American theatre; they represent a priceless cultural resource for the community. Our vision is to be a center for creative work that enriches, educates, invigorates, transforms, and strengthens our community for the better.

Architect, producer, filmmaker; Founder, Merchant Aviation

Originally from Mumbai, India, and now Kiran lives and works in NYC for past 30+ years. He is an architect and a filmmaker trained in NY. Kiran's credits as a Director/Producer/Actor spans over 35 years in Film, Television, Advertising and Theater in the US, UK and India. Kiran recently co-wrote, directed and produced a feature film 'QuarterLife Crisis' a quirky romantic comedy about singles dating scene in New York City, Quarterlife Crisis was released worldwide in 2007 and has been sold in more than 25 countries around the world and on Showtime, Netflix and Amazon in the U.S. Among his many acting credits include popular TV shows like Sinner, Law and Order and acclaimed films like 200 Cigarettes and Trust The Man. He is an alumnus of the prestigious Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab of New York.

Tony Award Winning Choreographer and Theatre Director

Among his many credits, Jerry Mitchell directed and choreographed the Broadway musical Kinky Boots. He won the Tony Award for Best Choreography and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. He is the director of the new musical On Your Feet!, about the lives of Gloria and Emilio Estefan.

Tony Award Winning Producer

Christina's theater credits include the 6-time Tony Award-winning and Olivier Award-winning Best Musical Kinky Boots with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper (Broadway, US Tour, London's West End, Australia, Toronto, South Korea and Japan), the Tony-winning play War Horse, the 2012 Broadway revival of the beloved musical Annie, and the off-Broadway hit Here Lies Love with music and lyrics by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim.

Select film credits include Lee Daniels' The Butler (starring Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Jane Fonda, Robin Williams, and Lenny Kravitz), Rebel in the Rye (starring Nicholas Hoult and Kevin Spacey), Worth (starring Michael Keaton, Stanley Tucci and Amy Ryan), and the upcoming Whitney Houston biopic, I Wanna Dance with Somebody.

Director of Programming at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club

Nicky Paraiso is an actor, musician, writer, performance artist and curator. He has been Director of Programming for The Club at La MaMa since 2001, and is responsible for its surge of theater, performance, dance and cabaret programming. He is also Curator for the annual La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival, celebrating its eleventh season in May 2016. Nicky is a graduate of Oberlin College/Conservatory and holds an M.F.A. from New York University's Graduate Acting Program.

Author and Vice President at Scholastic, Inc.

Andrea Davis Pinkney is the author of numerous books for children and young adults, including picture books, novels, works of historical fiction and nonfiction who writes about African-American culture.

Producer, Director-Film and Television

Michael Pitt is a 37-year veteran of Film and Television Production, and a 27-year veteran of the Directors Guild of America. He came up as an Assistant Director, working on films such as Hitch, The Devil Wears Prada, and Michael Clayton, and television shows such as 30 Rock, Sex and the City, and Person of Interest. His UPM credits include Ocean’s 8, The Wrong Missy, and The Gilded Age on HBO. Currently he is in production on a show for NBC Universal called Hysteria!

EVP, General Counsel and Head of Business Affairs at Crown Media

Prior to joining Crown media he was EVP, Distribution Sales & Strategy AMC Networks General. Jonathan also served as Manager of Content Acquisitions and Operations at Discovery Inc, where he oversaw 18 different lifestyle networks and managed 11 different brands. Jonathan graduated from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public and International Affairs.

Editor-in-Chief, Town and Country Magazine

Volandes is a jewelry expert, and the author of Jeweler: Masters and Mavericks of Modern Design (Rizzoli). She joined Town & Country in 2011 as jewelry and accessories director and was named style director in 2012, a role that gave her a significant hand in developing the magazine’s journalistic range and stable of contributors. Previously, she had been style editor of Departures from 2007 to 2011, having held increasingly senior roles there since 2003. She began her editorial career at Vogue. Volandes is a graduate of Vassar College, with a Master’s degree in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University.