Clockwise from left: NYWIFT Board President Kim Jackson, and Board Members Toni Isreal, Okema T. Moore, Audrey Rosenberg, and Sibyl Reymundo-Santiago
NYWIFT Announces New Board President Kim Jackson
Jackson is joined by several new and returning faces serving on the non-profit’s dynamic leadership team for 2024-2025
New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) is pleased to announce the appointment of its new Board of Directors President Kim Jackson. Jackson is a celebrated producer and creative as well as a pioneer in entertainment blockchain funding, development, and rights management. She is co-founder of the entertainment studio Evotion Media. Her work has received Gotham, Spirit, and NAACP Award nominations as well as the Grand Prize at the Deauville Film Festival. One of the films Ms. Jackson produced was selected for opening night at New Directors/New Films at MoMA. Her films have been featured in competition at Rotterdam, Sundance, and Cannes. Jackson is a member of the PGA and Producers Union. Jackson will attend upcoming NYWIFT events in the coming weeks at both the Hamptons International and Woodstock Film Festivals and looks forward to further engaging with the community.
“The legacy of NYWIFT speaks for itself and to be chosen as chair of the board is truly an honor. As the board chair I look forward to continuing to work with the stellar team under the outstanding leadership of CEO Cynthia Lopez. In the months to come, together we strive to surpass our goals in supporting women in entertainment by building strong and resilient partnerships in our community and beyond,” said NYWIFT Board President Kim Jackson.
Jackson succeeds former NYWIFT Board President Leslie Fields-Cruz, the Executive Director of Black Public Media, the nation’s only nonprofit solely dedicated to the development of nonfiction Black content for distribution on public media. Under her leadership, BPM has cultivated new partnerships, diversified revenues, and initiated vital new programs (360 Incubator+, PitchBLACK Forum & Awards, BPMplus, and the Black Media Story Summit) that support Black talent and content development. Fields-Cruz will now serve as chair for NYWIFT’s President’s Circle, comprised of distinguished board alumni.
NYWIFT is also pleased to announce the results of its 2024 Board of Directors elections. As a non-profit 501c3 public charity, NYWIFT is governed by a board of directors elected by the membership. Board members serve on committees in the areas of Development, Special Events, and Advocacy and Education. Five spots on the board have been filled, with one new member and four returning members.
New Board Member:
NYWIFT Board Member Toni R. Israel
Toni R. Isreal: Toni R. Isreal is the Founder of REALEMN Productions, Broadway and Touring with a focus on partnerships, marketing, PR, and producing, with clients including hit musicals Hadestown and MJ The Musical. Isreal recently launched REALEMN Enterprises that aligns REALEMN’s partnerships across theatre, television, film, and music. Isreal is a co-founder of The Industry Standard Group (TISG), a Broadway League Associate Member, and an awardee of the Central New Jersey Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women for Excellence in Economic Empowerment.
Returning Board Members:
Kim Jackson: NYWIFT Board President Kim Jackson is a celebrated producer and creative as well as a pioneer in entertainment blockchain funding, development, and rights management. She is co-founder of the entertainment studio Evotion Media. Her work has received Gotham, Spirit, and NAACP Award nominations as well as the Grand Prize at the Deauville Film Festival. One of the films Ms. Jackson produced was selected for opening night at New Directors/New Films at MoMA. Her films have been featured in competition at Rotterdam, Sundance, and Cannes. Jackson is a member of the PGA and Producers Union.
Okema T. Moore: Okema T. Moore is an Emmy Nominated, award-winning, PGA producer and rising director. She has created unscripted and branded content for Lifetime, Netflix, and Disney/Marvel. Some of that content includes the break out hit Down in the Valley on STARZ, Beat Bobby Flayand The Kitchen on Food Network, Oprah’s Color of Care, and Founding In Color Season 2 on Peacock. Her latest scripted project, Chocolate with Sprinkles, is Oscar Qualified after winning the HBO Short Film competition at ABFF. She also serves on the board of the Black TV & Film Collective, and is a member of SAG-AFTRA, AEA and the NY Chapter of the Academy.
Audrey Rosenberg: Audrey Rosenberg is a Peabody Award-winning, Emmy-nominated filmmaker known for her ability to cultivate talent, develop material and champion projects with a social impact focus. She is now expanding into writing and directing in both the documentary and narrative space. Recent credits include serving as lead producer and co-writer on the acclaimed HBO Original documentary, Katrina Babies, and producing the award-winning, Cannes premiering film, Bull. As an executive producer, recent credits include the Coodie&Chike helmed Soul Cityand the highly acclaimed 2024 release of Sandi Dubowski’s Sabbath Queen. Audrey’s upcoming work involves collaborations with partners such as Killer Films, Sharon Stone, Dominique Morriseau, Oliver Stone, Radical Media, and One Community.
Sibyl Reymundo-Santiago: With over three decades of experience in film, television, and stage production across the US & Asia, Sibyl Reymundo-Santiago has cemented her influence in the industry. As President of Sitting Cat Productions, she has produced notable films, including the feature “SAM” with Executive Producer Mel Brooks, and “FOLLOW HER” by award-winning director Sylvia Caminer. Currently, she serves as Executive Director & Head of Programming for the SOHO International Film Festival, marking her 14th year in these roles.
“We are thrilled to have this accomplished roster of women on the NYWIFT Board of Directors, guiding our organization into this dynamic new chapter in the history of the media industry. And with the indomitable creative spirit Kim Jackson at the helm, we have an exciting future in store,” said NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez.
Yvonne Russo (left) and Gretchen McGowan
Yvonne Russo will depart the NYWIFT Board of Directors after completing her second consecutive term. During her time on the Board, Russo helped spearhead NYWIFT’s partnership with the Royal Film Commission – Jordan (RFC), “Hakayaha: Jordanian Women’s Cinematic Vision of Heartland,” an inaugural mentoring program elevating the voices of Jordanian filmmakers. Russo was one of several mentors to work with the Jordanian filmmakers both via Zoom and in-person in Jordan to produce the four-part docuseires Women of the Land about female farmers in the Jordanian Valley Region facing life-threatening climate change challenges. Russo’s own documentary VIVA VERDI!, which she directed, wrote, and produced, will premiere later this month at the Woodstock Film Festival. The film is an intimate glimpse into the lives of the celebrated opera singers and musicians currently living our their ‘third act’ while mentoring international music students who live among them at Milan’s unique retirement home, Casa Verdi, built by Verdi in 1896. VIVA VERDI is also produced by NYWIFT member Christine La Monte and Executive Produced by Past NYWIFT President Simone Pero. Russo also directed, produced and executive produced the series Ring of Fire: The Life of Annie Mae Aquash (tentative title), soon to be released on Hulu. The series examines the extraordinary life and unravels the decades-old mystery behind the murder of Annie Mae Aquash. A Mi’kmaq woman from Nova Scotia, Canada, who fought for Indigenous rights and whose death went unsolved for almost 30 years, becoming one of Indian Country’s most infamous cases. Set between the sweeping landscape of American politics in the volatile 1970s and the present‐day quest for answers lead by Annie Mae’s daughter, this is a story of murder, intrigue, love and betrayal that contextualizes Annie Mae’s case within the current day epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
Also notable among recent NYWIFT Board Member accomplishments is the forthcoming release of Board Treasurer Gretchen McGowan’s memoir, Flying In – My Adventures in Filmmaking, which will be released by Post Hill Press on October 29. It’s the grit and glam of 1990s New York City—a heyday for independent movies. Wall Street throws money at indie films and big stars flock to them for prestige. Everyone wants to be a producer. Eyewitness to it all is Gretchen McGowan, a budding producer, here to relay her often humorous and absurd stories from the inside out. From the scrappy freelance work on location in Vietnam, Costa Rica, Spain, and Buffalo in the ’90s to the seasoned studio executive jobs in Jordan, Germany, and New York City in the ’00s, Flying In is a ride-along from script discovery through premiere night. Follow McGowan as she produces films with directors like Jim Jarmusch, Brian De Palma, Mary Harron, and James Ivory with the gamut of stars from Mickey Rourke and Shelley Winters to Cate Blanchett and the Wu Tang Clan. McGowan is an award-winning producer and the currently the Head of Production at Goldcrest Features.
Learn more about the NYWIFT Board of Directors at nywift.org/about/board-of-directors.
