Executive Producer: TV, Films, and Podcasts at Texas Monthly

Megan Creydt is the executive producer for TV, film, and podcasts. She joined Texas Monthly in 2018 and previously worked at Grantland, MTV News, and New York Magazine. She is an executive producer on Max’s Love and Death and How to Create a Sex Scandal, Netflix’s Hit Man, and the upcoming Paramount+ series Land Man.

President at 26 Keys Productions

Over the past 25 years, Michael Garcia has been a Producer and Executive involved in a number of highly-acclaimed, award-winning television series. He has held roles as an Executive Producer, Network Executive and Studio Executive with both domestic and international experience. Prior to joining 26 Keys, Michael was the Vice President of Live Action Series at Lucasfilm Ltd. (starting in 2019), where he was in charge of developing and producing Star Wars content for Disney+ as well as documentary films and series. While at Lucasfilm, he was CoProducer on the series Star Wars: Andor and Co-Executive Producer on the documentary series Light & Magic. Prior to joining Lucasfilm, he was the Chief Creative Officer for Televisa USA and Vice President of Drama series at HBO Network. While at HBO, he was involved as an Executive on numerous drama series including The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire, Deadwood, Carnivale, Big Love, and True Blood. Michael is a graduate of Yale University with a BA in Economics.

Senior Writer at Brass Lion Entertainment

Evan Narcisse is the Senior Writer at Brass Lion Entertainment. He's worked as a screenwriter, producer, and narrative design consultant in video games, comic books, film, and TV, often focusing on the intersection of blackness and pop culture. As a journalist and critic, he wrote for The Atlantic, Time Magazine, Kotaku, and The New York Times, in addition to teaching game journalism at New York University and appearances as an expert guest on CNN and NPR. He's also the author of the Rise of the Black Panther graphic novel, Marvel's Black Panther: Wakanda Atlas, and The New Day: Power of Positivity. As a narrative design consultant, he's worked on Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Redfall, Marvel's Avengers, Gotham Knights, and the award-winning Dot's Home. He also served as story producer on the HBO Max documentary Milestone Generations, documenting the rise, fall, and rebirth of the groundbreaking black-owned comics company Milestone Media. A native New Yorker, he now lives in Austin, Texas.

Chief Content Officer at Austin PBS

As Chief Content Officer for Austin PBS, Sara is responsible for strategic planning and execution of station-produced content, overseeing acquisition and programming across linear and digital channels, and is the executive in charge of production for Austin City Limits. In her tenure, she helped turn the station into Texas' largest producing PBS station and implemented a digital-first production strategy. Multidisciplinary projects created by Sara include BBQ with Franklin, the first TV series to be distributed by PBS that originally began on YouTube, and Considering Matthew Shepard, a national public television special and community engagement campaign that examines how art can address issues of acceptance, compassion and bullying. Sara is an active volunteer and is Chair of the Board of Directors, CLOVES Syndrome Community. Before coming to public media, she worked in broadcast news and received her journalism degree from the University of Georgia.

President, Texas Crew Productions

Chip Rives was practically born at the Houston Astrodome. It was also there, in this multi-colored national treasure, where his passion for sports – and storytelling – truly emerged. And, unfortunately, it’s also where, as a kid he learned that if he wanted to be involved in sports, it wasn’t gonna be on the field. So he began writing. In 2015, his life came full circle when he produced MLB Network’s 8th Wonder of the World – a documentary honoring 50 years of Houston’s iconic Astrodome. He’s won Eight Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and an NACCP award. His numerous broadcast documentary credits include ESPN 30 for 30’s Brian and the Boz, and Phi Slama Jama, FOX Sports’ If You Build It, History’s Alcatraz: Search for the Truth, Discovery’s Ghosts of Bataan, CBS Sports’ History in the Astrodome, Paramount Plus’ 1883: The Road West and History’s The 44th President: In His Own Words. He also produced and wrote the critically acclaimed Jazz documentary film, Chops<.em>. His latest productions include AXS TV’s Music’s Greatest Mysteries, Peacock’s The Myth of the Zodiac Killer, NBC Sports’ Ironman World Championships, NFL Network’s Football Town and Travel Channel’s Strange World.

CEO at Red Productions

Red Sanders started his first successful entertainment company at the ripe age of 14. Since then, he has combined his entrepreneurial spirit, media expertise, and love of visual storytelling to create one of the premier media companies in DFW. In 2015, Red worked with the Fort Worth Chamber, Visit Fort Worth, and Mayor Price to found the first ever Fort Worth Film Commission. Its goal is to promote Fort Worth to outside filmmakers to come and tell stories and create jobs here, as well as be a beacon for the locally based creative class. Red chairs the Lone Star Film Society Board and is a Texas Media Production Alliance board member representing producers across the state. Red is married to Jenny Sanders and together they have three young children, Hank, Eloise and Owen with whom they love exploring the world.

President at Minnow Mountain

Steph Swope boasts a remarkable 25-year career in the independent film industry, earning recognition as an award-winning producer of animated series and feature films. Steph’s no-nonsense authenticity and a supernatural analytical ability has laid the foundation for Minnow Mountain’s success. Minnow Mountain LLC is an animation studio specializing in performance capture rotoscope character animation. Founded in 2012 by industry veterans Craig Staggs and Steph Swope, we are located in Austin, Texas.

Director at Texas Film Commission

Stephanie Whallon received her MFA in film production from the Columbia University School of the Arts Graduate Film Program with a concentration in screenwriting. After graduating, she worked in film production finance for companies located in New York, Los Angeles, and all over the world. While in Los Angeles she worked for Warner Bros and Clint Eastwood’s company, Malpaso Productions on films including Flags of Our Fathers, Nights in Rodanthe, Changeling, Gran Torino and as a visual effects accountant on The Dark Knight. Stephanie has served as Director of the Texas Film Commission since 2018. Having been at the Commission nearly 14 years, she previously served as Manager of the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program. In her spare time, she can be found collecting way too many books and volunteering her time to teach writing for veteran’s programs.

General Manager at The Roost Podcast Network

A.J. Feliciano is the General Manager of The Roost Podcast Network (a division of Night Media). Since its inception eight years ago under Rooster Teeth/Warner Bros Discovery, The Roost has positioned itself as an industry thought leader and podcast home to some of the biggest YouTubers and Twitch streamers on the planet. Prior to developing The Roost over the last seven years, Feliciano earned his stripes at NBCUniversal as an unscripted development executive overseeing various hit series before later cutting his teeth in the gaming start-up world. His ultimate interest is the continued development of the media scene in his home of Austin, Texas. Feliciano holds a dual concentration MBA in Marketing and Communications/Media Management from Fordham Gabelli School of Business and a BA in Journalism & Media Studies from Rutgers University.

Head of Film and Creative Media at Austin Film Society

Holly Herrick is Head of Film and Creative Media at the Austin Film Society (AFS), where she has played a key leadership role in the expansion of AFS’s film exhibition and filmmaker support programs since 2012, including overseeing over $1M in grant funds for Texas-based independent filmmakers. Herrick has led the program for the Texas Film Awards since 2013. On behalf of AFS, Herrick has contributed as a co-programmer for several international series dedicated to AFS’s unique history, including retrospectives at the 2018 Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic and at the Centre Pompidou in Paris (as part of their 2019 Richard Linklater exhibit), and a special section of the Premiers Plans Festival in Angers, France. Herrick got her start at the Sarasota Film Festival in Sarasota, Florida, where she served for six years as Programmer and then Director of Programming. She went on to be Programmer and Deputy Programs Director at the Hamptons International Film Festival in New York from 2008-2012. She has served on the producing team of several independent films, including selections of Sundance and SXSW.

Senior Film & TV Festival Program Manager at SXSW

Francis Román (she/they) is a second-generation Ecuadorian-American director, writer, and producer. She is SXSW's Senior Film & TV Festival Programming Manager and leads their Shorts Programming curation. Her experience has led her to serve as a jury member and panelist for various film festivals. As a creative, she co-founded The Direct Line production company. She also co-hosts and produces How to Texas, a podcast spotlighting crew in the Texas film industry. Making art with friends and watching films brings her immense joy, and she would love to do it forever.

Senior VP, Acquisitions and Global Content Planning at Crunchyroll

Adam Zehner has managed Funimation/Crunchyroll’s Japanese partnerships since 2005. As head of Acquisitions, Adam has licensed more than 2,000 titles, including such hits as Attack on Titan, Your Name, My Hero Academia, One Piece, Tokyo Ghoul, Fairy Tail and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Adam is a passionate advocate for the power of Japanese creators and works to ensure their stories translate to the local audiences Funimation serves. Adam’s primary responsibility is ensuring a strong pipeline of content for Crunchyroll’s growing membership. Adam previously established Funimation’s co-production foundation with Japanese studios and ran the consumer products group at Funimation. In his spare time, Adam manages and MC’s for a top 5 Global Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist from Japan (as crowned at Graceland in 2023).

After graduating from the University of Texas, where he received degrees in Asian Studies, Acting, and Playwriting, Adam spent 6 years living in the Tohoku region of Japan.

Director of Brand Experience at Magnolia

Jordy Barksdale serves as the Director of Brand Experience for Magnolia, where he focuses on creating a consistent and world-class experience across all of their guest-facing business units in Waco, TX. After graduating from LSU, Jordy completed an internship at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, NC. He is passionate about establishing healthy company culture and strategically creating a memorable visit for traveling guests. He joined the Magnolia family in 2016 and has seen, firsthand, the hard and thrilling parts of a brand that has gained an international audience and draws over 1 million guests a year to downtown Waco.

Strategic Advisor, Media & Entertainment

Lisa Hickey has 25 years of experience in marketing, idea development, growth strategy, and operations management of large-scale festivals, events, and organizations, including Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Music Festival. Out of a love for design and bringing people together, she co-founded Panacea Collective in 2015, a 360-degree event production and experiential design firm. Prior to creating Panacea Collective, Ms. Hickey served as Festival Marketing Director with C3 Presents in Austin, TX, developing and growing brands such as Austin City Limits Music Festival, Lollapalooza, Austin Food & Wine Festival, and Wanderlust Yoga & Music Festival. She is also the Co-founder of Do312, a Chicago based media property focused on helping a culture-forward audience find concerts and events. Ms. Hickey is active in the Austin community, and currently serves as Board President of Austin Film Society.

CEO at MTG

Iconic promoter Louis Messina was born to do stadium tours. Born and raised in New Orleans, the co-founder of PACE Concerts and multiple POLLSTAR, CMA and ACM Promoter of the Year award winner has been bringing live music to the people who love it since he was a high school student promoting local shows. Since then, the man who created Ozzfest with Sharon Osborne, Texxas Jam and Van Halen’s Monsters of Rock, as well as Fleetwood Mac’s Reunion Tour, has become synonymous with promoting stadium-sized headliners. George Strait, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Kenny Chesney, as well as major arena headliners the Lumineers, Eric Church, Shawn Mendes, Blake Shelton and Old Dominion trust their road life to the Messina Touring Group. Messina is known for special events and record-setting stadium concerts such as the Jimmy Buffett – George Strait – Alan Jackson triple headliner at Texas Stadium and the opening event at Cowboys Stadium featuring George Strait. Swift’s recent Eras Tour is the highest-grossing tour ever, breaking attendance records at multiple stadiums.

Executive Director at Austin Film Festival

Barbara Morgan serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Austin Film Festival. Since co-founding the organization in 1993, she has shepherded the festival from a weekend of films and panels into a week-long celebration of storytelling through film, television, and other emerging forms of narrative media. Known as the prominent festival that champions screenwriters and media creators, the Festival also boasts over a dozen internationally acclaimed film and screenplay competitions, diverse youth education programs, and a sprawling calendar of year-round events. Leveraging the vast amount of footage recorded at these events since its inception, Morgan created the festivals On Story Project in 2009, and serves as the project’s Executive Producer. A conglomerate of mainly digital resources, On Story includes a television show (available on PBS affiliated stations nationwide), radio show (distributed by PRI and NPR affiliated stations), podcast series, a three-part book series (published in partnership with UT press), and extensive public archive, making the Festival experience free and open to the public at large. She has received 2 Lone Star Emmy’s for On Story episodes, "Breaking Bad": A Conversation with Vince Gilligan and for the Season 8 episode Script to Screen: "Arrival" in 2018. Morgan is also an independent film producer, whose films have included Natural Selection, Antone’s: Home of the Blues, Portrait of Wally, and Spring Eddy. She serves on a number of boards, including Dell Children’s Blood and Cancer Center, and The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University.

Associate Professor of Practice at UT Austin

Micah Barber is an emerging director from Austin, Texas. He has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for his directing (Student Academy Award Finalist, 2012) and screenwriting (Nicholl Fellowship Semifinalist, 2014). The imagination and sense of joy and wonder displayed in Micah's short films attracted the attention of Terrence Malick's wife, Alexandra, who asked to produce Into The Who Knows!, his first feature film. It has been called “A stellar (and rare) indie family film”, winning several screenplay prizes and a “Best Family Film” distinction during its run at festivals across the country. In 2018 the Utah Film Center invited Into The Who Knows! to be the opening night movie of their premiere kids festival, Tumbleweeds. Micah is developing several projects for kids and imaginative adults. His style is joyful and complex, often featuring vulnerable coming-of-age heroes, and with a nod to Hayao Miyazaki, Jim Henson, and 1980s classics. Before making his own features, Micah (a former musician himself ) assisted producer Fred Miller in the development and production of the family movie ANGELS SING, starring Harry Connick Jr., Willie Nelson, Connie Britton, Kris Kristofferson, and a host of Austin music legends.

Associate Chair, Department of Radio-Television-Film and Associate Professor at UT Austin

In addition to serving as an Associate Professor in the Radio-Television-Film Department at The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Frick is the founder of the award-winning Texas Archive of the Moving Image, an organization devoted to the discovery and preservation of media related to the state. TAMI’s partners with the Office of the Governor's Texas Film Commission to stream thousands of newly discovered historical films and video as well as to create related educational plans and programs. Prior to her work in Texas, Dr. Frick worked in film preservation at Warner Bros., the Library of Congress, and the National Archives in Washington, D.C. She also programmed films for the American Movie Classics cable channel in New York and served for four years as the President of the Board for the Association of Moving Image Archivists. She currently serves as the co-chair for the "Channel US Project," a television preservation initiative supported by AMIA and the National Film Preservation Board. Her book, Saving Cinema, was published by Oxford University Press.

Chair, Department of Radio-Television-Film and Professor of Screenwriting at UT Austin

Cindy McCreery was a Walt Disney/ABC Feature Writing Fellow and has since sold feature projects to New Line Cinema, Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, National Geographic Films, Warner Brothers, MGM, Branded Entertainment, and Lionsgate. She also writes for television and has sold projects to SyFy Channel, Disney Channel, NBC, TNT, Televisa USA, Universal Television, and AMC’s Shudder. Cindy has been teaching screenwriting and television writing since 2004 at UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, and is the Chair for the Department of Radio-Television-Film at The University of Texas at Austin.

Cindy recently wrote and produced a feature film, I’ll Be There, directed and co-produced by RTF colleague Andrew Shea and starring Jasmine Batchelor and Ryan Cooper. The film premiered at the Austin Film Festival, where it won an Audience Award, and is being distributed by Buffalo8. It is scheduled to stream on Amazon, Apple, and other services beginning in November of 2024.

Professor of Practice at UT Austin

A proven creator, operator, and strategist in both traditional and new media, Levin has been instrumental in launching and managing numerous entertainment franchises as an enterprising network and studio executive, Emmy-award winning producer, director, and digital entrepreneur. With an academic background as an adjunct professor and guest lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Southern California, Levin transitioned into a full-time role as a Professor of Practice in the RTF department at the University of Texas at Austin’s Moody College of Communication in 2024, teaching courses in production and media industry studies, while tasked with building a new minor in Sports Production and Broadcasting. Previously, Levin was General Manager of the Warner Bros. Discovery subsidiary, Rooster Teeth, a dynamic media and entertainment company based in Austin, Texas. Before joining Rooster Teeth, Levin served as the CEO of Awesomeness, a multiplatform media company and premier entertainment brand serving the global Gen-Z audience. Formerly, Levin spent two years serving as the NFL’s first Chief Content Officer, overseeing the league’s content portfolio across the NFL Network. Earlier, Levin joined The WB Television Network (now The CW) in 1994 as part of its founding executive team where he spent a decade helping to launch, build and brand America’s most successful broadcast network targeting young adult audiences through hit programs like Dawson’s Creek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Felicity, Smallville, Gilmore Girls, Charmed, 7th Heaven, and One Tree Hill, amongst others.

RTF Audio Area Head, Assistant Professor of Practice at UT Austin

Emmy-winning sound editor, Korey Pereira is an Assistant Professor of Practice and Audio Area Head in the Radio-Television-Film department at UT Austin. He is the founder of Soularity Sound, a post-production sound company based in Austin, Texas. He also works with Soundcrafter and a number of other Austin and LA-based crews as a Dialogue Editor, Foley Mixer or Supervising Sound Editor. In 2020, he upgraded his studio to support Dolby Atmos mixing and has expanded into 360 spatial audio for VR and Atmos mixing for video games. He started the now recurring Tech Corner column for Wavelength (the MPSE quarterly magazine) and regularly contributes to ProSoundEffects.com and Production Expert. Korey is an active member of the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences and in 2021 he was elected to the Motion Picture Sound Editors' Board of Directors. Korey was awarded a 2022 Primetime Emmy and a 2023 Golden Reel for his sound editing work on Stranger Things Season 4 as well as a Golden Reel for his work on Prey. Other credits include films from both Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez, as well as television series such as Shipping Wars, Law & Order, My 600-lb Life, and Fixer Upper: Welcome Home.