WHO’S INVOLVED
2024 Mentors
Mike Palma — videographer and digital media strategist and owner of Palma Productions, back to defend his 2023 title as winning mentor of team, The Reelist’s.
Brian Reed — Chief Storyteller at the Villages of Citrus Hills- 20 years of experience in all aspects of video production and post production. Expertise in non-linear editing and inventive storytelling.
Sullivan Hogan — Director of Video Communications for the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership and a returning inaugural 2023 mentor.
Dave Miller — photographer and videographer and co-owner of Maven Photo and Film. Dave is also an FAA licensed drone pilot.
Meagan Gumpert — photographer and videographer and co-owner of Maven Photo and Film, a visual storyteller.
Tommy Cuevas — photographer and videographer and owner of TC Ocala Photo and TC 365 Consulting. Tommy is a digital transformation expert and a solution architect.
Brody Barcode — filmmaker, music composer, actor and journalist and owner of Nuff Said Entertainment. Full Sail graduate of Digital Cinematography and completing a Masters in Business Entertainment.
2024 Workshop Leaders
Teambuilding
RJ Jenkins — Director of Education at the Columbia University Center for Veteran Transition & Integration |Educator | Capacity Builder | Impostor | Speaker | Veterans Advocate.
Rashad Jones — Master of ‘Cue S3 BBQ Brawl, Food Network Celebrity Chef, Host- “Eat, Sleep BB”, owner Big Lee’s BBQ, Host of Guys Big Project, motivational speaker, and life skills mentoring for youth.
Wendy Makkena — Accomplished actress and entrepreneur with a diverse background in film, television, theatre, and the arts. She is a classically trained Julliard harpist, plays R&B guitar, danced with Balanchine’s New York City ballet and founded a successful startup.
Storytelling
Micki Rios — Screenwriter
Hailing from California, Micki got her start in the world of entertainment as a fire dancer in the circus before entering film and television. She performed on camera in stunt, day-player and ensemble roles in such productions as CW’s The Outpost, United Artist’s The Wolf of Snow Hollow, and Paramount’s Yellowstone, to name a few. She possesses an MFA in Screenwriting from the Academy of Art University, and mentored under Oscar winning producer Jana Memel for four years. She is the recipient of the Best Screenplay award in San Francisco’s NxtUp Film Festival in 2023, and currently has a TV Pilot as an official selection in the Austin Spotlight Festival.
Cinematography
Grace Colley — Filmmaker, editor, photographer, coach and owner of Grace Colley Photography. Grace is from Ocala, attended Vanguard High School and was part of the first class to attend STN ( Student Television Network) and win! and went on to attend Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts, where she was one of only 15 students accepted into the prestigious program, specializing in Cinematography. After graduating, she worked as an in-house photographer for an e-commerce company and later as a videographer and editor for a digital ad agency in Nashville.
Lighting & Audio
TJ Ready —
Experienced videographer and Operations Manager at Dillon Media Group and Dillon Video and Photo. His interest in video production began during his time at Vanguard High School under the tutelage of Marc Rice. During his time at Vanguard, TJ competed in the 2009 STN sweet 16 competitions, placing fourth in the nation. TJ was a multiple time winner of the Marion County Student Media Festivals. He graduated in 2010 and began part time with Jeff at Dillon Video and Photo.
He went to College of Central Florida and received his business degree, while studying interactive media at Santa Fe University. He worked for six years for the Marion County parks department and then returned to his passion in the video industry. In the 6 years since he has been back he has won 3 national Telly awards for video production with local branding videos he has produced.
Editing
Eddie Dixon — Video Branding strategist, content creator photographer and filmmaker. He is currently working for Dillon Media as an editor and cinematographer. And that he was born and raised in Ocala.
Directing
Wendy Makkena — taught at the Manhattan Film Institute for 12 years alongside Tony Goldwyn, Joe Pantaliano, and Tony Spiridakis. A master at demystifying the entire process, she loves to thread the needle through the maze of production and teach directors how to communicate successfully with their actors and crew.
Special Guests
As an actor, Wendy is widely known for her work on stage film and television.
As a teacher, Wendy has taught on camera and audition classes at One On One studios, Terry Schreiber Studios, as well as directing and teaching in the UK. Wendy also coaches privately on zoom, on- set, and coaches non actors hone their public speaking skills and is a motivational speaker.
For twelve years Wendy worked alongside Tony Goldwyn, Joe Pantaliano, Chazz Palemtieri Bob Krakower and Tony Spiridakis at The Manhattan Film Institute where actors directors writers and filmmakers come together to shoot 26 professionally shot short films in six days. A master at demystifying the entire process while making it fun, Wendy loves to thread the needle through the maze of production. She teaches actors how to get to the crux of the character and script in the blink of an eye and to successfuly communicate with their director; She teaches directors how to communicate successfully with their actors and the crew.
The goal: relax, have fun, be nice stay fluid so the story can come to life.
Bio — Known for her tremendous range and the ability to disappear into her roles, Ms. Makkena is an accomplished actress and entrepreneur with a diverse background in film, television, theatre, and the arts, Ms. Makkena is also a classically trained Juilliard harpist, performing at Carnegie Hall. She also plays R&B guitar, danced for six years with Balanchine’s New York City Ballet, and is the founder of a successful startup
Feature films — Ms. Makkena most recently starred as Debra Jackie in It’s a Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood opposite Tom Hanks and Matthew Reis. Other film roles include Maggie, in The Discovery with Rooney Mara and Robert Redford, Beverly, in Tomorrow Man with John Lithgow, British real estate agent Maggie in Fair Market Value( Best Ensemble Award Bentonville Film Festival,) State of Play as Ben Affleck’s erstwhile assistant Greer Thornton. Leading film roles include Finding North, Camp Nowhere, Noise, Air Bud and John Sayle’s Eight Men Out. Wendy is perhaps best known for her role of shy novice sister Mary Robert in Sister Act, Sister Act 2 and the much anticipated Sister Act 3
Television — Wendy was most recently seen as anchor Debra Massey on Paramount Plus’ “Rabbit Hole” opposite Kiefer Sutherland.
Lead roles on TV include CBS series Listen Up opposite Jason Alexander; ABC series The Job opposite Denis Leary; Fox’s The Mob Doctor and the role of “All the Way” Mae in the TV series A League of Their Own, directed by Penny and Garry Marshall, recurring roles on Judging Amy opposite Tyne Daly; NYPD Blue opposite David Caruso; Alpha House on Amazon Prime; guest stars on Rizzoli & Isles, The Good Wife, Desperate Housewives, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, CSI, House, The Nine and Philly.
Favorite TV roles include Krystal, The Last O.G opposite Tracy Morgan, Jubliee, Without A Trace, Kate’s sister Dr. Rachel Craniston on NCIS and Mrs Beene in the Fox comedy series Oliver Beene;
On Broadway — Wendy has appeared in numerous productions earning rave reviews, including the leading role of Crazy Terry in Roundabout’s Side Man, Tony Award winner for Best Play, (Fanny nominee best actress ) and Pygmalion with Peter O’Toole.
Off Broadway — Wendy has appeared in Richard Greenberg’s American Plan (Applause award best actress) Donald Margulies’s Loman Family Picnic and Prin with Eileen Atkins. At Playwrights Horizons, Wendy originated the roles of Carmen Berra in Bronx Bombers and Megan in The Water Children (NY & LA), winning the LA Drama Critics Circle Award and the Robby Award for Best Actress. At CSC Repertory Theater Wendy was selected by Harold Pinter to appear in the American premiere of Mountain Language, opposite David Strathairn, and performed in The Birthday Party with Jean Stapleton directed by Carey Perloff. She has also worked with such artists as Beth Henley at New York Stage & Film and Julie Taymor in The Taming of the Shrew.
As an entrepreneur — Wendy is the founder and recipe inventor behind Ruby’s Rockets frozen fruit and veggie pops. Conceived and crafted with her daughter Ruby, their first-to-market recipes have won the Masters Of Taste Award, The New Hope Editor’s Choice NEXTY Award, and the SupplySide West Award. Ruby’s Rockets have been featured on The Today Show, Forbes, and NY Business Insider, among others, and were selected to be in Oprah’s coveted O list.
Tony Spiridakis is an American film director, writer, actor, producer and playwright best known for such films as “Queens Logic,” “Tinseltown,” “The Last Word,” “If Lucy Fell” and “Ash Tuesday” (aka “Beyond the Ashes”). He is the writer of “Ezra,” which he produced with director Tony Goldwyn, William Horberg, and Jon Kilik. The film stars Bobby Cannavale, Robert DeNiro, Rose Byrne, and Vera Farmiga.
Spiridakis has developed scripts for Dustin Hoffman, Richard Dreyfus, and Diane Keaton as well as for iconic producers such as Laura Ziskin, Stacey Snider, Mary Parent, and Warren Littlefield. Other films include “Tinseltown,” based on his acclaimed play, starring Ron Perlman and Joe Pantoliano; “Noise,” which he directed and produced, starring Ally Sheedy and John Slattery; and “If Lucy Fell,” starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Ben Stiller. Spiridakis’ play “The Last Word” had a successful run in Los Angeles before he adapted, produced, and directed the film starring Timothy Hutton. His post-9/11 drama, “Ash Tuesday” (aka “Beyond The Ashes”), co-starred Spiridakis with Giancarlo Esposito, Janeane Garofalo, and Tony Goldwyn.
Spiridakis’ TV credits include co-creating and producing the Fox series “The Heights” with Academy Award-winning screenwriter Eric Roth, the CBS crime drama “Falcone” with Academy Award-winning screenwriter Robert Moresco, and the Netflix legal drama “Justice” with Emmy-winning writer William Finkelstein. Spiridakis studied at the Yale School of Drama and has appeared in dozens of TV and films, including “House,” “L.A. Law,” “The Equalizer,” “Bay City Blues,” and “Death Wish 3.” Additionally, he produced and acted in Academy and Tony Award-winning writer Doug Wright’s play “Callbacks” and worked with Stanley Kubrick on the film “Full Metal Jacket.”
Spiridakis’ projects in pre-production include: “Breath of Life,” a true story about the mayor of an Italian village during WWII who makes the ultimate sacrifice to help the Allies drive the Nazis from Rome, which Spiridakis is set to direct; and “Mike’s Place,” the true story of a blues bar in Tel Aviv during the Second Intifada that survives the devastation of a suicide bombing, with director Todd Komarnicki, who co-produces with Antoine Fuqua and Andrew Levitas.
In 2012 Spiridakis co-founded the Manhattan Film Institute, an intensive workshop where twenty-five directors and twenty-five actors write, shoot, and edit twenty-five original short films with mentorship from world-renowned writers, actors, producers, and directors.
Spiridakis is a father of two and a strong advocate for autism awareness. He is a member of the WGA, AEA, SAG, and DGA.