The gideon Team
The Gideon Film Festival would not exist without the melding of hearts, minds and spirit of these dedicated believers.
Lori Marett
Director and Founder
Dave trouten
Board President
zena dell lowe
MC & Keynote Speaker
terenia autrey
Marketing
doug carter
Festival Assistant
Lori Marett
Director and Founder
Lori Marett is the Director & Founder of the Gideon Film Festival and Conference, where she champions Christian writers, filmmakers, and creatives called to impact culture through faith-based storytelling. Since Gideon’s beginning, Lori has helped shape its mission as a launchpad for artists seeking to make a difference through media and the arts.
Lori’s screenwriting career began over two decades ago when her first script—an adaptation of Yvonne Lehman’s In Shady Groves—garnered awards and acclaim from industry professionals. This led to adapting Hollywood producer Ken Wales’ novel Sea of Glory for the screen. Her first feature film, Meant To Be, was released by Pure Flix Entertainment in 2012. In 2019, her adaptation of Deborah Raney’s Beneath a Southern Sky (co-written with Kay Mortimer) was optioned, and although the deal lapsed during Covid, the project is now back under investor consideration. She currently has three additional scripts—one original and two adaptations—in the hands of producers showing active interest.
Immersed in story from childhood, Lori honed her editorial and mentoring skills over 20+ years, offering trusted feedback to authors like Yvonne Lehman, Cindy Sproles, and Steven James. She is also a frequent faculty member at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and mentors through WRAMS (Writing Right Author Mentoring Service).
Whether through Gideon or coaching behind the scenes, Lori is passionate about helping creatives find their voice, refine their work, and step boldly into their calling.
dave trouten
Dave Trouten is a retired university professor who has stepped into the role of President of the Gideon Film Festival & Conference non-profit. Having served as an academic dean at a business college in Louisiana, then at a Christian university in Canada where his favorite classes to teach were Literature of Film and Major Productions, Dave is now parlaying his skills to benefit the Gideon Film Festival.
Prior to entering his teaching career, Dave worked in retail management, church staff ministry, and film & video production. He earned a Masters in Communication & Film at Regent University and is an award-winning stage actor and writer with a number of his plays and reader’s theatre scripts performed at churches, high schools, and community theaters. Added to his list of accomplishments, Dave was a monthly columnist for an on-line parenting magazine, and has published articles, short stories, and devotionals. And in his spare time, he is a sought-after fill-in preacher.
Dave currently lives in New Brunswick, Canada, but is a Louisiana boy at heart. He is the father of two grown boys (one is a flight nurse, the other is seeking to use his college degree in filmmaking and media) and his beautiful bride is a registered nurse.
Dave believes every situation has a punchline, and he tries to hunt it down and share it believing all his jokes land… eventually… somewhere.
And his goal? Dave desires to be a Barnabas in the redemptive media community.
Board President
zena dell lowe
MC & Keynote Speaker
Zena Dell Lowe is a Hollywood screenwriter, filmmaker, story consultant, and founder of The Storyteller’s Mission, where she equips writers to master the craft of storytelling through courses, mentoring, and one-on-one development.
When she isn’t teaching, speaking, or developing her own film and television projects, you’ll probably find her on stage performing stand-up comedy, tending an overly ambitious vegetable garden, or being thoroughly managed by her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Lulu.
Zena is delighted to serve on the Gideon Media & Arts team, where she hopes to encourage great storytellers, champion meaningful collaboration, and help connect artists with opportunities to bring great stories to life.
Terenia Autrey
Marketing & Board Treasurer
Terenia Autrey serves in marketing for the Gideon Film Festival & Conference and has also stepped into the role of Treasurer of its non-profit organization. These roles allow her to invest in a creative community she has been part of since Gideon’s very first year and in relationships that have remained meaningful to her ever since.
Terenia is a digital marketing strategist, designer, and storyteller with over a decade of experience helping brands and creative projects find their audience. She holds a bachelor's in Graphic Communication and a master's in Digital Marketing from Full Sail University. She currently works on a global marketing team spanning copywriting, content strategy, Ads, SEO, and design. She's served three times as art director for the Movieguide Awards and has spent years supporting filmmakers, writers, and mission-driven organizations with branding, marketing and design.
Marketing is only one piece of it. Terenia is also developing original creative projects, writing a screenplay, and preparing to launch a podcast. She is passionate about creating work of her own while encouraging other creatives to pursue theirs. She also carries a deep desire to use creativity, media, and any opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of vulnerable children and in the fight against human trafficking.
Her goal is to encourage, inspire, and empower others to live out their God-given dreams as she pursues her own.
doug carter
Festival Assistant
Doug Carter is a writer, cultural analyst, and former college professor who spent 13 years teaching ethics and religion. His work explores how stories shape people and how people shape culture, with particular interest in the intersection of biblical truth, philosophy, emerging technologies, and the influence of arts, media, and film on the way we understand ourselves and the world around us.
After stepping away from the classroom, Doug entered a new season focused on writing, consulting, podcasting, networking, and mentoring. He joined the Gideon Arts, Media & Film Festival team because he believes stories matter and that the arts have the power to shape culture, challenge assumptions, and help people become who they are created to be.