speakers
Zena delL lowe
Hollywood Screenwriter • Filmmaker • Actress
Founder, The Storyteller’s Mission
Zena Dell Lowe is a veteran Hollywood screenwriter, filmmaker, actress, and story consultant with more than 25 years of experience across writing, producing, directing, acting, and story development. She is the founder of The Storyteller’s Mission and regularly teaches writers at conferences and industry events, helping them strengthen both the craft and purpose behind their stories. She is also a stand-up comedian, bringing humor, energy, and a distinctly engaging voice to the way she connects with audiences.
Gideon Festival MC
1:45 Panel Moderator
steven james
Bestselling Author • Storytelling Expert • Speaker
Host, The Story Blender
Steven James is an award-winning storyteller, critically acclaimed novelist, and popular conference speaker who has appeared more than 2000 times at events spanning the globe, teaching writing and performing his stories. Publishers Weekly has called him a “master storyteller at the peak of his game.
Mon. Oct. 19
1:45 Panelist
3:15 Workshop: “What No One Is Telling You About Storytelling”
Tues. Oct. 20 Keynote Speaker
Marc Whitmore
Entertainment Executive • Talent Manager • Producer
Founder & CEO, MWO Management
Marc Whitmore is the chief executive officer and founder of the internationally renowned agency MWO Management, based in London and Los Angeles. He has earned an enviable reputation in talent development and management, feature acquisition and distribution for motion pictures and television projects, and consulting.
Marc has provided his professional services to celebrities including Matthew McConaughey, Bob Hope, Pat Boone, Alice Cooper, Willie Nelson, and Brad Paisley. He has also consulted for the White House on several Presidential campaigns a producer of Presidential Inaugurals.
Mon. Oct. 19
1:45 Panel
3:15 Workshop: “Independent Film Money: How Films Actually Make Money”
Kay Bess
In her over 40-year career, Kay Bess has voiced tv and radio commercials too numerous to count, as well as promos for every major U.S. TV network and cable news station. She’s voiced video game characters in The Last of Us II, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Skylanders: Super Chargers, State of Decay 2, and Fallout 76. Kay has voiced roles in animated series The Loud House, Spirit Riding Free, and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. She is best known as Ana in Lara Croft: Rise of the Tomb Raider, and can be heard as the voice of The Starship La Sirena in Star Trek: Picard. She voices President Rosalind Myers in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, and Bellroc in WIZARDS, the 3rd installment of Guillermo Del Toro’s epic trilogy, Tales of Arcadia, as well as in Troll Hunters, Rise of the Titans. Find her voiceover work at kaybess.com and her coaching services at trustandbebrave.com.
Mon Oct. 19
3:15 Workshop “Expand Your Acting Opportunities with Voiceover”
Voice Actor • Commercials • Narration
JEFF THOMAS
Producer • Originator • Owner, Little Audrey
Crown of Roses Productions Inc. / Jeff Thomas Productions
Jeff Thomas is the producer, originator, and owner of Little Audrey, a film nearly 30 years in the making. After first encountering the story of Audrey Santo, Thomas began a journey that grew from skepticism into a deeply personal calling to bring Audrey’s story to a wider audience.
He ultimately developed the project for the screen alongside director Michael Mailer and the creative team behind the film. Little Audrey went on to premiere at the Woods Hole Film Festival to a sold-out audience and standing ovation, with additional festival selections including Boston, Buffalo, Austin, and Gideon.
Mon. Oct. 19
7:00 Film Screening & Panel
Bob Saenz
Screenwriter • Author • Actor • Speaker
Bob Saenz is a screenwriter, author, actor, and speaker with more than 24 credited and produced projects, including Church People, The Farmer and the Belle, Help for the Holidays, and Rescuing Madison. His work has appeared in theaters and across platforms including Netflix, Amazon, Peacock, Hulu, Hallmark, Lifetime, Pure Flix, and UPtv.
In addition to his produced work, Bob has completed rewrites, book adaptations, and script polishes for producers, production companies, streamers, and studios.
He is the author of the screenwriting book That’s Not the Way It Works and regularly speaks and teaches at writers’ conferences and film festivals around the country.
A member of SAG-AFTRA for more than 30 years, Bob has also appeared in television and film, including a recurring role on the CBS series Nash Bridges.
Mon. Oct. 19
7:00 Film Screening & Panel
Tues Oct. 20
5:00 Bonus Dinner Session
How to Become a Paid Working Screenwriter
Leann Barna
Screenwriter • Producer • Creative Development Professional
Founder, Mining Company Media
Leann Barna is a screenwriter, filmmaker, and media scholar with extensive experience in entertainment and education. She founded and leads Mining Company Media. Her professional background includes creative development roles with companies such as Disney Channel, NBCUniversal, MarVista Entertainment, PureFlix, and Pinnacle Peak Pictures. Leann holds an M.A. in Cinema and Television with a concentration in Screenwriting and an M.A. in Biblical Studies from Regent University. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Strategic Media at Liberty University, where her research focuses on the experiences of women working in the faith-based entertainment industry. Through her writing, teaching, and research, Leann is passionate about mentoring emerging storytellers and helping creators develop compelling, meaningful stories for film and television.
Tues Oct. 20
1:30 “Secrets of a Hollywood Script Reader
Siaka Massaquoi
Siaka Massaquoi has been a Hollywood actor for over 15 years and currently works as a writer, actor, and producer. He is a founding member of the sketch comedy show What the Fact: It’s Just Comedy and has appeared across a range of national media outlets, including PragerU, OAN, Newsmax, The Babylon Bee podcast, and Fox News @ Night. His work spans entertainment, media, and public commentary, with a focus on creating culture-shaping content.
Tues Oct. 20
1:30 Workshop on “The New Actor”
Actor • Producer • Writer
20 + Years in Film & Television
Knox Marshall & Scott Blanding
Writers • Directors • Animators • Producers
Co-Founders, Imagination Bay
Knox Marshall serves as Chief Storyteller of Imagination Bay, helping dream up new stories to add to the dozens the company currently stewards. Scott Blanding, a co-founder of Imagination Bay, studied film at Temple University and has created redemptive, fact-based media, including the award-winning Women in War Zones. Knox began writing seriously as a teen, later studied at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, and has written for independent producers, animation studios, top video game brands, and publishing. Together, they direct Vicarion, Imagination Bay’s first feature film, a romantic supernatural thriller set in Italy and themed to spiritual warfare.
Tues. Oct. 20
1:30 Workshop: Thinking for Animation
3:15 Panel | Imagination Bay ‘s feature film “Vicarion” - MainStage
Kaleb and Kyler Cook
Filmmakers • Writers • Directors
Co-Founders, Twinbolt Media
Kaleb and Kyler Cook bring complementary experience in filmmaking, writing, and directing to Twinbolt Media. Kaleb has more than a decade of experience in event production, commercial advertising, and narrative filmmaking, with a focus on producing high-quality, family-friendly content. Kyler brings experience in writing and directing, with a passion for fantasy-fiction, humor, and drama, helping craft authentic, character-driven stories rooted in Christ-centered values.
Tues. Oct. 20
7:00 Film Screening & Panel for “Just One More”
Kenny Saylors
Award-Winning Producers • Directors • Writers
Founders, Saylors Brothers Entertainment
Kenny and Kyle Saylors are award-winning producers, directors, writers, and founders of Saylors Brothers Entertainment, with more than 20 years of experience across documentaries, television, music videos, and motion pictures. Working together as a filmmaking team, they have built a wide-ranging body of work across faith, family, documentary, and mainstream entertainment, including projects such as His Only Son, No Vacancy, Veil of Tears, In the Shadow of the King, and the upcoming The Lincoln League. Their work reflects a shared commitment to high-quality storytelling with purpose and redemptive value.
Tues. Oct. 20
7:00 Film Screening & Panel for “Just One More”
john duffy
Producer • Line Producer • Director
John Duffy is a veteran producer and line producer with more than 50 feature films, television projects, and commercials to his credit. His producing and line producing credits include Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist, Miracle in East Texas, Paradise Cove, Merry Kiss Cam, and A Sunday Horse. Over the course of his career, he has worked across independent film, television, and studio productions, bringing extensive hands-on experience in taking projects from development through production.
John has also directed the narrative short The Flag and The Flag Documentary. The Flag screened at the GI Film Festival in Washington, D.C. and at the Smithsonian Theater. In addition to his production work, John teaches film production through UCLA Extension and is active in supporting military veterans within the entertainment industry.
Tues. Oct. 20
7:00 Film Screening & Panel Moderator for “Just One More”
Rick Altizer
Director • Producer • Writer • Music Producer • Dove Award-Nominated Music Producer
Rick Altizer is an award-winning film director, recording artist, and music producer whose work spans documentary film and music. He directed the Kendrick Brothers documentary Show Me the Father, which played in more than 1,100 theaters nationwide and earned an A+ CinemaScore. His directing credits also include He Calls Me Daughter, Russ Taff: I Still Believe, and three award-winning documentaries featuring comedian Chonda Pierce: Unashamed, Enough, and Laughing in the Dark.
A two-time Dove Award-nominated music producer, Rick has sold more than one million albums and has produced music for artists including Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, Marty Stuart, and Russ Taff. As a recording artist, he has released seven studio albums and earned three Top 10 singles.
Tues. Oct. 20
9:00 BONUS SCREENING | “He Calls Me Daughter”
Wed. Oct. 21
1:30 KEYNOTE SPEAKER | “The Power of Focus”
Brian williams
Executive Producer • Entertainment & Business Development
Co-Founder, Third Coast Film
Brian Williams brings more than 20 years of experience in entertainment and business development, building strategic partnerships across networks, studios, agencies, and music companies including CBS, NBC, FOX, Paramount, and Atlantic Records. As co-founder of Third Coast Film, Brian helps lead the company’s development, financing, and production strategy, with a focus on growing Nashville and the Southeast as a hub for high-quality film and television production.
Since 2018, he has served as executive producer on multiple projects, helping guide films from concept and development through production. Third Coast Film is also the host of this year’s FLASH! Screenwriting Contest and is part of the Grand Prize opportunity, connecting selected writers with working industry professionals in development, production, and representation.
Wed. Oct. 21
1:30 Panel | “Soup to Nuts ”
7:00 Film Screening & Panel
dave mechem
Film Acquisitions • Theatrical Distribution • Executive Producer
Head of Acquisitions, EKKL Entertainment
Dave Mechem has more than 15 years of experience in the acquisition and distribution of faith-adjacent films, with experience spanning Affirm Films/Sony, Working Title, Pure Flix, Pinnacle Peak Pictures, and serves as Head of Acquisitions & Domestic Theatrical Distribution at EKKL Entertainment.
He served as Executive Producer on Unbroken: Path to Redemption and The Shift, and has helped guide theatrical and home entertainment releases including Soul Surfer, Courageous, Heaven Is for Real, and Mom’s Night Out.
Wed. Oct. 21
1:30 Panel | “Soup to Nuts ”
Will Bigham & Cat Gray
Director • Screenwriter • Editor • Producers
Co-Founders, Shamrock Motion Pictures
Will Bigham is a director, screenwriter, and editor who won On the Lot, the filmmaking competition produced by Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Television, and Mark Burnett Productions. His career has also included work with DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures. Cat Gray is a producer and creative partner whose work spans film, branded content, and production. Together, Will and Cat are the founders of Shamrock Motion Pictures, a full-service production company with more than 15 years of experience producing feature films, commercials, music videos, interviews, sports content, social media campaigns, and original creative projects. Their mission is to tell powerful, authentic stories that connect with audiences.
Wed. Oct. 21
3:15 Panel | Shamrock Motion Pictures - MainStage
Mike snider
Talent Agent • Entertainment Executive
Partner, William Morris Endeavor (WME)
Mike Snider is a key figure in the Christian entertainment industry with more than 20 years of experience. He helps lead the Christian Division at William Morris Endeavor (WME), where he became a partner in 2020. Before joining WME, Mike led Third Coast Artists Agency until its acquisition by Paradigm Agency in 2012. Based in Nashville, he works across film, television, and music, helping clients develop opportunities and bring their vision to audiences around the world.
WME, founded in 1898, is the world’s longest-running talent agency and represents leading artists, athletes, and creators worldwide.
Wed. Oct. 21
7:00 Film Screening & Panel
charly white
Content Development • Casting • Talent Attachments
Third Coast Film
Charly White is an experienced content developer with deep roots in the entertainment industry. Her background spans Christian and Gospel music, operational leadership, and relationship-building across the music world. At Third Coast Film, she leads development efforts focused on project selection, talent attachments, casting, and helping build the company’s reputation for excellence in film.
Wed. Oct. 21
7:00 Film Screening & Panel