Seminar produced by Gerber Rigler Producing and Executive Consulting:Brian Gerber and Thomas Rigler jointly produce and consult for groundbreaking, inspiring, illuminating, discerning, often infuriating and always aspirational projects in the film, television, emerging media and corporate event realm. They are passionate about quality storytelling and forge content and business opportunities that treat their subject matter with respect while finding universal resonance and commercial appeal.

Patrick Moore

Todd Schulkin

Todd Schulkin
Todd manages the career of Anne Willan, James Beard award-winning author and founder of the renowned La Varenne Cooking School. As part of his role as Anne’s manager, he oversees the programs, marketing and operations of La Varenne.

Todd founded Schulkin Management in 2007, marking his return to representing writers and directors for motion pictures and television.  In addition to working with filmmakers and screenwriters, Todd represents authors and literary properties.

Schulkin Management specializes in writers and directors who work across a variety of media, in strategic career development and in guiding both the business and creative aspects of clients’ careers.

Previously a literary agent representing writers and independent filmmakers at Innovative Artists Talent & Literary Agency, Todd discovered writer-director Christopher Nolan and set-up the film MEMENTO with Newmarket Films. He also discovered screenwriter Brent Hanley and set-up his original script, FRAILTY, starring Matthew McConaughey and directed by Bill Paxton for Lionsgate Films.

He holds a BA from Brown University and earned an MBA with honors from London Business School.

Elise Pearlstein

Elise Pearlstein
Elise Pearlstein has been producing and writing documentaries for film and television for over 10 years.

Her most recent producing effort is Food, Inc., a film by Robert Kenner for Participant Media and River Road Entertainment. Magnolia is distributing the film, which opens theatrically in June. Food, Inc. premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in the fall of 2008, then opened the Culinary Cinema section of the Berlin Film Festival in February. Food, Inc. has subsequently screened to enthusiastic audiences in film festivals throughout the country.
 
Prior to producing Food, Inc., Elise produced Oscar-winning filmmaker Jessica Yu’s documentary Protagonist about four men from different backgrounds who end up on a similar path of extremism. The film premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically by IFC Films and Red Envelopment Entertainment.

Pearlstein directed, produced and executive produced The Million Dollar Recipe, which became a critics’ favorite when it bowed on Bravo in 2005. The feature-length film follows housewives, female executives, and a couple hopeful men as they compete to win the coveted Pillsbury Bake-Off and take home a million dollar prize.

From 2000 to 2005, Pearlstein produced and wrote prime-time documentaries for NBC’s Tom Brokaw and the late ABC news anchor Peter Jennings. And in 2000, Smoke and Mirrors: A History of Denial, a feature documentary Elise co-produced and co-wrote about the tobacco industry, was short listed for the Academy Awards.

Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor
In 2005, Chris co-founded Positively 25th Street, a production company dedicated to creating original documentary programming with social, political, and cultural significance. The company’s first project, FOOD FIGHT, recently premiered at the AFI FEST Los Angeles in November of 2008 and has been awarded the Audience Award for 2008 by the International Documentary Association.

Since 1998, Chris has worked as a full time Director, first for the Fox Network, where he directed 26 episodes of the series Beyond Belief, and most recently for CBS where he has directed 8 episodes of The District over 3 seasons, ending in 2004.

After attending the American Film Institute in 1988, Chris began his career as a Director-Director of Photography by working as a DP with such talented filmmakers as Gary Oldman, Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, Michael Lehmann, and others. During this time he photographed six features, six MOW's, short films, TV pilots, and episodic television.

From 1975 through 1986, Chris worked as a touring lighting designer and production manager for musical groups such as the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, Earth, Wind & Fire, John Fogarty, ELO, and Simon and Garfunkel.

Chris Taylor received a B.A. Cum Laude from Harvard University in Folklore and Mythology.

Kara Slife

Kara Slife
Kara Slife is the President of Slife Public Relations, a boutique firm focused on promoting the best of the hospitality industry through a unique style of relationship marketing that creates wide-spread awareness for chefs and restaurants through targeted media relations and an individualized approach to the food industry.

With a degree in public relations from the University of Southern California’s School of Journalism, Slife went on to graduate from the California School of Culinary Arts, a division of the Le Cordon Bleu. Through her education, hands on training and experience in the restaurant industry, Kara Slife understands the needs of chefs, restaurateurs and the media.

Slife has worked in publicity and management in both the entertainment and hospitality industries for over 12 years. Slife’s clients have included, Chef Govind Armstrong of Table 8 in Los Angeles, who was selected by People Magazine as “50 Most Beautiful” in 2004;  Chef Mark Sullivan of the Village Pub Woodside, CA and Chef Grant Achatz at Trio in Chicago who were both recognized in 2002 as James Beard “Rising Star Chef” nominees as well as Food & Wine magazine’s “Best New Chefs”; Chef and Beer Sommelier Sang Yoon, of Father’s Office in Los Angeles, celebrity Chef Bradley Ogden and the Lark Creek Restaurant Group as well as the renowned Brennan Family of Commander’s Palace in New Orleans.

Kara Slife is a member of the James Beard Foundation and the American Institute of Food and Wine. Slife has been quoted in several industry publications, such as Restaurant Hospitality, Sante, Food Arts, and Starchefs.

Robert McFalls
HOMEGROWN is Robert's directorial debut. He is a professional editor with almost twenty years experience in both film and television. While he has worked lately in series television, his first love is the documentary format. Early in his career he was an associate editor on American Dream, the Barbara Kopple documentary, which won the Academy Award in 1990. That experience helped him to see what a broad reach a well-crafted documentary could have. He recently edited a documentary feature on the Dalai Lama, which is now screening at festivals around the world.