“Q&A with David Greenwalt”

David Greenwalt | April 22nd, 2021

David Greenwalt is a TV writer, director, and producer with over 20 years of experience in the industry. He was showrunner for NBC's Grimm, and worked with Joss Whedon as executive producer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In this Q&A event, David shared his insights on TV writing, stories from his career, and advice for students interested in the entertainment industry.

“Life on Set: How To Get Started & Thrive in Hollywood”

Ralph Scherer | May 28th, 2020

Ralph Scherer is a dolly grip who has been working in film and TV production for over three decades, including on projects such as The Lost World: Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds, X-Men: First Class, Justified, House of Cards, and HBO’s upcoming series Lovecraft Country. Ralph will share practical tips for young filmmakers to thrive in various roles on set, how to launch your career, and what it’s like being a Catholic in Hollywood.

This talk was given online over Zoom.

“How to Get Christian Themes Greenlit: Practical Insights from a Hollywood Screenwriter”

Bill Marsilii | February 19th, 2020

Bill Marsilii is a Hollywood screenwriter who co-wrote Déjà Vu (starring Denzel Washington and Jim Caviezel) which sold for a record $5 million and remains the highest-selling spec script of all time. He has sold screenplays to studios such as Disney, Paramount, Warner Bros, and Lionsgate. He has also been a guest lecturer for a variety of film and screenwriting programs, including those at UCLA TFT, USC, NYU and Pepperdine, and has also served as a mentor for the Act One Screenwriting Program. Bill will share stories and insight from his career, and specific steps Catholic writers can take to tell meaningful stories that appeal to mainstream audiences.

“The Groove Mindset: Reaching Your Potential”

Bradley Rapier | January 30th, 2020

Bradley Rapier is a choreographer, creative performer with over 25 years experience in groove, storytelling and talent development. A pioneer in hip hop and freestyle dance, he performed in La La Land and The Goofy Movie, and was associate choreographer for Jesus Christ Superstar (Broadway). As founder of the award-winning dance troupe The Groovaloos, Bradley's guest appearance credits include Dancing With The Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, Ellen, and he was also a contributing choreographer for World of Dance. Bradley will share stories and insight from his career, demonstrate powerful life lessons from street dance culture, and inspire you to live out your full potential as a Christian creative.

“Cultivating the Garden: A Discussion on the Artistic Vocation”

Tim Reckart | October 24th, 2019

Timothy Reckart is an Oscar-nominated writer and director. His animated short film Head Over Heels was nominated for an Academy Award, and his debut feature film, Sony Pictures Animation's The Star, was nominated for two Annie Awards and a Golden Globe. He was a lead animator on Charlie Kaufman's film Anomalisa, and animated various projects for companies such as Buzzfeed, Amazon, and Aardman Animations.

“Working in the House of Mouse: A Discussion with a Senior Editor at Disney”

Dan Molina | October 2nd, 2019

Dan Molina’s career in studio animation has spanned over 35 years. Starting as assistant director on The Secret of NIMH, he then found his true calling as an editor for animated features and television, working on such films as An American Tail, The Land Before Time, Cats Don't Dance and The Road to El Dorado. From 2011 to 2018 he was supervising editor at Disneytoon Studios, and now serves the same role on the Monsters Inc. spinoff series Monsters at Work for Disney+. He and his wife Julie have four children and one grandson, and live in Los Angeles.

“Life in Media: Balancing Faith, Family & Work in Hollywood”

Dan & Peggy Rupple | August 1st, 2019

Dan and Peggy Rupple have decades of experience with both mainstream media and Christian advocacy in Hollywood. Dan was a supervisor for CBS on shows like The Price Is Right and The Late Show with David Letterman, has served as head of programming for multiple internet TV companies, and is currently the CEO of Mastermedia International. Peggy has spent over 15 years as a mentor and all-around networking guru for Christian film and TV professionals, and is currently the associate director of the Windrider Forum at Sundance. They have been married for over 40 years, with 3 children and 7 grandchildren.

“The Hollywood Mission Field”

Dean Batali | July 9th, 2019

Dean Batali has extensive experience in network and cable television, playing integral roles as both a writer and producer for That ‘70’s Show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and many others. Most recently he served as executive producer and showrunner on two seasons of Hallmark's The Good Witch. He is also a strong advocate for Christians’ presence in Hollywood, and co-authored the book Watching TV Religiously with theologian Kutter Callaway. Originally hailing from Washington state, Dean currently lives in Los Angeles.

“Catholics in Hollywood Give Advice and Share Their Stories”

Tom Wilson and Paul Rugg | July 30th, 2018

Tom Wilson is an actor, comedian, and writer who is well known for his roll as Biff from the Back to the Future series. He's also acted in TV shows such as Freaks and Geeks and Wing Commander and done voice acting work for properties such as SpongeBob Squarepants, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Spider-Man. Most recently, Tom has been casted to play a role in Season 4 of DC's Legends of Tomorrow. As far as his writing, Tom has been a writer under contract at Disney, Universal, and Nickelodeon Studios.

Paul Rugg is a writer-producer-voice actor who has worked with DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, Disney, Warner Brothers, and Cartoon Network on movies and TV shows such as Animaniacs, Freakazoid, Dave the Barbarian, and The Adventures of Puss in Boots.