Sport, Music, & Entertainment Forum

Pritan Ambroase, originally from Kent in England, continues to be globally praised for combining entertainment, philanthropy and education to further humanitarian goals to unite the world, and since 2018 is collaborating with heavyweights such as Dame Judi Dench, Adrien Brody, Joanna Lumley, Amanda Holden, Bear Grylls, etc. The aforementioned stars are official supporters of Pritan's philanthropic foundation Humans Of Our World which is also partners with Hollywood Insider. A documentary is in the post-production stage which focuses on how the celebrities, Pritan and the foundation are uniting and working towards spreading humanity all over the world. Pritan has also previously been honored by the most prestigious Venice Film Festival and has been officially invited to make appearances at multiple premieres at the festival.

After several years as President of his group of companies, due to his heart always being in media and entertainment, since 2017, Pritan has been fully involved in the entertainment industry and has already hosted multiple shows. Shows such as MAKE YOURSELF GREAT AGAIN, UP CLOSE & PERSONAL, POWERFUL QUESTIONS has seen Pritan show his range as host from inspirational, deep and Oprah-esque topics to ones with comedic timing. Pritan also produced, directed and hosted MESSAGES FROM AMERICA, a show which gave a voice to everyday civilians in America and showed to the world what people in USA think on important topics such as immigration, refugees, religion, human rights, presidency, education, healthcare, etc - the world usually only hears what American politicians and presidents think - this series which has been going for two seasons has shown to the world that civilians Americans have their own mind too that may be different to their politicians.

After making multiple appearances at Venice Film Festival, Pritan praised the institution for uniting the world through art, cinema and talent regardless of political borders and segregation, a quality which aligns with Pritan's humanitarian values and his foundation Humans Of Our World. Pritan is a regular on front rows of New York Fashion Week, red carpet movie premieres and has served as face and spokesperson for multiple high profile luxury brands.

In 2018, Pritan has been seen as host for multiple shows for Hollywood Insider. Along with him and his foundation partnering with high-profile stars and Hollywood Insider on a humanitarian campaign - he is a also producing and directing the documentary and also the initiative which provides assistance to villagers in Nepal, Africa, South America, etc with the partnership of celebrities such as Dame Judi Dench, Adrien Brody, Joanna Lumley, Amanda Holden, Bear Grylls, etc. Dame Judi Dench's belief in the work of Pritan's foundation Humans Of Our World has lead her to personally finance and donate to their Nepal campaign which has helped remotest villages in Nepal with medical care.

Pritan has also acquired a major Hollywood entertainment firm and media platform, which he is in the process of revamping, and re-engineering the brand to focus on substance and meaningful entertainment. His entertainment firm and media platform has been partnered with his philanthropic foundation and will continue to combine entertainment, philanthropy and education to unite the world to make it a better place for all.

Rick Schwartz is an award-winning film & TV producer, financier and writer based in New York. Throughout his career, he has worked on a wide range of critically acclaimed and commercially successful films including The Aviator, Gangs of New York, Machete and Black Swan. Schwartz has been involved with movies that have grossed over $1 billion dollars in worldwide box office sales and earned 31 Academy Award Nominations. He is a member of the Producers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild, as well as a published writer whose work has appeared in such outlets as The Times of London, The Huffington Post, The Washington Times, and Grantland.

Through his journey in the entertainment industry, Mr. Bucaria has held positions in A&R, Talent Management, C-Level Executive and Board of Directors level positions in both public and private corporations. He has also had the pleasure of compiling a client list of the entertainment industry's top names such as Sony Records, Universal Music, Warner/Chappell Music, Sony/ATV, Radio City Music Hall, Charlie Murphy, Nokia, MPL Communications, Wyclef Jean, NBA, Discovery Channel, A&E, E!, Comedy Central, Warner Bros. Pictures and many more. He has been a trusted advisor and consultant to companies ranging from top Fortune 100 with over US$300 million in revenues to start-ups on topics ranging from financial structuring methodologies, corporate strategy, M&A, operational efficiencies, Federal/State/Local regulatory compliance and more. Over the span of his career Mr. Bucaria has established a track record of sustainably increasing profits within operations and has successfully raised more than US$2 billion in equity and debt financing for various companies and projects that he has been associated with.

Before launching Cherkas Strategic Consulting, Vicki was Senior Executive Vice President of Operations at Picturehouse Films, a Time Warner Company established as a joint venture between HBO and New Line Cinema. There, her responsibilities included overseeing distribution, acquisitions, day-to-day company operations, new ventures and growth alliances, and maximizing business development with third parties and within the Time Warner media and entertainment divisions. During her tenure at Picturehouse, Cherkas was involved in such Academy Award winning films as Pan's Labyrinth and La Vie En Rose, as well as The Orphanage, El Cantante, and Kit Kittredge: An American Girl.

Prior to joining Picturehouse Films, Cherkas headed business affairs, business development and new ventures at GreeneStreet Films. She played a major role in all business, financial and legal aspects of the company’s operations, including raising capital and building an international sales division. She orchestrated the deals on such projects as A Prairie Home Companion, Uptown Girls, Swimfan, Pinero and the Academy Award nominated In The Bedroom.

Vicki’s first company position was at Miramax Films where she spearheaded the transactions for such high profile and Academy Award winning films as Chicago, Frida, The Others, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Shakespeare In Love, The English Patient and Pulp Fiction and participated in the development and implementation of the company’s expansion. She was an essential member of the team that structured the successful transfer of rights to The Lord of The Rings trilogy to New Line Cinema.

Cherkas has an extensive background in film production and was executive producer on such films as Killer Joe and Once In A Lifetime and co-executive producer on Welcome To The Punch and Uptown Girls, as well as a DGA Trainee on film and television projects. She received her J.D. degree from New York University School of Law, is a member of the Producers Guild of America, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Independent Filmmaker Project and New York Women In Film & Television, and is a speaker on various entertainment/media panels.

Aliza is currently the measurement lead for the Advanced TV & Attribution Research team at A+E networks, developing their audience based targeting and attribution solution platforms, A+E Precision and A+E Performance. Aliza utilizes data driven capabilities to optimize media campaigns, measure effectiveness across platforms, and provide insights on consumer purchase behavior to drive true ROI for brands. Prior to pivoting to advanced TV, Aliza built a strong ad sales research background at several media companies working across Entertainment and Sports. First supporting the sales group for AMC Networks portfolio with forward thinking sales solutions, to most recently, supporting NBCUniveral’s Sports & Olympics Insights & Measurement team. At NBCU Aliza help prove the power of live sports and led key ad innovation studies working on the 4 largest advertising events in media helping NBC achieve a record setting $1.4 billion in national ad sales, the highest grossing revenue in a single month in media history. Aliza began her research career at Nielsen, helping clients with ad effectiveness solutions on the Brand Effect product and was the measurement lead for 11 media clients across broadcast, cable, and digital. Aliza is originally from Miami Florida and holds a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from the University of Central Florida and a certification in Audience Measurements from NYU.

Over the last ten years, Amanda has worked her way up to become the Director of Music, IP & Talent Services at Platinum Rye Entertainment (now The Marketing Arm) in the New York office. In that time, she’s quickly grown her skills of sourcing entertainment partnerships and licensing music & intellectual properties for Fortune 500 brands and their advertising campaigns globally. She is extremely knowledgeable in music/film trends, pitching music/entertainment ideas to clients that fit their creative and budget needs, complex endorsement negotiations, union obligations and drafting agreements. She has executed deals for various brands across all industries, including Procter & Gamble, Amazon, AT&T, Visa, Anthropologie, Pizza Hut, among others.

During her tenure, Amanda spent a year in the company’s Chicago office to focus on sales & business development in the Mid West market to grow existing brand/agency relationships and expand the client roster. Now back in New York, she is continuing her business development track and handling account management/discovering new revenue opportunities with existing client partners & forging relationships with new prospective brand clients.

Amanda graduated with a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in Film/TV and a minor in Women's Studies.

VP Product, Feature.fm

Daniel is currently the Head of Content Development and Digital at KidsCLICK, the kids TV network at the Sinclair Broadcast Group and one of the leading networks for kids and young adults in the country. He is a creative professional that combines a deep industry knowledge in film, television and media with an understanding of how content is created, developed, produced, acquired and distributed, through technology and in emerging digital marketplaces.

Duncan is a multifaceted entrepreneur working at the intersection of events, entertainment, music & technology. Currently running CrowdSync Technology which is a event tech startup focused on creating next level event experiences through LED wearables & RFID technology. CrowdSync works with a wide range of Pro & Collegiate Sports Teams, Global Music Tours, and Corporate & Brand Clients from the Dallas Cowboys to KYGO.

Emily Hiltzik is a veteran of creating and curating unforgettable experiences in the sports and entertainment industries. With applied focuses on event operations and the attendee’s journey through an event, she has been instrumental in creating memorable experiences for millions of people. Emily joined Capture Sports Marketing as a Director of Events in December of 2018 from the National Football League (NFL) where she was part of the core Event Operations team. Emily and her team were responsible for planning, producing and executing the NFL’s biggest events including the Super Bowl, Draft, Pro Bowl, International Series Games in London and Mexico, Kickoff, Combine and League and Owners’ Meetings. In addition to her role in Event Operations, she co-chaired the NFL’s “Fans First!” program where she was responsible for training fan-facing staff at all major events on the NFL’s customer service and hospitality standards as well as implementing the staff recognition piece of the program. Working closely with The Disney Institute, the industry leader on hospitality and guest experiences, Emily contributed to consistently improving and enhancing the fan experience at NFL events. Emily has over a decade of business development and marketing experience. In addition to sports and entertainment, she has also worked in the IT and retail spaces and takes pride in immersing herself in whatever industry she’s working in and becoming an expert in her field. While working as the Director of Business Development and Operations for Vinci Consulting, an IT company based in Long Island, NY, Emily received the honor of being invited to write a White Paper for Cisco. Emily received her BA in Economics and Theater (Directing) from Smith College in Northampton, MA, where she pitched for their Division III Softball Team. While at Smith, Emily served as the marketing chair of the Recreational Council, the organization responsible for booking concert talent and planning campus-wide events. Outside of work, Emily can be found frequenting country concerts, New York Islanders games and other sporting events or playing slow pitch softball. Her father, Robert Hiltzik, is the creator of the cult horror film, “Sleepaway Camp."

Jacob Samuel Elyachar has had a passion for the entertainment industry and pop culture for as long as he can remember. In 2011, he launched his blog, Jake’s Take (jakes-take.com), which tackled his love for music, movies, comic books, lifestyle, and performance-based Reality TV shows such as America’s Got Talent, The Masked Singer, and The Voice.

The blog has been viewed in over 100 countries. In addition, Jacob had the opportunity to interview a plethora of interview subjects that ranged from music legends (Cyndi Lauper, Dolly Parton, and Kenny Rogers) and YouTube content creators (Dan Gheesling, Nick Uhas, and Peter Hollens). He also spoke to choreographers and dancers (Chelsie Hightower, Maks Chmerkovskiy, and Travis Wall) and fitness entrepreneurs (Anabolic Aliens founder Mike Rosa, fit2fat2fit’s Drew Manning, and Scott Herman). Jake’s Take has also given him by-lines in various online publications. Some of his work has appeared in AXS, Enstars, Examiner.com, Music Times, PopWrapped, and Tech Times.

In addition to his writing endeavors, Jacob has a passion for building brands on social media. He successfully assisted two nonprofit organizations (The Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and the Freelance Exchange of Kansas City) in increasing their presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. He also an active member with the New York City chapters of the National Academy of Arts & Sciences (Emmys®) and the UJA Federation of New York’s Emerging Leaders and Philanthropists.

Lance is the founder and CEO of Loudie, an iOS application that lets fans discover concerts while gaining access to free tickets. Over the last few years Loudie has distributed over 100,000 free concert tickets and partners with several notable concert promoters such as Live Nation and AEG.

A natural born entrepreneur, Lance started several businesses throughout his childhood and even earned a citation in entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland. Shortly thereafter, Lance spent several years working in the music department at William Morris Endeavor where he booked concert tours for over one hundred bands such as The Killers, Nine Inch Nails and The Eagles. Following WME, Lance coordinated live events and talent procurement for Red Light Management, a company managing over 300 musicians.

Peter combines his venture capital background with an entrepreneur’s passion as CEO/Founder of SporTech Ventures, a firm that services and invests in sports technology and media ventures. Peter has has been instrumental in the growth of several emerging companies within in sports and entertainment, including Monsterful, Block Six Analytics, Hashtag Sports and PumpJack Dataworks. Past sports industry experience includes teams (Brooklyn Nets and New York Yankees) and industry leading analytics firms (Repucom and Bloomberg Sports).

Severina is Communications and PR Specialist with over 13 years of in-depth experience in the music and entertainment industry.

Throughout her career she has worked on projects with global pop, R’n’B, Hip-Hop, reggae and jazz musicians including Grammy award winners Estelle, Shaggy, Bobby Kimball (TOTO), Grammy-nominees Raging Fyah and international stars like Lara Fabian and Israel’s Idan Raichel. Working on celebrity endorsement campaigns for the last couple of years in London (UK) she was also involved with the Coca-Cola Anthem for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

In 2012 Severina founded Music Avenue Entertainment - the first ever independent Music PR and Artist Management company back in her home-country Bulgaria where she was active in various areas of the Art & Culture life of the country including Jewish and Israeli-related events.

Her corporate PR background includes specializing in Crisis Management and working with Fortune 100 companies, NGOs and the Diplomatic Corps. Severina is a Public Relations and Communications Association (UK), Music Business Association (US) and International Music Managers Forum Member.

Candy Hertz is a well-known Australian Lifestyle, Sports and Radio Presenter, MC and Content Creator.

With a unique mix of on and off camera experience, skills in creative content development and a passion for storytelling, she has worked across large scale sporting, corporate, lifestyle, launch and gala style events around Australia and in the USA for over a decade.

With three degrees under her belt, Candy approaches every role with a Marketing, Branding and Strategy mindset. She has experience in live MC work, moderating panel discussions, conducting celebrity interviews, sideline reporting, voiceover work and as a producer of a wide range of content.
As an MC and Presenter, Candy has a way of blending an energetic, professional and engaging style while ensuring a natural delivery.

In 2018, Candy hosted the Rhythmic and Artistic Gymnastics at the Commonwealth Games. Candy is also a regular on-field host for major sporting clubs and sideline reporter for a USA basketball league. She’s been a commercial breakfast and drive radio announcer across Australia, a lifestyle reporter on TV network Southern Cross Ten and Traffic Reporter across multiple networks.

Candy is an industry focused lecturer at two Universities in Melbourne across a variety of subjects including Advertising, Copywriting, Audio Production and Story Writing.

www.candyhertz.com
www.onthelistmelbourne.com.au
@candyhertz

After completing a Bachelor of Commerce degree at Wits University, Orr Koren started Koren Films, a corporate video production company in South Africa, in 2013. Today, Koren Films is based in New York and attracts projects internationally. Thanks to his large global network, Orr has also invested in further areas of film and business, including Cinelytic, a data analytics platform in the film industry, which helps studios and independent film companies make faster and smarter decisions throughout a film’s value chain

Sam Bodenheimer, aka “Bodi,” is a diversely accomplished music composer, performing artist, events producer, and inspirational speaker.

As Founder and CEO of Spicerack Music Group, and it’s subsidiary Bsamim, Bodi is a leading music and entertainment groups provider for weddings, corporate functions and private events, in Northeast US. Meanwhile, his original compositions and productions, are showcased in feature films, television shows, advertisements, and several albums.

He has toured much of North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East as a performing artist, musical director, chazzan, social activist, and featured speaker,

Fusing his passion for humanitarian causes with his events production expertise, Sam created and produced Project Tesfa, helping provide food and education for Ethiopian children, and Spicerack’s Runway for Hope, raising funds and awareness for Tikva Orphanage in Ukraine. He is developing and soon seeking collaboration for several new entertainment based initiatives to forward cross-cultural dialogue and social action.

Sam received his JD/MBA from Fordham and currently resides in New York City.

Edwin is currently the Manager of Accounting & Finance at FilmNation Entertainment – a leading distributor, financier, and producer of independent films. Edwin specializes in production and development by tracking projects from start to finish. Helping oversee films and television series through development, production, and post-production is more than a job but a passion for Edwin.

Edwin is originally from Long Island, New York and owns a BA in both Accounting and Media Studies from CUNY – Queens College.