ReelDreams Judges 2012
To be announced. Keep checking back for an exciting announcement about this year's judges!
Past Judges, 2011
Brian Davidson
Brian Davidson is a writer... because he can't do anything else. After working in production as a Grip/Electric on several features to Line Producing for reality television series (New Detectives, The Quest), Brian finally figured out he wasn't good at anything so he started writing and has been for over ten years now. Getting his start with comic book legend Stan Lee (Spiderman, X-Men, Ironman) on several animated series (The Accuser, 7th Portal), he is now writing and producing for television dramas. Currently, he is a Supervising Producer on CSI:Miami and developing projects for CBS. Davidson holds a B.S.in Radio, Television, and Film from the University of Texas at Austin. He lives in Los Angeles with his one wife, two daughters, and three dogs.
Booker T. Mattison
Booker T. Mattison is an author and filmmaker who wrote the screenplay for and directed the film adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's classic story "The Gilded Six Bits," which aired on Showtime. Mattison has also written and directed music videos that have aired on BET, MTV Europe, and The Gospel Music Channel. His two novels Unsigned Hype and Snitch both received critical acclaim and are slated to be adapted for film. Mattison holds an MFA in film from New York University and a B.S. in mass communication from Norfolk State University. He is an assistant professor in the School of Communication & the Arts at Regent University. View Professor Mattison's faculty bio page here.
John Sullivan
John Sullivan has been involved in the entertainment industry for over 17 years working in film, branded entertainment, video games, theme parks and concerts. He has also served as a producer, editor and writer on hundreds of commercials, and corporate and non-profit video communications. He produced the feature documentary Expelled featuring Ben Stein. Expelled is the 15th highest grossing documentary in history. The film won the prestigious Freedom Award from Movie Guide. He is a co-producer on the upcoming feature film Reagan. Sullivan graduated from Jessup University and attended San Francisco State's school of Digital Media and completed his graduate coursework at Regent College in Vancouver, BC. He currently lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife and twin daughters.
Past Judges, 2010
Wes Llewellyn
Wes has been a filmmaker for more than 20 years, on 100’s of productions in film and television. A director, cinematographer, writer and producer, Wes has produced and directed four seasons of the syndicated TV show “Sid Roth’s, It’s Supernatural.” His feature films, “The Moment After” and “The Moment After 2” have received critical acclaim and began distribution with Sony last year. Wes has also won Best Film at the 168 Hour Film Festival a record 3 times. He has received numerous other awards for documentary, shorts, TV and music videos. Wes received his Master’s Degree from Regent University and was inducted into the Regent’s Hall of Fame. His production company, Llewellyn Films, recently relocated to Atlanta, GA from Burbank, CA.
Rick Eldridge
With over 30 years in the entertainment business as a musician, producer and entrepreneur, Rick Eldridge knows how to make projects happen. Whether it is audio and sound design, sports programming, film, animated, broadcast video, or feature length movies, Eldridge has been involved in every facet of the business. His creative vision has led to numerous projects including: The Monkey Trial, Running the Sahara, The Perfect Game, Bobby Jones-Stroke of Genius, Hermie & Friends.
Lorene Wales
Dr. Wales, a film production veteran, chairs the Cinema-Television department at Regent University. She is the author of "The Complete Guide to Moviemaking" and "From Low Budget to High Budget: The People and Process of Film and Video Production". Dr. Wales also worked in Hollywood for 10 years in feature films and video production as a 1st AD, UPM and producer. Dr. Wales continues to work in the industry while teaching in the Producer's track for CTV. Dr. Wales has just had her new book published titled, "The People and Process of Film and Video Production: From Low Budget to High Budget" which is now available at Barnes and Noble. View Dr. Wales' faculty bio page here.
Past Judges, 2009
Ken Wales
Veteran filmmaker Ken Wales, Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed and award-winning CBS Television series Christy, began his drama career playing a juvenile role on a local radio show in Kokomo, Indiana. At age 14 he operated the projector at the legendary Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, where he became a serious film buff. Wales received the firs Walt Disney four-year scholarship and graduated with honours form the School of Cinema at The University of Southern California. He has acted in over 35 films and television shows.
He was Vice President of Production for Walt Disney Pictures and has served as production supervisor and consultant for many other features. Wales received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Greenville College in Illinois and is on the faculty of his alma mater, the School of Cinema and Television at University of Southern California.
Bill Houston Ball
Hollywood veteran William Houston Ball has more than 15 years professional experience working primarily in visual effects on more than twenty-five feature films. This 2001 Regent graduate's list of credits includes Starship Troopers, Contact, Godzilla, Stuart Little, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, The Incredible Hulk, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and, most recently, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. In addition to feature films, Ball has worked on television commercials, live musical concerts and videos, and in theater. He currently serves as the effects/lighting technical director at Rhythm and Hues Studios in Los Angeles, Calif. Ball has received much acclaim for his work in visual effects, including an Academy Award in 2008.
Jason Illian
With over 10 years of technology, speaking, and executive experience, Jason Illian is as unique as he is passionate. He’s been referred to as an innovative leader, web visionary, published author, cultural engineer, and TV personality, but like the generation he serves, he’s content without just one title. The former CEO of tangle.com (Big Jump Media)--a social network and video platform that serves over 3 millions monthly visitors--Jason has a passion for new media and technology. He helps organizations think “tradigitally”--applying digital principals and ideas to traditional businesses. His strategic thinking has helped corporations, organizations, non-profits, churches and leaders be more innovative.
Cristóbal Krusen
Cristóbal Krusen was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. While an English major at Harvard University, he intended pursuing a career as a novelist and poet. A growing interest in photography and the history of cinema, however, led him to simultaneously explore the world of filmmaking. Eventually, he changed his major and schools, graduating from the New York University School of Film and Television in 1976. His filmmaking career began that same year in New York City with a small production company making commercials and industrial films. In the years that followed, Cristóbal worked for other companies in a range of capacities, including script reader, film editor, writer, and finally director/producer. For several years, he worked exclusively as a screenwriter; joining the Writer's Guild of America, East and writing scripts for independent feature productions.
Past Judges, 2008
Wes Llewellyn
Wes has been a filmmaker for more than 20 years, on 100’s of productions in film and television. A director, cinematographer, writer and producer, Wes has produced and directed four seasons of the syndicated TV show “Sid Roth’s, It’s Supernatural.” His feature films, “The Moment After” and “The Moment After 2” have received critical acclaim and began distribution with Sony last year. Wes has also won Best Film at the 168 Hour Film Festival a record 3 times. He has received numerous other awards for documentary, shorts, TV and music videos. Wes received his Master’s Degree from Regent University and was inducted into the Regent’s Hall of Fame. His production company, Llewellyn Films, recently relocated to Atlanta, GA from Burbank, CA.
Bill Ewing
Bill Ewing is president of Every Tribe Entertainment and the producer and co-writer for the feature film End of the Spear. He served as Senior VP of Production and Administration, Columbia Pictures, for 15 years and worked on numerous films including Awakenings, A League of Their Own, Air Force One, Men in Black I & II, Stuart Little I & II, The Patriot, and Spiderman. Ewing's production career began in the mid-1970s with the Dino DeLaurentis production of King Kong and Sandy Howard's production of Meteor. Prior to his time at Columbia, he was an actor in several films and television series, including Johnny Got His Gun, The End, Little House on the Prairie, and Korg, 70,000 B.C. He recently made his directorial debut with the Lifetime film Christmas Child. Bill Ewing resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Susie.
Monica Jimenez-Grillo
Before becoming a filmmaker, Monica Jimenez-Grillo dreamed of a career in music, training to be an opera singer for nearly eight years. Her successful transition into film and television production has afforded Monica several once in a lifetime experiences in some of the world's most unique locations, from autopsy rooms to aircraft carriers. On dry land, she has worked primarily as a field producer and assistant director for episodic television (The New Detectives, FBI Files), feature films, and music videos. Monica left her beloved Dominican Republic to study music in Belgium, and later earned her BA in Communications from Trinity International University, where she developed her passion for film. Continuing her training, she earned an MA in Directing and Editing from Regent University. Monica is a graduate of the Act One Executive Program in Hollywood, the Producer of the renowned City of the Angels Film Festival, and the President of Cricket Films.
Preliminary rounds are judged by a select panel of Regent University faculty. Click here to view the Cinema-Television faculty and their bios.
