Board of Directors
Michael Samtesto
President, CEO, Director
Best known for his work directing and producing special features for the first three Harry Potter DVDs and the Van Helsing DVD, Samtestos’ work on Van Helsing was featured in an article by American Cinematographer Magazine and the making of WAR & TRUTH was featured in the American Prospect. His documentary, TALES IN FLIGHT, followed the inspirational stories of pilots who fly dogs to safety.
His documentary feature film, WAR & TRUTH, won Best Documentary at the Annapolis Film Festival in November 2005. His documentary, JUST GOT BACK chronicles Darryl Worley’s last trip to Iraq in 2010 and was honored with an Excellence in Media Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution. Samtesto graduated from Hampshire College with a BA in Directing for Film and Television in 1989.
Josh Gildrie
Chairman, Producer & Writer
Josh Gildrie has been a journeyman. Following college, he joined Actor’s Equity while in New York, received his Masters in English from Ball State and finished his schooling with a Master of Theological Study from Harvard Divinity.
Josh returned to Tennessee and began working in all levels of production. He story-edited two television shows airing on Nickelodeon and Esquire Network, won a Silver Addy for his work with YWCA’s Tribute to Women, wrote and directed PSA’s with Billy Bob Thornton and Randy Travis, worked on numerous regional and national commercials, and just finished his fourth documentary, A Southern Fix.
Elizabeth McGovern
Vice Chairman, Executive Producer
Attorney, Investor, Executive Producer. Elizabeth shifted from a business environment and work in philanthropy to spending her next chapter in the world of films. She has always had a passion for documentary style filmmaking and enjoys working to help people tell their real life stories to entertain, to educate and to inspire. Elizabeth is focused on utilizing her background in venture capital investments and grassroots development to bring new opportunities and connections for independent educational films.
Megan Bowman
Vice President, Marketing & Development
Megan Bowman, CFRE, is the founder and owner of Bowman Development Solutions, LLC. Her consulting practice is based in Atlanta and focuses on the areas of nonprofit management, media, and philanthropy. She has a strong and respected reputation nationally for her work with a variety of non-profit clients, both large and small. Through her efforts, Megan has helped organizations enhance their brand awareness and raise millions of dollars to support nonprofit missions that matter. A true humanitarian at heart, Megan is a Certified Fundraising Executive who cares deeply about supporting social impact causes that positively affect the welfare and well-being of both children and animals. She is a proud wife, mother, and animal rescue advocate.
Andy van Roon
Andy van Roon is a writer/producer/executive producer. He is Chairman/GM of FILM-COM Financing & Distribution Market, an international film, television and documentary market focusing on projects in development that need completion funding or newly completed projects seeking distribution. He has an MFA from the University of Southern California. He was president of the Nashville Film/Video Association, a membership-based trade organization. He was co-founder of Nashville Cinema Partners, a video distribution company. He was founding president of FilmNashville, a trade organization specifically designed to facilitate creation of feature films, television programs and documentaries. He was co-founder of FilmNashville Foundation, an organization designed to facilitate funding for documentaries.