Film Industry
Find a Presenter
Film Industry
If you don't see who you are looking for, contact one of our experts. We will help you locate the speaker or provide you additional suggestions. 1-914-940-0075 or info@pdaspeakers.com
Film Director and Screenwriter, Most Known for the Documentary "Super Size Me"
Morgan Spurlock is an award-winning and Academy Award-nominated writer, director and producer and CEO & founder of full-service New York-based production studio Warrior Poets. His first film, SUPER SIZE ME,…
Actress, Voice Actress, Writer, Author, Comedian, and Painter. She is Best Known for Her Long-running Role as Lisa Simpson on the Hit Television Series The Simpsons
Yeardley Smith, actress, voice actress, writer, comedian and painter. She is best known for her long-running role as Lisa Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons. She was born…
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Beat Poet, Conservationist, Scholar and Environmental Activist
Pulitzer Prize Winner Gary Snyder, a Zen Buddhist, mountaineer, environment activist and founding member of the beat generation, has written 16 collections of poetry and prose, including “No Nature, Mountains…
Bestselling & Beloved Author of "The Notebook," "A Walk to Remember" & More
In 1994, rejected by both publishers and law schools, Nicholas Sparks was a job-jumping salesman who wrote in the evenings. Then, against all odds, his manuscript was discovered in the…
Actor, Comedian and Television Director
Rondell Sheridan is best known for his role of Victor Baxter on the Disney Channel sitcom That’s So Raven. Although his role as Baxter may be the one he is…
Documentary Filmmaker
Award-Winning Filmmaker, Lecturer and Photojournalist Mike Shiley, has been to the most dangerous places in the world. He lived in and traveled through the Middle East, covered the war in…
Emmy Award Winning Writer, Creator, Executive Producer HBO's "The Wire",’ ‘Homicide: Life on the Streets,’ ‘Treme’
David Simon is the creator, head writer and executive producer behind the hit TV series The Wire. In his writing and his production work he explores the darker side of…
Motivational Speaker; Former Football Player at the University of Notre Dame; Basis for the Award-Winning Movie "Rudy"
Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, best known for his awe-inspiring story of carving his name into the history books of college football and becoming the most famous graduate of the University of…
Renowned Puerto Rican Author, Writer, Actress and Filmmaker
Esmeralda Santiago was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She came to the United States at thirteen, the eldest in a family that would eventually include eleven children. Ms. Santiago…
Queer Performance Artist, Activist, Filmmaker, Lecturer and Sex Educator
Ignacio G Rivera is a Two-Spirit, Black-Boricua Taíno, queer performance artist, activist, filmmaker, lecturer and sex educator who prefers the gender neutral pronoun “they.” Ignacio has been sharing spoken word,…
Actor, Film Director, Producer, Businessman, Environmentalist, Philanthropist, and Founder of the Sundance Film Festival
Robert Redford, the iconic independent filmmaker who founded the Sundance Film Festiva. Redford, who was recently labeled the “Godfather of Indie Film” by TIME magazine, best known for his career…
Emmy-Winning Producer for The Simpsons & Co-Creator of The Critic
Mike Reiss has won four Emmy Awards for his work on The Simpsons, the wacky animated series that has kept America laughing for over 20 years and earned TIME Magazine’s…
Film Director, Screenwriter and Video Game Executive
Most will remember Matty Rich from his directorial and acting debut in the 1991 indie film, Straight Out of Brooklyn, which earned the young filmmaker critical acclaim and accolades for…
Cultural Critic and Movie Reviewer, He contributes regularly to the Wall Street Journal, the LA Times and the Guardian. He is the author of 10 books
Joe Queenan is a cultural critic and movie reviewer, living in Tarrytown, NY. He contributes regularly to the Wall Street Journal, the LA Times and the Guardian. He is the…
An Evening With Def Poetry
The acclaimed late-night series RUSSELL SIMMONS PRESENTS DEF POETRY. Poets to be selected from the following: Suheir, Black Ice, Poetri, Stacey Ann Chin, Lemon, Beau Sia, Mayda and the best…
Actor Known for His Role in "House" "Designated Survivor" and "Harold and Kumar" Films, Producer and Political Activist
Kal Penn stars as Seth Wright on ABC's Hit Designated Survivor, a White House speechwriter. Penn currently stars opposite Tyler Labine in Hulu's original comedy series Deadbeat and will return…
Legendary NFL Player and Inspiration for the Movie "Invincible"
Vince Papale, of Hollywood’s most inspirational movies were born from the world of sports. One in particular inspired not only sports fans but anyone with a pulse. In 2006 Walt…
Documentarian & Emmy-Winning Producer
Stanley Nelson, an Emmy-winning MacArthur “Genius” Fellow and member of the Academy of Motion Picture Art & Sciences, is the director of thirteen documentary features. His latest film is Freedom…
Award-Winning Author and Journalist
Author and journalist Joan Morgan began her writing career freelancing for the Village Voice. Her first article, “The Pro-Rape Culture,” explored the issues of race and gender in the case…
Bringing Author/Activist W.E.B. Du Bois to life in an inspiring show
Starring Art McFarland as W. E. B. Du Bois and Petronia Paley as his wife, The Most Dangerous Man In America (W. E. B. Du Bois) will also feature Arthur…
Comedian, Actor & Host of E! Network's "The Soup" and Star of NBC's hit comedy series "Community"
Joel McHale is one of the most sought after comedians and actors in the industry. McHale recently wrapped his twelfth and final season of E!’s The Soup in which he…
"Maria" on Sesame Street & Author
Sonia Manzano is a first-generation American of Latino descent who has affected the lives of millions of parents and children since the early 1970s, when she was offered an opportunity…
Oscar and Emmy Nominated Film Producer/Director. Marx achieved international fame for his film Hoop Dreams (1994) and Rites of Passage film about various forms of substance abuse and addiction
Frederick Marx is an internationally acclaimed, Oscar and Emmy nominated director/writer with 35 years in the film business. He was named a Chicago Tribune Artist of the Year for 1994,…
Award-Winning Actor, Musician, Author and Arts Advocate
John Lithgow's broad range of interests and talents have touched every area of the entertainment industry -- and even outside it. He's achieved stunning success in wildly varied ventures, and…
Oscar-Winning Director of films like "Life of Pi," "Brokeback Mountain" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
Ang Lee is a film director, producer and screenwriter who was born on October 23, 1954, in Taipei, Taiwan. Lee attended the National Taiwan College of Arts, where he graduated…
Filmmaker. Her documentaries investigate non-stereotypical images of Jews in history and focus on the untold stories of Jewish people. She is most well known for The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg
Documentary filmmaker Aviva Kempner published a blog post in The Wrap on the prevalence of female directors at the Silverdocs film festival. Aviva Kempner writes, "Amazing that Silverdocs director Sky…
Pioneering Activist, Advertising Researcher, Filmmaker & Writer
Jean Kilbourne is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking work on the image of women in advertising and her critical studies of alcohol and tobacco advertising. Her films, lectures, and television…
Award-Winning Filmmaker, Public Thinker and Author
Eugene Jarecki is an award-winning filmmaker, public thinker, and author. His latest film, The House I Live In is the definitive film on the failure of America's drug war, but…
Award-Winning Filmmaker, TV Producer & Writer and Former Star of MTV's "World of Jenks"
Andrew Jenks is an award-winning filmmaker, TV producer and writer that has lived and filmed all over the world. The New York Times has remarked that Jenks work “shines a…
Boxing Manager, Inspiration for the film "Against the Ropes"
Jackie Kallen is the world's most successful female boxing manager and the inspiration for the film. She fought against all odds to prevail in a male-dominated profession. A journalist-turned-publicist for…
Three-time Emmy-Winning Filmmaker and New York Times Bestselling Author
Simcha Jacobovici is a multi award-winning documentary director and producer, as well as a New York Times best selling author and a lecturer. His filmmaking awards include three Emmys for…
Hollywood Producer, best known for his blockbuster films "House Party," "Boomerang" and "Bebe Kids"
Warrington Hudlin is a media community organizer, celebrated filmmaker, film curator, and Internet producer. His creative work challenges the false dichotomy between social concerns and popular entertainment. Warrington Hudlin is…
Former President & Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post Media Group & New York Times Bestselling Author of Thrive
Arianna Huffington is the former chair, president, and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of fourteen books. In May 2005, she launched The…
Seven-time NBA All-Star, Film Producer & Philanthropist
The Grant Hill story is one of faith, guts, family, friends, commitment and the incredible will to play basketball. He was born with a competitive spirit that sent him to…
Emmy-Award Winning Founder and Owner of Ish Entertainment
Michael Hirschorn is the Emmy-award winning founder and owner of Ish Entertainment, a five year old production company based in NY and L.A. ISH has produced several series for multiple…
Screenwriter, Film Director and Film Producer
Leslie Harris is a promising young filmmaker whose first feature-length film, Just Another Girl on the I.R.T., concerns a teenage girl's coming of age in the Brooklyn projects. The movie achieved recognition…
Award-Winning Author of "The Journey of the Lost Boys"
Joan Hecht of the Lost Boys will share their heartfelt and inspirational stories of being refugees. Hecht founded the Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan Foundation in 2004. The…
Scientist, Filmmaker, and Gay Rights Activist
Scientist turned documentarian Dean Hamer is an Emmy Award–winning filmmaker and New York Times Book of the Year author with a long history of communicating complex and controversial ideas to…
Artist, Documentary Photographer and Documentary Filmmaker
Acclaimed documentary photographer/filmmaker, Lauren Greenfield is considered a preeminent chronicler of youth culture, gender and consumerism, as a result of her monographs “Girl Culture,” “Fast Forward,” “THIN” and other photographic…
Professor and Director, W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, Harvard University
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar,…
Co-founder of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam
Bruce George is the co-founder of HBO’s Def Poetry Jam As a Peabody Award Winner he is a visionary, executive producer, writer, poet and activist. He was born and raised…
Former Editor-in-Chief, Ms. and Essence
Marcia Ann Gillespie is a trailblazer in the magazine industry, a leader in the women’s movement, a champion of gender of racial justice. A provocative writer and thinker, hers has…
Actor and Humanitarian
Morgan Freeman earned his first Academy Award nomination for his chilling performance as a homicidal pimp in the drama Street Smart, which also brought him the LA, N.Y., and National…
Best-Selling Author, Educator & Filmmaker
Timothy Ferris is the author of a dozen books, among them Seeing in the Dark, The Whole Shebang, and Coming of Age in the Milky Way, which was translated into…
Emmy Award-Winning Actor and Philanthropist
Award-Winning actor Hector Elizondo has a successful career spanning 40 years that includes film, television, theater and radio. In 1997, Elizondo won the prestigious Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor…
Officer Frank "Ponch" Poncherello, "Chips"
Erik Estrada has captured the hearts of millions of fans world-wide as a result of his six year run starring as highway patrol officer Frank Poncherello in the highly successful…
