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Originally from a small town in upstate New York, Jill holds a MA in Theatre from Illinois State University. This is Jill's third year on staff at the festival. As Development Director for Cucalorus 18 Jill will head up a variety of projects, including raising funds, organizing the box office, and youth programs. Most days Jill can be found in the office deep in conversation with Izzie. In her free time Jill enjoys drinking coffee, auditioning for local productions, and playing with her miniature dachshund Buddy (sometimes all at the same time!).

Izzie
Recently relocated from a no-kill animal resort on the outskirts of Conway, South Carolina, Izzie is a Mini-Pin and Spaniel mix with a few unknown ancestral lines. Izzie works diligently to maintain staff morale by licking hands, faces and other places.  You can find her chewing sticks, practicing her stunt dog tricks and looking out the window.    

Lola

Board of Trustees

Robert Sharp, Chair
Robert has nearly 20 years of entrepreneurial experience, mainly in the digital media industry. Most recently, Robert acquired Digieffects, a developer of special effects software for film and video. Robert moved the business to Wilmington, North Carolina in 2007 and since that time has become highly involved with the local film community. Robert grew up in Tokyo, Japan and holds a B.A. in Asian History from San Francisco State University.

Dylan Lee, President

Susi Hamilton, Past Chair
Susi’s roots in New Hanover County run deep, her family has resided in Wilmington for decades. She has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, from UNC Wilmington, 2004 and a Bachelor of Arts in History, UNC Chapel Hill, 1994. Susi has business friendly values and strong sense of public participation. In addition to Cucalorus, she currently serves on many local boards and commissions. 

Beth Steelman, Treasurer

A Wilmington native, Beth White Steelman kept a movie scrapbook when she was growing up. After graduating from Salem College (majoring in psycology and Spanish), Beth worked as a newspaper reporter, a Girl Scout communications director, a public relations consultant and a fundraiser for various non-profits. She and her husband Ben have traveled to six of the seven continnets. Her family home in Carolina place is available for location shooting, in case anybody's interested.

 

 

Cathy Meriam, Secretary

Cathy has been an active part of Cucalorus since its days of small offices and film submissions on VHS tapes. Her work experience includes positions on major motion pictures and in television - most

recently wrapping the HBO/Cinemax show Banshee. Cathy's passion, concentration and support have consistently been for our local Independent Film Community. She has Produced and Directed feature films, short films, and documentaries. In areas outside the film industry, Cathy has maintained Magnia Bene catering service, worked as the Director of Marketing and Promotions for local radio and held various positions in Wilmington's Human Service Community. 

 

Dan Brawley
Dancing to several tunes (mostly off beat) all at once, Dan Brawley is the multi-media collaborator and curator leading Cucalorus since 1999. A 
graduate of Duke University and a native of Wilmington, Brawley is busy traveling around the world to find new films, artists and ideas to the festival. Ever restless, Brawley is also the Treasurer of Atlanta-based non-profit Alternate ROOTS, an organization that supports the crossroads between art and activism.    

 

Rob Hill
Rob majored in Motion Picture and Television Production at the University of Southern Colorado. With a small grant in 1999, he produced, directed and edited the non-fiction film Live In It To Win It. Rob founded Common Sense Films, the company behind his Emmy nominated documentary, The Fort Fisher Hermit: The Life and Death of Robert E. Harrill. The film also won Best Documentary Feature at the Hollywood Film Festival and is distributed nationally. The National Academy of Television Science nominated Rob for the prestigious Rising Star Award in 2007.

 

 

Elizabeth Kuronen

Elizabeth joined PPD in 2009 as vice president of strategic communications, marketing and public affairs, bringing a wealth of expertise in many different areas. Active in the Wilmington business and civic community, Kuronen currently serves on the board of directors for DREAMS for Youth, and is a past member of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce board of directors. Kuronen earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and public relations from Campbell University and studied journalism at North Carolina State University.

 

 

Sue Meier 

Sue Meier grew up in Michigan and lived in New York before making Wilmington her home. She's been teaching, dancing and choreographing with The Dance Cooperative for 10+ years. She's been a participant of Dance-a-lorus, working with different filmmakers on a variety of projects. She's also involved in the North Carolina Dance Festival's stop in Wilmington, having produced the event for several years. When she's not at the studio, Sue will likely be found at the beach!

 

 

Dave Monahan
Dave is a filmmaker and teacher. He is the co-author of "Looking At Movies", an intro to film textbook published by W.W. Norton& Co, and serves as the chair of the Film Studies department at UNC Wilmington.

 

 

 

 

Norm Robinson

Norm has been a Wilmington resident for forty years. He is a retired physician/educator, co-founder of Wilmington Health Associates, and watercolorist. Norman is a long-time supporter of the arts and serves as president on the board of directors at the Cucalorus Film Festival.

 

 

 

 

 Jill Tefft

Originally from a small town in upstate New York, Jill holds a MA in Theatre from Illinois State University. This is Jill's third year on staff at the festival. As Development Director for Cucalorus 18 Jill will head up a variety of projects, including raising funds, organizing the box office, and youth programs. Most days Jill can be found in the office deep in conversation with Izzie. In her free time Jill enjoys drinking coffee, auditioning for local productions, and playing with her miniature dachshund Buddy (sometimes all at the same time!).

 

 

Bill Vassar
Bill is the Executive Vice President of EUE Screen Gems Studios. He manages the company’s facilities in Wilmington and Charleston. Bill joined EUE Screen Gems in 1997 as the manager of their video facility in New York City. In 2002 he added the responsibility of collaborating with their Wilmington studio management. Bill serves on the North Carolina Governor’s Film Council and the board of the Wilmington Regional Film Office. He also served two terms on the Board of Governors of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

 

 

Bo Webb

Jim O'Brien

Ambassadors Council

Aaron Hillis
Aaron is the NYC-based curator of the reRun Gastropub Theater (Brooklyn, NY), editor of GreenCine Daily, and an ongoing contributor to The Village Voice, LA Weekly, Time Out NY, Variety, and Spin. His co-directorial feature debut, FISH KILL FLEA, screened at Cucalorus '07.  
 

Hope Dickson Leach
Hope completed her MFA in filmmaking at Columbia University in New York, during which time she was assistant to Todd Solondz for the making of his film PALINDROMES. Her award-winning short films have played at festivals worldwide and she is currently developing her debut feature ENGLISH ROSE about a teenage girl who hates Princess Diana (a comedy). She lives in Glasgow with her husband and son.

Geoff Marslett
Geoff is a native Texan who took a circuitous path to filmmaking, studying mathematics, philosophy, art, science, and languages at St. John’s College before returning to Texas to pursue an MFA in filmmaking at UT (2001). His critically acclaimed Monkey vs. Robot screened at over 25 festivals worldwide, was distributed theatrically, and broadcast on HBO, PBS, and Univision. His short, Bubblecraft, served as a laboratory for developing his own unique animation process and style and later co-wrote an expanded version for Mars.

Norwood Cheek
Norwood Cheek is a film and television producer, director, actor and writer who has worked behind and in front of the camera for 20 years. He has directed more than 70 music videos including ones for eels, she & him, squirrel nut zippers and superchunk. A small gauge film enthusiast, cheek started flicker in chapel hill and leads film and music video workshops at film festivals around the world.

Francesca Talenti
Francesca is a filmmaker and animator that has exhibited work from Sundance to PBS National, by way of Mumbai, Casablanca, Göteborg, and many others. She has won a number of "best of" awards and has received grants from the Independent Television Service, Latino Public Broadcasting, and the Kauffman Foundation. Francesca is also a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she teaches media production. 

Matt Hulse
Perhaps best known for his films - with award - winning shorts, retrospective screenings and the debut feature documentary 'Follow The Master' (which had its US premier at Cucalorus and has been described as 'thrumming with life and a little madness') - but in his restless, maverick practice Matt embraces moving image, text, music, sound, live performance, events and community to help articulate his quizzical, poetic take on over looked aspects of this bizarre life. Has also worked as a toilet cleaner. Pedal over to > dummyjim.com

Josephine Decker
Josephine is a Brooklyn-based performer and filmmaker. A magical realist at heart, she attempts to navigate the wavering sea-tide between fish-heads and teddy bears -- always aiming for the truth. Her performance art has received national  coverage, and her feature doc "Bi The Way," exploring the rise of bisexuality in America and available on Logo and Netflix, screened at SXSW, Silverdocs, and about 100 festivals worldwide.  Her short films-- featuring dancing utensils and child pirates -- have brought her to Cucalorus for the last three years. She aims to shoot her frist narrative feature, "Squeezebox", in the fall of 2012. 

Volunteers!
Cucalorus is made possible by an enormous volunteer staff. Each year hundreds of brilliant and talented people like you devote hours and hours to make the annual festival a truly unique and southern experience. To join the Cucalorus Family of dysfunktional spirits, send an email to development@cucalorus.org or drop by the office at 815 Princess Street in downtown Wilmington.