Clayton Howe’s Entertainmentx

Emily Atef (IG:@emily.atef) is a French-Iranian filmmaker born in Berlin. At the age of seven, she moved with her parents and brother to Los Angeles. At the age of thirteen, she settled in the Jura, the land where her mother grew up. Later, she attended a theatre school in London for several years. Finally, she moved to Germany to study filmmaking at the German Film Academy in Berlin. Her first feature film, MOLLY’S WAY, like her next two films, was co-written by Esther Bernstorff and won the Best Screenplay Award at the Munich Film Festival in2005 Munich Film Festival and the Grand Jury Prize at the Mar del Plata Film Festival as well as several other awards. His second feature film, THE STRANGER IN ME, about a young mother suffering from postnatal depression, had its world premiere at the Critics’ Week in Cannes and won severalawarded several times. She was offered a grant from the Cannes Film Festival’s Cinéfondation to write TUE-MOI. The film was voted Best Foreign Language Drama at the Bradford Film Festival2013. In 2017, Emily Atef wrote and directed the feature film THREE DAYS IN QUIBERON. It depicts three emotional days of Romy Schneider during which she gave her last German interview to STERN magazine. THREE DAYS IN QUIBERON was in competition at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival and won 7 Lolas at the German Film Academy Awards Night 2018, including Best Film and Best Director.

Get Duany's (gerduany.com) childhood was marked by adversity on a skill that is difficult to imagine, but he has succeeded in healing some of the pain. With close family members currently displaced inside South Sudan and in refugee camps in neighboring countries, Ger has dedicated his time to ongoing an intense humanitarian efforts. He has committed himself to becoming one of the voices for the people of south Sudan, even as refugee and migrant have taken central states globally in the wake of unprecedented populations flows, from the middle east to Europe. Ger spends his time educating people all around the world, on refugee crisis. He also visits refugee camps in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia, interacting with fellow South Sudanese and refugees of mixed nationalities, exchanging experiences and ideals. Ger is a true communicator with an eloquent voice, which allows audience to feel his passion, he shares for the people of South Sudan. He brings intrinsic authenticity to any discourse on the condition and experience of refugees.Ger's rise from a herds boy in the grasslands of South Sudan, to his experiences in Sudan’s brutal Civil War, to the sheer effort that acquired him a college education, and enabling him to become an actor, fashion model and a writer, enable him to tell his story with his heart and soul, irrespective of the audience before him.

Keith Sherman (ksa-pr.com)(IG:@keithshermanassociates)(heliclinefineart.com) provides diversified public relations and marketing communications services to entertainment, lifestyles, special events, corporate and not-for-profit clients. From his roots on Broadway, Keith has built a distinguished reputation for over 20 years among the leaders of Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs, producers, studio executives, celebrities, and artists for executing effective campaigns and consistently exceeding his clients’ goals. Keith is a hands-on agency distinguished by smart strategic thinking, proactive effort, integrity, personal attention, and a passionate drive to deliver excellent results for the clients we represent.

Rick Elice co-wrote Jersey Boys (winner 2006 Tony Award, 2007 Grammy Award and 2009 Olivier Award for Best Musical) with the great Marshall Brickman; The Addams Family; Peter and the Starcatcher (winner of five 2012 Tony Awards); and The Cher Show (currently on tour in the UK). In the pipeline: The Princess Bride for Disney; Smash for Robert Greenblatt, Neil Meron and Steven Spielberg, music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, directed by Susan Stroman. Rick is also adapting Sara Gruen’s novel Water for Elephants; the popular film, Silver Linings Playbook; and writing an original musical, Treasure, with 2021 Ed Kleban Award-winner Benjamin Scheuer. Rick’s book, Finding Roger, An Improbably Theatrical Love Story, is published by Kingswell. Heartfelt thanks to those whose theatre work makes him grateful for the day he was born: Sondheim, Stoppard, Bennett, Prince, Fosse, Robbins, Nichols, Nunn, Laurents, Stone, Taymor, Papp, Schumacher, Schneider, David, Strong, Gaudio, Valli, McAnuff, Trujillo, Timbers, Coyne, Brickman, and, eternally, Roger Rees. Rick thinks about them a lot. He never thought about Jersey much. He does now.

Alex Joseph Grayson (alexjosephgrayson.com)(IG:@alexjgsings) currently in Parade on Broadway is an actor and musician from Watertown, NY. He accredits his eclectic artistic influences to a nomadic upbringing as a military brat. Over the last decade, Alex has performed on the biggest stages of the American theatre, including Broadway, National Tours, and several Regional theaters. Alex previously acted as lead vocalist of the metal band “Ten Thousand Pounds.”

Paul Alexander Nolan (paulalexandernolan.com)(IG:@paulalexandernolan) who is currently in Parade The Musical on Broadway, is originally from Canada, where much of his career has been spent as a company member of the Stratford Festival. Since moving to New York he’s led seven Broadway productions including Jesus Christ Superstar; Once; Doctor Zhivago; Bright Star; Chicago; Escape to Margaritaville and Slave Play. He originated the role of Jim in Slave Play at NYTW, on Broadway and at The Taper in Los Angeles. TV credits include The Code; Madam Secretary and Instinct for CBS. Paul is currently collaborating on a concept album about isolation entitled T+L.

Jessica Ryan (IG:@jessicaryannyla)(LI:@jessicaryannyla)(alltogethernow.live)(broadwayunlocked.com) is an award-winning “wacky genius” at the intersection of technology and live experiences. She has been the go-to Broadcast Director for Broadway's live simulcasts since 2013, including Between Riverside and Crazy starring Common, Clyde's starring Uzo Aduba, Maestra's Amplify concert, hosted by Kate Baldwin, Freestyle Love Supreme+ Live at the Waldorf and Broadway Unlocked's The #Giveback Concert. She brings an extensive theatrical experience to her digital work in the arts, including sharing the stage with Donna McKechnie, Everett Quinton (Ridiculous Theatre Company), Christianne Noll, Paige Davis, Jeff Still and more.Her groundbreaking work has been featured at Talks at Google, The New York Times and Deadline and is at the root of her company, All Together Now. The Live Digital and Immersive Studio brings Jess's wealth of creative experience and strategy for livestreams to brands, via branded content, direct to consumer sports & entertainment, employee engagement and social impact events for companies like Smithsonian Magazine, EY, Columbia Business School, NYCLU & more.Passionate about bridging the gap between entertainment and entrepreneurship, she frequently hosts and moderates conferences and conversations for purpose and passion-led companies. Partners include 3BL Media, Seenit, Badassery, Idealist and her podcast Take Me To Coffee with Hamilton’s Andrew Call. Jess also actively supports the work of several non-profits that provide services and access for marginalized communities including Crime Victims Treatment Center, Ring of Keys, Scholarship Plus, Maestra and Arts Workers United.

Tom Gabbard (blumenthalarts.org)(IG:@tomgabbard) has been CEO of Blumenthal Performing Arts since 2003. The Blumenthal’s 110 employees manage six theaters in Charlotte, hosting over 1,000 performances annually, as well as extensive education programs, immersive projects, and the Charlotte International Arts Festival. During his tenure, the Blumenthal became a Top 10 market for touring Broadway shows in North America. A member of the Board of Governors of the Broadway League, he serves on the Legislative Council and Finance and Intra-Industry Committees. He has been a voter for Broadway’s Tony Awards since 1997. In 2022, the League awarded Tom with Lifetime Tony Award Voter status. In 2012 the League awarded him the Samuel J. L'Hommedieu Award for Outstanding Achievement in Presenter Management. He serves as co-chair of The Jimmy Awards, the National High School Musical Theatre Awards held annually on Broadway. Tom is a Past President of the Independent Presenters Network (IPN), a consortium of 40 leading touring Broadway presenters in North America, Asia, and the UK. Tony Awards as a co-producer/investor include Monty Python’s Spamalot, Thoroughly Modern Millie, La Cage aux Folles, RED, Pippin, Kinky Boots, The Color Purple Revival, Hello Dolly, Dear Evan Hansen, The Band’s Visit, Oklahoma!, Hadestown, A Strange Loop, and Lehman Trilogy. Other Broadway, Off-Broadway, national tour and London West End credits include Moulin Rouge, Ain’t Too Proud, David Byrne’s American Utopia, Death of a Salesman, Tootsie, Legally Blonde, Frost/Nixon, Matilda, Cinderella, Jagged Little Pill, Something Rotten, An American in Paris, Waitress, The Broadway Museum, and Back to the Future. He produced the New York run and the national tour of TRACES, and the national tour of 9 to 5. Tom is a leader in developing partnerships between the UK and US, working on over 25 UK/US transfers and London productions. He was the Founding Managing Director of Pepperdine University’s Center for the Arts in Malibu, the Executive Director of the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities in Denver, and the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts in Green Bay. He holds an MBA in Arts Management from Golden Gate University and a BA in Music Performance from Pepperdine University where he also attended Law School.

Andy Einhorn (LI:@andy-einhorn) has directed concerts with the Boston Pops, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra. He has worked as the Music Supervisor and Musical Director for the Broadway productions of Carousel and Hello Dolly! Einhorn’s previous Broadway credits include Holiday Inn, Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Evita, Brief Encounter, The Light in the Piazza, and Sondheim on Sondheim. He recently served as music director and conductor for the Châtelet Theatre’s production of Sondheim’s Passion in Paris and Einhorn made his New York Philharmonic debut with world-renowned trumpeter Chris Botti. Since 2011 Einhorn has served as music director and pianist for Six-Time Tony Award Winner, Audra McDonald, performing with her at such prestigious orchestras and venues including The Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Opera, Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall and Teatro Real, Madrid. They recently recorded performances for an upcoming telecast with the Sydney Symphony at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Einhorn has also music directed for Barbara Cook at Feinstein’s and Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music. His tour work includes Sweeney Todd, The Light in the Piazza, Mamma Mia!, and The Lion King. Einhorn’s work can be heard on the current touring production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music. Einhorn has worked at Goodspeed Opera House, Signature Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival and PaperMill Playhouse. He was principal vocal coach and pianist for Houston Grand Opera’s An Evening with Audra McDonald, a double-bill of Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine and LaChiusa’s Send. Recording credits include Bullets Over Broadway, Cinderella, Evita, Sondheim on Sondheim (Grammy Nom) Stage Door Canteen and McDonald’s newest release, Go Back Home. He served as the music director for HBO’s Peabody Award winning documentary Six by Sondheim and music supervisor for Great Performances Peabody Award winning special “Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy” on PBS. Andy Einhorn is an honors graduate of Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Anant Das (LI:@anantdas)Founder of Broadway Boxed Up, Broadway and Film Producer and Investor, and Financial Valuation Senior Associate at PwC in Manhattan. Interested in the business and production side of Broadway, Tech, Finance, Real Estate, and all things UVA Basketball. Graduate of the University of Virginia -- Studied Commerce (Finance, Management, & Real Estate) and Computer Science. Graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology -- a STEM-focused HS consistently ranked the #1 public high school in the US. Proud to continue to give back to the University of Virginia serving as Secretary of the University's Young Alumni Council, on the McIntire Young Alumni Council, and as a member of the Rotunda Society. Also proud Treasurer of the TJ Alumni Action Group, working to make a more equitable experience for underrepresented students in STEM.

Beth Leavel (bethleavel.net) is a Tony Award-winning stage and screen actor. She recently starred as Miranda Priestly in the Broadway-bound new musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada, directed by Anna Shapiro and featuring music by Sir Elton John, lyrics by Shaina Taub and a book by Kate Wetherhead. Most recently, Beth was seen on Broadway as Dee Dee Allen in The Prom, for which she was nominated for Tony, New York Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards. She received Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and LA Drama Critics Awards for her performance as the title character in The Drowsy Chaperone. Beth also received Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for her role as Florence Greenberg in Baby, It’s You. On Broadway, Beth also originated the roles of June Adams in Bandstand, Emily in Elf, Mrs. Bixby in The Civil War and Tess in Crazy For You. Other Broadway credits include Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia!, Frau Blucher in Young Frankenstein, Dorothy Brock in the revival of 42nd Street, Ellie in Hal Prince’s Show Boat, and Anytime Annie (her Broadway debut) in 42nd Street. Other New York credits include starring as Lucille in the New York City Center Encores! production of No, No, Nanette, as well as the off-Broadway productions of Lone Star Love and Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays. Regionally, Beth has performed some of the most iconic roles in musical theatre – from Mama Rose in Gypsy at The Muny and Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly at Cape Playhouse and The Muny, to Sally Adams in Call Me Madam at the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, the Witch in Into the Woods at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, and Miss Hannigan in Annie at the Paper Mill Playhouse. Beth has dazzled and delighted sold-out audiences with her cabaret act, which she has taken from 54 Below in New York City to other venues across the United States. You might also recognize Beth from numerous commercials and TV shows/films, including Ghosts of Christmas Always, The Bite, Walking Dead: World Beyond and the final episode of ER. She holds an MFA and an honorary PhD from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Of all the roles she has played, on stage and off, Beth is most proud of being T.J. and Sam’s mom. She is helplessly in love with her fiancé, Adam Heller, and thanks her cat, Malcolm, for keeping her sane during the pandemic.

Charlie H. Ray (IG:@charliehray)(TW:@charliehray)(neverbeking.com)(LI:@charliehray) is the co-creator of Never Be King: "Another" new musical.

Samuel W. Gailey (samuelwgailey.com) was raised in a small town in northeast Pennsylvania (population 379) and now resides on remote Orcas Island. His writing has been compared to Steinbeck and Cormac McCarthy and been praised by the NY Times, Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus, Esquire and more. His novels are intriguing studies of human nature and portray how the simplest twist of fate can alter and shatter lives. His central characters are flawed but deserving of redemption. Internationally, his novels, The Guilt We Carry (Une Question de Temps) and Deep Winter have been translated into French by Gallmeister Editions. Gallmeister, devoted to the translation of American literature, publishes authors Gabriel Talent (My Absolute Darling), Craig Johnson (Longmire), Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove), Larry Watson (Montana 1948), and Kurt Vonnegut.