_________________________PANELIST
BIOS
Larry Balaban, Creator, Baby Genius Series—Larry is a founding partner of Genius Products, Inc., and President of Pacific Entertainment Corporation, a newly formed company created to expand the universe of parents and children who enjoy—and benefit from—Baby Genius products. He is a well-respected licensor who was named one of “40 Under 40” most important people in the licensing industry by License magazine in 2003. For the past three years, he has held a seat on the national board of the Coalition for Quality Children’s Media, home of the KIDS FIRST! community-based jury that evaluates, rates and endorses children’s entertainment. David Bixler, Senior V.P, Acquisition at Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. Martin Blythe, Studio Publicist— Martin is now an independent publicist, having spent the last 17 years in marketing and publicity at Buena Vista and Paramount, working on the Disney and Nickelodeon brands among others. This included both theatrical and home video, domestically and internationally. PR highlights: launching "The Lion King" theatrically in international, Hayao Miyazaki on home video in the U.S., and for the grown-ups "The Godfather Collection," "Indiana Jones" and "Grease" on DVD. He has a film degree from UCLA, has published a book on New Zealand film, and has been a film maker and film reviewer. Ranny Levy, Founder and President, KIDS FIRST!—Ranny created the Coalition for Quality Children’s Media in 1991, dedicated to promoting and nurturing quality children's media as a vehicle for social change. She developed the Coalition’s violence prevention program for the Women, Infants, and Children's Program in New Mexico, reaching 45,000 low income families monthly; its Junior Film Critics Club, training more than 5,000 teachers, librarians, child development specialists, and parents to teach children critical viewing skills; initiated a children's hospital donation project which serves more than 20 million children annually; and launched the touring KIDS FIRST! Film, Video and DVD Festival, which traveled to 75 cities in 2005 and reached an audience of more than 250,000 children and parents—a number that’s expected to double in 2006. Ranny is a frequent speaker at conferences, such as Vice President Gore's Family Re-Union VI and X, the Video Software Dealers' Association Convention, and the National Governor's Association Conference on Quality in Education.
Jere Rae-Mansfield, Managing Partner, Monterey Media—Jere joined Monterey Media inc. in 1982 and serves as Managing Partner where she oversees production for Monterey in-house projects. Monterey Media is the second oldest independent video manufacturer in the industry specializing in unique entertainment such as Multi-Platinum RIAA and ITA Award-winning Grateful Dead concerts, sports programming, as well a prestigious library of films from PBS and AFI. Community minded, Jere has served multiple terms
on the National Board for the Coalition for Quality Children¹s Media, two terms as President and two as Vice President for the Video Industry AIDS Action Committee and heads Monterey's outreach for philanthropy. Jere has been recognized by Video Business Magazine as "Women to Watch," by VIAAC as a "Visionary," and by Who¹s Who in Corporate America. Doug Zwick, Founder and President, Pop Twist Entertianment— Doug is currently heading the launch of a new non-fiction division for Porchlight Entertainment. He was a Senior Vice President at The Disney Channel for 10 years, where he handled all acquisitions and provided creative oversight on hundreds of hours of original programming. With more than 100 major award nominations, his projects have won an Academy Award, two Grammys, 20 Emmys, and 15 CableAce Awards. International honors for the programs include BAFTA nominations, Pulchinella Awards, and most recently, an Irish Film and Television Award nomination. He is a writer and executive producer working in a range of genres. He serves on the National Board of Directors of the Coalition For Quality Children’s Media, which produces the KIDS FIRST! Film and Video Festival.