Northwest Film Forum

Northwest Film Forum is overseen by a volunteer board consisting of 5 to 19 members.  The role of the board is to advance the mission and long-term welfare of the organization.  The board is made up of a group of diverse artists and professionals working in the film, arts, non-profit and business communities.

Jennifer Roth (President, 2003) is a 20-year veteran of the independent film industry. She is currently the executive producer of Darren Aronofsky's film, "Black Swan," which stars Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel and Mila Kunis. In 2008, she was the executive/line producer on the Darren Aronofsky film “The Wrestler” starring Mickey Rourke which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Her other producer credits include  “World’s Greatest Dad,” “Smart People” and “The Squid and the Whale.” Her early production credits include “Bad Lieutenant,” “Smoke,” “The Crow” and “Deadman.”

Peter J. Vogt, Vice-President (2004) began making films and videos in the mid 1980s. His work has won awards from the Seattle Video Shorts Festival and Northwest Cable Programmers competitions, screened at Bumbershoot and the Center Of Contemporary Art in Seattle, and has been broadcast locally and regionally on PBS. His first theatrical release “Windows” won a Cine Golden Eagle, and showed at film festivals around the world. In the 90s he co-produced the film Hype! which premiered at Sundance in 1996, won the Seattle Film Festival's feature documentary competition and achieved worldwide release. In 1999, he created Outsider Films community. “Nuts&Bolts,” the first in the Outsider series, won a special jury prize at the 2000 Seattle Film Festival, was short listed for the American Film Institute's digital film award, and showed regionally on PBS. Other Outsider films include “Blue Moon People,” which had two runs on PBS, and “October,” which was an official selection of the New York Film Festival in 2003. His film “Up Thornton Creek” was an official selection of the Seattle Film Festival and distributed nationally by PBS as part of the Natural Heroes series. Vogt also directed a feature length documentary about baseball legend Bill "Spaceman" Lee. Along with his ongoing non-profit and commercial film work, Vogt is part owner of Optimistic Camera, a film camera to promote interesting, marginally represented voices in the Seattle rental company.

John DeShazo (Secretary, 2000) is a woodworker, actor, and theatre and film technician.  He has worked on many projects with Northwest Film Forum, Annex Theatre, Typing Explosion, The Film Company, Megan Murphy, Matt Wilkins, Web Crowell, Herbert Bergel, Firehouse Theatre Project, Ampersand, and Empty Space Theatre.  He has been with Northwest Film Forum since moving to Seattle in January of 1999 and has been on the board since August of 2001. By day, he works for David Gulassa and Company.

Serge Gregory (Treasurer, 2003) is a Seattle filmmaker who has made 10 narrative, documentary and experimental short films since 1997. Funded by grants from the Seattle Arts Commission, 4Culture and Artist Trust, his films have been widely exhibited in festivals, on TV, and in museums, galleries and alternative venues in the U.S. and abroad. He is the Web Communications Manager for the Washington/Montana Region of Providence Health & Services.

Alan Pruzan (Immediate Past President, 1999) is a founding partner of Forrest-Pruzan Creative, a product invention studio specializing in games and toys. Prior to this, he was one of the original game-makers at ENTROS in Seattle, creating a wide variety of physical and social entertainment experiences. His background is in film and video arts, and he worked for many years in the media arts scene, both as a facilitator and as a multi-media artist. 

Lyall Bush, Executive Director (ex officio) is the Executive Director of the Northwest Film Forum, a Seattle based film arts organization dedicated to the understanding and appreciation of film as an art form. We inspire and facilitate the creation of artistic film and support the development of the local film community through exhibition, education and artist support. Previous to the Film Forum he was executive director of Richard Hugo House. He has published personal essays and pieces on film for over a decade and is at work on a collection of short stories, which he periodically showcases along with the singer-songwriter, Devin Sullivan.

Mark Bashore (2007) is Head of Creative at Digital Kitchen.  Mark has overseen concept, live action, design, and post-production on several highly acclaimed sequences for film and television. He is currently producing a number of documentary and large-scale environmental film pieces on behalf of dk. With a background in editing, he continues to write, direct, edit and produce documentary and experimental works.

Jim Brown (2007) is a business entrepreneur, amateur musician, film producer, and father of two. His background includes book publishing in the 70s and 80s, software industry in the 80s and 90s, and filmmaking in the 21st century. Currently Jim is a partner in Base Capital, LLC, a real estate development firm, the owner of Jet City Guitars, and a part owner of Boise Hawks Baseball Club.  Jim produced the documentary film “Bill Spaceman Lee: High & Outside,” directed by Peter J. Vogt, which played at festivals and opened in theatres in 2009. 

Ashley Dahl (September 2008) specializes in organizational design and events for independent businesses, arts organizations and community non-profits.  As both a Business Consultant and Managing Director for 8 Limbs Yoga Centers, she integrates her background in applied philosophy, human development and design.  Prior to joining the Board of Directors, Ashley had been involved with the Film Forum for over a decade as a program advisor and event coordinator. 

Nicholas Hanauer (1998) is Chairman and CEO, Avenue A Internet Media, Founding partner, Second Avenue Partners; Executive Vice President, Pacific Coast Feather. Serving two years from August 2005 (third term).

Brad Lenz (2008) is the owner and executive producer of LenzFilms, a Seattle-based company specializing in the production of television commercials and industrial films. A graduate of the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University, he has taken part in over 2000 film and video projects. He began his career as an intern at Alpha Cine in Seattle and later joined the staff at Kaye Smith Productions. He went on to found Beggar Boys Films, a music video production company, and OberLenz Films, the production company responsible for a Seattle Super Sonics ad campaign that won a coveted Golden Lion at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. 

Rebecca Luke (2009) is a stylist who has worked on films such as “The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle” and “The Whole Truth.” She has worked with Seattle Repertory Theater, the Paramount Theater, the Meany Theater and, among other organizations, Seattle Art Institute. In addition, she has been an event producer and image consultant for 15 years. In 2000, she founded Les Egoistes, an image based creative services company in Seattle, with a studio in New York City, which offers complete image packages for a client base across the country. Its mission is to create, communicate and manage every aspect of a client’s image, allowing clients to focus on their work and goals.

Steven Schardt (2009) parlayed a liberal arts degree from Harvard University into a job at D.E. Shaw & Co, a hedge fund in New York, and at Amazon.com in Seattle, Washington, and Paris, France, working in recruiting, business development, and marketing.  Since 2004, he has written and directed short films and worked in film production. In 2008, he co-produced “Humpday,” a feature by Lynn Shelton, which garnered a Special Jury Prize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and had its European premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight category at the Cannes Film Festival. He is a producer on “$5 Cover Seattle,” an MTV New Media project, and “Fiction,” a feature film, both directed by Lynn Shelton. Steven was a 2009 Fellow in Film Independent’s Screenwriting Lab for “I Am Not Werner Erhard.”  In January 2010, he will direct his first feature film, “Treatment,” which he co-wrote with Sean Nelson. Steven lives in Capitol Hill with his beloved, Cristina Linclau, and their cat Jezebel. 

• Sandy Cioffi, Seattle Central Community College
• John Comerford, Paradigm Studios
• Bob Cumbow, Graham & Dunn
• Ben-Alex Dupris, The Hatchery
• Norm Hill, 518 Media
• Gregg Lachow, The Film Company
• John Mullen, Financial Consultant
• Andy Pratt, Andy Pratt Negative Cutting
• Cathy Sarkowsky, Community Representative
• Steven Shaviro, Media Studies Professor/Theorist
• David Skinner, ShadowCatcher Entertainment