Who Are These People
(And What Are They Doing Here?)

Your job title is Director of Festivals - but who are you really?
Who am I really? When I'm not working? Doesn't compute... circuits overheating... phew. OK. Really? Really I am just working hard to get home to my gorgeous wife Kristen (Happy 1st Anniversary, Juvie! That's her store, not my pet name for her), my kids Lola (12) and Luke (9). We like to hang out at home in Silver Lake, go swimming, catch up on Tivo. Sound boring? Not really, it's bliss because we never get to do it! When you see me at the festival I've already dropped the 3 girls in my carpool off at school at 7:30am. More about me - I was kind of a fish out of water. I grew up in England being American, and moved to America as an English person. Traveled my whole life - from unaccompanied minor to platinum status. You'll hear me complain about it, but can't imagine life without it. Hobbies? Movies. Music. I've run more marathons than most, but not this year (yet). Come from a big family (youngest of 6), and family makes me happy, always.

Job titles aren't very descriptive, and the festival would obviously fall apart without you. What do you really do around here?
Cynically, I say to people that I raise money and manage people, but there's more to it than that. My wife likes to say (I think she's joking when she says it) that I am an arts administrator. This to me sounds like the person that is hired to turn the manuscript pages at a piano concert. Seriously, there are a seemingly infinite number of decisions that go into a festival of this size. While many of them are not made by me, the festival's character emerges from these decisions. AFI FEST is filled to the brim with people who care passionately, deeply about these decisions - from programming to production to sponsorship to marketing to publicity - everyone has a team to manage and a series of deadlines that would crush the less-able like an avalanche. I do my best to steer these decisions so that everyone's needs are met. This involves writing lots of proposals, having lots of meetings, going to lots of places, strategizing, raising, dashing, then raising hopes five times a day, sorting out what's doable, but always dreaming. I don't think AFI FEST would fall apart without me, but I am certain I would fall apart without everyone that works on AFI FEST.

Why do you work for AFI Fest?
I never learned how to do anything else. What's your favorite thing about the fest? It's like a huge present. There's something new to see and discover around every corner. I love that people from around the world come to be a part of this. I love that it's in Hollywood, because I am a fan of the neighborhood. But my favorite thing about the festival is that it's a big family.

What's one movie you're really looking forward to?
The one with the full house and the happy filmmaker.

After this is all over, what's the first thing you're going to do?
Honestly? We try to breed out that kind of talk, because we have lots and lots of work left to do!