TEAM

Skot Welch
Founder & President

Derk Baartman
Vice President

Elizabeth Merriman
Manager, Programming and Education

Mallory Strobl
Education Lead

Randy Strobl
Education Lead

Board of Directors

Skot Welch
President of the Board, Founder of Mosaic Film Experience and President of Global Bridgebuilders
(Grand Rapids, Michigan)

 

Derk Baartman
 Vice President of the Board, Vice President of Mosaic Film Experience Executive and Producer of DB Studios
(Grand Rapids, Michigan)

 

Bill Harris
Secretary of the Board, Speech and Debate Coach at Grand Rapids City High School
(Grand Rapids, Michigan)

 

Phillip Boutte Jr.
 Co-Founder, Concept Artist, Creative Director at 9B Collective
(Los Angeles)

 

Lucie Howell
Chief Learning Officer at The Henry Ford
(Dearborn, Michigan)

 

Elizabeth Polk
Founding Partner at BALA Firm LLP
(Los Angeles)

Advisory board

Mariah Barrera
Mosaic Program Alumna, Filmmaker
(New York)

Mariah Barrera is a Mexican-American filmmaker and writer born and raised in Michigan. She is based in New York City as a first-generation student at Columbia University. Her films have been shown at Academy Award-Qualifying film festivals such as Urbanworld, Cleveland International Film Festival, and DOC NYC and highlighted by NowThis, Stylecaster, The Washington Post, Women Make Movies, and Adobe Gen Create. She has garnered recognition as a YoungArts Alumna, Mitú-Walmart Film Mentee, Made In Her Image Panavision Mentee, Hispanic Heritage Foundation Awardee, E.L.F x Her Campus 22 Under 22 Winner, & Sotheby's Art Noir Grantee.

Her films aim to amplify themes of social justice and equity, drawing from her family’s & communities’ experiences in the urban Midwest. Using these stories, she is passionate about bridging the gap between narrative and documentary through poetry. Currently, she is exhibiting her film "Still Here," which follows three brothers affected by violence, poverty, and prison. She is also working on her second documentary as a Still I Rise Films Fellow and is embarking on a Commercial Director Mentorship Program with the NY-based production company Picture Farm, supported by Kodak & AbelCine.

Tamarra Campbell
President of the West Michigan Film Alliance and Founder of Tmedia Impact Solutions
(Grand Rapids, Michigan)

Tamarra Campbell is a seasoned award-winning Producer and Impact Producer from West Michigan, leading as President of the West Michigan Film Alliance. She is the Founder of Tmedia Impact Solutions, which serves over 30 communities and has secured $500,000 in funding. Tamarra’s decade-long journey in the creative industry has honed her expertise in project impact, brand evolution, and pioneering digital strategies, with an unwavering commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equality. Her passion for community enrichment is evident through active collaboration with various arts and education nonprofits, where she empowers diverse voices through transformative storytelling. Tamarra’s dedication to fostering positive change is rooted in developing impactful initiatives and media collaborations that resonate and inspire.

Lohanne Cook
Manager, Public Engagement at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
(Los Angeles)

Lohanne Cook is currently the Manager, Public Engagement at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. After graduating from California State University, Fullerton, she went on to collaborate with non-profits, film organizations and festivals to produce engaging and educational programs including American Cinema Editors (ACE), New Filmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA), Newport Beach Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM), and Variety magazine’s 10 Cinematographers to Watch and Billion Dollar Cinematographer series. Through her work, she seeks to bring filmmakers and film enthusiasts together to learn, create dialogue, and celebrate the art and craft of film.

Christiana Hooks
Supervising Producer for "The Rookie" and "The Recruit" 
(Los Angeles)

Christiana Hooks is a Film and Television Producer, who has worked in the industry for over 20 years. She is best known for projects such as This Is Us, 13th, When They See Us, and 90210. She is currently working at Perfectman Pictures as a Producing Partner to Showrunner Alexi Hawley. Together they are in production on shows like The Rookie on ABC, The Recruit on Netflix, and multiple in development with Lionsgate Studios.

Xavier “X” Jernigan
Director of cultural partnerships and the voice of AI DJ at Spotify
(New York)

Xavier "X" Jernigan is the Voice of Spotify, literally the voice and personality behind their AI DJ feature. A Spotify executive (Head of Cultural Partnerships) and Spotify's go-to host for internal and external events around the world, he's interviewed major celebrities like Brad Pitt, Bad Bunny, and BTS. A Founding Member of The Kennedy Center Hip-Hop Culture Council, X brings Hip-Hop programming to our nation's performing arts center. Beyond Spotify, he curates hip-hop programming for Lincoln Center, advises Burberry's Cultural Council, and has launched music careers.

Emily Loeks
Director of Community Affairs & Public Relations Loeks Theatres, Inc.
(Grand Rapids, Michigan)

Emily Loeks is the Director of Community Affairs at Loeks Theatres, Inc., the parent company of Celebration! Cinema. As a third-generation member of the Loeks family, Emily has a pivotal role in shaping the family-owned business and its community impact. Her work focuses on leveraging IMAX screens for educational programming, fostering partnerships with schools and institutions, and promoting diverse narratives that bring people together through storytelling.

Emily is the Vice President of the Board at Local First and a trustee at the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, contributing to initiatives that enhance the region's vitality. Beyond her work in cinema, she has a background in environmental advocacy and education. She has directed summer science programs in Chicago and volunteered with organizations like the West Michigan Environmental Action Council. Passionate about connecting audiences to meaningful stories, Emily is dedicated to supporting underrepresented voices in the film industry. She continues her family's legacy by combining a love for storytelling with a commitment to community engagement and education.

Maranda
Journalist/Host at WOODTV8
(Grand Rapids, Michigan)

Maranda is the WOTV 4 Women kids and family expert. She hosts a daily segment, “Where You Live” which features a combination of information, inspiration and insights for West Michigan parents. It’s taped around West Michigan and is about real family life.

“I love the new challenges everyday and connecting people with services they want and need,” said Maranda.

Maranda joined WOOD TV8, WOTV4 and WXSP-TV in January of 2001 as Children and Family Services Manager, but has served the community as an advocate for kids and families for more than 25 years. Maranda oversees the development of station projects on-air, online and in our community that target kids and families.

Besides finding Maranda on-air and online, she is on the radio too. She is the co-author of Maranda’s Guide to Family Fun in West Michigan, a book for parents and children. Maranda also offers weekly family fun updates on STAR 105.7 and Daybreak on WOOD TV8.

Maranda serves on several community advisory boards. These include the John Ball Zoological Society Board of Directors, Cornerstone University Board of Trustees, Wedgewood Christian Services Board of Directors, Equest Center for Therapeutic Riding Board of Directors, Careforce International Advisory Board and is the spokesperson for CampFire Boys and Girls Club Incredible Kid Day.

Maranda is the recipient of three Gracie Allen Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Women in Radio and Television West Michigan Chapter, an Emmy nomination, the Hope College Distinguished Alumni Award, a 2011 YWCA Tribute! Award, the 2014 Van Andel Institute Angel of Excellence Award, and 2019 Education Advocacy Award from Kent Intermediate Association of School Boards.

Carlos Rosas
Chief of Production at MUV
(Mexico City)

Carlos Rosas was born on December 22, 1988 in Mexico City. His creative and artistic skills led him to study Animation and Digital Art at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), Mexico City Campus. As well as a specialization in Motion Graphics in the international Mograph Mentor course.

After experimenting in academic short films, the creation of audiovisual products has consolidated 9 years of experience in his professional career, where his participation as editor in the production company “Los Güeros Films” stands out. His talent finds in animation his main means of communication and the way to unleash his imagination and creativity, becoming Leader of the Animation and Virtual Reality area for the creative studio Muv, where he creates and develops audiovisual content for different platforms.  

His innovative character and purposeful attitude, has developed in him a great skill in the production of 360 ° videos, which places him among the pioneers in creating pipelines for the implementation of this immersive technology, collaborating for client projects such as Walmart and proposals of social impact presented at the Memory and Tolerance Museum of Mexico City.

Adam Russo
Owner of COM 616 Public Relations and Publisher of West Michigan Newspop
(Grand Rapids, Michigan)

Adam Russo is deeply rooted in the West Michigan community. As the owner of public relations firm COM 616, his professional experience includes working with global brands like Haworth and Amway, and regional companies like Varnum, University of Michigan Health-West, and Comcast. Outside of the office, Adam is committed to community service and fitness. He currently serves as an executive board member for the Literacy Center of West Michigan and a board member for PAWS With A Cause. In his spare time, Adam enjoys training for and competing in marathons and Ironman triathlons, and visiting national parks with his wife. He is a three-time Grand Rapids Business Journal “40 Under 40” honoree and has served as an adjunct public relations professor at Grand Valley State University.

Ryan Stephens
Associate Producer for "Shrinking" Season 1
(Los Angeles)

Ryan Stephens is a filmmaker, producer, and post production supervisor. During his 13-year career in television, streaming, and commercials, he has teamed up with some of the industry's leading visionaries and media companies to produce critically acclaimed and commercially successful content. His collaborators include Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix, Disney, AppleTV+, and Take Two Interactive/2K. Ryan's work as a producer and post supervisor spans across many different projects including Shrinking (Apple TV+), The Cleaning Lady (FOX), When They See Us (Netflix), Queen Sugar (OWN), Katy Keene (CW), Still Star-Crossed (ABC), and the Launch Trailers for the NBA 2K24 and WWE 2K24 video games.

Ryan is passionate about empowering and educating young professionals through direct mentorships, internship opportunities, and entertainment workshops. When he's not working, he enjoys traveling, hiking, writing, drinking matcha, and spending as much time as possible at the cinema.

Ryan currently resides in Southern California with his beautiful wife of 8 years, Rebecca, and their 4-year-old son, Amari.

Cass Taylor
Founder, Principal Brand Strategist at Sixteen Twenty
(San Francisco)

Cass Taylor is the former Sports Marketing Manager at Adobe. In this role, he focused on marketing and brand strategies to support Adobe's sports sponsorships, working with organizations like the WNBA and the National Women's Soccer League. Before this role, Taylor served as Adobe's Purpose Marketing Lead, led the visual design team in managing the creative and impactful visual process for accounts like Coca-Cola, Nike, and T-Mobile, and led the visual experience strategies and production management for some of Adobe's most significant conferences, such as Adobe MAX. He has produced events with global creative luminaries like M. Night Shyamalan, Aaron Draplin, Annie Atkins, and David Blanter. Taylor has also been part of a micro-internship program and brand workshop for college student-athletes and managed a University Creative Student program for creative students who attend Adobe conferences and capture the overall experience in video, photography, and design. 

Outside of Adobe, Taylor is on the Board of the nonprofit Codehouse, which focuses on cultivating a pipeline between students of color and industry-leading technology companies and tackling the diversity gap in technology. He previously served on the board for his alma mater, Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California.

Justen and Julien Turner
Co-Owners of Dreadhead Films
(Columbus, Ohio)

Justen formally created Dreadhead Films in 2014 (when he was 12), and in that same year, two of his films-- iWitness Christmas and Giving Gives Back were honored and recognized at national film festivals. In 2016, Justen and his brother Julien Turner, a writer, decided to partner together and move forward artistically, taking Dreadhead Films to the next level. The Turner Brothers have made nearly a dozen short films and produced works for Sesame Street, Nike, Air Jordan, Abercrombie & Fitch, Axe, Taco Bell, and Amazon.

Mike Uwandi
Co-Founder, Concept Artist at 9B Collective
(Los Angeles)

Mike Uwandi is both a Concept Artist and Art Director for Live action film and Video Games. He's also co-founder of 9B Collective, a company that shifts the Entertainment landscape by pushing for inclusivity within the industry. Some of his clients include Netflix , Marvel Studios, Warner Bros, ILM, Disney, CBS, Sony Pictures, 21st Century Fox, MPC, Niantic, Kabam, Mattel and more. His work for Moon Knight, Mandalorian, and Westworld were nominated for an Emmy in Outstanding Sci-fi Costume.

In addition to his work through 9B, Mike is a board member of the NCAS and has partnered with accredited nonprofits such as Bric Foundation, Vijona, and Compton Alliance to motivate underprivileged youth from Africa and Los Angeles County to pursue a career in the arts.

Caitlin Volovlek
Founder of Prep Rally
(Muskegon, Michigan)

As an English teacher for 25 years, Caitlin Volovlek witnessed how film can be transformational to learning.  “From the advent of my career, I sought clips and full-length features to supplement the fiction we studied and to inspire a love of film.”  From 2001-2004, Caitlin volunteered for the Telluride Film Festival where she accompanied student groups to film premiers and learned side-by-side with internationally renowned directors.

In her 18 years teaching at East Kentwood High School, Caitlin relished the opportunities to teach film as fiction and developed a literature course that centered African-American voices. “It was an honor and huge responsibility to teach this class, and I’m forever indebted to my students who read everything from Baldwin to Morrison to Coates and fostered meaningful discussions about the Black experience in America.”

For many years, Caitlin also led student groups to the Mosaic Film Festival where her seniors had opportunities to showcase their creativity and voice. “My students adored their time at the Mosaic Film Festival. The activities, creative energy, and learning that occurred in just one day left an indelible mark on them. I’m now honored to be a member of the Mosaic Advisory Board!”

Recently retired from the classroom, Caitlin currently runs Prep Rally, a college essay consulting company.