Forest Conner graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2006 with a dual-degree in Computer Science and Psychology, specializing in Artificial Intelligence Research. Subsequently he worked in the fast-paced world of software development in Silicon Valley for the networking giant Cisco Systems, Inc. until his entry into the dual MBA/MFA program at NYU Tisch School of the Art and Stern school of business.

Through the dual-degree program, he focused his study on independent film production and entrepreneurship in the film industry. He had produced numerous award-winning short films and web series, most notably Double Crossed, a branded web series produced for Subway Sandwiches that debuted at South By Southwest in 2013.

Forest currently works at the digital distribution company VHX as a Data Scientist where he analyzes various sets of information to create insights into effective models of distribution for independent films.

Forest was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Artel is a knowledge worker and social practice artist whose intellectual and artistic work explores methods of critical intervention through creative engagement. His professional and academic achievements situate his work in an intriguing public framework.

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Artel graduated high school at age 16 and matriculated at Columbia College, where he toured the Midwest as a performance artist before landing supporting roles in several Hollywood studio films including, the box-office hit, Save the Last Dance.

Artel’s media output has been described as “multilayered” by the New York Times, “warm, outgoing, direct, funny, and endearing” by the LA Times and “virtuoso” by the LA Weekly, and he is also the winner of a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination.

Artel is the first African American valedictorian at the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) School of Theater, Film, and Television, where he graduated summa cum laude, and also holds a Master’s degree in cinema and media studies. Artel teaches film history at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he is a Ph.D candidate in cinema studies.

As a Cinema Research Institute Fellow, Artel’s work is focused on re-imagining film distribution strategies to offer a poetic and pragmatic solution that addresses issues of media diversity for underserved populations.

Michelle is a second-year MBA student at NYU Stern and a producer for Promotion Pictures, a branded entertainment company that brings together graduate students across NYU to create cutting-edge multimedia campaigns for major consumer brands. Michelle has worked at HBO, Vimeo, and the Disney-ABC Television Group. At the latter, she developed and pitched strategic recommendations for a digital TV service targeted to millennials that have never subscribed to cable. Prior to Stern, she was a broadcast and cable analyst at the media research firm SNL Kagan. Her Cinema Research Institute fellowship project will test whether dynamically priced tickets sold over a mobile platform can increase theatrical attendance. Michelle graduated from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in Economics.

Colin Whitlow works in business development at Start Media, an NYC-based company with interests in film production, financing and exhibition. In 2013 he became one of the first graduates of NYU’s pioneering MBA/MFA dual degree program. During the program he produced 15 shorts from the US to the Dominican Republic and China and received the Media Services Graduate Film Production Fund Award, NYU’s highest honor for producing students. Prior to that he worked at YouTube where he built systems that analyzed user behavior to improve the product. A native Virginian, Colin received his undergraduate degrees in English and Studio Art from the University of Virginia.