Bill Guentzler

Bill Guentzler is currently Vice President of Acquisitions for Gravitas Ventures. Gravitas, an Anthem Sports and Entertainment company, is recognized worldwide as one of the largest all rights distributors of independent films and documentaries. After spending a summer studying in Berlin in 1998, he joined the Cleveland International Film Festival as an intern and grew with the organization, ultimately being named Artistic Director in 2005, a position he held for 15 years. During his time at CIFF, he was part of the leadership team making the festival one of the largest and most well-respected film festivals in the US and one of the first in the world to transition to an online format in 2020. Also in 2020, a brief hiatus from the film industry led him to Medworks, a Cleveland-based nonprofit organization linking people who are uninsured and underinsured with vital healthcare services, where he served as Program Director. He holds a BA in Communications from Cleveland State University, which named him one if its inaugural 50 Fascinating Alumni. He also proudly serves on the Board of Directors for Cleveland Social Venture Partners.