Board Of Directors

Don Jensen

Chair

Don Jensen was appointed Chair by Gov. Jay Inslee in August 2013. Previously he served as treasurer of Washington Filmworks. He is the owner of Alpha Cine Labs in Seattle, Washington. Jensen has 40 years experience in film and video production and post production. Jensen worked with a group of Washington companies to develop and pass the Motion Picture Competitiveness legislation in 2006.

Jeff Barehand

Film Leadership Council Co-Chair

Jeff Barehand is CEO/President of Sky Bear Media, a production company headquartered in Olympia, WA. Jeff is of the Gila River and Navajo people of Arizona but has lived in Washington State for more than twelve years. He is a 2014 Sundance Native Lab Film Fellow and is currently adapting a book to film. He is the founder and current Board President of OlyFilm, a filmmaking non-profit that supports filmmakers in the South Sound and promotes Women and POC in the film industry. He is a singer and actor, currently cast in the first Native American pop musical, Distant Thunder, set to debut at the First Peoples Museum of Oklahoma City spring of 2022. He is a 2022 recipient of the Evergreen Longhouse’s Inspired Natives Grant award, in recognition of his artistry and community work with youth and others. He resides in Tumwater, WA with his partner Shana Greenberg Barehand, and his four children.

Rebecca Cook

Rebecca Cook is from Spokane and is an active member of the Washington film community. She has worked as an actress, director, costumer, make-up artist, accountant, and producer throughout the state. For the last several years, she has worked on over 25 feature films, various commercial productions, many short films, a few documentaries, and worked all 5 seasons on Syfy Channel’s Z Nation.

Rebecca serves as Vice President for IATSE Local 488, President of Spokane Film Project, as well as running her own small company, Thundering Kitten Productions and the group Spokane Women in Film & Television (SWIFT). She also has served as the Spokane Community Coordinator for Washington Filmworks, as well as serving on the Film Leadership Council. Along with her film work, she also has narrated over 80 audiobooks, produces and directs local theatre productions, is a living history actor, teaches various classes, and loves speaking to students and aspiring storytellers about her journey creating a life in the arts.

John Cooper

John Cooper is President & CEO of Yakima Valley Tourism where he oversees a multi-faceted tourism promotion organization for the region that manages the Yakima Convention Center, Sports Commission, Visitor Information Center, plus working with the film and video industry. Prior to that he was the CEO of Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism. Throughout his tenure in Washington state he has been actively involved in destination advocacy and marketing, including serving on state and multi-state tourism boards and associations.

Jolene DiSalvo

Jolene DiSalvo brings over 25 years of experience in hospitality sales, marketing and operations. Before joining Columbia Hospitality as Senior Vice President, Jolene spent 11 years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts as part of the Luxury Brands Group including W Hotels Worldwide, St. Regis Hotels and Resorts and The Luxury Collection. Jolene was instrumental in the launch of W Hotels, starting with opening the fourth W Hotel in Seattle as Director of Sales & Marketing where she worked closely with the Seattle International Film Festival and promoted filming in Washington state at events like the Sundance Film Festival.

Jannat Gargi

Jannat is the Head of Documentary Films for Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Productions, producing and managing a suite of films and series including Academy Award-nominated Body Team 12, Sundance Award-winning STEP, Naledi: A Baby Elephant’s Tale, Ballet Now, Ghost Fleet, and the award-winning digital series WeTheEconomy. In her work as an independent producer, Jannat Co-Executive Produced Academy Award-nominated Knife Skills, and Produced Emmy nominated feature documentary CIRCO.

Alan Nay

After graduating college with degrees in music and communications, Alan moved to Settle in the mid-90s where he began a career as a commercial editor. In 2005 Alan started World Famous; then a small 3-person editorial company. With amazing storytelling at its root, World Famous grew from a full-service production company to a creative agency, crafting national advertising campaigns for AWS, FireTV, REI and more. Along the way World Famous has been featured in Communication Arts, Vice, The Today Show, has won some Gold Pencils and National Addy’s for its work, and been recognized for its unique creative culture. A strong believer in supporting the creative community, Alan served on the Mayor’s Economic Development Commission advocating for the arts and overall creative economy. Alan also grills a mean salmon, is a pretty ok DJ and has been known to throw an amazing party once in a while. 🙂

Myron Partman

Equity Co-Chair

Born and raised in Seattle, Myron is the owner of Chameleon Creative Services and has spent most of his career in the sound field. More recently he goes back and forth between sound and camera. Credits include Grey’s Anatomy, 21 and Over, World’s Greatest Dad and an Emmy for Bill Nye The Science Guy. Myron was the Past President and current committee member of C89.5/KNHC Public Radio Association, Co-Chair of Seattle Film Task Force and served on boards of Washington Film and Video Association, Seattle Ad 2, and the ITVA.

Malcolm Pelles

Equity Co-Chair

Malcolm Pelles is a professor, playwright, and filmmaker. He teaches screenwriting at Eastern Washington University. His plays have been performed Off-Broadway in New York City and in Washington, DC at places like the Kennedy Center. Malcolm has written scripts for CBS Entertainment, the National Football League, Gameloft, and the US Army. He has an MFA degree in dramatic writing from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts and an undergraduate degree in film production from Florida State University.

Devante Smith

Film Leadership Council Co-Chair

Devante Smith is a recent graduate of Eastern Washington University’s Film program. After interning for season three of Z Nation, he has been working as the basecamp production assistant for the past two years on the show. In the off-season, he works with local musical artists to build a voice and brand through interviews, podcasts, and music videos to bridge the gap between the music community and the visual art community. Currently, he is working with a colleague on starting a production company that can tailor to new upcoming film enthusiasts in the Pacific Northwest area. Having worked on a handful of productions from student shorts to professional TV shows, Devante values the opportunities the film industry has given him and hopes to pass the opportunity on to generations to come.

Andrea A. Stuart-Lehalle

Andrea has been a creative her whole life, focusing on music and filmmaking. She spent 10 years as Creative Director of a boutique video creative agency in Paris, France, where she focused on leading the creative process. A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts’ Kanbar Institute of Film and Television, she currently is the Chief of Staff of the Safety Department at Sound Transit. Andrea also directs the Seattle Black Film Festival, and remains active as a filmmaker, musician, and a mom.