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Colorado Film Commission - Film and Commercial Production in Colorado
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Craig Meis, President & CEO, RAILCO USA Craig Meis is a seasoned executive skilled in operational and financial management in numerous industries. Mr. Meis has successfully led the start-up and turnaround of various business ventures. With a unique combination of financial expertise and operational experience, Meis is adept at learning new businesses quickly and identifying new opportunities. Currently, Craig Meis is a President & CEO of RAILCO USA, a railroad services company. RAILCO USA specializes in railroad construction, maintenance and repair and equipment manufacturing. Craig Meis joined the firm to helpenhance its railroad operations and management expertise. Craig Meis was the former Managing Director of UNIFI Capital Partners, a private equity investment advisory firm. Prior to joining UNIFI, Meis spent 23 years with The Anschutz Corporation in a variety of management positions with several Anschutz subsidiaries including Chief Operating Officer of Ansco Investment Company, President of Tempo Enterprises and Director of Film Projects for Southern Pacific Railroad and The Anschutz Corporation. As Director of Film Projects, Meis was responsible for all aspects of this business including marketing, deal negotiation and operations. He successfully established strategic relationships with all State Film Commissions in the Western US and participated as Railroad Consultant & Technical Expert on numerous productions including script review, site identification and equipment sourcing. His film experience includes working on dozens of feature films, tv commercials and television productions. Craig Meis recognized for his efforts in reinventing the Ski Train and development of several innovative business ideas. He was also hailed as Savior of the Ski Train in a cover story by ColoradoBiz Magazine and a recipient of an Award of Honor by the Downtown Denver Partnership for contributions to Denver travel and tourism industry. Meis has also had experience in numerous other industries, including oil & gas, aviation and the arts. In addition to his other activities, Meis currently serves as Chairman of the Alumni Board for the University of Colorado Executive MBA Program and is Chairman of the Board for the Colorado Film Commission. Craig Meis has an MBA from the University of Colorado, a BS in Accounting from Oklahoma State University and is a CPA. |
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Sarah Beatty Sarah Beatty is President of the Colorado Film & Video Association, a professional association dedicated to networking, training and promotion of the film, video and multimedia industry throughout Colorado. The Colorado Film & Video Association produces the annual Colorado Production Resource Guide, the one and only book industry professionals use to locate and hire Colorado Production Crew. Sarah Beatty also owns HiJinx Productions, a small production company specializing in corporate video. Sarah's more than ten years' experience in video production includes stints in educational video and television news. Sarah is a Colorado native who graduated from Colorado State University. She comes from a long line of Colorado pioneers. |
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Caroline Czirr Caroline Czirr works for Continuum Partners, LLC., a Denver based real estate development company born from the belief that there is a connection between long-term, sustained property value and high-quality urban design. Continuum combines an experienced real estate development team with a solid base of capital resources to develop projects that demonstrate the principles of smart-growth. The company brings a unique approach to the development process. Projects are selected and guided by an ambitious set of values and beliefs that a developer's responsibilities to its community is as significant as its responsibilities to its investors. In fact Continuum believes that what is in the long-term interest of the community is generally in the long-term interest of the developer. Czirr previously worked for Kimpton Hotels as the National Hotel Monaco Brand Manager; where she was responsible for new business development and oversaw the public relations, marketing and advertising programs. From 1998-2001, Czirr served as the Regional Director of Sales and Marketing for Kimpton's Mountain Region, where she was responsible for the sales-and-marketing efforts for the Aspen Club Lounge, Hotel Monaco Denver and Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City. Czirr graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a Bachelor of Communications degree specializing in film production. She worked for Columbia Pictures, Orion, Miramax and New Line Cinema out of college. |
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Duke Hartman, Chief Operating Officer Duke Hartman is responsible for overseeing all of High Noon Entertainment's production operations from both strategic and day-to-day perspectives. An award winning single and multi-camera director, Duke Hartman also lends his creative expertise to select feature projects for High Noon Entertainment including Food Network's Unwrapped and HGTV's If Walls Could Talk. High Noon Entertainment represents one of the largest suppliers of non-fiction programming in the country, currently creating more than 400 hours of programming for networks including the Discovery Channel, Food Network, ABC Family, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, PAX TV, HGTV, Country Music Television, DIY, Style Network and Fine Living. Based at the Comcast Media Center in Denver, Colorado and with offices in Los Angeles, California, High Noon Entertainment employs more than 120 creative professionals. Prior to the formation of High Noon Entertainment, Duke Hartman served as Director of Network Operations for Liberty Media's Intro Television, Production Manager of the local NBC affiliate in Denver and Manager of Gannett Productions. Previously, Duke spent 15 years as a staff Producer/Director. Raised in Baltimore, Maryland he received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Dayton and a Masters in Documentary Film from Ohio University. |
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Daniel V. Hugo, Vice President Daniel V. Hugo is a Vice President with BNY Mellon Wealth Management in Denver , Colorado . He is responsible for developing new business and marketing strategies throughout the Rocky Mountain Region with a focus on delivering BNY Mellon's wealth planning, investment management and financial management services to high net worth individuals and families as well as successful businesses, entrepreneurs, and charitable institutions. With over 25 years of business development experience, Dan brings expertise from the 3rd sector where he's worked with major donors in creating planned giving, legacy, and endowment programs as well as conducting successful capital campaign efforts. Most recently he was associated with the Colorado Neurological Institute. A successful entrepreneur, Dan is co-founder and a former member of the board of directors of PetCARE Television Network, Inc. as well as the African American Medical Network, Inc. Dan has served as the national director of development and public relations for the American Humane Association and was development officer for Colorado Mountain College. He is the past president of both the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists for the State of Colorado and a former member of the board for the State of Colorado's Motion Picture and Television Commission. Dan earned a dual Bachelor's degree in mass communications and theater from the University of Denver and is actively involved with many organizations including Club 20, CTEK, The Denver Zoo, Denver Film Society, and many other charitable groups. Dan and his wife have twin boys and live in Denver. |
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Nancy McGee, Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing Nancy McGee is Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing for Starz Entertainment. She is responsible for all marketing communications, branding, research, online/new media, and product development for the company. McGee reports to Bill Myers, President and Chief Operating Officer of Starz Entertainment. McGee has held national chief marketing officer positions successively with AT&T Broadband and at Adelphia Communications. Possessing an exceptional ability to analyze and distill complex market conditions, she is able to capture the most important market opportunities using both innovative and practical solutions. During her tenure at Adelphia Communications, she addressed lagging marketing performance by leading the design and implementation of multiple marketing, product and sales initiatives, resulting in significant improvements in customer and revenue growth. Improved financial and marketing performance led to the successful acquisition of company assets by Time Warner and Comcast. Her efforts were recognized when she was named 2006 Woman of the Year at an event sponsored by Women in Cable and Telecommunications. Excelling in leadership, management and collaboration with internal and external entities and individuals at all levels of responsibility, McGee is adept at establishing vision, purpose and structure to motivate and empower colleagues and team members to perform at their best. Understanding the value and importance of developing employees, she enjoys helping team members achieve their highest professional goals. She creates an energized, creative, focused and highly productive working environment where team members have fun and perform well together. Aside from her commitment to her work, McGee has been involved in volunteer community service and fund raising activities for non-profits and service organizations, such as Parent Pathways, Colorado Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Denver Rescue Mission and the Democratic Party. A long time resident of Colorado , McGee is an active and enthusiastic participant of the state’s many offerings including mountain, cultural, artistic, historic and urban amenities.She is a passionate skier and cyclist and enjoys frequent weekends with friends and family in Breckenridge. Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie service provider operating in the United States . It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz and Encore brands with approximately 16.1 million and 28.4 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs more than 1,000 movies per month across its pay TV channels and offers advanced services including Starz HD, Starz On Demand and Vongo. Starz Entertainment is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation that is attributed to Liberty Capital Group. |
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Scott Rowitz, Executive Director Scott Rowitz is the Executive Director of the Denver Film Society in charge of management and over-site of all business functions for the Denver Film Society. The Denver Film Society is a nonprofit cultural institution in Colorado dedicated to the celebration and cultivation of film as art. Now in its 29th year, the Denver Film Society is one of the premier cultural arts institutions in the Rocky Mountain region. Denver Film Society offers year-round cinematic programming and special events to its supporting membership and to the general public, reaching more than 200,000 film-lovers annually. The Denver Film Society also produces the award-winning Starz Denver Film Festival, numerous niche film festivals and operates the Starz FilmCenter to showcase art and independent cinema on a daily basis. Scott has been involved in the Colorado arts and entertainment community for the last ten years. Before joining the Denver Film Society, Scott was the Assistant General Manager of the Denver Performing Arts Complex, where he managed this world class performing arts facility. Prior to that, Scott Rowitz was Operations Manager for the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. |
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Clark Strickland, Assistant Dean Clark Strickland is Assistant Dean for Programs and Administration in the College of Arts & Media at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center where he has worked since 1999. The Colorado Film School is a joint program of the College of Arts & Media at University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center and the Community College of Aurora. Mr. Strickland is chair of the Denver Public Schools Arts Resource Council and serves on the boards of the Colorado Film Commission and the Denver Film Society. He has chaired and served on a variety of civic, educational and cultural task forces and committees. He also has been invited to present Congressional testimony on two occasions and has testified before many state legislative committees. Clark Strickland has a twenty-five year career in historic preservation, where he held senior regional and state level posts in government and nonprofit organizations. He holds the AB Degree in History from the University of Rochester and a Masters Degree in American History from The College of William and Mary. |
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Marianne Virgili, Executive Director Marianne Virgili is President & CEO of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association and President of the Glenwood Springs Film Commission. Marianne has been CEO of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association for 19 years. Marianne headed public relations offices for Catholic Charities of Cleveland and The Cleveland Orchestra prior to her move to Colorado. In 2002 she officially formed the Glenwood Springs Film Commission, though the Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce had been performing the work of a film commission under her leadership for many years. She completed Colorado Camera Ready training offered by the Colorado Film Commission and Association of Film Commissions International Cineposium Film Commission Fundamentals in 2003. The Glenwood Springs Film Commission is a member of Association of Film Commissions International and Ms. Virgili has represented her community at the AFCI Locations Show in Santa Monica since 2002. In 2005 the Glenwood Springs Film Commission worked closely with the second unit of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, the first major motion picture to be filmed in Colorado in many years. She has also been a judge at Aspen FilmFest and has worked with that organization to bring film screenings to Glenwood Springs. A graduate of the Center of Creative Leadership, Marianne served on the Board for Colorado Chamber of Commerce Executives for 9 years and is Past President of that organization. She currently serves on the Board of Regents for the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management, the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives and the Board of Directors of Western Association of Chamber Executives. Marianne Virgili and her husband John, a CPA, are the parents of Brian, 29, a pharmaceutical representative who resides in Newport Beach, California and Megan, 26, a GIS specialist who resides in Boulder, Colorado. Marianne and her husband live in Glenwood Springs with their soft-coated Wheaten terrier named Rio. |
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Dan Vorlage, Marketing Dan leads Frontier Airlines online, loyalty and marketing planning programs. Before working for Frontier Airlines, Dan worked for Sterling-Rice Group in Boulder, Colorado. While there, Dan helped lead marketing projects for some of the biggest brands around including Gatorade, Sunkist, Pepsi, Boston Market, Tropicana and Jose Cuervo. Currently in its 12th year of operations, Frontier Airlines is an affordable fare airline that provides service to 48 destinations in 29 states spanning the nation from coast-to-coast and to seven cities in Mexico from its Denver hub. The airline is the second largest jet carrier of Denver International Airport with an average of 250 daily systemwide departures and arrivals employing approximately 4,800 aviation professionals. Frontier Airlines currently operates a fleet of 49 aircraft including 42 132-passenger Airbus A319 jets and seven 114-passenger Airbus A318 jets. In July 2005, Frontier ranked as one of the Top 10 Domestic Airlines as determined by readers of Travel & Leisure magazine. Dan Vorlage lives in Denver with his wife Susanne and daughter Lydia. |
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