STAFF
Melissa Simpson - Executive Director
Melissa Simpson is Co-Founder and the Executive Director of Film Impact Georgia, a nonprofit dedicated to helping uplift the voices of those making independent films in Georgia. She was born and raised just north of Atlanta and has a BS in Film & Digital Media from the University of North Georgia. Melissa was a founding director of the Georgia Film Festival, has worked as the Creative Director for TERMINUS Conference + Festival, and has worked in many different roles for film festivals across Georgia, including the Atlanta Film Festival, Rome International Film Festival, the WIFTA Short Film Showcase, and the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. She also spent two years working with film festivals and indie filmmakers across the world at Eventive, a virtual streaming platform for independent film. Currently, Melissa is the Education Manager at the Atlanta Film Society. In her spare time, she is involved in many organizations in the Georgia film community and has produced independent projects, such as Come Correct, Wokman, and Lilin. Melissa also has a house full of rescue animals and won a hula hoop contest when she was eight.
Charles Judson - Creative Director
An Atlanta native, Charles is a veteran film festival organizer and programmer with over a decade of experience. He was the programming director for TERMINUS Conference + Festival, a film and gaming event for emerging creators. Before that, he was Artistic Director for the Atlanta Film Festival, where he was on staff for seven years. In 2014, he created and launched Film Bar Mondays, a weekly event for filmmakers in Atlanta, now with sister events in Jacksonville and Tampa Bay.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chuck Thomas
Screenwriter & host of Atlanta Film Chat
Karen Ceesay
Actor, Writer & Producer
Madison Hatfield
Actor, Writer, & Comedian
jynxx Johnson
CEO/Creative Director, Creative Edge
Emily Best
Founder & CEO of Seed&Spark
Michell Olson
Assistant Professor of Screen & TV Writing at Kennesaw State University
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Molly Coffee
Co-Founder & Past Creative Director
LISA FERRELL
GSU Creative Media Industries Institute
GENEVIEVE LEDOUx
Producer
Nancy C. Prager, Esq
Prager Law
Raymond Carr
Ninja Puppet Productions
autumn bailey-FORD
Autumn Bailey Entertainment
drew sawyer
Moonshine Post Production