Board of Directors and Advisory Board
Board of Directors
CHAD ERVIN, President
(he/him)
Chad Ervin has worked in film and television for over twenty years, working as a producer, writer, cameraperson, editor, and story consultant. As lead film editor he has made over thirty documentary films which have appeared on PBS (FRONTLINE, American Experience, American Masters), film festivals (SXSW, TIFF, VIFF, Full Frame), and theatrical distribution. Films he edited have received three Emmy-awards, as well as Peabody, Polk, and duPont Columbia awards, among others. He co-owns Well Told Films in Montpelier and works on film & media project for clients in Vermont and nationwide. He also serves on the board of directors of the community media station ORCA Media and on the Steering Committee for the Vermont Creative Network.
BRIAN CARROLL, Treasurer
(he/him)
Brian Carroll is a filmmaker, designer, journalist, musician, community builder and at his core, a storyteller. He brings over 15 years experience in corporate project management and global feasibility leadership to the VPC board and his documentary and short horror film work has received multiple awards and been screened globally. He is the founder of the New England music publication Red Line Roots and also serves as board chair for the Space on Main (Bradford, VT) and as a board member with Northeast Slopes (Corinth, VT), both non-profit organizations. Brian was also a recipient of the 2021 Rising Star Award from Vermont Business Magazine for his work under his Dos Gatos Media & Filmwork umbrella.
EMMA SCHLENOFF, Secretary
(she/her)
Emma is the founder and director of Witness Oak Productions. Highlights of her experience include: producing the feature narrative The Obelisk, directing and producing a series of short promotional videos for the band Birds of Chicago, working on the producing team for National Geographic’s Origins, and with Academy-Award winners, Fisher Stevens and Mark Monroe. She was guided by Florentine Films and offered the opportunity to work on several projects with Emmy-Winning Director Ken Burns. She has been successful as an event producer, directing and coordinating productions such as the WRIF Festival, and a 66-screening tour of Freedom and Unity: The Vermont Movie.
Emma’s passion for film has risen from a deeply rooted love for storytelling and the human experience. She has traveled extensively, volunteering and studying in countries such as Uganda, Thailand and Colombia. She lives in Vermont with her husband and their two children in a treehouse they built themselves.
BEN AYERS
(he/him)
Ben is a writer, National Geographic Explorer, and humanitarian with over two decades experience exploring and living in Nepal. In addition to founding two industry-leading non-profits, Ben is an award-winning film producer and director. His work includes The Last Honey Hunter (2017) and Mothered by Mountains (2018). When he is not chasing stories in the Himalaya, there is a good chance he’s riding his mountain bike in the root-strewn forests of Vermont.
JEANINE B. FROST
(she/her)
Jeanine B. Frost is an award winning Vermont based writer, director, producer and actor. Originally from Denmark, Jeanine explores deeply personal and psychological portraits, rooting the experience in the stark, honest simplicity of Nordic storytelling. A 2019 American Film Institute Directing Fellow, her thesis film MORS DAG was the recipient of the Sloan Foundation Production Grant and still runs the festival circuit. She produced the award winning short SLOAN HEARTS NECKFACE (CIFF, Palm Spring Shorts and Tribeca) while her film NO MORE, nominated in the Manhattan Film Festival’s Film Heals Program, is licensed for educational use by Film Media Group/Infobase. Jeanine is currently in post production as Creative Producer on the documentary Before They’re 23 about Endometriosis with collaborator Lindsay Jackson and working towards getting her first narrative feature as a writer/director off the ground. Jeanine is also the mother of a curious tween, lover of licorice, dark chocolate and long walks in the woods. She excitedly joins the VPC Board and look forward to connecting filmmakers from all of Vermont.
VANDER GAC
(they/them)
Vander Gac is an award-winning journalist, software developer, and nonprofit communications specialist. They were a founding member of the Michigan Independent Venues and Promoters Association and currently serve as chair of the Bethel Energy Committee. They hold a master’s in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a BA in Journalism from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Advisory Board
LUKAS HUFFMAN
(he/him)
Lukas Huffman is a writer and director based in Montpelier, VT. His narrative films have won dozens of awards worldwide and have been selected for the Toronto International Film Festival Circuit. His production company, Huffman Studio, has been commissioned to create documentaries for The New York Times, Vice Media, The Boston Globe, The World Bank, The National Wildlife Federation, and more. Huffman has recently returned to his hometown of Montpelier where he lives with his family. He is constantly inspired to shine a light on stories that are unique to the Green Mountain State.
JASON RAYMOND
(he/him)
Jason Raymond is the instructor of the Digital Media Lab at the Burlington Technical Center (BTC) and a board member of the Media Factory in Burlington, VT. Prior to working at BTC, Jason taught middle school Broadcasting and Language Arts in Little Rock, AR, while developing collaborative projects with the Little Rock Film Festival, AETN (Arkansas Educational Television Network-PBS), the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, the THEA Foundation Young Filmmaker Scholarship (scholarship judging committee), and the PBS Student Reporting Lab. Jason also worked for several years as a community media educator at Tualatin Valley Community Access (TVCA/TVTV) in Beaverton, OR, teaching field and studio production workshops and coordinating media productions with community volunteers. He was also a member of the Alliance for Community Media. He holds Master’s degrees in Education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin, with a specialization in copywriting from the Texas Creative program. Jason is also an undergraduate of Bennington College, with a focus in creative writing and media studies. Since moving to VT, Jason has focused on collaborative projects with Vermont Folklife, Media Factory, AALV, Burlington Juneteenth Day, Big Heavy World, and the Future Fields Recording Studio. He is passionate about engaging youth and their communities in a collaborative exploration of filmmaking, music production and performance, photography, and emerging technologies.
ORLY YADIN
(she/her)
Orly served as the Executive Director of VTIFF for 12 years. She stepped down from this role in June 2023 to return to filmmaking and to focus on specific programs that support local filmmakers, such as VTIFF’s Made Here Film Festival. Orly came to Vermont from London where she was a filmmaker and producer of both documentaries and animation films and series. Prior to making films, she was a film researcher on historical programs and was also founder and Managing Director of Footage Farm – an archival footage collection. Orly has taught documentary film history and theory in Universities in England and at Burlington College. In 1995 she co-founded and ran Halo Productions specializing in animation films. Many of Halo’s short films won international awards at festivals, and one, Silence, was short-listed for the Academy Awards.
MARIAH RIGGS
(she/her)
Mariah’s background includes a double major at Emerson in Film/Audio Production Engineering. During that time she curated and showed a video installation project at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts as well as directed several films. In 1998 I interned at AVID and was on the team that ran the beta testing and edited the user manual for the launch of the first generation of Symphony. I worked over the years at the now defunct Harvard Film Archive. While there I restored films of historical significance and ran their Coolidge Corner classic film series as well as ran the Academy Awards campaign to include nomination documentary screenings in Boston as well as LA.. She then moved to Austin and had various jobs for The Texas Department of Heath, The Texas Film Commission, SXSW, and Austin City Limits. She has been here in Burlington at Main Street Landing for 14 years now as Director of the Performing Arts Center. When we opened our gallery before the pandemic it included the only full time video installation exhibit in the state. I was a founding member of the Burlington Film Society before it joined with VTIFF. I have been running a free weekly community classic film series on Tuesdays for over 12 years in the Film House as well as other various film programs and projects.
LARS HASSELBLAD TORRES
(he/him)
SHAYNA SHERWOOD
(she/her)
Shayna Sherwood is a dynamic and accomplished Casting Director who has built a reputation in the entertainment industry through her expertise, passion, and entrepreneurial spirit. Raised in Vermont, Shayna is deeply connected to her roots. From a young age, Shayna witnessed the power of hard work, dedication, and the importance of building lasting relationships.
Shayna’s influence spans across traditional TV, film, and digital content, having played a pivotal role in casting for projects like the reboot of All That (Nickelodeon), independent films, and innovative short-form digital content for new platforms. Her work on All That earned her and Nickole an Emmy nomination for Casting Director, as well as a prestigious Casting Society’s Artios Award for their outstanding work on the series.
While continuing to pursue casting, Shayna has recently embraced her next passion: producing. In 2024, she earned her first Associate Producer credit for the indie film Christmas Cowboy, shot in her beloved home state of Vermont. A proud Vermonter, Shayna is committed to bringing major film productions to her home state. She is actively collaborating with the Vermont Production Collective to help support and grow the industry, paving the way for its future success in Vermont.
ARIA ALPERT ADJANI
(she/her)
Before having kids, I was a working actress, bouncing between Los Angeles and New York, taking on roles wherever the industry led me. But motherhood reshaped my path, and for the past decade, I have been a stay-at-home mom, raising my two kids.
Over the past few years, I have dipped my toe back into the Hollywood game, taking on a few roles in independent films. In doing so, I recognized where my true creative fulfillment lies: telling specific, meaningful stories that inspire me and not just being an actor for hire.
So, I began to write inspired by being a woman of a certain age; navigating the comedy and chaos of perimenopause has only made storytelling that much richer. Because let’s face it—this phase of life is far more interesting than playing yet another ingénue.
Currently, I am developing a TV series called Middle Age Dame with Stowe Story Labs, as well as writing a play inspired by the life of Miss Anita O’Day.
ALIA QUART KHAN
(she/her)
Born in Geneva to a Pakistani father and Anglo-Quebecker mother, I somehow ended up calling Central Vermont home—and it fits. I’ve always worn a lot of hats (literally: riding helmet, Stetson, trucker cap), and that spirit carries through my work. I’m a creative strategist who moves between worlds—entertainment, nonprofits, education—to craft meaningful experiences that connect people and spark change.
Over the years, I’ve run campaigns for the National Film Board of Canada, and CBC in Canada, and worked on awards pushes Stateside for films like The Master, Django Unchained, Silver Linings Playbook, The Iron Lady, The Artist, and The Ides of March. I’ve helped guide festival strategy for films at Cannes, Venice, and Toronto, and handled press for events like the LA Film Festival, the Spirit Awards, and Just for Laughs. From Hollywood hills to Green Mountain trails, the journey’s been full of plot twists—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Interested in Joining Us?
We are always looking for new members so let us know if you are interested in joining our board of directors or advisory board. We seek to have boards that is reflective of the diverse community that VPC serves. All are welcomed and encouraged to apply, film & media background is not required.