March 2011 Contest

Walt Becker is an accomplished director, screenwriter, producer and best-selling author. Mr. Becker made his directorial debut with Buying the Cow for Sony pictures, followed by the comedy National Lampoon's Van Wilder. He recently directed Wild Hogs starring John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, William H. Macy, and Marisa Tomei, which has grossed over $250 million worldwide. Becker followed that with the holiday family comedy Old Dogs starring Robin Williams and John Travolta.

Mr. Becker is producing a number of feature film projects and has projects in development at Disney, Sony, Universal, MGM, Summit, and CBS Films. His production company currently has a first look producing deal with Walt Disney Pictures. In television, Mr. Becker co-created and executive produces the TBS series Glory Daze, a one hour period comedy following the lives of four college freshman in 1986. He directed, co-wrote, and executive produced the pilot.

Mr. Becker is also the author of two novels. His first novel Link was on the Los Angeles Times and National Bestseller Lists, and is in development for Becker to direct and produce. He later co-wrote the legal thriller Misconception with attorney Robert Shapiro. Mr. Becker also created the graphic novel "Last Reign" which Boom! Comics published in 2009.

Mr. Becker received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications Studies from UCLA and a Master's Degree in Film from the Peter Stark Program at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, where he received the Robert S. Ferguson Award.

Gil Cates is an award-winning producer, director and overall film, television and theater powerhouse. A graduate of Syracuse University, Cates began his Hollywood career by directing and producing the 1970 film version of the Broadway hit I Never Sang for my Father, which received three Academy Award nominations. Shortly thereafter, Cates caught the Academy's attention with Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams, which received two Oscar nominations. Some of Cates’s other film credits include: The Promise, One Summer Love, The Last Married Couple in America, Oh! God Book II and Backfire. On the small screen, Cates directed and produced a number of high-profile projects including the Emmy Award-winning To All my Friends on Shore, The Affair, and After the Fall.

Cates also served two terms as president of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) from 1983 to 1987. Pulling from his vast professional experience and a desire to contribute to the creative community, Cates founded the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT) where he also served as Dean from 1990 to 1998. In 1995, Cates founded the Geffen Playhouse to provide the Los Angeles community, as well as UCLA TFT students, access to world-class, original productions.

Cates has won numerous awards: in 1989, the DGA honored him with the Robert B. Aldrich Award for extraordinary service, and two years later with the DGA's Honorary Life Membership. In 1996, he received the Jimmy Doolittle Award for Outstanding Contribution to Los Angeles Theater. While Cates has collected 84 nominations and 17 Emmy Awards over the years, he is probably more well-known for his role behind the scenes of the Academy Awards show—2008’s 80th Annual Academy Awards marked Cates’ fourteenth time as producer of the international broadcast.

John Watson is a writer and producer who founded the Trilogy Entertainment Group and has since produced 12 feature films, including Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (which he also co-wrote), Backdraft, Blown Away, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, and Just Buried, which premiered at the 2007 Toronto Film Festival. Watson has also executive-produced over 300 hours of television for both network and cable, including seven seasons of The Outer Limits. He developed the CBS series The Magnificent Seven, being the sole showrunner for two seasons, and co-created the TNT series Breaking News. Watson has completed screenplay adaptations of Tom Wolfe's novel I Am Charlotte Simmons and Richard Condon's novel An Infinity Of Mirrors, and adapted the Japanese manga Monster for New Line Cinema.

Mr. Watson graduated with a Classics M.A. from Cambridge University in England. In his early career in Toronto, he teamed with Pen Densham to write, produce, direct, and edit more than a hundred films over a 10-year period—shorts, documentaries, educational films, television dramas and specials—garnering over 70 international awards, including two Oscar nominations. He also serves as a professor at the acclaimed USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Edward Saxon, an Oscar winner, is a graduate of the USC Peter Stark Producing Program. He received his undergraduate degree at McGill University.

His credits include producing The Silence of the Lambs, which swept Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture at the Academy Awards. He also produced Philadelphia (which won two Oscars, including Best Actor for Tom Hanks), Adaptation, nominated for 4 Oscars—including Best Supporting Actor winner Chris Cooper—and the Oscar-nominated documentary Mandela: Son of Africa, Father of a Nation.

Most recently, he has been a producer on Enlightened, an upcoming HBO comedy series. He produced Sam Mendes's Away We Go at Focus Features in 2009, and Our Family Wedding at Fox Searchlight in 2010, which stars Forest Whitaker and America Ferrera.

Past credits include Tom Hanks' directorial debut That Thing You Do!, Ulee's Gold, Devil in a Blue Dress, Beloved, Fast Food Nation, Something Wild and Miami Blues.

Saxon is a founding Advisory Board member of the Independent Film Channel, and is a mentor for the Sundance Institute, Producer's Guild, and Peter Stark Motion Picture Producing Program at USC. He also has extensive experience working in Haiti both as a documentary filmmaker and as an activist. Saxon is married to the artist Kirsten Coyne. They have two young daughters and live in Los Angeles.

Richard Schiff has enjoyed a lengthy and acclaimed career as one of our most respected actors. Television roles include his much-celebrated portrayal of White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler on The West Wing, for which he received the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor along with three additional nominations. He is recurring currently on CBS on Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior as Forest Whitaker’s FBI boss and on The Cape on NBC. White Collar on USA is the most recent of many guest appearances.

Film credits number more than 45, including the Oscar-nominated biopic Ray, as well as a range of roles in films such as I Am Sam, Malcolm X, Lost World: Jurassic Park, Last Chance Harvey, Hoffa, Living Out Loud and Solitary Man. Recent films include two UK-based independents The Infidel and Made in Dagenham, both critical favorites. Also in the UK, another comedic turn in Johnny English Reborn.

On stage, Schiff starred in the acclaimed West End production of the one-man play Underneath the Lintel at London’s Duchess Theatre. Richard’s last stage appearance was in the starring role of Lanford Wilson’s Talley’s Folly at the McCarter Theatre.

Richard received the prestigious Townsend Harris medal from CCNY for outstanding achievement. CCNY granted him the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, awarded alongside former President Clinton. He was honored with the Father Dornan Peace Award from the Council for a Livable World in DC and a Humanitarian Award from the Weingart Center for the Homeless. He is a regular contributor of columns to The Independent in the UK and the Huffington Post. He has received two SAG Awards, and Ovation and Dramalogue awards.