David Ariniello is a filmmaker and co-founder of Extraordinary Renditions, a media development and production company. Most recently, Ariniello produced Jamie Sisley’s “Stay Awake", which premiered at Berlinale in 2022. He also produced Andrew Ahn’s "Spa Night", which premiered in Dramatic Competition at Sundance Film Festival and received the John Cassavetes Award at the 2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Ariniello wrote and co-produced "Arcadia Lost” starring Nick Nolte and Haley Bennett, which premiered at the Oldenburg Film Festival in 2010. Winner of a 50th Annual Samuel Goldwyn Screenwriting Award, Ariniello also wrote and co-directed “The Incident,” a branded entertainment short for Lincoln motors and Vanity Fair. A member of the WGA, SAG, and IATSE, Ariniello holds a BA from Columbia University and a PhD in English Literature from the University of California at Irvine.

Ron Najor is a first generation Iraqi-American filmmaker. He strives to tell stories with authenticity and to portray the diversity of the human experience. His Iraqi American background has played a strong role in shaping who he is and often finds its way into his creative work.

Najor’s first produced independent feature film "I Am Not a Hipster" was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. "Short Term 12", which won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at SXSW in 2013, was his follow up feature and marks his second collaboration with writer/director Destin Cretton. "Short Term 12" was selected to be on over 30 top-ten lists for 2013 and garnered a Gotham Award for Best Actress for Brie Larson and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Editing. "Short Term 12" was also given the prestigious distinction of being awarded “The Golden Tomato Award” for being the highest critically rated theatrical movie in limited release in 2013 by Rotten Tomatoes.

Kelly Thomas is an independent producer, writer and educator. Thomas received a 2017 Film Independent Spirit Award as a producer for Andrew Ahn’s "Spa Night", a feature that premiered in Dramatic Competition at Sundance Film Festival and was presented at festivals worldwide. Her latest film, “Stay Awake”, premiered at Berlinale in 2022. Thomas’s other producing credits include films with acclaimed directors including Rodrigo Garcia, Phedon Papamichael, Robin Swicord, and Brad Silberling.

Previously, Thomas was the Producer-in-Residence for Film Independent’s Artist Development programs where she produced branded entertainment for Vanity Fair and Lincoln Motors and managed labs for writers, directors, producers, and documentary filmmakers. In addition to producing, Thomas is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Temple University’s Los Angeles Study-Away Program and Affiliated Faculty at Emerson College and Chapman University. She is a member of the Producers Guild of America.