Staff
Jesse Harris
Artistic Director
Jesse Harris is leading the next generation of young and talented filmmakers. Variety agrees, and named Jesse Harris one of 25 talents who transformed youth entertainment in 2009 for his work at NFFTY. Jesse co-founded the festival in 2007 and was the Executive Director until 2012. Born and raised in Seattle, WA, Jesse has always been a fan of film, art and culture. At the age of 17, Jesse wrote, directed, financed and ultimately secured multi-city theatrical release for the feature length drama, Living Life. Since founding NFFTY, festival attendance has more than doubled annually, currently at over 7,000 people. Jesse has secured many unique sponsorships and partnerships for NFFTY including: Volvo Cars of North America, Nike, Bing, Xbox 360, Expedia, TakePart.com, Virgin America, HBO and many more. In 2011, Jesse was named one of City Arts Magazine’s top 50 Culture Makers. Jesse is also a freelance commercial director.
Follow Jesse on Twitter
Visit Jesseharrisfilms.com
Lindsey Johnson
Managing Director
Prior to joining NFFTY, Lindsey was with the Washington State Film Office and later Washington Filmworks. There she managed locations, production resources, and marketing, while also developing the online location library for the State of Washington. Before this she worked in production, in the locations and production office departments on a variety of film and TV projects for Magnolia Pictures, MTV, and others. Her extensive experience coordinating events, conferences, and conventions is balanced by a strong track record in public relations, where she was responsible for coordinating the marketing, publicity and promotions of films for Twentieth Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Screen Gems, MGM, United Artists, Universal Pictures, and Fox Searchlight throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Sam Kelly, Jr.
Programming & Outreach Manager
A native Washingtonian who has studied filmmaking as an undergrad and graduate student, Sam has put these studies into action as an award-winning film producer and music video director. Having previously worked as a college recruiter for Western Washington University and as a media producer for Seattle’s Experience Music Project (EMP), Sam excels in communicating with a wide range of audiences. His experience giving educational presentations across the country, connecting with film industry professionals, and being a hands-on indie filmmaker shows his unwavering passion for film, music, and pop-culture.
Find Sam on Vimeo
Interns
Joseph Weiler
Editorial
Joseph Weiler was born and raised in Austin, Texas discovering his love for film growing up constantly watching films with his father. He is now a sophomore at Seattle University in their new and developing film program majoring in production with a minor in studio art. Recently he has been working with his friends at their production company, Altrac Productions, as an assistant camera operator, grip, and looking to do some production design for some future projects. Joseph wants to make either low budget films or short films. His goal is to one day win the John Cassavetes award.
Louis Weissman
Editorial
Louis Weissman, born and raised in Seattle, Washington, is currently a junior at Ballard High in the video production program. He studied documentary film making this summer in Boston and enjoys both developing ideas and understanding the more technical side of movie making. Louis has worked on PSA’s, visual stories, documentaries, and music videos. Last year he started a production company with close friends from school and has worked with Cascade Bicycle Club and NFFTY through his company. Louis writes and helps with editing the videos pieces for the NFFTY website.