THU JUN 25 at 430PM
SEV OHANIAN

SEV OHANIAN – ACADEMY AWARD-NOMINATED AND GOLDEN GLOBE-WINNING PRODUCER AND SCREENWRITER, FOUNDER OF PROXIMITY MEDIA

Sev Ohanian is an Academy Award–nominated and Golden Globe–winning producer and screenwriter, and Founder of Proximity Media alongside Ryan and Zinzi Coogler. Since launching the company in 2018, Proximity has produced a wide range of event-driven projects across film, television, documentaries, and podcasts. Their most recent film, SINNERS, grossed over $369 million worldwide and received a record sixteen Academy Award nominations, winning four. Proximity’s debut feature, JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH, earned six Academy Award nominations and won two. Sev has produced major projects including CREED III, SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY, Marvel’s IRONHEART and EYES OF WAKANDA, the National Geographic docuseries HURRICANE KATRINA: RACE AGAINST TIME. Sev is also known for co-writing RUN, MISSING, and SEARCHING, and for producing those films alongside his wife, Natalie Qasabian. SEARCHING was made for $880K and grossed over $75M globally. He received the Sundance Institute Amazon Studios Narrative Producer Award, THR’s 35 Under 35, Variety’s 40 Under 40, and was the first inductee into the Armenian Film Hall of Fame.

FRI JUN 26 at 630PM
WENDY LLINAS & NINA SHELTON, PBS

Nina Shelton – Program Manager, PBS Creative Voices / General Audience Programming, PBS
With over three decades in the industry, Nina Shelton has developed, produced, and overseen documentary and television projects with organizations including PBS, HBO, Disney, Discovery, and Hallmark, earning eleven Emmy-Award nominations. She serves as Program Manager at PBS, where she leads Creative Voices, a multi-year initiative focused on developing filmmakers, building partnerships, and expanding opportunities across public media. With a Master’s in Entrepreneurship, Nina approaches storytelling as both a craft and a creative venture grounded in collaboration and innovation.

Wendy Llinás is Senior Director of Programming, Development & Specials at PBS, where she leads the development and production of original content and acquisitions across history, culture, and independent film, leading the development of distinctive, high-impact storytelling that resonates with audiences. She collaborates closely with executive producers of PBS’s flagship documentary series, including Independent Lens, VOCES and POV. Llinás also oversees key filmmaker initiatives such as PBS Creative Voices, PBS Open Call and in partnership with Firelight Media, The PBS Greaves Fund and Homegrown digital series.

An Emmy-nominated producer and experienced journalist, her work has appeared on NBC News, ABC News, and PBS. She holds an M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University and a B.A. in Latin American Studies from Barnard College