A high school diploma is rarely enough to break into the arts, but The Academy of Fine Arts and Barbara Ingram offer something more: a professional-grade foundation. How do these audition-required public programs function as a welcome bridge, establishing within students the confidence and discipline they need to compete at the highest levels of college and career – without the private-school price tag.
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Barbara Ingram School for the Arts
Ally Sirbaugh serves as the executive director for the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts Foundation. She leads the Foundation board in fundraising, building relationships and collaborating with the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts in Hagerstown, Maryland. Prior to joining the Barbara Ingram Foundation, Ally served as the marketing director at Sterling Financial Management and the communications director at the Community Foundation of Washington County. She has over 20 years of experience in communications, marketing and project management. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications from the University of Tennessee.
A high school diploma is rarely enough to break into the arts, but The Academy of Fine Arts and Barbara Ingram offer something more: a professional-grade foundation. How do these audition-required public programs function as a welcome bridge, establishing within students the confidence and discipline they need to compete at the highest levels of college and career – without the private-school price tag.
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Academy of Fine Arts
Jonathan Kurtz is excited to continue his work at the Academy of Fine Arts as Coordinator. He earned his Bachelor of Music at Taylor University and his Master of Arts at the University of Maryland, College Park. Kurtz holds a Certificate of Educational Leadership from Hood College. Kurtz was the FCPS 2022-23 Teacher of the Year, a Maryland State Teacher of the Year Finalist, and was also nominated for the Charles E. Tressler Distinguished Teaching Award in 2014 and FCPS Teacher of the Year in 2015.
Stop guessing what Casting Directors want. This session pulls back the curtain on the modern casting process, exploring the psychology of the room and the business of selection. Learn to move past the “audition” and become the collaborator every director needs.
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Baltimore-based Casting Director Amy Lim brings more than twenty years of experience working in television, news, entertainment, film, streaming, commercial and podcast. She’s an Emmy Nominated News Producer as well as a creative force behind hit shows for networks like Discovery, Disney+, MTV, The CW, Lifetime, A&E, Smithsonian, ID, Nat Geo Wild, PBS and Gen-Z Media. Amy is the Casting Director behind local film Boomtown The Story of Downtown Frederick. She also cast some 300 Background Actors for the locally produced feature film, They Fight, set for release on Disney+ and Hulu.
Stop guessing what Casting Directors want. This session pulls back the curtain on the modern casting process, exploring the psychology of the room and the business of selection. Learn to move past the “audition” and become the collaborator every director needs.
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Thea Washington, CSA is a Baltimore-based casting director, producer, and consultant with over a decade of experience casting for television, film, commercials, and major brand campaigns across the DMV and beyond. A proud member of the Casting Society of America and a Mayor’s Council advisor for Arts & Culture, Thea is known for delivering thoughtful, efficient casting grounded in authenticity and community. Her casting specialties include real people casting, with a strong ability to identify compelling everyday individuals whose stories translate powerfully on screen. Her work includes campaigns for Amazon, Disney, NACHA, and Giant Food’s This Is Home campaign, as well as productions including The Baltimorons, Captain America, and HBO’s We Own This City.
The camera doesn’t lie – but it can be learned. Robert Galinsky, Juilliard guest lecturer and Vanity Fair-featured acting coach, breaks down exactly what separates forgettable performers from ones who stop the scroll. Aspiring actors will leave with practical tools to project confidence, own awkward silences, and make any lens feel like an invitation rather than an interrogation.
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Galinsky is an award-winning New York–based filmmaker, performance coach, and Off-Broadway solo artist. A guest lecturer at the Juilliard School and former head speaker coach for TEDxTeen, he coached 50 Cent for his audition opposite Robert De Niro and Al Pacino for 50’s first acting role in Righteous Kill. Galinsky has directed actors Stephen McKinley Henderson, Laura San Giacomo, and Gary Cole among many. His feature film Sunset and Lorraine will be released at the end 2026.
A decade before Iron Man, Marvel’s most ambitious film was one you never saw. Go inside the studio vault with screenwriter Richard Jefferies as he reveals his original solo film for the Silver Surfer. From Ewan McGregor’s casting to the gritty script that nearly changed Hollywood history, this is a firsthand look at the secret history of this “lost” epic, and the realities of the studio system.
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Richard Jefferies grew up in Frederick, where he made animated films that won awards worldwide. He attended CalArts 1974-78. With classmate and future “Simpsons” director Mark Kirkland, he made a video to “Fame” by David Bowie, which aired on NBC and won a Student Academy Award. Signed by William Morris Agency in 1987, Richard worked as a writer for filmmakers including Ridley Scott, Gale Anne Hurd, James Cameron, Michael Jackson, Kathryn Bigelow and Mel Brooks.
The days of Hollywood handing out blank checks are over. From HBO to Starz to Amazon MGM, Pamela Nemoto shares how to navigate the current “fiscal recovery” era of streaming by creating content that travels, scales, and makes a profit.
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Pamela Nemoto is a global content & audience strategy leader who has driven digital engagement and monetization for brands like HBO, Prime Video, and STARZ. She specializes in film & TV slate investment strategy and execution – overseeing teams responsible for Programming, Content Acquisition, Development & Production, and Editorial & Merchandising. She’s served on digital product / brand launch teams across BritBox, HBO, and HISTORY and is a member of the US & International Emmys.
Knock Down the House, the landmark documentary featuring Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, captured a cultural earthquake before it happened. Co-producer Cherry Graziosi breaks down the process of identifying raw, explosive potential in subjects, the producer’s role in creating something from nothing, and how dreaming big can pay off.
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Cherry Graziosi is a 2x Emmy winning journalist and documentary producer. In 2019, Graziosi co-produced the critically acclaimed documentary Knock Down the House which premiered at Sundance where it won the prestigious Audience award. Netflix acquired the rights to the film. In 2022 Graziosi co-produced In the Bones documentary which examines the structural challenges regarding equal pay and abortion access in Mississippi. It can be seen on Prime Video.
Streamers have the algorithms. Studios have the IP. But Rich Daughtridge has something they can’t buy: a community that shows up. The CEO of Warehouse Cinemas makes the case that independent exhibition isn’t a nostalgia play, it’s about rewriting what a night at the movies looks like.
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Independent Cinema Alliance
Rich grew up in Hagerstown, Maryland and attended the Virginia Military Institute earning a degree in Business and Economics. After college, he played professional soccer for 7 years before starting his first business, HighRock, a regional marketing agency. In addition to HighRock, he is currently the President and CEO of Warehouse Cinemas, operating three locations in Maryland and the current President of the Independent Cinema Alliance, representing over 5,000 movie screens in the United States.
Washington-Mid Atlantic Local SAG-AFTRA staff will present an overview and answer questions about various SAG-AFTRA agreements, including the Micro Budget, Short Project, Ultra Low Budget, Moderate Low Budget, and Low Budget Agreements. Learn how you can work with professional performers at any budget level. This is the practical session every emerging filmmaker needs before calling action.
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SAG-AFTRA Washington-Mid Atlantic
Zakiyy Morgan is the Business Representative of Entertainment Contracts with SAG-AFTRA’s Washington-Mid Atlantic Local. Prior to working at SAG-AFTRA, Zakiyy worked as a labor relations specialist for the United States Postal Service. There, he assisted on several national labor arbitration cases and was a member of the negotiations team for the American Postal Workers Union’s CBA for the 2024-2027 term. In addition, Zakiyy worked in the non-profit sector assisting Open Doors NYC with their advocacy projects and the award-winning documentary Film Through Dry Grass. He received his B.A. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He also holds a minor in Film Studies and completed the Disability Studies Suggested Sequence at the K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan Institute on Employment and Disability.