A SPECIAL THANKS to our
Honorary & Advisory Board
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Mari Kornhauser

Writer, Director, Professor
New Orleans resident independent filmmaker Mari Kornhauser is a UCLA Film School graduate who has gone on to write on assignment for various studios and producers, including writing and co-producing two independent features, ZANDALEE, starring Nicolas Cage, and THE LAST RIDE (aka F.T.W.), starring Mickey Rourke. Kornhauser’s directorial debut was the award winning independent feature HOUSEBOUND (aka KITCHEN PRIVILEGES), starring Peter Sarsgaard, which she also wrote; FINDING HOME AGAIN was her first non fiction videography focusing on post-Katrina life and reconstruction in New Orleans. In 2011, she moved into television with WRECKERS; from 2011-2013, she wrote for the HBO Peabody award winning show, TREME, created by Eric Overmyer and David Simon and currently, she is in development on a television series and work-shopping her first full-length play. Kornhauser is a Professor of screenwriting at Louisiana State University.
Necar Zadegan

Honorary Member
Sallay Shameka Gray
Immediate Past President
Shameka was born in New Orleans, La. She is a trained actress, having studied theater at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La and later finished her studies in acting and producing at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Ca. While in San Francisco she performed onstage in The Black Nativity at the Lorraine Hansberry Theater. She is known for her role inThe Giant’s Fairy which has won Best Picture at the 48hr Film Festival and screened at the Southern Screen Film Festival. She was also a part of the films Stay Woke; Iris; Liar, Liar Pants On Fire and Sugar, Alienated, Murderous Affairs (TV Series), Ink Red Dead Redemption II (Video Game) and Silence is Compliance.
Carol Bidault de l'Isle
Past President
​Carol Bidault de l’Isle is an award-winning producer, specializing in motion picture and television financing, production and distribution. She brings with her over 30 years of industry experience in the United States, Europe, and Latin America and is fluent in 4 languages (English, French, Italian, Spanish) and basic conversation in Japanese. In 2010, Ms. Bidault moved to New Orleans, Louisiana to open the new headquarters of MediaFusion Entertainment, LLC. She recently completed Cut Off with Brad Dourif, William Baldwin and is currently in Post-Production with: Peter Greenaway’s Walking to Paris; in Post Production and in development with The Chronicles of Young Washington (William Hurt, Gary Oldman). Ms. Bidault is a film advisor to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Warner Theatre in Washington, DC and has been on Executive Committee of Women In Film & Television International (2014 - 2018), President of Women In Film & Television Louisiana (2016 - 2018), Advisory Board of the New Orleans Film Society (2011 - 2017).
For more information: mediafusionent.com.
Carroll Morton has served as the City of New Orleans Manager of Entertainment Industry Development and has worked in the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy since 2009. In that capacity Carroll advises the city on public policy for the film and entertainment industry, provided support for the city’s legislative efforts, developed workforce training programming and worked with non-profits to implement those programs. She has produced events to market the film industry both locally and at the Sundance Film Festival. Beginning in 2015 Carroll expanded her role to include managing the work of the 2018 Tricentennial Commission producing events and programming to celebrate the 300th Anniversary of the City of New Orleans. She currently serves on the advisory board for The New Orleans Film Society and Women in Film and Television.
Suzette Toledano

Attorney
Suzette Toledano of Toledano Entertainment and Arts Law maintains a transactional intellectual property law practice located above the House of Blues in New Orleans with emphasis on copyright, trademark, rights of publicity, brands, visual art, music, film, and licensing. She and her family developed the real estate where the prototype House of Blues is located resulting in the creation of a Vieux Carre Entertainment District, changing the landscape of the French Quarter. Most recently she has been working with a branding client in the States of Colorado and Washington (where recreational cannabis use is legal) on licensing issues related to the Willie’s Reserve trademarks. She works with The National World War II Museum on entertainment related matters. Suzette's clients include record labels, music publishers, concert promoters, recording artists, songwriters, producers, visual artists, photographers, authors, screenwriters and filmmakers, with Oscar and Grammy nominees/winners among them. Suzette is proud to have served as a Founding Board Member of WIFT-LA and as a current Board Member of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.
Susan Brennan

Founder, Second Line Stages
Susan Brennan is a graduate of Trinity Episcopal School, Isidore Newman School and Vanderbilt University. She is a life long resident of New Orleans. Brennan is the owner and developer of Second Line Stages, the first LEED Gold certified, state of the art, sustainable sound stages in the United States. She serves on several boards, including the New Orleans Arts Council, and is an emeritus board member of the New Orleans Film Society.
Jaye Calhoun

Attorney
Patricia Clarkson

Honorary Member
Patricia Davies Clarkson, born in New Orleans, is an American actress. She has starred in many leading and supporting roles in films such as The Station Agent, The Pledge, The Green Mile, Far from Heaven, High Art, Dogville, Good Night, and Good Luck, Easy A, and Cairo Time. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe for her performance in Pieces of April (2003). She twice won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her recurring role in Six Feet Under. In 2015, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in The Elephant Man.
Necar Zadegan is a recent transplant to the Big Easy and stars as Special Agent Hannah Khoury in the CBS global franchise series, NCIS: New Orleans. A versatile actress known for a career on stage and screen, she made her Broadway debut when she originated the role of the Leper in Rajiv Joseph's Pulitzer Prize nominated and multi Tony award accoladed “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo” opposite Robin Williams. 
Ms. Zadegan garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of First Lady turned president Dalia Hassan on Fox’s hit series “24” and most recently for her delicate portrayal of Layla Shokrani alongside Tim Robbins and a Holly Hunter in the HBO drama “Here and Now” from Oscar winning screenwriter, creator Alan Ball. In the Bravo comedy on Netflix, “Girlfriends Guide to Divorce”. The year also saw Ms. Zadegan join the cast of the ABC hit “The Good Doctor”. Other series regular roles include her portrayal of Dr. Gina Bandari on “Emily Owens MD” and in the lead opposite Greg Kinnear in the FOX comedy “Rake”. Some highlights from her many other credits include roles for Steven Spielberg company produced series “Extant”, opposite Sean Bean in spy series “Legends” and a very memorable turn as the Queen of Iran in Showtime”s critical success “Masters of Sex” opposite Michael Sheen, with whom she also starred opposite in the Columbia Tri Star film, psychological thriller “Unthinkable” alongside Samuel L. Jackson. She appeared with Adam Sandler in Judd Apatow’s “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan” and played the title role in “Elena Undone” which enjoyed success at independent festivals worldwide. Ms. Zadegan has worked at some of the worlds most prestigious theaters including The Mark Taper Forum, the Royal Dramatic Theater of Stockholm, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and many more, and toured internationally in the Persian language production of “Satellite with Love”. Ms. Zadegan was born in Heidelberg, Germany and raised in Northern California. She studied theater and dance on a performance scholarship at the University of California, Santa Barbara and graduated with honors and a BA degree in English Literature. She also studied at the Sorbonne University in Paris. She speaks Persian, French and German and has learned Spanish, Arabic and Hebrew while working in those languages. Ms. Zadegan is an ambassador for BuildOn.org and travels with them around the world building schools for children.
Carroll Morton
Director of Film, New Orleans
Mayor's Office of Culture and Economy
Jaye is a member in Kean Miller Law Film New Orleans office. Jaye’s practice is focused on state and local taxation including the Louisiana film tax credit and digital media credit programs. Jaye regularly assists film and entertainment industry clients in the compliance and formation of tax credits and incentive transactions involving a variety of state, local and federal tax incentive programs including Louisiana Motion Picture Tax Credits. She also advises and assists clients throughout the certification process for Louisiana film tax credits and with resolving issues arising after certification. Additionally, Jaye is actively involved in the enactment of legislation creating a tax credit registry. Jaye Calhoun was a Founding Member of WIFT Louisiana.