TEAM

Julia Carnahan is a producer and consultant in the nonprofit arena including arts programming, management, project development and coordination. She has an extensive background in collaborative and community-engaged multidisciplinary work across cultures, languages, and geographies. Projects have ranged from city-wide cultural events, festivals, and international performing arts tours and conferences that include the 1990 and 1993 Los Angeles Festivals; several touring productions directed by Peter Sellars; and the creation of a series of artistic and academic projects at UCLA’s Boethius Initiative.

Mary Leigh Cherry is an art entrepreneurial professional interested in collaborative opportunities that promote and expand the content, contexts, and markets surrounding art and culture. She is currently working in a leadership role at the intersection of art and tech, advising start-ups, running a sales department, and consulting with engineering, design, and product teams. As an experienced art gallery founder with 25+ years of working in the fine art industry, she is skilled in sales operations, marketing, logistics, and artwork and event production. Previous experiences also include non-profit board development, advancement, grant-making, human resources, and public art management. Her career has allowed her considerable global travel leading to vital international connections.

Jane Friedman is the Executive Director and Founder, Howl! Arts. Howl! Arts Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the past and celebrating the contemporary culture of the East Village and Lower East Side. With two galleries based in New York City’s East Village, Howl! Arts curates exhibitions and produces events that invite active participation of the community to circulate ideas, generate discussion, and celebrate the fearless innovators who continue to influence new generations. The organization encompasses dynamic cultural spaces and community-centered programming.

Danielle Lesniewski began her career in marketing sporting events and concerts in Albany, New York. After moving to Los Angeles in 1998, she worked for Susan Martin’s art marketing and production firm working with prestigious art institutions like the Santa Monica Museum of Art, Sci-Arc, and Track 16 Gallery where she helped promote exhibitions and special events. She was also instrumental in the publication of numerous books and monographs for Smart Art Press. She is a producer for Cat Power Productions, where she is responsible for event production, wardrobe, staging, and lifestyle shoots for the gaming industry (SONY/PlayStation, CapCom, E3, CES, GameStop) and other entertainment and popular culture endeavors (LinkedIn, Hilton, F1 Racing FiestaBowl). With a production career spanning nearly three decades, her extensive experience encompasses all aspects of the creative development process—including successfully managing high profile productions and careers of musicians and artists. Danielle has served on the Some Serious Business board since its re-inception in 2015, and also on the board of Tipping Point, Inc.

Terry Morello has a long career in the arts and culture world as a senior executive in museums, performing arts, and university external affairs. Terry has served in leadership positions at The Public Theater | New York Shakespeare Festival, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Hammer Museum, and UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture. She serves as Director of Communications and Development at Exceptional Minds in Los Angeles, a non-profit organization training individuals with autism to work in special effects and technology in the film industry. Terry has lectured on arts management and fundraising at the Getty Leadership Institute at Claremont Graduate University, The Juilliard School, and the University of Southern California (USC). Before her career in non-profit arts management, Terry worked as a photographic printer for artist Andy Warhol from 1982-1987. She holds a BFA in Film and Cinema Studies from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.

Amanda Stark is a creative consultant and advocate for the arts, chair of Tipping Point Film board, and board member of Some Serious Business. June 2010-2022 Executive Director of The Old Church Concert Hall (TOC) Managed a busy venue and historic landmark in Portland, Oregon. During the pandemic she advocated and raised the funds necessary to survive an 18 month venue closure. She managed the transformation of TOC to a world-class concert hall, raised funds and coordinated all systems installations. She oversaw the rebranding and promotion of TOC and partnered with local, national and international artists and organizations to create new business. She directed extensive interior and exterior restoration projects of the 1882 structure, including the conversion to energy efficient heating and cooling. 1993-2010 Artist Manager, Various Artists; Event Organizer Represented artists in the entertainment industry. Served as liaison between the artists, record company, publicist and field reps. Worked directly with artists’ business managers, accountants, legal and licensing representatives. Produced and promoted large events, including music festivals. Booked, produced, and handled all aspects of public relations for music events in North America and internationally for individual clients. Produced and art directed music videos, posters, press kits, documentaries and several album covers. Responsible for organizing concert tours in the U.S., Canada and Europe, securing foreign work visas, and producing budgets. Project managed album releases and their associated art and media products. Managed artists on Sony Music, Disney, Warner, Righteous Babe, Kill Rock Stars.