danielle renfrew behrens | founder
Danielle Renfrew Behrens is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She has premiered ten films at the Sundance Film Festival, including Emmy nominated KURT COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK and GRANDMA, which garnered Lily Tomlin rave reviews and a Golden Globe nomination. Rolling Stone called MONTAGE “the most intimate rock doc ever” and GRANDMA sold in a preemptive bid before its premiere in the prestigious closing night slot.
THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES was the Opening Night film of Sundance 2012 where it won the Best Director Award in the U.S. Documentary Competition. It was acquired on the first night of the festival and went on to win numerous awards and accolades. The New York Times called QUEEN “a gaudy guilty please that is also a piece of trenchant social criticism” and Entertainment Weekly wrote “Grade A! Succulently entertaining. The next big documentary-as cultural touchstone.”
AMERICAN SON premiered in Dramatic Competition in 2008. The film captivated critics and has a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. WAITRESS, one of the biggest sales at Sundance 2007, was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for best Screenplay, went on to earn more than $19 million at the box office and has been adapted into a Broadway musical. NOVEMBER premiered in Competition in 2004 and received the Grand Jury Price for Cinematography. GROOVE was the first sale of Sundance 2000 and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Low Budget Feature.
Other credits include DOUBLE DARE, featuring interviews with Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, and Lynda Carter. The film screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on become an audience favorite worldwide. Danielle also produced Miramax’s DALTRY CALHOUN starring Johnny Knoxville, Juliette Lewis and Elizabeth Banks and executive produced by Quentin Tarantino.
Danielle is a Sundance Women's Initiative Fellow and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for producing. She has served on the jury for the Los Angeles Film Festival, Aspen ShortsFest, and the Starz Denver Film Festival. She lives in Boulder, CO with her husband and two children.
Bill Harnisch | Advisor
Bill Harnisch started his career with Chase Investors Management before becoming President, Chief Investment Officer and majority owner of Forstmann-Leff Associates, which he sold before founding Peconic Partners, a NY-based hedge fund.
Bill is a longtime supporter of the Sundance Institute. He is a member of Impact Partners. His family philanthropies have invested in THE HUNTING GROUND, TRAPPED, THE EAGLE HUNTRESS, and many others.
Check out The Harnisch Foundation here.
Ron Yerxa | Advisor
Ron Yerxa and his producing partner Albert Berger have made a number of very successful and celebrated films including: LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, NEBRASKA, ELECTION, COLD MOUNTAIN, and LITTLE CHILDREN—all of which received Academy Award nominations. His most recent film, LOUDER THAN BOMBS, premiered in competition at Cannes in May 2015. In addition to their film credits, Ron and Albert are also co-executive producers on the current HBO series THE LEFTOVERS.
Check out Ron's film work here.
Paula Dupré Pesmen | Advisor
Paula has produced a handful of acclaimed documentaries including: Academy Award winner THE COVE, Emmy winner CHASING ICE, and most recently KEEP ON KEEPIN ON’ which premiered at Tribeca where it won the Audience Award and sold to Radius TWC. Paula was also a producer on the first three HARRY POTTER films, RENT, MRS. DOUBTFIRE and STEPMOM. She was named a “Local Hero” in Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine for her work with the non-profit THERE WITH CARE, which she founded in 2005.
Check out Paula's film work here.
CHRIS HIMES | ADVISOR
Chris Himes is an investor in commercial real estate and technology companies. He advises a handful of startups on go-to-market strategy and fundraising. As an executive at salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM), Chris focused on strategy and corporate venture capital investments in both publicly traded and privately held companies in the US and Asia.