Eric Van Speights is a cultural producer whose works has focused on the intersection of art and entertainment for over twenty years. He has led creative strategy for some of the world’s most iconic brands including Pace Gallery’s experiential division, Superblue, Sotheby’s, and Robert A.M. Stern Architects.

His body of work includes global creative campaigns, live activations and collaborations with Drake, Ai Wei Wei, Chatsworth House, and Visionaire; performances with Alicia Keys, A$AP Rocky, Nick Murphy (Chet Faker) and James Gray; and brand launches with Samsung, BMW, Loro Piana and Assouline and Pharrell Williams.

Eric has been recognized with numerous industry awards including Graphis, and Communication Arts. His projects have been covered by international titles including, The New York Times, W, Architectural Digest, Elle Decor and The Wall Street Journal.

Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) is a Black, Haitian-American composer who sees composing as collaboration with artists, organizations and communities within the farming and framing of ideas. He is a prolific and endlessly collaborative composer, performer, educator, and social entrepreneur. “About as omnivorous as a contemporary artist gets” (New York Times), Roumain has worked with artists from J’Nai Bridges, Lady Gaga and Philip Glass to Bill T. Jones, Marin Alsop and Anna Deavere Smith. Known for his signature violin sounds infused with myriad electronic and African-American music influences, Roumain takes his genre-bending music beyond the proscenium. He is a composer of solo, chamber, orchestral, and operatic works, and has composed an array of film, theater, and dance scores. He has composed music for the acclaimed film Ailey (Sundance official selection); was the first Music Director and Principal Composer with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company; released and appeared on 30 album recordings; and has published over 300 works. He has appeared on CBS, ESPN, FOX, NBC, NPR, and PBS; and has been presented and collaborated with the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Kennedy Center, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Sydney Opera House. He was Artist-in-Residence and Creative Chair at the Flynn in Burlington, Vermont. Currently, he is the first Artistic Ambassador with Firstworks; the first Artist Activist-in-Residence at Longy School of Music; and the first Resident Artistic Catalyst with the New Jersey Symphony.

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Ana De Archuleta is a strategic and dynamic arts entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in performing arts management. As the Founder of A.D.A. Artist Management, she has established herself as a sought-after leader in the operatic field, focusing on identifying and nurturing new talent. Ana’s expertise spans various genres and repertoire, supporting performers from emerging artists to internationally renowned figures.

Her diverse background in the arts, including roles as an instrumentalist, dancer, operatic stage manager, assistant director, opera chorister, and operatic soloist, has significantly contributed to her success as an arts and culture leader. Ana’s leadership extends to her role as Managing Director at National Sawdust, where she has achieved landmark accomplishments, such as a strategic building acquisition, and driven impactful arts initiatives promoting community, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Ana serves on the Board of Opera America, actively lending her expertise to numerous committees and panels. She is also a board member of the Olga Iglesias Project, promoting native lyric artists of Puerto Rico, and serves on the Advisory Board of Seagle Festival. She has co-chaired the Women’s Opera Network Steering Committee and was a panelist for the National Endowment of the Arts 2023 Arts Works Opera Grants.

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Ed Patuto is a cultural producer committed to bold, daring, and socially relevant artistic works by a diverse array of emerging and established artists. He serves as the Director of Audience Engagement at the Broad Museum in Los Angeles.

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Jeffrey Soros is co-CEO of Los Angeles Media Fund. Prior to LAMF, Soros ran Considered Entertainment, which produced the Emmy-nominated documentary A Small Act, Warren Beatty’s critically acclaimed dramedy Rules Don’t Apply and Basmati Blues, a musical shot in India starring Brie Larson. In 2012, Jeffrey co-founded LAMF, which has grown to develop, produce and finance film, TV, theater and live events. Projects include the narrative films Shirley, Juliet, Naked, Summertime; the documentaries Some Kind of Heaven, United Skates, Legacy: The True Story of the Lakers; the Tony award-winning revival of Oklahoma!, and the Central Park installation of DiscOasis. Upcoming film projects include Magazine Dreams, directed by Elijah Bynum and starring Jonathan Majors, Cora Boradirected by Hannah Utt and starring Meg Stalter, and Rob Peace, directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor starring Jay Will, Mary J. Blige, Camila Cabello and Mr. Ejiofor. LAMF has two subsidiaries: Invent TV, which produces unscripted shows such as the Oprah Winfrey specials, and LAMF Sports Management, which represents numerous professional basketball and football players.

Soros also serves as President of The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, President Emeritus of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chair of Almanack Screenwriters, Trustee Emeritus and former Chair of the Creative Capital Foundation, and Trustee of the Music Center Foundation.

Elizabeth Madigan Jost is a 25 year veteran of Morgan Stanley where she currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Firm Risk Management. Elizabeth’s previous roles at Morgan Stanley include Chief Operating Officer for Latin America as well as for External Affairs. Elizabeth initially became involved in VIA in 2012 and joined the Board of National Sawdust in 2016 where she serves on the Executive Committee. Elizabeth also serves on the Board of Advisors of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), the Board of the American Federation of the Arts and she is on the Visiting Committee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Ancient Near East Department. Deeply inspired by VIA works such as Con Alma, the Colorado, Hubble Cantata and Oceanic Verses, Elizabeth is proud to serve
on the Innovation Board as VIA’s resonance, relevance and renown continue to thrive.

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Damon Owlia is an artist and producer based in Brooklyn, New York. He served as both the Executive Producer and Producer of the Emmy-Nominated thriller series THE ACCIDENTAL WOLF, starring Emmy Nominee Kelli O'Hara and Written/Directed by Emmy Nominee Arian Moayed, which was acquired by Topic/First Look Media. In 2021, he produced THE COURTROOM, a nonfiction narrative film that tells the story of one woman's deportation proceeding using only the verbatim text of the real court transcripts. THE COURTROOM premiered as part of the Tribeca Festival’s Official Selection in 2022. Before that, he produced THE FLORES EXHIBITS, a series of videos in which artists, lawyers, advocates, and immigrants read the sworn testimonies of children held in detention facilities at the U.S./Mexico border, which is available to watch at floresexhibits.org. Damon also proudly serves on the board of Waterwell, an arts and education company, focusing on new plays, musicals and bold re-interpretations of classics.