BOARD & STAFF
BENDFILM STAFF
Selin Sevinc
Managing Director of Programming & Artistic Vision
Selin Sevinc
Born and raised in Turkey, Selin studied filmmaking in the UK. A Berlinale Talents Screenwriters alumna and an ex-film critic, she is currently director of programming at BendFilm and a script consultant at magicofstory.com. She has written eight screenplays, one of which was produced in Turkey in 2022, and others are in development. Her scripts entered Stowe Story Labs, the Netflix-BANFF Media Festival and MIDPOINT Institute’s programs. She published a book on the process and perils of screenwriting, “Adventures in Screenwriting: How One Writer Navigates the Dire Straits”.
Christina Rosetti
Managing Director of Operations & Finance
Christina Rosetti
Christina Rosetti is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, whose passion for visual storytelling led her to the film festival industry. She brings over a decade of experience to BendFilm, combining her degree in communications with a background in production and business management to fulfill her role at the organization. Christina believes in the power of film as both an art form and as a tool for social progress, and she works on both sides of the industry to help platform stories that matter.
Clay Pruitt
Managing Director of Education & Development
Clay Pruitt
Dom Makasuya
General Manager, Tin Pan Theater
Dom Makasuya
Dom is a lifelong Central Oregonian and lifelong horror film fan. Since joining up with BendFilm and the Tin Pan team, she has enjoyed expanding her cinematic horizons beyond grim tales of psychological torture and chainsaw massacres. In her spare time, she enjoys drawing, sewing, and watching trashy TV with her cat Pazuzu.
Jared Rasic
Programming & Screening Manager, Tin Pan Theater
Jared Rasic
Jared Rasic thinks about movies more than anything else. The first one he can remember watching is Robocop, which really explains everything one would ever really need to know about him. He’s been writing about them professionally and semi-professionally for fifteen years. Just so you know his bonafides: His favorite movie is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and he thinks the world would be better if everyone watched more horror movies.
Robert Marquez
Screening Manager, Tin Pan Theater
Robert Marquez
While Robert started at Tin Pan Theater in late 2021, he has attended screenings since it first opened in the early fall of 2012. Despite limited childhood experiences with the art of cinema, in college his newfound fascination with cinematic language as an empathetic tool for storytelling would mature with each new, old, masterful and terrible movie he watched. His Fine Arts degree ultimately fueled his passion for personal storytelling through other creative outlets including illustration, poetry, music and short film. Robert greatly anticipates appreciating the endless inspiration found throughout Tin Pan Theater’s programming line up to further embolden his own creative pursuits moving forward.
BENDFILM BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Michael Conforti
Board President
Michael Conforti
Michael Conforti joined the BendFilm Board in January of 2022. Why? Because he sees the unique value of this institution: for those who make films, for the audiences, and for the town as a whole. Because it is our stories – our wildly diverse stories – that bring us together and give us common cause. Because of the passion and dedication of everyone involved at BendFilm. Michael intends to bring the same passion and dedication to help realize the vision of the festival as it grows in a rapidly changing world. To make it a destination for storytellers, dreamers and provocateurs; a place where audiences will continue to be enlightened, challenged and entertained. Background, in brief: B.A. in Theatre. Graduate of the AmericanAcademy of Dramatic Arts, NYC. Professional actor turned writer. The right kind of crazy to write for serial dramas that air 5 days a week, every week. And has, for 35 years and counting. 6 Daytime Emmys. 3 incredible children. A wife whom he adores.
Rob Stout
Board Secretary
Rob Stout
After college, Rob served as a Supply Officer on the USS Barry (DD933). He then earned a law degree from Yale Law School. He spent over thirty years in the private practice of law advising and assisting private and public companies on mergers and acquisitions, securities and other financings and other business matters. He was a Partner in the Perkins Coie law firm. He currently is Strategic Partnership Manager for Modo, Inc., an international designer and builder of specialized medical carts. Rob has had a lifelong interest in film and film making. Rob strongly believes in Bend Film’s goals of developing and showcasing independent filmmakers and giving underserved communities the opportunity to have a strong media voice, plus giving the Bend community this festival.
Rob has been active in advising and serving on nonprofit, bar association, government and industry boards and committees, including the Pacific Crest Outward Bound School, El Centro Latino (Eugene), the Dougy Center for Grieving Families and Children, Oregon Venture Forum, Lane Venture Forum, and Columbia Region Association of Governments. He has coached youth sports (soccer) and was Manager of and goalkeeper for the Horse Brass Celtic, an adult rec league soccer team. His wife and adult children all live in Bend and enjoy the outdoor opportunities here.
Liz Hanson
Board Treasurer
Liz Hanson
Liz Hanson has been a BendFilm regular since long before she joined the board, and her affection for the festival runs deep. A passionate believer in film’s power to bring culture and community to Central Oregon, she’s thrilled to put her financial expertise to work supporting BendFilm’s mission. Professionally, Liz is Director of Accounting at HappyCo, where she’s built a career in tech helping businesses scale with financial clarity and operational rigor. She has called Bend home for over a decade and when she’s not at Tin Pan, she’s likely in the river, on a sunny patio, or meandering about town with her wife and their dogs.
David Hernandez
Board Member
David Hernandez
David Hernandez joined the BendFilm board in january 2024. Originally from South Texas David has worked in the Film Exhibition industry for over a decade in various markets. David and his family moved to Oregon in November of 2016. He currently operates the Old Mill Theatre. David is very passionate about film, and the arts.
Sheryl Spann
Board Member
Sheryl Spann
Sheryl Spann has been a lifelong avid movie lover. From art films to gripping drama, insightful documentaries and captivating international films, she has a broad love for stories brought to the screen. As a strategic marketing, special events and fundraising professional, she has worked for internationally known corporations plus entrepreneurial firms such as Peter Paul Cadbury (Hershey), Beecham Products (P&G), Maybelline (Revlon NY), and Veryfine Juices (Kraft Foods). Transitioning from corporate to academia in 2000, Sheryl worked in academic publishing for Fortress Press plus as a Marketing Director at Louisiana State University and San Jose State University. For five years, she taught Marketing at Oregon State University and Experiential Marketing plus Events Management at the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism at Florida International University. Complimenting her professional endeavors, Sheryl focused her personal time on giving back into her community by working on special events and fundraising for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell MA, the Boston Marathon, Lowell Summer Music Series, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Baton Rouge Blues Festival and the New Orleans French Quarter Festival. As the Marketing Director at SJSU and the Hammer Theatre in San Jose CA, Sheryl was the theatre liaison for the world renown Cinequest Film Festival. Recently moving back to Bend, she sought opportunities to reconnect with the community. In addition to the BendFilm Board, where she focuses on BendFilm’s Indie Women, she is also on the High Desert Chamber Music Board plus works as a fundraising consultant for Bend-Redmond Habitat. Sheryl shares her home with Jasper, a handsome male Beagle rescue from Cuba.
Stacey Stewart
Board Member
Stacey Stewart
Stacey’s career has been a dynamic journey across the entertainment industry and nonprofit
world. She started as a television field producer in Virginia before making the leap to Los
Angeles, after getting the showbiz bug while working on a UPN show filmed in Richmond. Once
in LA, she built a diverse portfolio in Marketing & Promotions, with roles at Warner Bros., Ralph
Edwards Productions, and E! Entertainment, along with a stint managing scripted programming
at FOX.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Stacey has been deeply committed to giving back,
dedicating her time to event coordination and fundraising for organizations like SCAN, Feed the
Future, The Special Olympics, and Planned Parenthood Guild LA. When she moved to Bend with
her husband and son in 2022, she wasted no time immersing herself in the community, bringing
her love for film and philanthropy together through her work with BendFilm.
Shannon Brindley
Board Member
Shannon Sullivan
Director of Community Engagement, Tower Theatre Foundation
With over 18 years of dedicated service at the Tower Theatre Foundation, Shannon Sullivan is a passionate advocate for performing arts and community arts access. As the Director of Community Engagement, she works to foster connections between the theatre and the vibrant Bend community, ensuring that the arts remain an integral part of local culture.
A wife and mom of three, Shannon balances her professional endeavors with family life, instilling a love for the arts in her children and enjoying as much theatre, film, and live music as possible! Shannon is proud to call Bend Oregon home for the last 23 years where the natural beauty and artistic spirit inspire her every day. She has worked with BendFilm through the Tower for 18 years and joined the Board in 2023.
Adryon Wong
Board Member
Adryon Wong
Adryon Wong has called Bend home since 2008 and joined the BendFilm board in 2020 after more than a decade as a festival regular. She believes deeply in film’s power to spark conversation, build community, and expand perspectives.
Professionally, Adryon has spent 10+ years with Hydro Flask / Helen of Troy leading go-to-market strategy and product operations.
Away from work, you’ll often find her logging miles on the trail, chasing fresh powder, or on an overlanding trip. She shares her adventures with her wife, Brooke, their Great Pyrenees and 2 cats.