FESTIVAL STAFF

Beau Menetre is a co-founder of the Tryon International Film Festival & Technical Director / Partner with Blue Dog Productions. Beau attended the Art Institute of Atlanta where he studied Multi-Media / Graphic Design. He is one of those lucky individuals who knew exactly what career to pursue – Live Event Production and Show Technology. In his career, Beau has used his professional, calm demeanor and “hands on” management approach and customer service orientation in a wide variety of technical disciplines. These include Live Event Technology, TV and Film Production and Corporate Event Management. Beau is always a partner with his clients, regardless of their production needs. Clear evidence of this partnership style is the fact that when Beau completes an assignment, his clients insists that he return for their next event. For example, he has been Technical Director / Producer of more than 30 Show Events for the United States Marine Corps. He has also been the Project Manager and Technical Director for many Fortune 500 companies such as American Express, Mack Trucks and Lockheed Martin. At Blue Dog, Beau combines his interests and talents to lead the technical direction and project management activities of the company. Beau, his wife Ashley, and their son, Miles, live in Tryon, NC.

Kirk Gollwitzer is a co-founder of the Tryon International Film Festival.  Kirk is a real estate broker with New View Realty and a active member of the Tryon community.  He has a degree in Finance from the University of South Carolina. For more than 25 years Kirk devoted his life to computer science, culminating to owning and operating a successful software development company in Greenville which sold in 2009 and is still in operation today.  After moving to the Tryon area Kirk began exploring the arts as a photographer, writer, author, videographer and musician. Kirk has been a reporter and feature writer for the Tryon Daily Bulletin and other media platforms, but it has been his novel “Illegitimate Advantage”, that he claims as his largest artistic accomplishment.  Kirk has a deep love for Western North Carolina, where he lives and breathes on a horse farm in Mill Spring.

Ashley is The Queen of Competence, the woman in charge of Everything Festival Fun.

From conceiving, designing, organizing, decorating, and executing front and back of house with grace, there is no event Ashley doesn’t have her hands in and take a higher level. Fundraisers, the Festival itself, after-parties (before parties!)and hospitalities. This amazing event would not be possible without her!

Marty has lived in Tryon now for four years. After teaching In Sydney, Australia for 14 years, she finished up her education career in Connecticut before retiring and moving south.  As an avid film goer, she has volunteered multiple times at the Tribeca Film Festival, attended the Dallas International Film Festival, and was recently asked to be on the board of Tryon International Film Festival. She has since taken on the position of Director of Development for TRIFF.

Diana De Rosa is a veteran equestrian photojournalist, who has traveled the world (over 30 countries) and recorded equestrian history for over 40 years.

After college, De Rosa ran a riding school, then was editor of Horse World USA and eventually focused on her writing, photography and PR skills. She has over 1000 published articles/photos and has numerous photography awards. She is also an MC for awards ceremonies, moderates panel discussions, does video interviews and public speaking.

De Rosa has covered eight Olympic Games and been on staff or covered every World Equestrian Games, numerous Pan American Games and World Cups.

She is on the executive board of the American Horse Publications (and past president) and the Press Club of Long Island. She is the owner of Press Link PR and Diana De Rosa Photography. De Rosa is the Media and Relations Manager for Equitana USA. co-organizer of the EQUUS Film Festival and part of the Tryon International Film Festival Team. She is also a part-time actress.

Founder of Innocence in Danger (IID) Best Human Right & Dignity IID is an international child protection organization, operating in eight countries (France, United Kingdom, Colombia, Germany, Switzerland, United States of America, Austria, Iran and Morocco). Sellier, who lives in Europe & travels constantly to her many offices, has also agreed to speak remotely to the TRIFF audience, about the relevance and importance of the category. Sellier was also instrumental for arranging for Cecilia Peck’s inclusion of “Brave Miss World” to the 2016 programming schedule. Since Sellier is multilingual, fluent in Spanish, French, English and Farsi, she will also be selecting all films submitted to the HRHD category. Further, since Sellier has been devoting her life to human rights issues, she is well suited for the task. Over the years, Sellier’s organization has utilized television documentaries, billboard campaigns and other media platforms to help raise awareness on human abuse. A number of the French, Swiss, and German films & visual works which Sellier and her offices have been involved with have been nominated for the prestigious prizes, such as PRIX DEBOUZY one of Frances most prestigious awards and short films/spots at Cannes film competition categories. Sellier was also the primary inspiration to “Illegitimate Advantage”, a 2016 novel written by Kirk Gollwitzer, the cofounder of TRIFF. Sellier and Gollwitzer are actively working together to adapt the novel to a major motion picture

Becky enlisted in the US Army, graduated from Army Airborne Parachute school and was a participant of Operation Desert Storm. After leaving the Army, Becky launched an Interior Design and Decorative painting company and was highly regarded as the premier faux finisher in the MidWest before discovering her current passion Encaustic art. After moving to the Foothills with her family 7 years ago, Becky volunteers with Hospice, the Friendship Circle, Tryon Fine Arts Center, Polk County Schools, Tryon International Film Festival, Steps to Hope and Warming the View.

Carri Bass has been photographing with passion and style for several years in the Pacific NW, South West, Upstate of SC and Western NC. She has traveled and photographed internationally for much of the past five years and has brought her experience to Tryon  with a full service studio and art gallery… 94 N Trade St. carribass.com.  A highlight of her career has been her involvement with the Tryon International Film Festival, being a part of a great team and having the opportunity to photo journal this unique venture.

Ashley Crane, a Spartanburg, SC native, is thrilled to be back on the Tryon International Film Festival after a few years in NYC! After graduating from Palm Beach Atlantic University’s Cinema/TV program and working with the Polk County Film Initiative to launch the first Tryon International Film Festival, she moved to NYC to work behind the scenes in Film, TV, and Commercial, and with Industry Leading Acting Coaches Denise Simon, Penny Templeton, Bob Marks, T. Schreiber, and ReelArc. Her clients have worked on- and off- Broadway, gone on National Tours, and worked on shows like John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch, Saturday Night Live, I Am Frankie, Victorious, and more. At home in front of the camera, behind the camera, and on stage, Ashley has acted up and down the east coast, and  written for film, TV, and theater. When not preforming, coaching, attending a class or writing, she loves hanging out with he Shih Tzu Maddie and rock climbing

Steve Wong is a local freelance writer and promoter. His career has included writing about and promoting fighter aircraft, dog food, hospital healthcare, the arts, and higher education. Along the way, he also worked for churches, nonprofits, and various magazines and newspapers. His true love is writing, but he also has a hand in strategic planning, graphics, printing, advertising, social media, websites, newsletters, media relations, special events, and just about everything else that can be considered “communications.” He and his wife live in a peach orchard in Gramling, SC. He can be reached at Just4Wong@gMail.com.

DIGITAL MARKETING

Emerge Multimedia, LLC “Connecting You Where it Counts” is a woman-owned business passionate about helping businesses thrive. Janet Sciacca, Nadine Naujoks and Amy Carrol bring more than 3 decades of web & graphic design, social media management and digital marketing, public relations, special events and promotion skills focused on improving the economic strength of  the community by connecting businesses with each other and customers.   

Nadine has worked with TRIFF since its inception and, since forming back in 2018, Emerge Multimedia, LLC has been an ardent supporter serving as both sponsor and digital marketer.