Thursday, April 16, 2026, 12:30 – 1:30 PM
Englander Studio, Granoff Center for the Creative Arts

Talia Light Rake is a Los Angeles–born, Brooklyn-based writer, director, and producer. A 2023 Film Independent Fellow and NYU Development Lab Fellow, her short film The Captives premiered at Mill Valley Film Festival and screened at festivals nationwide, including the American Cinematheque’s PROOF Film Festival. She has produced content for Sundance, Tribeca, and New York Fashion Week. In 2022, she founded Heavy Shovel Productions, a production company and filmmaker community reaching more than 100k creatives online, where she shares practical insights, resources, and behind-the-scenes perspectives on independent filmmaking. She also created The Big Dig, a curated filmmaker matchmaking event designed to bring artists together through intentional, data-informed pairings that foster collaboration and hiring opportunities. She is currently developing the indie TV series Too Romantic, executive produced by Bachelor couple Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon

March 4, 2026, 12:30 – 1:30 PM
Complimentary lunch provided
Joukowsky Forum, Watson Institute for International Studies

Ted Chervin joined Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in 2022 from ICM Partners, where he was a Founding Partner, Managing Director, Board Member and Chairman of ICM Stellar Sports. Chervin was also an integral member of the leadership team that facilitated the acquisition of ICM by CAA.

At CAA, Chervin oversees an interdepartmental group dedicated to pursuing opportunities for the agency’s clients at the intersection of sports and entertainment and continues to be a distinguished representative of some of the entertainment industry's most celebrated content creators.

Chervin began his tenure at ICM in 2006 following the agency’s acquisition of Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann (BWCS), where he began his career as an agent in 1993, becoming a named partner in 1998. Prior to BWCS, he worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Chervin graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Amherst College and earned his J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1988.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Chervin’s philanthropic efforts have included serving as a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, a Board Member of The Wonder of Reading, and a Board Member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation.

Gray's THE LOST CITY OF Z, based on the best-selling novel by David Grann and starring Charlie Hunnam, Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland, had its world premiere as the closing night selection of the 2016 New York Film Festival and was released in theaters by Amazon and Bleecker Street in 2017. Disney/Fox’s AD ASTRA, directed by Gray and starring Brad Pitt and Tommy Lee Jones, world premiered In Competition at the Venice Film Festival and was released in theaters in September 2019. 

His latest film, ARMAGEDDON TIME – which he directed, wrote and produced – was inspired by his own childhood in 1980s Queens. The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, followed by screenings at the Telluride Film Festival and New York Film Festival before its release by Focus Features in October 2022. 

Gray just finished production on his latest feature, PAPER TIGER, starring Scarlett Johansson, Miles Teller and Adam Driver. Born in New York City, Gray grew up in Queens and attended the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television.

Hollywood Creators Series: David Bartis and Doug Liman
April 18, 2025 | 1:00 PM | Brown ID Required
Englander Studio, Granoff Center for the Creative Arts 
154 Angell Street, Providence RI

David Bartis (Executive Producer) is a partner at Hypnotic, the production company he co-founded with director Doug Liman in 2001. Together, they’ve produced films such as Fair Game, Edge of Tomorrow, and The Wall. On television, Bartis executive produced hit series including Covert Affairs (USA), Suits (USA/Netflix), Nightflyers (SyFy/Netflix), and The O.C. (Fox). He also produced Impulse (YouTube Originals) and Netflix’s The Recruit, starring Noah Centineo. He is currently producing Suits: LA for NBC and Peacock. Previously, Bartis was senior vice president of primetime series at NBC Studios, overseeing shows like Providence and Will & Grace. He also held key executive roles at HBO, contributing to Martin and Everybody Loves Raymond. Earlier, at Quincy Jones Entertainment, he helped launch The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. A native of Providence, Rhode Island, Bartis holds a B.A. in English and American Literature from Brown University.

Doug Liman is a director and producer for film and television. His career began with the film Swingers; further credits include Go, The Bourne Identity franchise, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Jumper, Fair Game, Edge of Tomorrow/Live Die Repeat, American Made, Chaos Walking, Locked Down, Road House (2024), and the newly released Matt Damon & Casey Affleck film, The Instigators. For television, Liman has directed and produced numerous series. He currently produces and has directed episodes of The Recruit on Netflix and his show Suits that set a Nielsen record for most-streamed series ever. Other credits include Impulse, Covert Affairs, I Just Want My Pants Back, and The O.C. He has also won numerous awards for his commercials. Liman also works on web, non-linear and VR content through his label 30 Ninjas, which earned a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records for their show Invisible as the first scripted VR series. Liman serves on the board of the Legal Action Center and the Arthur Liman Public Interest Program at Yale Law School.

Hollywood Creators Series: Angela Robinson
April 9, 2025 | 1:00pm | Brown ID Required
Kooper Studio, Granoff Center for the Creative Arts
154 Angell Street, Providence RI

Hollywood Creators Series: Marti Noxon
April 7, 2025 | 1:00 PM | Brown ID Required
Nelson Atwater Lobby, The Lindemann Performing Arts Center

Marti Noxon is a prolific writer/producer/director in both film and television. She’s created and executive produced several high-profile television series including HBO’s Emmy nominated Sharp Objects starring Amy Adams, critically acclaimed Dietland on AMC and Lifetime’s UnReal, for which she received a Peabody award and an Emmy award nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series. Over the course of her impressive career, she has written and served as executive or consulting producer on numerous beloved series including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Mad Men and Glee. Noxon is currently in development on Kill Show, for Apple TV, and Old Soul, for A24 television UK, among other projects. On the feature side, Noxon’s directorial debut, To The Bone, premiered at Sundance and is one of the most streamed independent films on Netflix. Her additional film credits include Fight Night, I Am Number Four and the upcoming adaptation of Ronan Farrow’s explosive expose of Harvey Weinstein, Catch And Kill.

Hollywood Creators Series: Matt Tarses
April 4, 2025 | 1:00pm | Brown ID Required
McCormack Family Theater, 70 Brown Street, Providence, RI

Matt Tarses is an Emmy-nominated and two-time Humanitas Award-winning writer and producer. He created and executive produced Worst Week and Mad Love for CBS, Alex, Inc. for ABC, and Teachers for NBC. He has been a writer/producer on Scrubs, Sports Night, The Goldbergs, Atypical, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He’s currently an executive producer/showrunner on the Apple TV+ series Bad Monkey as well as an untitled upcoming HBO series starring Steve Carell.

Hollywood Creators Series: Sarah Timberman and Ed Redlich
April 3, 2025 | 1:00 PM | Brown ID Required
Nelson Atwater Lobby, The Lindemann Performing Arts Center

Sarah Timberman's recent producing credits include the seven time Emmy-nominated FX limited series, Fleishman is in Trouble; Justified: City Primeval; and The Man Who Fell To Earth.  Timberman’s other recent notable credits include the Peabody Award and Critics Choice Award-winning, Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated Netflix limited series, Unbelievable as well Elementary, and Masters of Sex.  Additional credits include CBS's SEAL Team, with Ed Redlich.  Emmy-Award winning Redlich has produced hundreds of hours of compelling television including The Practice, Unforgettable, Without A Trace and Shark. A former corporate lawyer, Redlich's "Spirit of America" episode of The Practice won a Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association.

February 21, 2025 | J.J. Abrams

JJ Abrams is the founder and CEO of Bad Robot Productions and the writer, director and/or producer of television series such as Felicity, Alias, Lost, Castle Rock, Westworld, Lovecraft Country, Presumed Innocent, and the upcoming series Duster for MAX, and films in the Star Wars, Star Trek, Mission:Impossible, and Cloverfield franchises, and the upcoming film Flowervale Street for Warner Brothers Studios. In addition to his film and television work, Abrams also conceived the novel S. with writer Doug Dorst, which became a New York Times Best Seller. For Broadway, he has produced The Play That Goes Wrong, Derren Brown’s Secret, GUTENBERG! The Musical!, Cabaret, and Appropriate. Abrams and his wife, Katie McGrath, live in Los Angeles and have three children.