2016 TIVA Peer Awards Honorees

Jim Pennington

Distinguished Service Award

Jim Pennington is the co-owner and business director of DUO Media Productions. What do you get when you combine a passion for film and video with 30+ years of experience in the information technology industry as a manager, business developer, and technician? You get Jim, who leads highly skilled teams to ensure DUO’s projects are completed on time, on budget and to their client’s complete satisfaction. All this comes with the signature “Jim humor” that keeps each project as lively and fun as it is successful.

Since DUO’s inception in 2007, Jim has been the marketing force behind DUO’s success and serves as producer on all DUO projects. In that same year, he signed DUO up for a corporate TIVA membership and immediately immersed himself in the activities of TIVA. His role with TIVA grew, beginning with a volunteer role at the various panel events, greeting attendees at the door, where he started developing strong relationships within the TIVA community. This turned into a role on the TIVA board, on which he served as the Programs Chair in 2008. He then jumped to an executive role as vice president, serving three years in that capacity.

Jim’s role with the Peer Awards began as a facilitator for the 2009 and 2010 Peer Awards. In 2011, he began serving as the Peer Awards submissions administrator, initially a hard copy submission process. In 2012, Jim spearheaded the development of the online submission system as Peer Awards vice chair, a role he’s been in through the 2016 Peer Awards.

Jon Gann

Community Partner Award

Jon Gann is the director of programming for the Film Festival Alliance, the first non-profit organization formed to professionalize festival organizers. He also is the shorts programmer for both the SF Indie Fest and the Port Townsend Film Festival.

Gann is the founder of DC Shorts, a non-profit organization championing short filmmaking, and the creator of the DC Shorts Film Festival, one of the country’s premier short film showcases. He has also served as the executive director of CINE, a 58-year-old organization that honors the best in film, TV and digital media with the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award.

Through his Reel Plan consulting firm, Gann has bridged the communication gap between competing film festivals, so all can share film information, sponsor strategies and filmmaker data. He also works with dozens of filmmakers on festival strategies and niche marketing.

Gann has published two books, Behind the Screens: Programmers Reveal How Film Festivals Really Work and So You Wanna Start a Film Festival?. Gann also has presented at over 120 universities, film organizations and film festivals worldwide, and has spoken at the International Film Festival Summit, Art House Convergence, and TEDxWDC. He is a founding board member of the Film Festival Alliance, the first organization to normalize the festival space, and sits on the Advisory Board at George Mason University’s School of Film & Video Studies.

As a filmmaker, Gann’s notable past projects include: “Cyberslut,” the first gay-themed short film to screen at over 50 festivals and broadcasts worldwide; “Signs,” a national 48 Hour Film Project award winner; and “Offline,” a modern dating parable.

Rosemary Reed

Steve Wallace Community Service Award

In 29 years of running woman-owned Double R Productions, Rosemary Reed has built Double R into a creative communications and video production firm. Having served satisfied clients ranging from major publications, Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, associations and non-profit organizations, she has earned the right to her slogan, “Best Brand in the Business.” Reed is far more than a for-profit leader. She donates her time and talent by giving back to worthy organizations, such as Veterans Moving Forward, Culture Capital, Miriam’s Kitchen and the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project, to name just a few. In addition, Double R Productions has run a successful internship program since 1989. Reed has helped shape the minds of students from the Washington Center for Internships, Korea West, and D.C.’s Creative Economic Career Access Program, with many interns applying to Double R on their own because of the reputation of the program. Reed’s community work outside of Double R is extensive. Having received D.C.’s Women in Film & Video “Woman of Vision” award in 2002, as well as serving as a president of WIFV, she currently is serving as a board member of Culture Capital, Humanities DC and the advisory board for WIFV. In Reed’s words, “It’s all about giving back, because you get what you give.”