GARDEN STATE FILM FESTIVAL ADDS THREE NEW MEMBERS TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The globally recognized Garden State Film Festival (GSFF) proudly announces the addition of three new members to its 2017 Executive Board – David Neal Holtzman, David Schoner Jr., and Brian J. Sheehy.
The three are thrilled to bring their special expertise and backgrounds to New Jersey’s largest and most respected film festival, which will be held March 30- April 2, 2017 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Philadelphia native David Holtzman is an accomplished fine artist whose work is currently on exhibit and available for acquisition at his gallery, Holtzman Gallery at the Claridge Hotel in Atlantic City. Mr. Holtzman’s artistic career began at the age of eight, where his art was on display at the Philadelphia Convention Civic Center. His educational background stems from the prestigious Hussian School of Art, in Philadelphia. Mr. Holtzman’s artistic career spans from creating numerous portraits and sculptures of vintage and contemporary movie stars, to memorializing show biz greats like Lucy Arnez Ball, Humphrey Bogart, Alfred Hitchcock, Elvis Presley, Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Bros., James Dean, Muhammad Ali, Woody Allen, Jack Nicholson, Liz Taylor, and Princess Grace Kelly, to name a few. He also gained fame in the 70s for a private commission of a unique “Lion Head” for the President of MGM Studios. He has received numerous art awards in both Philadelphia, Pa. and in Southern New Jersey and served on the Board of Directors of the Atlantic City Arts Commission in the mid-90s.
David W. Schoner, Jr. is currently the Associate Director for the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission. He produced two award-winning independent films ‘A Dangerous Place’ and ‘Murder Reincarnated’ that are distributed by outlets such as Screen Media, Netflix, Blockbuster, and York Entertainment. He has facilitated feature film screenplays proposals that have been awarded and/or recognized by organizations such as Producers Guild of America, IFP, and Panasonic Digital Filmmakers Award. In his spare time, David raises funds and is involved in various educational and child related charitable endeavors.
Brian J. Sheehy attended Iona College in New Rochelle, NY. He went on to serve in the United States Marine Corps from 1984-1988. Brian then embarked on a 25-year career on Wall Street where he worked at the New York Mercantile Exchange as an oil trader. He served as a board member of the NYMEX charitable foundation for 10 years. After leaving Wall Street, he turned to philanthropy and served on the boards of various community organizations such as Shore House. He also conducted prison ministry through his former parish, St. Mary’s in Colts Neck. Brian is a Peer Recovery Specialist and with his extensive experience in the alcohol and addiction field he helped to launch the Safe Harbor Foundation in Red Bank, New Jersey. He currently serves on the board at Lunch Break in Red Bank, New Jersey. Brian has traveled the world as a Rugby player and over the last few years, he has rekindled his love for the sport as a coach at Monmouth County’s Christian Brothers Academy. He also co-founded the Jersey Shore Youth Rugby Association.
Together, these three incredible individuals will expand the platform and outreach of our prestigious film festival.
