501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
21 Miller Alley Pasadena, CA 91105
Our Board
Sharen Davis
Alma Russell (Secretary)
Alma Russell (Secretary)
Sharen is an award-winning costume designer whose work appears in film, television, and on stage.
Alma Russell (Secretary)
Alma Russell (Secretary)
Alma Russell (Secretary)
Alma (NB: they/them) hails from Lexington, Kentucky, and now resides in Los Angeles and the Coachella Valley. Alma is a graduate of Murray State University and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Safety and Health (OSH). After five years as a safety manager for one of the country’s largest electrical contractors, Rosendin Electric, Alma went on to public service working for the City of Pasadena Water and Power Department as the Utility Safety Officer. In 2019, Alma founded The Modern Safety Institute, an OSH consulting firm, as an answer to the needs of the labor market. By nature, Alma is a curious observer, captivated by the sound and flight of birds. Most days, you can find Alma contemplating in nature, binoculars in hand.
Neil Syal (Treasurer)
Alma Russell (Secretary)
Neil Syal (Treasurer)
Bio and photo coming soon
ADVISORY BOARD
Janice Cooke
Ann Walters
Ann Walters
Janice is a director and producer in Los Angeles. Janice began her professional career as an associate producer, rising to director, with her directorial debut on the hit series, Dawson's Creek.
Ann Walters
Ann Walters
Ann Walters
Bio and photo coming soon!
SMP Rise Founder
Alonzo Van Wilson
Creating Opportunity
Creating Opportunity
Alonzo is a former costume designer, now working as a writer and producer whose passion for stories that celebrate the human spirit catalyzes the mission of SMP Rise.
Creating Opportunity
Creating Opportunity
Creating Opportunity
My career journey began in 1983 in Wilmington, North Carolina, my hometown. I was 18, a senior in high school, an aspiring journalist. During this time, an Italian filmmaker, Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis, built a film studio in my hometown. Mr. Dino, as we called him, brought along his Italian crew and some American crew (department head
My career journey began in 1983 in Wilmington, North Carolina, my hometown. I was 18, a senior in high school, an aspiring journalist. During this time, an Italian filmmaker, Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis, built a film studio in my hometown. Mr. Dino, as we called him, brought along his Italian crew and some American crew (department heads) whose tasks were to run the studio and make films, but also to TEACH the locals the skills needed to become the crew for the productions.
The rest, as they say, is history. You may call it fate, I call it OPPORTUNITY.
Film Project Funding
SMP Rise Fiscal sponsorship is a formal arrangement in which our organization offers our legal and tax-exempt status to a project or initiative that aligns with our mission and values. This arrangement is particularly beneficial for film projects that may not have their own nonprofit status but need to access certain financial benefits.