 |
Gregory Ruzzin – Producer and Director – believes that telling stories (and listening carefully to them) is how we learn about ourselves, about other people, and about the world around us. Having an idea for a story and wanting to share it is a deeply human impulse, and as both a filmmaker and professor at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television Ruzzin spends his time helping others share THEIR stories with the world. Helping his younger sister Alyssa – who lives with epilepsy and a developmental disability – tell her story in their documentary film LOST CHILD?, inspired the THE MAGIC CHAIR Project, and Ruzzin truly believes that stories have the power to change the world. He hopes that you will share yours here at THE MAGIC CHAIR Project. |
 |
Victoria L. Graf, Ph.D. is a leading advocate for inclusive education with an international reputation for asking the hard questions and not shying away from the answers. As Professor of Education and Director of the Special Education Program at Loyola Marymount University, she has over 30 years of experience in the field of disability and recently established the Masters of Arts Program in Catholic Inclusion at LMU. The Program received the Edward M. Shaughnessy III Serving All God’s Children Award at the 8th Catholic National Catholic Education Association Education Law Symposium in July, 2010. |
 |
Rebecca Herr-Stephenson, Ph.D: Rebecca is the Managing Editor for Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry and Practice and THE MAGIC CHAIR Project’s resident expert in all things transmedia. She serves as pre-publication dissertation reviewer for the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership for Social Justice program and recently has been a part-time faculty member in the Doctoral program at LMU. She has collaborated with the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, the Annenberg Innovation Lab at USC, and is co-author of Teaching Harry Potter: The Power of Imagination in Multicultural Classrooms (2011, Palgrave MacMillan) and Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out: Kids Living and Learning with Digital Media (2009, MIT Press). |
 |
Isabel Brown: Social Media Manager. A 2020 graduate of Loyola Marymount University, Isabel hopes to shift the entertainment industry through social impact storytelling. Above all, the most important thing is to share valuable and interesting stories that may not otherwise be heard. |
 |
Brian Kotowski – Editor, St. Declan’s and THE MAGIC CHAIR, has been an Editor, Producer and Post-Production Supervisor in Los Angeles for the last decade. His credits include a host of award-winning documentaries, as well as multi-camera music events such as “Mariah Carey: Live in New York”, “MTV Clubland Presents: Markus Schulz” and “Alter Bridge: Live at Wembley”. His work has aired worldwide in theaters, and also by FOX, NBC Sports, MTV, VH1, Animal Planet and Discovery Channel. Brian currently divides his time between his family, editing movies and music videos, and teaching classes at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television. |
 |
Michael Murphy – Executive Producer, St. Declan’s and THE MAGIC CHAIR, has been a Director of Beyond Entertainment Limited since 2004 and Acting General Manager for Beyond Distribution since early 2013. With over twenty five years experience in the industry, Murphy’s career has included being Content Director for Yes Television UK, Director of Programmes TV3 Ireland, Director of Digital Television for eircom (Ireland), and founding Channel 6 Ireland. In 2012 he left Windmill Lane Entertainment to launch Rockabill Media, with the goal of offering full production services across film and television drama as a co-producer in Ireland. |
 |
Simon Hinchliffe – Creative Director, Sense Company. Simon worked in multi-media publishing in London before taking up his design career in the United States in 1996. He is a passionate art director/designer with 20 years of professional experience working in a number of design disciplines including information architecture, user-interface, print and brand development. He’s provided design consulting for a number of top design agencies in the U.S. and in 2003 set up his own design practice.
His company Sense is a collaboration of experienced design, marketing and technology professionals who have worked together since 1996 on a multitude of projects for high-profile clients. Sense has assisted clients in elevating their image to establish market presence and they have consistently delivered cost-effective quality design solutions and remarkable user experiences. |
