OUR TEAM
The staff and advisory board of the American Documentary and Animation Film Festival (AmDocs) are a valuable collection of longtime industry and media professionals, filmmakers, artists, business owners, and supporters of the arts and education.
Festival Director & Founder, Teddy Grouya
Theodore “Teddy” Grouya is the Founder, Director and Programmer of the American Documentary and Animation Film Festival (AmDocs), as well as President of Cinema Arts Magic, a film production company based in Palm Springs, California. Teddy has been working on and off in the entertainment industry since 1981. He received his BA from UCLA, studying motion picture/television & history. After graduating, he worked on several Hollywood films, as well as directing a live television telethon. From there, Teddy went to Australia, where he received an MA from the Australian National University in International Relations. Teddy worked for the US Embassy in Australia and went on to Washington D.C., where he was a program specialist at USIA for the Fulbright Program, helping to design worldwide university affiliations. Teddy was recruited to go back to Australia to head the U.S. contingent’s Protocol Office at the World’s Fair. Upon leaving the government, he went to work in film, producing and directing several award-winning independent movies, in both the documentary and narrative fields. Teddy oversees all programming and managerial aspects of AmDocs, and is viewed by industry professionals as one of the most hands-on festival directors in the world.
Associate Programming Director, John Osborne
Dr. John Osborne is a retired professor of English, Film, & Humanities. He designed numerous film classes, and also was in the Graduate Film Program at San Francisco State. Much of his AmDocs role includes participating in Film Festivals throughout Europe in search of excellent documentaries. He has a film production company in Mendocino, California, and has several doc projects in development. Recently he helped produce American Totem, a film about the attitudes of Americans toward guns. With the Mendocino Film Festival, he interviews visiting filmmakers, streaming content live via Facebook. As a Production Assistant and Location Scout, he has worked on the following films: Need For Speed, CRABS! (in post-production), Thank You For Your Service, Davi’s Way, and Treasure of Pirates Cove (in post-production). John's programming skills are key to AmDocs' growing international notoriety as a Festival.
Development Director, Leighton Ginn
Leighton Ginn is a marketing and media relations entrepreneur in the Palm Springs area, specializing in content creation. He has worked with numerous nonprofit and chamber organizations since starting his company, Ginn and Topics, in 2015. He was also the moderator for the Rancho Mirage Speaker Series in 2020, where he interviewed pioneering race car driver Danica Patrick and NFL legend Joe Montana. Ginn also produced the Annalee Thurston Awards Reception in 2021-22, which raised $250,000 for the Love and Love Tennis Foundation. Prior to his marketing company, Ginn was an award-winning sportswriter in Southern California. In 2013, he won the Associated Press Sports Editors award for his coverage of the controversial Timothy Bradley victory over boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. He also covered the international tennis event in Indian Wells, the NBA Finals, the NCAA college football championship game, and PGA events around the state. Ginn is also a member of the Asian American Journalists Association and was a founding member of the Sports Task Force. He currently serves on the board as the social media director.
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Volunteer Coordinator, Patty Sharkey
Patty is a seasoned HR professional, spanning decades of experience in both consultation and corporate HR management. Her other passion is filmmaaking. We are proud to have her on-board.
AmDocs Community Ambassador, Elizabeth Press
Elizabeth (Ebers) Press brings a lifetime of valuable and varied international experience to our AmDocs team. Holding a BA in Modern Languages from Wagner College, Elizabeth also attended Quebec's Laval University, before moving onto graduate school at Sorbonne University in Paris, and later earning a Master's in Public Health from Loma Linda University. She's worked in Overseas Development for the Ford Foundation, and served as Assistant to the President at San Francisco's Golden Gate University. A Coachella Valley leader in championing the arts, Elizabeth has served on the Board of Directors for Palm Springs Community Concerts, and was part of the original Sunday Afternoon Concerts Formation Committee. A one-time health educator for the American Cancer Society, she uses her international language capabilities, interpersonal skills, and overall expertise to make our visiting filmmakers from around the world feel entirely at home in Palm Springs.
Homestay Host Coordinator, Cheryl Smith
Cheryl Smith has been with our AmDocs team since the beginning, serving as a co-director of our HomeStay Host program, and enjoys making our international group of filmmakers feel at home in the desert. She and her husband, Tom, call Gresham, Oregon, home for part of the year, and she's been volunteering and participating in Palm Springs-area events since 2003. A supporter of the arts, Cheryl believes strongly in volunteerism, supporting the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Dezart Performs, Desert Rose Playhouse, Coachella Valley Repertory Theater, Modernism Week, Desert AIDS Project, and more. A former floral shop manager with Safeway for 16 years, her role at AmDocs has bloomed in recent years, as she's taken on a guest services position, and now organizes teams for our sister fest, the Architecture Design Art Film Festival (ADAFF).
Print Designer, Greg Kain
Greg Kain graduated from Chatsworth Senior High School and earned an Associate of Arts degree while studying Computer Information Systems at College of the Desert in Palm Desert. He is the president and CEO of Creative Juicez, and lives in the Coachella Valley city of La Quinta. Greg began his career in graphic design as a layout artist for a local Southern California newspaper in 1999, and has received hands-on experience creating corporate magazine ads. He's designed more than 20,000 telephone directory ads covering a variety of styles, and annually creates most of our print materials, including the banners and posters that adorn Palm Springs streets during Festival season, and our hard-copy program.
Transportation Director, Tim Alexander Glaves
Tim Alexander Glaves, who earned a BA at Cal State Fullerton, developed a love for film while working for the American Film Market, beginning in 1986. A mid-1990s to early 2000s stint with the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) earned Tim widespread recognition. Also known as Mr. Pitch Me!, Tim produced seminars, including "Pitch Me!," that he co-developed with Mark Itkin (TV4 Entertainment) and Ken Solomon (Golf Channel). His nurturing and caring spirit led him to a current role in the development department for Step Up, a non-profit in Santa Monica that provides permanent supportive housing for individuals experiencing mental health conditions. After managing ground transportation for the PSIFF from 2008 to 2011, Tim came to AmDocs in our inaugural year of 2011, and his leadership has been vital to the success of our transportation team.
International Coordinator, Lynne Stephenson
Lynne Stephenson arrived at AmDocs with years of experience in the newspaper and publishing industries. She is responsible for most of AmDocs' international operations, coordinating with guest filmmakers from outside the US, managing key deadlines, and coordinating a wide variety of aspects to ensure a smooth running Festival. Lynne is a former Executive Assistant to the Publisher and President at The Desert Sun, the Coachella Valley's largest daily publication. This former Palm Springs-area resident now makes her home in the UK, enabling a closer connection to AmDocs' international aspects. Lynne is a contributor to many charitable causes, including serving as past president of the Coachella Valley United Way, and organizing the popular, annual valley cultural event - Make A Difference Day.
Events Coordinator, Cheryl Berez
Cheryl is a seasoned and respected events and activities professional who has been with AmDocs for many years. She is an example of someone who "makes a difference."
AmDocs Advisory Board
Joel Douglas was literally born into the motion picture industry. Joel is the son of legendary award-winning actor Kirk Douglas and younger brother of Academy Award-winning actor and producer Michael Douglas. He started two film studios, one in Mexico -- Studio Corazon -- and the other in Nice, France -- Studio la Victorine. He has won two Directors Guild of America awards, for production on One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Romancing the Stone. The Palm Springs resident has recieved numerous career awards.
Cyrus Nowrasteh has worked in the motion picture and television business for over 25 years, credited as a writer, producer, and director. He has won two PEN awards, a Golden Satellite Award, Orson Welles Award, and a Freedom of Expression award. His credits include La Femme Nikita, The Day Reagan Was Shot, The Path to 9/11, and The Stoning of Soraya M, the award-winning feature film released by Lion’s Gate (2009).
David Kaminsky has been involved with documentary filmmaking during the past decade and is the executive producer of the Academy Award-nominated, Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, and No Subtitles Necessary, for which he received an Emmy nomination. His film, Paint Me A Future, won a special jury prize at the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films. He has been vice-chair of the PSIFF and a programmer for Italian Cinema and Cinematography.
David Permut has enjoyed a successful career in the movie business over the last 30+ years as a prolific film producer. In 2009, he was nominated for an Emmy (Best Made for TV Movie) for Prayers for Bobby, starring Sigourney Weaver. In 2009, he co-produced with Ben Stiller, for Disney, the documentary The Boys: The Sherman Brothers, about Richard and Robert Sherman.
Paul Szynol is a filmmaker and attorney, concentrating his practice on intellectual property matters (particularly media and technology), and advising filmmakers, artists, start-ups, and more. Paul’s documentary films have been featured on the New York Times Op-Docs, the New Yorker, and The Atlantic, and his films and photos have been shown at festivals and galleries internationally. A former software developer and drummer, he still plays Pearl drums, and tinkers with Java libraries. A former in-house counsel at Bloomberg, Paul is a graduate of Columbia University (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa), where he studied history and philosophy, and Yale Law School, focusing on free speech and intellectual property.
Cynthia Kane created DOCday on Sundance Channel, shepherded over 150 international and U.S. co-productions for public media at ITVS, and at Al Jazeera America oversaw Kartemquin’s series Hard Earned, among others. With gbgg productions and Les Film de l’Après Midi, Kane served as an executive producer. In 2016, she joined forces with former NYC Film Commissioner Cynthia Lopez as creative consultants for Zeva Oelbaum and Sabine Krayenbühl's film, Letters from Baghdad, about the extraordinary life and times of Gertrude Bell. Kane currently works with East Village Entertainment and Women Make Movies.
Peter Bogdanovich was a multiple award-winning filmmaker, writer, actor and historian, who's been associated with some of the biggest films of all time. In 1971, he took home the BAFTA for Best Screenplay, and Oscar nominations in both the Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director categories for The Last Picture Show. In 1972, he directed the Writer's Guild Association- and Golden Globe-nominated What's Up, Doc?, starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal. He also directed 1973's Paper Moon, which was nominated for four Academy Awards, including an Oscar-winning performance from actress Tatum O'Neal. (our dear Peter has since passed away but will always be with us.)
Joe Berlinger is an Oscar nominated filmmaker whose works cover a wide spectrum of story lines from exploitation of oil in the Amazon to his famous trilogy of the West Memphis Three. Berlinger serves on the board of Proclaim Justice, a nonprofit dedicated to providing resources and building awareness around wrongful convictions. In addition to serving on our AmDocs Adivsory Board, he also serves on the boards of Rehabilitation Through the Arts, the Bedford Playhouse, and the International Documentary Association.