Our Team
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DONNA PENNELL
Executive Director
Donna has served as Schenectady Film Commissioner since 2016 and brings years of production experience to the position. She has facilitated projects of all shapes and sizes, from HBOmax, Amazon Prime, Hallmark, Discovery, Showtime, large to indie small. Donna takes pride in working with productions who support the local workforce, local businesses, and provide educational opportunities.
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PAUL KAZEE
Film Programmer
Paul has long served Proctors as their Film Program Coordinator. He also co-founded NYC's Subway Cinema and New York Asian Film Festival, as well as the hugely popular Dead 'Til Dawn Drive-In marathons held annually at the Hi-Way Drive-In in Coxsackie, NY.
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RICHARD LOVRICH
Creative Director
Richard has sat on the Schenectady Film Commission board for nearly a decade. He was also a founding member of the storied IT CAME FROM SCHENECTADY film programming team at Proctors Theatre, where he served as that institution’s Art and Creative Director. He currently serves as the CD of Armory Studios NY and promotes “Apha-1” rare disease awareness, worldwide.
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ERIC VOLLWEILER
Director of Sales & Marketing
Eric has been producing and marketing film festivals and events from NY to California and Canada to the UK since 2005. Some of the most notable include Sundance, Garden State Film Festival, Boston International Film Festival, Independent Filmmaker Day at the Toronto International Film Festival, and the NYC Hip Hop Film Festival.
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ZEBULON SCHMIDT
Editor / Production
Zebulon Schmidt has always gravitated toward the intersection of the technical and creative sides of movies.He is currently the Station Manager at Open Stage Media. Zeb combines his passion for storytelling with a deep appreciation for the behind-the-scenes craft. A lifelong cinephile, he's perpetually on the hunt for the elusive “holy grail” of films—a quest he’s happily committed to for life.
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EMILY BAKER
Social Media Coordinator