Hollywood Chills: Film + Music Night

About this event

Connect with social guests and fellow creatives alike, and give back to a special cause. Special Guests: 1. Brooke Freundlich, Manager of Original Series, Netflix 1. Lisa Zambetti, Casting Director ("Criminal Minds") 1. Jaffar Mahmood, director, producer (Apple TV's "Stick," CBS's "Young Sheldon," Netflix's "Bridgerton" and "Nobody Wants This") Speaker Bios: Brooke Freundlich is a seasoned entertainment executive with over eight years of experience at Netflix, where she has played a key role in shaping television strategy and launching multiple high-profile series. Her work has spanned many creative verticals, including Young Adult and Four Quad Family programming, Overall Deal Series, and most recently, Studio Drama Series. At Netflix, Brooke has been instrumental in developing and executing strategies that bring dynamic storytelling to global audiences. She has overseen the successful launch of several acclaimed projects, including The Perfect Couple starring Nicole Kidman and Black Rabbit starring Jason Bateman and Jude Law, among others. Her upcoming slate includes Oscar winner Graham Moore's The Altruists (produced by Higher Ground Productions), Quinn Shephard’s The Body (produced by Felix Culpa and North Road), Nick Naveda’s The Sticks (produced by 21 Laps), and Joe Robert Cole’s All The Sinners Bleed (produced by Amblin Entertainment and Higher Ground Productions). Before joining Netflix, Brooke began her career in talent management at LINK Entertainment. She is a graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, where she cultivated her passion for media and storytelling. Lisa Zambetti, CSA is a three-time Artios nominated casting director for tv, film, commercials, and video games. ("Criminal Minds", "Beyond Borders", "Reservation Dogs”, "County Rescue"). Her film “Hicks Happy Hour” won an Emmy award and screened at the Tribeca Film Festival and Cannes. She’s cast projects for NBC Universal, ABC Studios, CBS Paramount, Netflix, FX, Amazon/Audible, Great American Family Channel and Skydance Interactive. Lisa is an active member of the Equity in Entertainment committee and the Tech committee for the Casting Society. She currently part of the Television Academy Casting Peer Group. She is also on the advisory board for Hire Survivors Hollywood, and a proud Local 399 Union member. As an acting teacher, Lisa is on the faculty of UCLA, Chapman University, and Pace University and has also taught for USC, UC Santa Barbara, Cal State East Bay, Whitman College, and The Actors Studio M.F.A. program in New York. Lisa has a podcast “Killer Casting” where she discusses her favorite films, tv, and issues in our industry as well as interviewing creators. Jaffar Mahmood, an NAACP Image Award nominated director, recently wrapped on directing the final block for season 5 of Netflix/Shondaland’s global hit series BRIDGERTON. Prior to this, he directed on S3 of NOBODY WANTS THIS for Netflix and served as EP/Director for Season 1 & 2 of Apple’s STICK, starring Owen Wilson. An expert in understanding tone, Jaffar is known for finding the sweet spot on genre-bending shows like Netflix's THE RESIDENCE, Hulu's INTERIOR CHINATOWN, Fox's BEST MEDICINE, and Hulu's THE GREAT. An accomplished producer as well, Jaffar was the Producing Director on YOUNG SHELDON for its first three seasons prior to PD'ng STICK. Having directed over 80 episodes of television, his other credits include REBOOT, KILLING IT, UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT, SANTA CLARITA DIET, MODERN FAMILY, & BROOKLYN NINE-NINE to name a few. Jaffar began his career in features, where fresh out of film school he directed/produced the feature film SHADES OF RAY starring Zachary Levi & Sarah Shahi. Jaffar was born and raised in Toms River, New Jersey. He earned his B.A. in Economics from Tufts University and his M.F.A. from The Peter Stark Producing Program at USC's School of Cinematic Arts. And in case you're wondering about the pronunciation, think "offe