P7
Festival Team
Founders & Host Committee - Meet the folks who volunteer their time year long to make this great festival happen.
Deborah Magdalena
The Puerto Rican actress, sister of Latin Grammy winner Nestor Torres, film & television credits include Sesame Street (CTW), Apollo Comedy Hour (Tribune), The Newz (Columbia-Tri-Star), Safe Harbor (WB), Billboard Latino (AZTECA-AMERICA), American Latino (LATV), Flow & Tell (SI TV), Striptease (CastleRock), Holyman (Caravan), and For Love or Country (HBO). Inspired by The Fund for Women Artists, Deborah founded the Spoken Soul Festival, an annual 3-day festival that supports women artists. “She carries with her a warm heart and refreshing vitality that is always a pleasure to be associated with” – Andy Garcia on working with Deborah. www.deborahmagdalena.com
Susan Alvarez
"When I Look Through The Lens, I See Beauty," Susan is currently a professional stills photographer specializing in portraits whose photographs and digitally enhanced art work is exhibited in private, personal and public collections in New York, California, Hawaii, Florida, Puerto Rico and Spain. She is the recipient of two grant/fellowships for her “Celebrating Fifty” art series. Nominated for a 1994 NAACP Theatre Award for her choreography of Metrorail: The Musical Revue. Susan has accumulated impressive production credits by producing and directing dance performances and recitals in Japan, the critically acclaimed and successful Voices In Motion: A Choreographer’s Collective Series, served as script supervisor for the Pocono Playhouse, stage manager for Nosotros Theater, was house manager for The Attic Theatre, and supervised the rebuilding and refurbishing of the Inner City Cultural Center’s New Ivar Theatre. www.susanalvarez.net
Michelle Massanet
Michelle Massanet— Miami-based producer, writer and director. As co-founder of Garnet Productions, she brings her unique brand of hands-on experience to her boutique venture, under whose umbrella her name and brand have grown. Her acumen for delivering on time and on budget have led to proven excellence in the field, behind the lens, and in the production office. She is goal and detail-oriented, which work in tandem with her charismatic perseverance and astute ability to prioritize both creative and productivity demands. Excellent in pressure cooker situations, and easily able to submerge and assimilate into a cross section of cultures and languages.
Amy Baez
Amy Baez is the author and publisher of What Poetic Eyes Speak, a book of poems promoted nationally at more than 50 feature performances and poetry workshops. She has been writing poetry for more than 20 years and has been described as powerful, passionate, and uplifting. Amy also has acted in numerous theater productions including sharing the stage with acclaimed playwright and activist Eve Ensler in the Miami production of Any One of Us: Words from Prison. She also has hosted and coordinated the Vanessa Baez Memorial Women’s Brunch for the past nine years to honor her late sister. In addition, Amy is the founder of Playay.com, an online child development resource supported and created by pediatric therapy professionals for parents and educators. www.amybaez.com
Aimee Novaton
Aimee has worked with such networks as MTV/VH1 Latin America, MTV Tr3s, CBS, Food Network, Telefutura, TV Land, and TLC just to name a few. She's also helped coordinate events such as The Miami Herald Silver Knight Awards, the Art Basel Miami Beach Converse event, and Los Premios MTV 2008 and 2009. Aimee has been a lover and a supporter of the Arts ever since she was a little girl. Immersing herself as much as she could by continually exposing herself to all things creative along with donating her time and efforts to ensure others are exposed as well.
Veronica Garcia
Veronica Barrios-Garcia—Producer - Director Veronica Barrios-Garcia, a talented writer, director, and producer, founded Garnet Productions in 2002 alongside Michelle Massanet. Based in Miami, Garnet Productions’ clients include MTV networks, MUN2, and Nickelodeon among others. Most notably she wrote and produced daily segments for MUN2’s hit bilingual show “The Roof,” specifically serving as main producer and head writer for the show’s Friday episodes. In addition to her work with Garnet, Veronica is also an active freelancer with a great deal of experience in production. She has worked with such landmark industry names as MTV Networks, Vh-1, MTV Latino, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros., Dreamworks, Columbia Pictures, Telemundo.
Rosa Marcelin
Rosa Marcelin. Rosa is one of Miami’s most talented and rising star jewelry designer who’s creativity and soul leads SSF’s SWAN Community Program.
Host GODDESS
Erin Mia Milchman -
from Erin Mia Milchman Inc
facebook.com/erinmia.partydiva
Melissa Hunter -
from Sugarcane Magazine
sugarcanemag.com
JennyLee Molina -
from JLPR
jl-pr.com
Adelle Carlton -
from Between Spirit & Stone
facebook.com/adellecarlton
Lyn Bove -
from icandee events
icandeeevents.com
Rebecca Lengel -
from Miami Light Project
miamilightproject.com
Founding Donors
Aimee Novaton, Amy Baez, Breathe For Life, Deborah Magdalena, Maria Radomicki, Michelle Massanet, Nestor Torres, Rosa Marcelin, Tee POP Davis, & Veronica Barrios-Garcia
Martha Richards, WomenArts, Miami Design District, & Amy Baez in Loving Memory of Margaret Capriotti
Founding Members - Poetic Seven
Susan Alvarez, Amy Baez,Veronica Barrios-Garcia, Lynn Bove, Deborah Magdalena, JennyLee Molina, Michelle Massanet, Rosa Marcelin, & Aimee Novaton
