THE JUDGES


CORI ABRAHAM

SVP Development, Unscripted

NBC Universal TV & Streaming


As Senior Vice President, Entertainment Unscripted Development, Crime and Documentary Development, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, Cori Abraham oversees all unscripted crime and documentary development across NBCU’s broadcast, cable and streaming platforms: NBC, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, SYFY, USA and Peacock. She reports to Rachel Smith, Executive Vice President, Development, Entertainment Unscripted Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming.


A highly regarded industry executive and member of The Television Academy and the Producers Guild of America, Abraham has won two Emmy® Awards and her shows have received numerous NAMIC and GLAAD awards. She is an active participant with NBCUniversal’s Executive Mentor Program, providing guidance, advice and a positive outlook on the media business. Over the course of Abraham’s involvement, her mentees have continued on in their careers becoming heads of production companies and top industry executives. Abraham has also served as an industry expert speaking on many panels including those at Realscreen Summit and has also been honored by CableFAX as one of the “Most Powerful Women in Cable.”

DONALD ALBRIGHT

President & Co-Founder

Tenderfoot TV


Donald Albright is an entrepreneur, producer and co-founder of Tenderfoot TV, an Atlanta-based content creation company that he launched with friend and music video director Payne Lindsey. Tenderfoot works with fellow creators to bring stories to life through an array of entertainment media -- including podcasts, live shows, television, film, and other digital platforms.


Since its launch, Tenderfoot has amassed over 650 million podcast downloads, releasing award winning series like Up and Vanished, Atlanta Monster, and To Live and Die in LA. Through Tenderfoot TV, Albright has garnered partnerships with media companies including iHeartRadio, NBCUniversal, Spotify, HBO, Netflix, FX, and Issa Rae’s label Raedio. He currently serves as Chairperson for The Podcast Academy and in 2020 he and Lindsey were honored with the Podcast Pioneer Award at the iHeart Podcast Awards.

JEN ANTONELLI

Co-Executive Producer, News

NBCU, Access Hollywood


Jen Antonelli is two-time Emmy Award winning producer and is currently Co-Executive Producer of News for “Access Hollywood,” heading up the series’ true crime coverage. Jen was part of the launch team at “Crime Watch Daily” producing a wide array of in-depth crime stories including: human trafficking, juveniles sentenced to life in prison, domestic violence homicides and online “sweetheart” scams.


Prior to “Crime Watch Daily,” Jen produced for “Good Morning America” and the ABC News platforms. She kicked off her career at CBS’ “Entertainment Tonight” & “The Insider,” spearheading headline generating exclusives including breaking the Janice Dickenson sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby and the Anna Nicole Smith saga.

BEN BOWLIN

Lead Executive Producer

iHeart Media


Ben Bowlin is an Executive Producer at iHeartMedia, where he creates and hosts non-fiction shows like Stuff They Don’t Want You To Know and Ridiculous History. Over more than a decade, Ben has developed multiple other shows, including deep-dive investigative podcasts such as Missing In Alaska, fictional narratives such as The Control Group, and, through the Ridiculous slate, educational content on everything from hilarious heists to strange romance and more. He’s also founded multiple YouTube channels for several podcasts, and will be publishing the official Stuff They Don’t Want You To Know book in October of 2022. Ben travels widely; between adventures, he calls Atlanta home.

JACOB BOZARTH

Co-Founder & CEO

Resonate Recordings


Jacob founded Resonate Recordings in 2014. Since founding and growing Resonate Recordings to be a leading podcast production company, Jacob has produced the hit podcast, Culpable, and done audio work on many well-known podcasts. Jacob also earned a Bachelor of Science in Recordings from MTSU in 2011 and a Masters of Arts from Southern Seminary in 2014.

MAX CUTLER

Founder/Managing Director, Parcast

Head of New Content Initiatives, Spotify


Max Cutler created and founded Parcast in 2016, and is currently the Head of New Content Initiatives at Spotify. With Cutler at the helm, Parcast launched some of the most popular and highly-ranked weekly scripted, serialized and top-charting podcasts specializing in popular genres like horror, mystery, true crime, science fiction and history. After three years of exponential growth, Spotify acquired Parcast in 2019. Parcast continues to lead the industry in global growth with seven series adaptations to date and more to come.


At Spotify, Cutler continues to revolutionize the podcast space with new initiatives and top-tier talent partnerships. Recently, Cutler and his team have secured exclusive deals with some of the most influential voices in podcasting like Brené Brown and Alex Cooper. He currently leads the teams behind Spotify Kids & Family programming, which includes a partnership with family media company Moonbug Entertainment and their new podcast “CoComelon Storytime”, Spotify Greenroom overseeing programming for live audio conversations; and Audiobooks, which launched top titles read by A-list celebrities.

ROSS DINERSTEIN

Founder & CEO

Campfire Studios


​​Ross Dinerstein is the founder and CEO of Campfire Studios, a premium production company known for its broad bench of content across scripted and unscripted, for both feature film and TV/streaming platforms. Over the past 20 years, Dinerstein has produced or executive produced 50+ series and feature films, premiering projects at the most prestigious festivals in the world, including Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca and Toronto. Dinerstein and Campfire's current and most recent projects include HBO Max’s The Way Down and Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults; Hulu’s WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn; FX’s Hysterical and The Most Dangerous Animal of All; Magnolia’s A Glitch in the Matrix; Discovery+’s Scream: The True Story; CNN’s The Lost Sons; Voir (executive produced by David Fincher); Neymar: The Perfect Chaos and John Grisham’s The Innocent Man, all for Netflix, as well as the streamer’s Emmy-nominated scripted series Special, among others.  Dinerstein’s first foray into the podcast space resulted in the Webby Award winning series Abuse of Power Hosted by David Rudolf and Sonya Pfeifer, currently in Season 2 on Audible.

ANNE GAROFALO PATERNO

Executive Producer & Showrunner


Anne Garofalo Paterno is a multi-award winning veteran true crime writer, executive producer, and showrunner who's been an integral part of the genre for almost 30 years. She got her start at KCBS-LA as a production assistant on one of the original “Trials of the Century”: The OJ Simpson criminal trial. Steeped in the details of DNA, a parade of colorful lawyers, a rapt nation, and whether or not the glove would fit, Anne was hooked. She then joined the adrenaline-pumping FOX series, America’s Most Wanted, as a story producer, crisscrossing the nation following fugitive cases such as the Railroad Killer. A member of the Producers Guild of America, she’s risen in the ranks while covering some of the country’s most outlandish, shocking, and headline-grabbing cases for clients such as A&E, FOX, Investigation Discovery, Oxygen, and the Smithsonian Channel.


JESSICA GRIMSHAW

Senior Vice President

Anonymous Content


Jessica Grimshaw is Senior Vice President of Unscripted Programming for Anonymous Content. In this role she oversees unscripted, documentary programming and podcasts for the award-winning studio. Grimshaw has developed and produced series for Netflix, HBO, FX, Peacock, Disney Jr.,  E!, Oxygen, G4, Food Network, TLC, BBC America, and more. She has worked with an eclectic mix of creators and filmmakers including Charlize Theron, Questlove, Seth MacFarlane, Kate Bosworth, Amy Ziering, Kirby Dick, Joe Berlinger, Clay Tweel, Blumhouse, Buzzfeed, Hersheys, NPR, and the Jim Henson Company. Some of her credits include A Wilderness of Error, The Business of Drugs, DNA of Murder, The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell, The Soup, and Fashion Police.

LIBBY HARRISON

VP, Programming

Investigation Discovery


Libby Harrison is the Vice President of Programming for Discovery’s true crime originals as well as the preeminent true crime television destination, Investigation Discovery. Harrison drives the overall true crime content strategy rollout across the linear channel at ID, TV Everywhere, and the company’s direct-to-consumer offering, discovery+. During her tenure on ID, Harrison and the Senior Management team have helped grow ID into a top 5 cable network for W25-54 in Total Day (2021).

 

Focused on a booming genre with one of the most robust pipelines in the business, Harrison and her team are in charge of putting together the pieces of the puzzle that programs hundreds of premium content to TV screens each year, keeping viewers engaged around the clock, seven days a week with a mix of gripping series and specials that fully immerse and engage audiences. In addition to her oversight of the linear channel, Harrison is in charge of the creation of programming stunts (Serial Killer Week, A Very Kenda Christmas, True Crime at 9)) and she and her team manage the process of creating eye-catching program titles (Evil Lives Here, Murder Under the Friday Night Lights, Undercover Underage).

 

Harrison is a life-long television enthusiast who has the pulse on the ever-changing landscape of TV. A 20-year television and media veteran, Harrison began her career with National Geographic Channel. She joined Discovery Communications in 2012 where she began working at Discovery Channel, then transitioned into her life of crime at ID in 2013. Harrison graduated from George Washington University with a degree in Electronic Media, before achieving her MBA at American University. She is based in Discovery Inc.’s Silver Spring office outside of Washington, D.C.

ANGELINE HARTMANN

Journalist & Host

Inside Crime


Veteran journalist Angeline Hartmann has been telling unique stories of crime victims and their families for more than two decades. In 2018, she launched her podcast, “Inside Crime with Angeline Hartmann” to deliver fresh perspectives from the real people impacted behind the headlines.


In addition to her podcast, Angeline is the Director of Communications at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, where she uses her media expertise to help families find their missing loved ones and serves as a spokesperson for the organization. Before Angeline joined the National Center, she was a Correspondent and Producer for the legendary television show, “America’s Most Wanted,” with John Walsh, where she worked closely with law enforcement agencies across the country, profiling their most dangerous fugitives and unsolved cases.


These days, when she’s not busy with her podcast or working at NCMEC, Angeline is a contributing crime analyst on several national television shows. She also helped create the hit crime series, "ATL Homicide," on TV One. Angeline is closely tied to Atlanta because she worked at WAGA-TV for a decade, where she launched her own show, “Georgia’s Most Wanted.” She has been honored with multiple Emmy Awards for her storytelling and recognized by many law enforcement agencies for her crime reporting and dedicated work in their investigations.

WILL JOHNSON

Executive Producer

Vault Studios


Will Johnson is Executive Producer for VAULT Studios, TEGNA Inc’s in-house true crime content studio. In this role, Will hosts numerous ongoing VAULT podcasts including The Daily Crime, True Crime Chronicles, and Strangeville. He is an experienced and award-winning audio producer and host who began his career in radio and moved on to content development roles for national cable TV brands (Discovery Networks) for more than a decade, along the way adding a Webby Award and national Emmy nomination to his name.


Will has been involved in the podcast world from the early days of podcasting, hosting a weekly science news podcast for Discovery Channel News for many years, co-hosting Investigation Discovery’s What the Crime!?  true crime podcast, and serving as co-host along with Frank Abagnale for AARP’s The Perfect Scam podcast.

DAVID KARABINAS

CEO & Executive Producer

Texas Crew Productions


An Emmy and NAACP Image Award winning producer, David is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Texas Crew Productions. Under his stewardship, TCP has grown into an Emmy award-winning production company, bringing ideas from concept to network premiere for everything from award winning documentaries and specials, to streaming content and episodic unscripted television series. TCP’s current and former clients include Facebook, YouTube, ESPN, HISTORY, Travel, Oxygen, Discovery, Magnolia Network, A+E, FYI, ID, AXS, and Fox. Notable projects include History’s NAACP award-winning documentary The 44th President: In His Own Words, Esquire’s Emmy-nominated series Friday Night Tykes: Steel Country, NBC Sports Emmy-award winning Ironman World Championship, ESPN’s Emmy-award winning 30 for 30 Brian and the Boz and more than 50 hours of true-crime programming across multiple networks. Notable true-crime projects include Oxygen’s The Disappearance of Maura Murray, The Disappearance of Susan Cox Powell, The Lover’s Lane Murders, and Killer Relationship with Faith Jenkins; Investigation Discovery’s Who Killed My Son and Fox Nation’s In The Valley of Sin. Based in Austin, TX, when David is not knee-deep in television production he can often be seen riding around town on his electric bike with his dog Cowboy.

ELLEN KILLORAN

Senior Editor

CrimeOnline


Ellen Killoran is an investigative reporter for CrimeOnline and Crime Stories. A former entertainment and media business reporter who got bitten by the true crime bug, her work has appeared in Forbes, Maxim, New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, Indiewire, the New York Observer, and more. She's also worked in documentary film, as co-producer of the HBO documentary Youth Knows No Pain.

HARRISON LAND

President & Executive Producer

OverUnder Content


Harrison Land is the Founder and Executive Producer of OverUnder Content, a full-service production company based in New York City. Throughout his career, Land has successfully developed, sold, and produced over 25 series and specials across a variety of genres to multiple networks, including In Pursuit with John Walsh (ID), Heval & The CEO of Sinaloa (Curiosity Stream), Broken Harts (Discovery+), Who Killed Jeffery Epstein (ID), Game Changers with Robin Roberts (ABC), and the record-shattering ID Murder Mystery limited series banner (ID) as well as the powerhouse Fatal Attraction (TVOne), which has aired over 200 episodes. Prior to launching OverUnder Content, Land was an SVP at Jupiter Entertainment where he tripled the number of series in production, opened and expanded the New York office, and drove the company’s sale to European powerhouse Sky Studios. Land was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee.

JOHN LORDAN

Host

Crime After Crime


Since 2015 John Lordan has been looking into unsolved mysteries, and bringing a voice of hope and reason to some very hard to believe circumstances.  His YouTube channel LordanArts has over 160,000 subscribers with his videos bringing in more than 27 million views.  He's also a podcast host on Seriously Mysterious and co-host on Crime After Crime, and was prominently featured in the #1 Netflix docuseries Crime Scene - The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel.

CARRIE NAPOLITANO

Associate Editor

Hachette Books


Carrie Napolitano is dedicated to publishing books that challenge, entertain, enlighten, and inspire. She acquires bold narrative nonfiction, specializing in true crime, history, investigative journalism, memoir, music history/biography, and humor, with extra points to anything progressive, cheeky, macabre, or straight-up weird. Her current and forthcoming titles include criminal profiling pioneer and forensic nurse Dr. Ann Burgess’ A KILLER BY DESIGN; true crime podcaster Laurah Norton’s LAY THEM TO REST; popular historian April White’s THE DIVORCE COLONY; journalist Jennifer Wright’s MADAME RESTELL; Tudor historian Estelle Paranque’s BLOOD, FIRE & GOLD; and hip-hop icon Lil’ Kim’s debut memoir, THE QUEEN BEE; among others. Prior to joining Hachette Books, Carrie worked at Basic Books and Oxford University Press. She graduated with honors from Brown University with a double concentration in Comparative Literature and Italian Studies.

JESSICA NOLL

Investigative Journalist & Producer/Host

Resonate Recordings


Jessica is an award-winning Investigative Journalist, Podcast Producer, Writer and Host at Resonate Recordings, who earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Wright State University and master’s degree in journalism from Columbia College Chicago. With 20 years of experience, she’s fueled by empathy, a pursuit for the truth, and giving a voice to the voiceless. In 2018, she shifted her focus to audio storytelling, concentrating on crime investigations. When she’s not sifting through case files, she’s probably running a marathon or snuggling with her three dogs.   

ERIN O'FLAHERTY

Senior Producer

Wondery/Amazon Music


Erin O’Flaherty is the Senior Producer of Commissioned Originals at Wondery/Amazon Music.  In this role, she oversees the development, production process, and distribution strategy for a slate of podcast series and miniseries in the scripted, unscripted, and kids space. Prior to joining Wondery, O’Flaherty spent several years at PBS as the Director of Programming & Development on the General Audience Programming team. As a member of the senior editorial team at PBS, she oversaw the production of original broadcast and digital content and acquisitions for the PBS primetime schedule across all genres.  

LESLIE RULE

Bestselling True Crime Author


Author Leslie Rule has published dozens of articles in national magazines, including a Reader’s Digest feature about haunted sites tied to homicides.  She has a number of bestselling books with paranormal themes, and at age seventeen, she began assisting her mother, true crime author Ann Rule.  Many of Leslie’s dramatic courtroom photos have appeared in Ann’s books.  Leslie has also worked as an editor and helped Ted Bundy survivor, Rhonda Stapley, develop her book, I Survived Ted Bundy.  Leslie edited true crime books by famed forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht, true crime author Dawna Kaufmann, and bestselling author Lois Duncan.  Leslie’s true crime debut, A Tangled Web, was published by Kensington in May 2020 and covers the shocking story of an Omaha, Nebraska, love triangle murder. 

CATHY RUSSON

Executive Producer

Law&Crime Network


Cathy Russon is the executive trial producer at the Law&Crime Network. Prior to joining the network, Russon founded CourtChatter.com in 2013, a website that showed trials and gathered a community of trial watchers. Her passion for trials and how the legal system works got the notice of Dan Abrams, who acquired CourtChatter.com in April 2017. Cathy has covered hundreds of trials in her career. She oversees a team of producers and makes critical decisions on content for the Law&Crime Network.

REBEKAH SEBASTIAN

Host

DIE-ALOGUE Podcast


Rebekah is the creator and host of two podcasts, DIE-ALOGUE and CRIMINALITY; as well as a live, trivia game show YELLOW TAPE. She's conducted over 100 interviews with the leading voices in true crime and criminal justice. In all of her endeavors, Rebekah examines the most compelling aspects of true crime, challenges the genre's tropes, and is committed to exploring the ethics of engaging true crime content as both a creator and a consumer. Rebekah has appeared at CrimeCon, True Crime Podcast Festival, and on Good Morning America and Oxygen.com to provide her insight on true crime. She lives in New York City with her family and sleuthy dog, Sherlock.

NATASHA SIMONS

Executive Editor

Simon & Schuster


Natasha Simons is an Executive Editor at Gallery Books and Threshold Editions. She joined the company in 2011 after previous employment with National Review, Regnery, and the White House. She has acquired and edited across many genres from true crime to politics to celebrity memoir. Some of her previous titles include Captive, the NXIVM expose by Catherine Oxenberg, as well as New York Times bestsellers American Marxism and Unfreedom of the Press by Mark R. Levin, Melania and Me by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Live Free or Die by Sean Hannity, Unhinged by Omarosa Manigault Newman, Blackout by Candace Owens, The Plus by Greg Gutfeld, Next Level Basic by Stassi Schroeder, The First Time by Colton Underwood, The Maddie Diaries by Maddie Ziegler, and The Last Punisher by Kevin Lacz. She was proud to have worked with Ann Rule and Mary Higgins Clark on their crime nonfiction and fiction before their passings.

KAREN SMITH

Forensic Expert and Host
Shattered Souls: The Car Barn Murders Podcast


Karen Smith retired from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in Florida where she worked as a major case detective and training coordinator. After retirement, she moved to Knoxville, Tennessee as the training consultant for the National Forensic Academy where she worked with Dr. Bill Bass and the staff at the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility, also known as The Body Farm. She has taught forensic classes all over the nation, lecturing to thousands of students and professionals and continues to teach at the University of Florida for their graduate Forensic Science program. 

EMILY SNYDER

Executive Producer & Showrunner

People Magazine Investigates


Emily Snyder is an executive producer and showrunner for the true crime series “People Magazine Investigates.” Emily has been spearheading the series since 2016 and is finishing production for the sixth season, which is scheduled to air this summer on Investigation Discovery and D+. Ms. Snyder got her start in a life of crime as the series associate producer and later as a producer for the long running juggernaut, “The First 48,” and its companion series, “After the First 48.” From there she’s gone on to produce for “20/20” among a host of other series. What keeps her inspired and passionate about the genre is the victims and their families. Each of them has a story to share who touched the lives of many and it’s important they are remembered. Emily lives in southern California with her husband, their two children and their small dog. She grew up in Vermont and is a graduate school dropout from UC Berkeley’s Journalism School.

GLENN STOUT

Author & Editor


Glenn Stout is the author or editor of more than 100 books covering a wide variety of subjects, including the critically acclaimed “Tiger Girl and the Candy Kid: America’s Original Gangster Couple.” His biography of Trudy Ederle, “Young Woman and the Sea” is currently in production as a film for Disney+, starring Daisy Ridley. A dial citizen of the U.S. and Canada, he lives in Vermont.

BILL THOMAS

Producer & Co-Host

Mind Over Murder


William "Bill" Thomas is a podcaster, consulting producer, writer, and executive in entertainment, communications, and victim advocacy. Based in Norfolk, CT, Bill has been an artist representative for 30 years, is past chair of film and television organization FilmLA, Director of Public Affairs & Chief of Staff for music licensing organization ASCAP in New York, and has held senior executive roles for artist unions SAG-AFTRA, the American Federation of Musicians and Art Directors Guild in Los Angeles. 


Bill is a nationally recognized advocate for victims of violent crime and leads a group seeking answers in the unsolved “Colonial Parkway Murders” in Virginia. With his podcasting partner Kristin Dilley, he is cohost and producer of the popular “Mind Over Murder” true crime podcast.  He was also a consulting producer on the “Lover’s Lane Murders’ true crime series for the Oxygen Network in 2021.  On the entertainment beat, Bill is one the executives credited with adding 20 years to the U.S. copyright term, adding billions in income for songwriters, composers and music publishers, and spearheading merger of Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Radio and Television Artists to form union SAG-AFTRA.

STEPHANIE TODD

VP, Programming & Production

HLN


Stephanie Todd is Vice President, Programming and Production at HLN. In this role, Todd has oversight of the network’s live news programming, longform crime and investigations series, special events and breaking news. HLN’s live news programming includes Morning Express with Robin Meade and Weekend Express with Susan Hendricks. 

 

With 15+ years of producing true crime programming, Todd is responsible for HLN’s internal series development and production of current series which include Lies, Crimes and Video, Sex & Murder and Real Life Nightmare with Paul Holes. She led team who produced the hit true crime podcast and documentary “Down the Hill: The Delphi Murders”. Todd also oversees HLN’s live courtroom programming with past record-breaking viewership of trials including Casey Anthony, Jodi Arias, George Zimmerman, Derek Chauvin and the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. 

PAUL WOOLF

Head of Unscripted Development

Little Dot Studios


Paul Woolf runs unscripted television development in the US for award-winning production company and digital agency Little Dot Studios, part of the All3 family of companies. Paul developed and executive produced Searching For..., a three-part series for Oxygen.com about three of America's thousands of missing women, and oversaw the podcast Real Stories Tapes: True Crime.


Paul EP'd the Emmy-nominated documentary Growing Up Down’s (BBC) and the DOC NYC pick Road To Roxham, co-created the multi BAFTA-winning BBC show Operation Ouch, developed Netflix’s Amazing Interiors, and has created series and specials for Discovery, Animal Planet, ITV, Channel 4, Facebook Watch and Sky. He has a PhD in American history and literature from The University of Birmingham, UK, and has published academic work on early detective fiction.

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