BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Claire Kirk
President
Claire has been a member of the New York film community since 1996. She she fell in love with the constructing and the decorating of sets: a true movie magic experience. Because of this, Claire got herself hired on her next job as an Art Department Coordinator.
In 2003 Claire worked with Local 829 to unionize the category to gain representation and more importantly, health insurance for her fellow Art Department Coordinators. Since that time Claire enrolled in graduate school at Pratt Institute obtaining a Master’s Degree in 2009 in Design Management. It was in graduate school where Claire learned the valuable business concept of “The Triple Bottom Line,” where an organization not only recognizes the traditional bottom line of profit, but also takes into consideration the people (the stakeholders) and the planet (the environment).
With her desire for sustainability to be incorporated in all aspects in her life, Claire is honored to be on the board of Film Business Recycling, a truly innovative and important operation that not only helps the entertainment business with its up-cycling, it also incorporates its mission into the communities of the greater New York area.
Her art department projects include The Horse Whisperer, Catch Me If You Can, Cold Mountain, The Good Shepherd, Julie & Julia, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Mildred Pierce, and Tower Heist. Her production supervising projects include 2nd Unit of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and the NY Unit of The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
Bradley Schmidt
Secretary
Bradley Schmidt has worked in Film, Television, and Entertainment Design for 12 years. Trained as a fine artist in Southern California and Florence Italy, he began working as an design assistant on music videos and concert tours. In 2003 he enrolled in NYU’s Department of Design for Stage and Film. Since graduation in 2006, Bradley has Art Directed and Assistant Art Directed projects ranging from big budget feature films to low budget indie shorts. Observing first hand the amount of waste produced in the film industry, Bradley has made it his goal to push for greener productions. Whether it be at the front end using sustainable lumber and existing scenery, or the back end in recycling and reusing, Bradley believes that a more environmentally conscious industry is good for the bottom line, as well as the heart and soul.
Kerin Ferallo
Board Member
Kerin is a Production Coordinator who has worked in the film and television industry for the past 18 years. She is currently working on the DirecTV series Damages. She was bitten by the green bug in 4th grade when her teacher Sister Raphael told the class that they shouldn’t waste paper because paper is made from trees. She has not wasted paper ever since.
Board MemberDavid Kasell is a litigation attorney in a prestigious mid-town law firm where his practice includes representation of consumers in their litigation against automobile dealerships, manufacturers, and automotive finance companies as well as representing consumers against Credit Reporting Agencies.
Prior to entering legal practice David worked in non-profit administration and fundraising for a nationally recognized environmental and consumer lobby.
Education: Hofstra University School of Law (J.D. 1995); University of Vermont (B.A. in political science with a minor in Economics 1990)
Anu Schwartz
Board Member
Anu Schwartz has been Art Directing and Designing in the film, television and commercial industries for over a decade. Films includeThe Reader, After.life, Awake, The Savages, Desert Flower and most recently David Chase’s Twylight Zones and Wayfare Entertainment’s The Europa Report. Studios include: Fox Searchlight, HBO, The Weinstein Company and Paramount. Anu has worked on countless commercials from M&M’s, Toyota, JC Penney and Motorola to Public Service Announcements. He has worked with commercial production houses such as Partizan, Washington Square Films, Hungry Man and Anonymous Content. From studio films to independents, small and big budgets, Anu experienced a wasteful mentality throughout. He set his goals to heighten awareness and practice sustainability. Every design decision considers waste and environmental impact while preserving the vision of the film maker.
Ellen Waggett
Board Member
Ellen is a Green Production Designer and Art Director. Her production design work includes: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Sherri, Chopped, The Real World, Guide to Style, Hope & Faith, and Queens Supreme. She received an Emmy Nomination in Outstanding Art Direction for both A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! and “Whoopi”.
Terrence O. McDonald
Board Member
Mr. McDonald is Managing Director for Environmental Connection, Inc. Mr. McDonald has worked for the past twenty years in both government and private sector capacities. Mr. McDonald has expertise in Environmental Law and Environmental Consulting. Prior to entering the private sector in 1999 as an investigative attorney, he was Director of the Industrial and Environmental Hygiene Department of the NYC School Construction Authority (SCA), Deputy Inspector General and Environmental Counsel with the NYC Department of Investigation Office of Inspector General for Environmental Protection, and an investigative attorney with the Office of Inspector General for the NYC School Construction Authority. Mr. McDonald’s areas of expertise include integrity monitoring; capital construction risk management; prevailing wage compliance; soil management-(classification, transportation, recycling and disposal); environmental investigations-(superfund PRP matters, as well as construction related matters); site acquisition-(environmental assessments and Brownfield projects); and green construction and sustainable development. .Mr. McDonald is fully familiar with the operations of various NYC regulatory agencies and is proficient in the application of criminal and civil provisions of CERCLA, SARA, RCRA, the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act.