Shane O'Neill is a writer, performer and video maker living in Brooklyn, NY. His writing and videos have been featured in the New York Times, The Huffington Post, Refinery29 and ARTnews. He works in the video department at the New York Times, where his editing work on the POV collaboration Who, Me? Biased? earned him an Emmy nomination and an Online Journalism Award. He is also a member of the Upright Citizens Brigade's "Characters Welcome" house team and appeared this fall in the fashion label Opening Ceremony's dance story Changers, directed by Spike Jonze. He has a boyfriend named Dusty, a cat named Wanda, and a lovely family—both chosen and by blood—in the great Midwest, all of whom he loves a great deal.

Shane traveled to Nashville for the first ever Defy Film Festival to share the documentary Sisters of the Wicked Wig.

Benjamin Kaplan is a St. Louis-based multidisciplinary artist who works in film, sound, light, installation, performance, and flat stuff on paper. His latest collaborative project is That Fatal Gift of Beauty, a re-imagination and reconstruction of all of Beethoven's nine symphonies. Currents, his collaboration with sculptor Jill Downen, is part of the permanent collection of the Center for Creative Arts in St. Louis, and his dual-channel video installation Living Like Kings was recently exhibited at the World Chess Hall of Fame.

Living Like Kings played in the headphone room at the first year of Defy Film Festival, and Ben traveled to Nashville to discuss the film. In 2017, Ben came back to Nashville to moderate the Q&A for the closing film of the festival.

Tristan Scott-Behrends's film Curtain Down made its World Premiere at the inaugural Defy Film Festival in 2016. The Los Angeles resident has been working in the film industry for the past decade as an actor, producer, writer, director and wardrobe stylist, appearing in feature films such as Electric Slide and Pester. Most recently, the short he produced, Parker, premiered at the prestigious Outfest Film Festival. 

Katie Walsh is a Los Angeles-based film critic and journalist, reviewing weekly film releases for the Tribune News Service, Los Angeles Times, and The Playlist, while occasionally making appearances on KCRW’s Press Play with Madeline Brand. Her work has also appeared in Playboy, Slate, The Hairpin, indieWIRE, Women and Hollywood, Town & Country, Movieline, Nonfics, and more. She has has been a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association since 2017. Katie earned her B.A. in Film Studies from Wesleyan University, and her M.A. in Critical Studies from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Hallie Eisenberg made her film debut in the children's film Paulie, playing the young owner of the title parrot. After appearing in a few made-for-television films, she had supporting parts in 1999's The Insider and Bicentennial Man. Since then she has appeared in and produced many films and TV projects.

For more than 20 years Julia Martin has been active in Nashville’s visual art scene. Since opening Julia Martin Gallery in 2013 she’s become a pillar of that scene, providing a platform for emerging and mid-career artists from all walks.

Mike Lacy was the Director of Videography for the American Pavillion at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015, and has screened films for Defy for the past 3 years. He produces comedy videos in the NYC and is an active member of the integral/occult communities in Brooklyn.

Paul Polycarpou is currently the Publisher and Editor of Nashville Arts Magazine. He is also a filmmaker who has won numerous awards including the 1994 Best Director award at the New York International Film Festival for his production Faces in the Forest.This year he co-wrote and produced the documentary Saving Banksy. Paul is also a musician who toured with legendary country singer Tammy Wynette.

Jeremy Childs is an actor with film highlights such as Dreamworks’ The Last Castle, Screen Gems’ Country Strong, and Closer to God with writer/director Billy Senese, whose short film The Suicide Tapes, in which Jeremy played the lead character, won Best International Short at the prestigious Fantasia International Film Festival. Jeremy also has a recurring role on ABC’s Nashville. He is company member of the distinguished and award-winning Studio Tenn Theatre Company in Franklin, Tennessee, and has appeared in well over one hundred equity stage productions.

Denis Deck is Owner and Executive Producer at Sequitar Cinema, based in Nashville. Since forming the company in New York City in 2012, Deck has produced commercial campaigns both nationally and internationally. In 2015, he produced the feature documentary Mom Jovi and co-produced the feature narrative film In the Radiant City.

Tif Hassler is a story developer, producer, and editor based in Nashville. Since 2012, Tif has been a freelance producer working on feature narratives and documentaries, commercials, short films, and content for the web and mobile devices. She produced the award-winning feature film Homeless, which took home the Grand Jury Prize at Dances With Films Festival in 2015. Tif is currently shepherding Wet Paint’s second feature, STL, through post-production.

Will Morgan Holland is a commercial and narrative film maker residing in Nashville since 2001. Over the past few years, his clients have ranged from Bose Speakers to Castrol Oil to Tennessee Tourism. He is the 2014 recipient of London-based MoFilms' Best Commercial Director award. Most recently, Will wrote, directed, and produced his first narrative film, The Unbeliever, which premiered with several nominations at the Nashville Film Festival in 2016.

Spencer Glover is a Filipino- and African-American filmmaker based in Los Angeles, CA. His work focuses on the maturation of underrepresented voices in heightened universes spanning from action to drama. In 2019, Spencer was selected to be a part of the Half Initiative Directing Program (Ryan Murphy TV). His current film, "Data," is an official selection in an Oscar-qualifying film festival and was chosen as a Finalist in Stage32's Short Film Program. His second film, “Message Read,” won Best Short Film at the Capital City Black Film Festival, has premiered globally with Vivica A. Fox and the FOX SOUL Screening Room and has earned an official selection to the Geena Davis-led Bentonville Film Festival. Spencer’s goals include fostering an environment of collaboration, education and inspiration through this filmmaking company, RM108.

David Lee Hess is a Los Angeles-based actor and director. Most recently David's appeared in episodes of Minx (HBO Max), Hunters (Prime), CSI: Las Vegas (CBS), Baskets (FX), and Fear the Walking Dead (AMC). David wrote and co-directed Fetish, an award-winning short film available on Amazon Prime which screened at Defy Film Festival in 2018.

Allison Inman is education and engagement director at the Belcourt Theatre, Nashville's nonprofit film center -- a dream job that allows her to watch and discuss films with people of all ages. She hosts filmmaker Q&As, panel discussions, performances and film seminars and teaches visual literacy/cinema appreciation in schools and community centers with the Belcourt’s Mobile Movie Theatre. She previously worked in film engagement for ITVS and Rocky Mountain PBS, hosting public screenings and discussions of social-issue documentary films in Nashville, Denver and New Orleans. In 2011, directed MUD ON THE STARS: STORIES FROM ELIA KAZAN’S WILD RIVER, a documentary about the first big studio film shot in Tennessee. She served as a producer of the Moving Picture Boys’ SAINT CLOUD HILL, which profiles a tent city in Nashville facing eviction, and which was broadcast on PBS’s Reel South in 2019. Most recently, she is working on a series of short documentaries with The Moving Picture Boys (Jace Freeman and Sean Clark), capturing the culture of workplaces in middle Tennessee. Carthage House of Beauty, which profiles a day in the life of a small-town beauty shop, and Hi Tech Service, about a beloved, now-closed stereo repair shop on Nashville’s Nolensville Pike, premiered at the Nashville Film Festival in 2021 and 2022 and aired on Nashville Public Television in May 2023. Carthage House of Beauty was named Best Tennessee Short at the 2021 Nashville Film Festival.

Sheronica is a freelance visual artist, amateur journalist, and poet from Nashville, TN. She works full time as the Special Projects Associate for Nashville’s only nonprofit film institution, The Belcourt Theatre, and she is currently enrolled at Middle Tennessee State University completing her BA in English Literature and Secondary Education. When she’s not busy with work or school, she enjoys traveling, exploring Nashville’s rich culinary scene, and supporting local live music and performance arts.

Clarence Edward, a Nashville native, is an influential figure in the local arts and culture scene. Beginning his career as an independent art dealer in 2011, he worked in Memphis, Atlanta, and New York City for nearly a decade. In 2021, Clarence founded Cë Gallery in Nashville, a space dedicated to contemporary and fine arts, where he showcases both emerging and established artists. An award-winning art gallerist, event curator, and set designer, Clarence is known for creating immersive experiences. He has also contributed to the arts community through roles with Metro Arts Nashville, Soho House Nashville, and the Frist Art Museum Warhol Society Board. His work reflects a deep passion for the arts and a commitment to making art accessible to all.

Casey M Pierce works from Nashville  Tennessee. He has directed over 100 music videos. He has worked with brands such as Amazon, CBS, SONY, Avion Tequila, Luck Reunion and more.