Team

Cathleen Carr is an arts and culture nonprofit leader and storyteller who has extensive experience in arts education and administration, performance, production and community-based collaboration.

Prior to joining newportFILM, Cathleen worked for a decade with Opening Act, an arts education nonprofit that brings theater-based programming to over 50 New York City public schools. Serving as Director of Programs as well as Director of Innovation and Engagement, Cathleen oversaw significant programmatic and organizational growth, clearing the path for hundreds of young NYC artists towards the stage and beyond.

As a performer, producer and educator, Cathleen has lived and worked in Chicago, Boston and New York City. Her original comedy has been produced Off-Broadway, she has worked internationally in documentary film production and has facilitated numerous workshops to clients such as HBO, Lincoln Center International and Fordham University.

An alum of Goddard College in Vermont, Cathleen is a graduate of the New York Community Trust Leadership Fellows program and University of Pennsylvania’s Executive Program in Arts and Culture Strategy. Outside the office, Cathleen loves improvising, exploring new hiking trails with her family and dreaming up new podcast ideas.

Get in touch: ccarr [at] newportfilm [dot] com

Andrea van Beuren is the co Founder and Artistic Director of newportFILM, a year round documentary series now in its’ twelfth season.

Andrea is also the founder of Sustainable Films (SF), a company that develops, produces, and finances non-fiction films/series.

Recent SF projects include Ry Russo-Young’s series Nuclear Family, Jeff Orlowski’s The Social Dilemma, Elyse Steinberg/Josh Kriegman’s The Fight, and Matt Wolf’s Spaceship Earth. Previous films include Morgan Neville’s Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Matt Tyrnauer’s Where’s My Roy Cohn? and Jeff Orlowski’s Chasing Coral.

Prior to working in the non-fiction space, Andrea was firmly planted in the editorial side of the fashion world, where she worked for New York Magazine and then Vogue before moving into advertising/production at Calvin Klein (CRK). It was while working with Calvin Klein that she first attended the Sundance Film Festival (in 1995), an experience that ended up altering the course of her life.

An alum of the University of Vermont, Andrea is now married with three children. She and her husband split their time between New York and Newport, Rhode Island.

Get in touch: avanbeuren [at] newportfilm [dot] com

Brendan is a hardworking addition to the newportFILM team with experience in concert production, artist relations & hospitality, and sound design.

In his earlier career, Brendan lived in Vermont from 2006 – 2013, where he was a full-time music performance and composition teacher, local band manager, production assistant at music festivals, and musician in local and regional bands. Since 2006, he’s worked at music and arts festivals, providing him with a strong understanding in special events. Prior to becoming Technical Coordinator at newportFILM, Brendan received his Master’s Degree in Arts Administration from Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) in Georgia, where he worked with the Savannah Music Festival.

He is thrilled to be on the newportFILM team and hopes to see you at upcoming events.

Get in touch: bkeogh [at] newportfilm [dot] com

Jess Walsh is a marketing and communications professional with a background in marketing, business operations, and journalism. As Director of Marketing and Partnerships, Jess leads visioning and execution of newportFILM’s annual marketing strategy, including cultivating relationships with partners and sponsors.

Throughout Jess’s career, she has developed comprehensive multi-platform marketing campaigns, managed large-scale events, and led her teams to success with a positive attitude and exceptional leadership. Prior to newportFILM, Jess served as Director of Operations for PMC Media Group (PMC). At PMC, she oversaw marketing for nearly one hundred national and international clients, including the Newport International Boat Show, which surpassed attendance records in 2021 under her leadership. 

Jess previously led marketing, social media, and business operations at an expansive Rhode Island vineyard, where she paved the way for partnerships with the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Boston Celtics, and Newport Folk Festival, strengthening the vineyard’s community relationships. Jess expanded the business tenfold and facilitated over fifty large-scale events including concerts, weddings, and charity events. 

Jess nurtured her love of storytelling as a student of journalism. An alum of Northern Vermont University, Jess graduated with a Bachelor’s in Journalism with a focus in Television Studies and started her career as a television news producer. 

A long-time resident of Newport, Jess looks forward to bringing impactful films and expanding partnership opportunities within the community she adores. Outside of the office, you can find Jess skiing the mountains of New England, walking at Sachuest Point, or enjoying the beautiful sunsets at Newport’s Second Beach. 

Get in touch: jwalsh [at] newportfilm [dot] com

After graduating from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in Media Communications and Film Studies, Steve moved to New York City to pursue careers in Film Production and Advertising. While there, Steve worked as an Assistant Editor for Showtime Networks, a Production Coordinator for a large post-production agency, and then as a Media Analyst for the worlds largest media investment company, GroupM. Five years later, he decided to leave the hustle and bustle of NYC to move back to the Ocean State where he could be closer to some of the best surf breaks on the east coast and spend time playing fetch on the beach with his Australian Shepherd, Byron.

Steve is so excited to be working with newportFILM and is especially looking forward to showing films about the ocean, adventure, and conservation.

Get in touch: smorotta [at] newportfilm [dot] com

Amanda Erickson (Director/Executive Producer) is a proud Ndé (Apache) Filmmaker and TV Producer who for the past 15 years has produced compelling programming for networks like: Travel Channel, National Geographic WILD, Investigation Discovery, and Hulu.

Her feature documentary, She Cried That Day, is an investigative look at the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s Crisis through the eyes of one woman struggling to come to terms with her sister’s unsolved murder. The film was a recipient of the 2021 Vision Maker Media Public Fund and Investigative Studios Grant.

She is a member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia, a diverse network of filmmakers and industry stakeholders that promotes the work of women and non-binary people of color. Recently, she was accepted into an exclusive database of filmmakers founded by award-winning Director Ava DuVernay. In 2021, Amanda made the move from New York City to Newport to finish work on her documentary.

She looks forward to collaborating with newportFILM in their efforts to uplift and amplify the voices of the next generation of storytellers.

Terri was newportFILM’s first Executive Director, leading the program from its inception in June of 2010 until she transitioned to the Board of Directors in October 2017. The majority of her career has been spent in the marketing, development and management of films, talent, festivals, and other events. Prior to her position as Executive Director of newportFILM she worked for eight years as a publicist for New Line Cinema, was the Head of worldwide theatrical publicity for Chris Blackwell’s Palm Pictures in New York and Los Angeles and worked as a unit publicist on a number of small and large budget narrative films shot in and around New England.

Nancy is a film and television producer based in New York City. Her most recent project was as co-producer of a PBS documentary titled “Demystifying Dyslexia”. She was an associate producer of the documentary “Street Dogs” for National Geographic. Her television credits include “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” for ABC, “Crank Yankers”, for Comedy Central, the ABC Special, “David Blaine: Street Magic”. Donahoe began her career at Actors’ Equity Association, where she negotiated film and television agreements on behalf of AEA members. From 1998-2004, she was the co-founder and Director of the Newport International Film Festival. She is an active member of the Cubs Committee of the New York Public Library Board. She serves on the benefit committees of Room to Grow (NYC and Boston) which provides support to babies born into poverty and their parents from birth to three years and the East Harlem Tutorial Program. Donahoe, her husband and two children live in New York City and Newport, RI.

Bill is the Publisher of The Edward A. Sherman Publishing Company, publishers of The Newport Daily News, Newport Mercury, The Navalog, Newport Life Magazine, NewportRI.com and the South County Newspapers. Bill has lived in Newport County for over 25 years and has served on numerous non-profit boards and committees in that time. He is currently serving as a Trustee of The Preservation Society of Newport County. Bill is married to renowned photographer Kathryn Whitney Lucey. They live in Middletown, Rhode Island with their twin sons Billy and Tucker.

Jim Miller is the owner of Embrace Benefits – an employee benefits consulting practice that specializes in small and midsize companies. Jim has lived in Newport County for over 30 years. Jim is active in the community and has helped many organizations including: Salve University Business Accreditation Committee, Newport County YMCA Board of Directors, Middletown Youth Soccer Club Board of Directors, Sail America Board of Directors, Small Business Association of New England Board of Directors, Boy Scouts of America – Narragansett Council Advisor and the Town of Middletown Zoning Board Member. Jim is married to Photographer Kim Fuller. They reside in Middletown, RI with there three children Henry, Ella and Keydell.

Kimberly spent 33 years in finance working with clients from South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. She ran an office for Merrill Lynch in Paris and headed Europe and the UK for Private Client headquartered in London. She speaks Spanish, French and working Portuguese. Her community involvement has included education, diversity issues and the plight of the homeless. While in London she sat on the Merrill Lynch Diversity Leadership Committee and was part of an external organization The Competitors Diversity Forum. She also supported CAMFED, The Campaign for the Education of Women in Africa. In Miami she served on the board of Camillus House, which provides humanitarian services to the indigent and homeless populations of Miami-Dade County Florida, and on the board of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, bringing entrepreneurial training to high school students from low-income communities. She now divides her time between Newport and Miami.

Susan is a documentary filmmaker and founder of Tree of Life Productions. She produced and directed the award-winning films Set for Life (based on the multimedia project Over 50 and Out of Work) and Soldier On: Life After Deployment. Both documentaries are distributed by American Public Television and have shown on public television stations nationwide. She graduated with honors from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2008, with distinction from New York University’s Stern School of Business in 1991 and cum laude from Williams College in 1980. She is a member of New York Women in Film and Television in addition to serving on the board of the NewportFILM.