Producer Accelerator

Krista Gano works at the intersection of story, strategy, and sense-making, helping writers, producers, creative teams, and leaders navigate feedback, complexity, and decision paralysis when projects lose momentum or the path forward feels unclear. With more than 25 years of experience spanning film, television, theater, and creative development, she brings a unique ability to help storytellers clarify what matters most, make confident decisions, and move projects forward while staying true to their creative vision. Krista began her career producing and acting in the feature film Chicks, Man before working as an assistant to Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman. As Executive Director of The Groundlings Theatre, she collaborated with many of today’s leading comedy performers and writers, and later created the acclaimed SeriesFest Pitch-A-Thon mentorship program, coaching hundreds of filmmakers on crafting compelling pitches. Through her consulting practice and Innovative Improv Solutions, Krista facilitates workshops and coaching focused on authentic communication, leadership, collaboration, and creative clarity. She is especially passionate about supporting neurodivergent creatives and teams, fostering environments built on clarity, flexibility, and psychological safety. As a mentor for the CFVA Producer Accelerator, Krista helps producers develop stronger stories, sharper pitches, and the confidence to navigate the complex decisions that bring projects to life.

Shayla Riggle is a writer, producer, and founder of The EII (Entertainment Industry Intelligence), an educational platform focused on entertainment industry development, creator advocacy, and professional training for independent filmmakers and storytellers. Her experience includes work in film production, distribution strategy, sales, intellectual property development, and independent financing structures. To date, projects connected to her work have sold over 8,000 films across 80 countries and helped raise more than $7.5 million in financing. Shayla’s work centers on helping creatives better understand the business framework surrounding content creation, with an emphasis on sustainable career development and industry accessibility. As part of the Colorado Film & Video Association Producer Accelerator, Shayla contributes industry insight and practical guidance designed to help emerging producers navigate development, packaging, distribution, and professional positioning within the evolving entertainment landscape.

Moran is noted for roles in multiple films directed by the Farrelly brothers, including Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin, There's Something About Mary, Me, Myself and Irene, Shallow Hal and Hall Pass. Moran also played the Carlin family patriarch in the American teen drama South Of Nowhere, and an ER doctor in Meet Dave. He later appeared as the doomed patriarch in the 2011 horror film You're Next. He has made guest appearances in numerous television series as well. Since 1986, Moran has appeared in over 60 films – both screen and television – and produced a few of them as well.

Iana is a creative producer for film and television and the Founding Partner of By and Large MediaLabs, a Denver-based film and media production company. She oversees the development, funding, and production of the company’s slate. She has 25+ years in the film industry as an executive producer, both in France and the United States. She was the co-founder of Pavillon Rouge, an independent production company in Paris. Prior to that, Iana worked at the renowned arthouse film company Movimento. Throughout her career, she has developed and produced narrative and documentary features, shorts, and TV programs. Many have played festivals worldwide including Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, Locarno, New York, and Chicago, and have had successful theatrical releases and network runs. Iana is an expert in international coproduction, overseeing partnerships between France, Great Britain, Germany, Belgium, Canada, and the United States. Her career led her to specialize in working with young and emerging directors. She attended the University of Paris Sorbonne, where she earned her MFA in Film and pursued her doctoral degree in Cinema Studies. Most recently, Iana completed production of 'Welcome to the Fishbowl,' an independent narrative feature and the first from By and Large MediaLabs' slate. Directed by Sheryl Glubok, and starring Natalie Gold, Jeremy Swift, Sendhil Ramamurthy, and Marin Hinkle, the film is set to have its festival premiere in the Summer of 2026.

Christine is a performer and theatre professional with more than 25 years of experience, beginning her career in dance at the age of two. A military veteran with both a bachelor’s degree and MFA, she has also served on advocacy boards supporting wildlife and environmental conservation. As a First Nations Shawnee and Cherokee woman, she is passionate about empowering marginalized voices in the film and television industry and is proud to support the Colorado Film and Video Association’s mission of fostering inclusion and representation.

A former Director of Creative Affairs at Paramount Pictures, Joel is a co-founder of Hyphenate Films, through which he has produced, directed, written and edited a variety of film and television content. A frequent collaborator with writer-director George Nolfi, Joel co-produced Nolfi’s debut feature THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU (Matt Damon, Emily Blunt), and went on to produce and edit his subsequent feature films THE BANKER (Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Nia Long, Nicholas Hoult - winner of the NAACP Best Independent Feature Film award) BIRTH OF THE DRAGON (which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival), and ELEVATION, starring Anthony Mackie and Morena Baccarin, which was released by Vertical Entertainment in the fall of 2024. With his writing partner Mora Stephens, Joel produced, co-wrote and edited ZIPPER (Patrick Wilson, Lena Headey, John Cho, Ray Winstone, Richard Dreyfuss - Sundance selection), as well as CONVENTIONEERS (winner of the Independent Spirit Awards’ John Cassavettes award). Joel also produced the independent features STRICTLY SEXUAL, WHAT? and READY OR NOT. In television, he served as coordinating producer on ALLEGIANCE (starring Hope Davis) for NBC and as producer/director for STRICTLY SEXUAL: THE SERIES. Joel has also produced and edited television and theatrical stage content for recording artists such as Lady Gaga, P!NK, Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry, and served as an originating producer on the hip hop stage show GROOVALOO, which launched at the Gary Marshall Theater in Los Angeles before moving to the Joyce and the Union Square Theaters in New York, followed by a national tour. Joel’s more recent work include editing the feature film THE DUTCHMAN (Andre Holland, Kate Mara, Zazie Beetz, Aldis Hodge, Stephen McKinley Henderson), which premiered at SXSW in 2025, and serving as Co-Producer on KILLING CASTRO (Al Pacino, Ron Livingston, Titus Welliver) which is set to premiere at the 2026 Tribeca Film Festival.