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Executive Committee
The Palm Beach County Film & Television Commission is governed by a Board of Directors.
The Executive Committee is comprised of a Chair, Vice Chair, Past Chair, Treasurer and Secretary.
James L. Bearden, Esq.
Secretary
James L. Bearden has more than 20 years’ experience in corporate, communications and entertainment law. Currently, Mr. Bearden is the Managing Partner of the CBR Law Group, LLLP in Boca Raton, Florida. Mr. Bearden's current practice emphasizes the representation of individuals, corporate and business entities involved in the entertainment industry. Mr. Bearden has extensive experience in the negotiation, preparation and administration of a wide range of contracts involving music/television/film production and distribution companies, artist and entertainers, publishing, Internet companies, radio networks, boxing promotions, concert and sporting event sites and venues. Transactions in which Mr. Bearden has participated include corporate mergers and acquisitions, real estate development, civil litigation, the representation of radio and television stations, cable and broadband systems. Also, Mr. Bearden has held the positions of Associate General Counsel at Don King Productions, Inc. in Deerfield Beach, Florida, of counsel at the law firm of Akerman, Senterfitt & Eidson in Miami, Florida and of counsel at The Thomas Law Group, PA, in Boca Raton, Florida. He is a graduate of the University of Detroit and of the Howard University School of Law. At the University of Detroit, Mr. Bearden majored in radio, television & film production. Mr. Bearden holds memberships in the Federal Communications Bar, the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association, and is also an agent/signatory of the Writers Guild of America, East and West. Mr. Bearden is admitted to practice law in the State of Florida, the District of Columbia, before the US District Court for the District of Columbia, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and the US District Court for the District of Maryland.
Kenneth Spillias
Past Chair
Kenneth G. Spillias retired from the active practice of law after a career of over 42 years in law and government service. He is following up his novels, the Widow’s Walk series, with a non-fiction account of a family’s experiences in Greece and Germany during the Nazi occupation of World War II. Kenneth also remains active in civic and community activities. He has served as a Palm Beach County Commissioner from 1982-1986, chairing the board in 1984. He is also the former Chair of Palm Beach County's Tourist Development Council, Children's Services Council, and a variety of other governmental and civic boards. He has served on a number of civic and community boards including those of cultural organizations such as the Palm Beach County Council of the Arts (now known as the Cultural Council) and Bob Carter's Actor's Workshop and Repertory Company. Kenneth continues to serve on the board of directors of the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County, of which he is a founding member and former President. Kenneth has been married to his wife Monica for 48 years and has three grown children (one of whom is in the music and entertainment business in Los Angeles) and five grandchildren.
Carol Roberts
Chair
Carol A. Roberts attended Palm Beach Community College, University of Miami and Tufts University. Over the years, Ms. Roberts has held several official positions in Palm Beach County, including: West Palm Beach City Commissioner; Mayor of West Palm Beach; Palm Beach County Commissioner; Member of the Solid Waste Authority; Member of Tri-Rail Board; Board Member and Development Director Palm Beach Photographic Center; City of West Palm Beach Budget Committee; Chair of the City of West Palm Beach Transportation Committee; member of the City of West Palm Beach Comprehensive Plan Review Board; member of the West Palm Beach Cultural Committee; and member and Chair of the Palm Beach Health Care District. Ms. Roberts was married to Hyman J. Roberts for 59 years and is mother to six children and has eleven grandchildren.
Douglas Rill
Treasurer
Douglas Rill is the Owner, Founder and Broker for "CENTURY 21 America's Choice," a full-service real estate company since 1994. Douglas has over 40 Years of experience in all facets of the Real Estate Industry. In 1997, he acquired the "CENTURY 21 Academy of Learning," Real Estate School, operating over 20 years. Douglas began giving real estate advice on Public Radio in 1978, then in 1979, the show was moved to WJNO, where it became the longest running real estate show, ending in 2010. In 1985, Douglas became the Executive Producer of the video magazine, "House Detective," which aired on WPEC TV-12, for five consecutive years. Douglas has served on several Boards, including The Palm Beach International Film Festival and as President of CENTURY 21 Treasure/Palm Beach Council. Mr. Rill holds a BBA from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and a Realtor Emeritus designation from the National Association of Realtors. Douglas currently lives in Palm Beach with his wife, Angela Murray, former radio news anchor in Miami and West Palm Beach.
Robert Sanders
Vice Chair
Bob Sanders, one of West Palm Beach's well-known fundraisers and politically adept dealmakers is a leader in his community. An accountant, lawyer and businessman, he gives back to the community that has been so very good to him. Sanders, raised in a Philadelphia orphanage until the age of 8, learned the true meaning of hard work at a very early age. As a teenager, he toiled at a Philadelphia warehouse, loading and unloading pallets. After this enlightening experience, Sanders became determined to excel in school and the business world, and succeed he did. He graduated from Temple University with degrees in accounting and law. This education became the foundation for his future business successes. After law school and a judicial clerkship with Federal District Court Judge John W. Lord, Jr., Sanders became a name partner at a Philadelphia law firm and then Vice President and General Counsel of the Goodman Company, a leading national developer, where he supervised real-estate developments, such as the Phillips Point Twin Towers in West Palm Beach and the Esplanade Shopping Via in Palm Beach. After a period of 20 years, he retired in 1990 as the company's president. After relocating to Florida in 1982, Sanders established a reputation as a trusted political advisor to area politicians and notables. Mayor Nancy Graham brought Sanders, a past board member of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, out of his retirement to serve as Deputy City Attorney. In that position, Sanders was in charge of city transactions and pivotal economic development projects. Now involved in city and county politics, Sanders became determined to make a marked difference in his community. Sanders began playing the role of key negotiator and advisor, crafting deals in West Palm Beach, including projects such as the Convention Center, the redevelopment of the West Palm Beach Auditorium and baseball stadium site, and today's CityPlace, a $500,000,000 development of 72 vacant acres in downtown West Palm Beach. Sanders is a past President of the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches and is the current Chairman of the Downtown Development Authority. However, Sanders' passionate involvement in his community has never been limited to strictly business deals. With his gracious and approachable nature and his savvy problem solving skills, he has volunteered his time as fundraiser and chairman for several worthy causes including the West Palm Beach Library Foundation, the Adam Walsh Children's Fund, the Palm Beach International Film Festival, the Epilepsy Foundation of Eastern Florida and Cities in Schools, a high school dropout prevention program.
John Oxendine
Alternate
Mr. Oxendine has been an entrepreneur, operator, investor, and lender in the communications industry for over 30 years. In these positions, Mr. Oxendine has been responsible for selecting, investigating, performing due diligence, analyzing, structuring, negotiating, and closing on potential investments for the companies he has owned, operated, and served. Mr. Oxendine has provided portfolio management and administrative services to these companies, including monitoring the performance of their portfolio companies, developing exit strategies, and advising them regarding the disposition of investments. Mr. Oxendine is currently Chairman, President and CEO of Blackstar Management, LLC, and Blackstar Media L.P., both management companies which provide consulting and management services to the communications industry. Mr. Oxendine served as interim CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of Equity Media Holdings Corporation (“EM”) from June 2008 through January 2009. EM was a publicly held media company that divested its assets in April 2009. Mr. Oxendine served as Chairman, President and CEO of Blackstar Communications, Inc. (“BCI”), a company he formed in 1987 that acquired, owned and successfully operated commercial television stations in the U.S. Mr. Oxendine formed BCI with an original investment of $100,000 in common equity and $5 million in preferred equity, and eventually bought 5 television stations at a cost of nearly $30 million. When the sale of all the stations was completed to USA Broadcasting, Inc. in 1998, the total sale value was $96 million, yielding a significant return on investment of over $35 million to Mr. Oxendine and his investors, which included Fox Television Stations Inc. (“FOX”), and Home Shopping Network, Inc. (“HSN”). From 1981-1995, Mr. Oxendine served as President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Broadcap Capital, Inc. (“Broadcap”) and it’s then parent company, Broadcast Capital Fund, Inc. (“BCFI”). Broadcap and BCFI were companies that were mandated by their investors, large publicly held broadcast companies, to invest in minority-controlled communications businesses. Broadcap was essentially a lender of last resort to new minority entrepreneurs in the media industry. Additionally, as part of the mandate, Broadcap and BCFI provided managerial and financial training to over 3,000 radio and television industry professionals. As Chairman and President of Broadcap and BCFI, Mr. Oxendine oversaw the companies’ strategic development, management, capital raising efforts, portfolio-company monitoring, and all investment decisions. Under Mr. Oxendine’s leadership, Broadcap and BCFI committed approximately $17 million to over 47 companies to acquire or construct broadcast properties, leveraging total capitalization in these companies to an amount of nearly $80 million. Included in the companies receiving funding and other support from Broadcap were eight Hispanic owned and operated entities, several of which were seeded by Broadcap’s investments and subsequently became significant companies in the Hispanic media industry. Mr. Oxendine was also a member of the board of directors of Paxson Communications Corporation, a large publicly held media company, and Lockhart Companies Incorporated, primarily a real estate company. Mr. Oxendine served in the U.S. Marine Corps on active duty from July 1967 to December 1968 and in the active reserve from December 1968 to July 1973. Mr. Oxendine earned an M.B.A. from Harvard University, Graduate School of Business in 1971. He received a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology from Hunter College in 1965. He has a working knowledge of Spanish and French, and some familiarity with Russian. Mr. Oxendine has written several articles on venture capital and media investing that have been published in the Bar Association Law Journal, Duke University Law Review, Journal of Minority Business Finance, and Sound Management. Mr. Oxendine currently resides in Boca Raton, Florida.
Denise-Marie Nieman
Alternate
Denise-Marie Nieman joined the Palm Beach County Attorney’s Office after her graduation from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law in 1986 and stayed there in continuous public service until her retirement in October 2021, ending a 35-year run with the last 25 years serving as the County Attorney. One of her earlier assignments was representing the Film & Television Commission, so she has been a fan of the mission for a long time. Ms. Nieman is on the Board of Governors as a trustee of the St. Mary’s Medical Center and previously was a member of the Board of Directors of SunFest of Palm Beach County, Inc., serving as president in 2010. She’s also a certified pageant judge through the Miss America Organization. Ms. Nieman has enjoyed many competitions in that capacity, playing a role in providing scholarships to many amazing women over the years. Ms. Nieman is an officer in the France Florida Foundation of the Arts, having served as a member of its Board of Directors since 2013. She’s a member of the French Heritage Society, La Société des Filles du Roi et Soldats du Carignan, Inc., and The American-French Genealogical Society. Ms. Nieman was also inducted as an Ambassadeur of the République de Montmartre and is a member of the Paris American Club NYC. Her passion is writing and all forms of creative expression, which includes supporting a variety of cultural and arts organizations. Ms. Nieman is a member of the Palm Beach County Cultural Council, Société des Amis de Versailles, and l’Arop—Les amis de l’Opéra. Ms. Nieman is the author of Christmas Party Celebrations (1997) and Rock the World Rehab: a 4-step get red carpet ready detox adventure (2012), which became an Amazon #1 bestseller. She currently shares inspiration on social media @Glitter.the.Globe and has a few books and projects in the works. Ms. Nieman’s faith is very important to her. She’s an active parishioner of St. Edward Catholic Church, serving as a Eucharistic Minister and doing charitable works through the church’s guild. She’s also a Dame in the Order of Malta, and through that association, regularly feeds the homeless at St Ann Place and co-chairs a rosary ministry. Ms. Nieman splits her time between Paris and Jupiter, enjoying life with her husband, Joe, and their three dogs Félix, Cocoa and Oscar.
Phone
800.745.FILM (3456)
561.233.1000
Address
2195 Southern Blvd., Suite 520
West Palm Beach, Florida 33406
