Jed Dietz
Director of the Maryland Film Festival
President of the Producer's Club of Maryland
The Executive Producer of the Fox Network's movie Rise and Walk: The Dennis Byrd Story, Jed Dietz is the founder and general partner of Film Development Partners. FDP is a limited partnership investing in ideas for feature film production. The fund has been used to develop ideas into screenplays for a variety of producers ranging from the actor Kevin Bacon to Larry Turman (The River Wild), and now has 15 projects in various stages of development. Mr. Dietz is involved with Parting the Waters, an eight-hour mini-series for ABC.

In 1993, Mr. Dietz founded the Producers Club of Maryland, Inc., a not for profit corporation to help the Maryland Film Office attract more film and television production to Maryland. The organization represents business leaders from around the state and has been instrumental in a significant increase in the film business in Maryland in the past few years.

The Producers Club owns the Maryland Regional Production Guide, the only comprehensive "yellow pages" for film and television production companies; has its own Web site geared to the Guide (www.mdrpg.com); and organized a production conference, REELMaryland, for local businesses who want to learn more about the opportunities for increased business with production companies. The Producers Club funds and administers the Producers Club of Maryland Filmmakers Fellowship each year in partnership with Sundance Labs. The Producers Club has organized numerous premier screenings and marketing events on both coasts.

Mr Dietz graduated from Deerfield Academy, the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill where he was a Morehead Scholar, and he holds an M.B.A. from the University of Rochester. He serves on the Marketing Committee of the National Aquarium, and is on the Board of Baltimore’s CenterStage.

Skizz Cyzyk
Programming Manager
Skizz is a filmmaker, and founder of MicroCineFest, the fall festival that has introduced countless underground films to the Baltimore area since 1997. As a filmmaker, Skizz is known for the Formstone documentary Little Castles, that he directed and edited, and an award-winning animated short called 4 Films in 5 Minutes. Skizz serves as a Jury member and projectionist at Slamdance, and consults with various other festivals including the Atlanta Film & Video Festival and Alabama’s Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. A founding member of the Maryland Film Festival's Programming Advisory Board, Skizz has made important programming contributions to each of the first two Festivals, before taking on the position of Programing Manager in 2001.


Dan Krovich
Programming Administrator
Dan Krovich graduated with high honors from the College of William and Mary with a degree in chemistry. He then received his Ph.D. in pharmacology and molecular sciences from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He served as a volunteer at the 1999 Maryland Film Festival helping with merchandise sales and at the 2000 Festival serving as an assistant to the programmer, aiding in the production of the program book and coordinating film projection logistics. He has also served on the screening committee for MicroCineFest. Dan joined the staff of The Maryland Film Festival in 2001 as programming administrator.

Erin Jakowski
Sponsorship Coordinator and Filmmaker Liaison
Before joining the Festival staff, Erin Jakowski worked as executive assistant to both the Director and the Director of Development at the Johns Hopkins University Press. A graduate from the Baltimore School for the Arts, Erin also served as Box Office Assistant and Dramaturgy intern at Center Stage, the State Theatre of Maryland, from 1999-2001. Her Box Office experience included maintaining the subscriber database and handling subscriber sales and inquiries for the '99-2000 season. As a dramaturg, Erin has written extensive program notes, articles, conducted audience discussions and artist interviews for Center Stage, Everyman, and Action Theatre. Erin also worked as assistant producer for Center Stage's 2000-2001 Off Center Season. She holds a BA in Liberal Arts from St. Johns College in Annapolis, Maryland. Erin will work closely with the Director of the Festival to develop more corporate marketing sponsorship opportunities.

Mary Kerr
Chair, Filmmakers Advisory Council
Mary Kerr has held an array of positions in the fields of film, radio, television, and the Internet. She has been involved with the Sundance Labs and was a programmer for the Sundance Film Festival where she continues to be active in the selection process. She is currently a programmer for the Los Angeles Film Festival and looks forward to becoming involved with the Maryland film community after having done her "time" in LA. Mary was born in Baltimore and graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park with a degree in Journalism. Mary will help organize the Filmmakers Advisory Council for the festival.