NJFA ADVISORY BOARD

Supporting the Mission of NJFA

The New Jersey Film Awards Advisory Board brings together experienced voices from the independent film community to provide perspective, insight, and guidance as NJFA continues to grow.

MEET THE BOARD

Advisory Board Members

Our Advisory Board includes filmmakers, artists, educators, and industry professionals who share NJFA's commitment to supporting and celebrating independent film.

Chris J. Cullen

Actor, Filmmaker & Festival Director

Chris J. Cullen is a New Jersey-based actor, producer, director, and screenwriter whose work spans film, television, and independent cinema. A SAG actor, he has appeared in productions including The Amazing Spider-Man 2, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Clerks III. As a filmmaker, Cullen has written and directed several award-winning short films. He is the founder of the Hang Onto Your Shorts Film Festival and currently runs the Brightside Tavern Film Festival in Jersey City, continuing his longstanding support of independent filmmakers and the New Jersey film community.

Ryan Callaway

Writer, Director & Producer

Ryan Callaway is a New Jersey-based writer, director, and producer whose work spans independent narrative and genre filmmaking. Through Shady Dawn Pictures, he has developed and produced a range of original projects, including The Night of the Harvest, Dark Frequency, Ember in the Woods, New Jersey Devil, and The Girl We Let In. His filmmaking work also includes experience in cinematography and editing, giving him a broad perspective on the independent production process. Callaway continues to create original films while remaining active in New Jersey’s independent filmmaking community.

Karl Ryan Erikson

Writer, Director & Editor

Karl Ryan Erikson is a New Jersey-based writer, director, and editor and founder of Lucky Elephant Films. His debut feature, The Family Recipe, won Best Feature Film at the Long Island International Film Expo, while his World War II short Addle Strife has received more than 2.3 million YouTube views and screened internationally. His additional work includes Disarray Days, SHED, and Freeman Velocity, along with feature screenplays spanning multiple genres. A graduate of Montclair State University’s BFA Filmmaking program, Karl remains actively involved in New Jersey’s independent filmmaking community.

Juliana Rodríguez

Director & Multimedia Artist

Juliana Rodríguez is an Argentine-born film director and multimedia artist based in Raleigh, North Carolina. A graduate of the Institute of Cinematographic Art of Avellaneda, she creates emotionally driven films exploring memory, identity, loss, and human connection. Her recent projects include The Man They Never Knew (2026), Not From Here (2026), The Love Monsters (2026), and Night of 5 (2025), which have earned recognition at national and international film festivals, including directing honors. In 2024, she received an Artist Support Grant from United Arts Wake County to support her short film The Mermaid Collector.

Zay Rodriguez

Writer, Director, Producer & Actor

Zay Rodriguez is a filmmaker, writer, producer, director, and actor with more than two decades of independent filmmaking experience. As founder of Junito’s Studios, he develops original films while creating opportunities for emerging actors and filmmakers to collaborate. His work includes The Locked Room, the OnlyFan horror series, Circle of Stories, and Actor to Actor, with additional feature and documentary projects in development. Through his filmmaking and regional collaborations, Rodriguez continues to build a creative community centered on original storytelling and emerging talent.

Vincent Scuro

Filmmaker, Composer & Author

Vincent Scuro is a filmmaker, composer, and author with a professional career spanning more than five decades. Born and raised in New Jersey, he now creates independent animated science-fiction films as a writer, director, producer, and composer. His work includes Drone Runner, Drone Runner II, and Drone Runners, along with serving as an executive and archival producer on Woman in Motion. Previously an accomplished author of science and nature books, Scuro combines storytelling, animation, original music, and evolving filmmaking technologies in his independent film work.

AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE

Advising, Supporting & Strengthening NJFA

Advisory Board members provide perspective on the filmmaker experience, festival initiatives, community engagement, and the long-term direction of NJFA.

Their professional experience helps NJFA remain connected to the needs of independent filmmakers while continuing to develop meaningful opportunities for recognition, visibility, and creative community.

The Advisory Board operates separately from the monthly competition judging process. Board membership does not influence selections, nominations, awards, or competition results.

Be recognized. Be celebrated.

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