Judges
Patti Jackson
As Senior Vice President of Live-Action, Patti Jackson headed development and production of live-action films under the Universal Studios 1440 Entertainment banner for distribution in all media worldwide. In her 25 years at Universal, she oversaw approximately 225+ productions as a hands-on producer, including the studio’s live-action, comedy and drama franchises “Chucky,” “Death Race,” “Tremors,” “Bring It On” and “Scorpion King.”
Terry Cooper
Terry Cooper is a pioneering Sandpoint media producer with a 36-year legacy in video production and a massive library of over 7,000 hours of footage. As the founder of Hot Shots Video Productions, he created, wrote, and produced over 300 ad-supported cable television programs from 1988 to 2020, including regional staples like the Sandpoint Home and Garden Show and Ski Flakes. A cornerstone of local storytelling, Terry edited the 2001 Sandpoint Centennial Film and documented the legendary innovator Dr. Forrest Bird. He brings this deep, end-to-end industry expertise in filming, editing, and producing to this year's Sandpoint Film Festival judging panel.
Jodi Lee
An Emmy-nominated Director, Producer, and Scriptwriter in Idaho with 20+ years experience leading creative projects from concept to completion. An MA Filmmaking degree through Bournemouth UK/ London expanded my vision and global perspective on the impact of a truly excellent film. With more than 18 awards and years of creating compelling videos, my greatest joy remains the thrill of an audience in a darkened theater responding to my stories.
Jim Johnston
Jim Johnston is an award-winning producer/director with extensive experience as a showrunner of unscripted series, documentaries, lifestyle pilots, branded content, and celebrity-driven projects. A former VP of Creative Affairs at Bunim-Murray Productions and Director of NBC Electronic Press & Publicity, Johnston was the showrunner of nineteen seasons of MTV’s iconic unscripted series “The Real World” and received an Emmy for the NBC docuseries “Starting Over”. Johnston was nominated six times for an Emmy as the senior producer of the PBS Kids series “ZOOM” and at NBC News served as supervising producer of two series: “I-Witness Video” and “One on One”.
He received seven local news Emmys for documentaries, sports and news features, and in recent years has produced two low-budget feature films “The Unwilling” and the mockumentary “Reboot Camp”. Johnston was also the supervising story producer of the pilot and first two seasons of MTV’s “Road Rules” and later produced and directed the acclaimed MTV documentary “Return to Duty” - following a young soldier and his family for six months as he reluctantly returned to active duty in Iraq. Johnston has led camera teams to Rocky Mountain peaks, surfing the beaches of Costa Rica, summer skiing on Mt. Hood, and shooting in the face of Hurricane Katrina.