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CHRIS MATSON

CEO

Chris went from studying filmmaking at NYU, to earning production credits on multiple films, to becoming a seasoned expert in film and television deal-making and contract drafting.

Most recently before joining Divergent as CEO, Chris was a Senior Counsel at Netflix. Before that, he was Director of Business Affairs at HBO, Head of Business Affairs and Production at Magnolia Pictures, and Head of Business Affairs at HDNet Films. Chris also worked in the business affairs department at ITV, the UK's largest commercial television broadcaster.

He has a high level of expertise and experience in negotiating, drafting and otherwise handling all commercial and business affairs aspects of the US, UK and international television and film industries, including development, financing, acquisition, production, distribution and operational.

 

KATHERINE DIECKMANN

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Katherine Dieckmann’s career has spanned filmmaking, journalism and teaching. Her track record is that of an accomplished director and writer, Creative Advisor at Sundance, and Professor of Professional Practice at the Columbia University School of the Arts Film Program, where she has taught Screenwriting for over two decades. 

Katherine’s most recent feature film is STRANGE WEATHER (2016), starring Holly Hunter and Carrie Coon, which opened theatrically in July 2017 before being distributed worldwide by Netflix. STRANGE WEATHER had its gala premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to play multiple festivals worldwide.

Other films include MOTHERHOOD (2009), starring Uma Thurman, Minnie Driver and Anthony Edwards, which premiered at Sundance; DIGGERS (2007), written by Ken Marino and starring Paul Rudd, Sarah Paulson, Maura Tierney, Lauren Ambrose and Marino, also premiering at Toronto; and A GOOD BABY (2000), starring Henry Thomas, David Strathairn, and Cara Seymour, which was developed at the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriting and Directing labs. Dieckmann has also directed music videos for Sharon Van Etten, R.E.M., Wilco, Aimee Mann, and others. Her journalism has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vogue, New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times Book Review.

Katherine’s engagement with the Sundance Institute includes working as a Creative Advisor at international labs in Jordan and Turkey, and twice at the New Frontier Digital Storytelling lab. She advised Sundance on the development of the online curriculum that was the genesis for Sundance Collab. She has also mentored for the Almarack Screenwriters Colony and the IFP Narrative Features Lab.

JENNIFER MACDONALD

HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT

Jennifer MacDonald is an award-winning film producer and writer whose amazing travels and experiences around the world bring extra value to her role at Divergent. After a career as a cryptologist, she took a sharp turn and began working in all levels of film production, from actress to assistant director, script supervisor and line producer on dozens of projects. 

Jen is passionate about culture and connection, speaks several languages (Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, some French) and has travelled much of the world (especially the Middle East, North Africa, and Cuba) for the last twenty years. She also founded and runs HADAYA, an organization dedicated to offering creative outlets and educational opportunities to displaced and disadvantaged children. Hadaya has been working in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Syria, India and Nepal since 2014.

In 2008, Jen co-wrote, produced and cast the feature film, “Anywhere, USA” which won a “Spirit of Independence” award at Sundance 08 as well as awards at festivals in Boston, France, Russia, Florida and Mexico.

Most recently, Jen produced a series of speaker presentations and mini-documentaries in Cairo for “Afar Experiences,” an offshoot of the award-winning travel magazine. This organization is dedicated to bringing travelers in touch with the heart and soul of a country through in depth interaction with social change agents and locals. She is especially interested in cross-cultural stories that shed light on underreported or misunderstood events and people.

FIL ASGEDOM

CO-HEAD OF FINANCING

Fil is founder and owner of the Seattle-based investment banking firm, Sax Capital. He also is the owner of Sax Golden, a boutique M&A firm currently being converted into an investment bank. Fil is an experienced dealmaker and financial modeler. At Divergent, Fil is responsible for bringing in investors for projects in development. He also brings projects to the Divergent slate. These most notably include TIME TO CHANGE, an urgent feature documentary based on a real-life incident in India, on the subject of empowerment of women, with leading Indian and US production house, Guru Films Pvt Ltd. Fil is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley (with major in Decision Making and Multiple Model Thinking), University of California, San Francisco (Hastings College of Law), and the Wharton School.

KAILIN CHE

CO-HEAD OF FINANCING

As Co-Head of Financing at Divergent, Kailin is responsible for raising funds for our projects in development. Kailin is well-placed for this role, as a highly experienced, Los Angeles-based media lawyer and counselor who advises media companies, private and institutional investors on matters relating to financing television and film projects.  Kailin got her start in the television business as a featured talent in one of China's top national television talk shows for 13 episodes. She currently is also a member of SmithDehn LLP, one of the world's leading media law firms, specializing in film and television.

MIKE CLEAVER

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Mike Cleaver gained his experience in film and television development, financing, and production as Managing Director of Convergent Media, a position he continues to hold while branching out as MD of Divergent. Mike’s recent production credits include the New York Times Critics Pick, BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB ADIÓS (executive produced by Wim Wenders and directed by Lucy Walker, released on 80 screens in over 50 U.S. cities in May 2017), Golden Globe winning THE MAURITANIAN (featuring Jodie Foster, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tahar Rahim, and Shailene Woodley), and SAY HER NAME (upcoming, with director Gerardo Naranjo, starring Wagner Moura).

Mike is also an accomplished production attorney and founding partner of entertainment law firm SmithDehn. He regularly provides pre-publication counseling and review for television programming and feature documentaries broadcast by networks such as the Discovery Channel, HBO, National Geographic, A&E, and TLC. Mike also has performed production counsel work for several major motion pictures and feature documentaries, including among others, Sacha Baron Cohen’s "Borat” and “Bruno,” the International Emmy Award-winning docudrama "Death of a President," and the BAFTA award-winning "The Imposter." Mike is a leading expert on First Amendment matters, libel, rights of privacy and publicity, copyrights and trademarks, and other potential legal issues relevant to the production and distribution of television and film content.

RUSSELL SMITH

HEAD OF PRODUCTION

To his role as Head of Production for Divergent, Russell Smith brings experience both as a producer (current CEO of Convergent Media) and as an entertainment lawyer (current partner at SmithDehn and former partner at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz).

Russell’s executive producer credits include New York Times Critics Pick, BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB ADIÓS (also executive produced by Wim Wenders, and directed by Lucy Walker, which was released on 80 screens in over 50 U.S. cities in May 2017), Golden Globe-winning THE MAURITANIAN (featuring Jodie Foster, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tahar Rahim, and Shailene Woodley), and SAY HER NAME (upcoming, with director Gerardo Naranjo, starring Wagner Moura and Adria Arjona). He is currently co-directing GETTING FREE: Refuge Recovery and a Buddhist Approach to Breaking Addictions.