WE ARE SOLD OUT
AS OF NOW WE ARE SOLD OUT OF ALL-EVENT PASSES. WE ARE LIKELY TO HAVE A FEW SLOTS AVAILABLE FOR INDIVIDUAL SESSIONS AND/OR PERFORMANCES. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GETTING ON THE WAIT LIST, PLEASE CLICK ON THE BUTTON BELOW
Dates: Wednesday, November 13th – Friday, November 15th
Location: Hotel Fraye - Nashville, TN
In this time of cultural upheaval, the collective anxiety can be stifling to our health, our economics, as well as our creativity. Yet, artists have always managed to express our tensions and fears. They’ve been our dream weavers – casting a vision, painting a picture of what’s possible. Hope is inherent in the creative process.
For almost twenty years, the Wedgwood Circle has carved out a third way, bringing storytellers and business leaders together around goodness, truth, and beauty. Technology enables us to cross disciplines, to collaborate across industries, to launch our creative expressions into the marketplace. We gather in Nashville for mutual support and encouragement, as well as potential partnerships.
Join us for this convergence as we bring creatives and capital together: Gamers, Filmmakers, Playwrights, Singers and Authors connecting with producers, executives and entrepreneurs as we forge a future for the common good. Because we need each other to enrich our stories.
Keynote Speakers, Panelists & Performers
-
Makoto Fujimura is a leading contemporary artist whose work has been featured in galleries and museums around the world, including The Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, The Huntington Library in California, the Tikotin Museum in Israel, Belvedere Museum in Vienna, C3M North Bund Art Museum in Shanghai, and Pola Museum in Japan. His process-driven, refractive “slow art” has been described by David Brooks of the New York Times as “a small rebellion against the quickening of time.”
Fujimura is the author of 4 books: Art+Faith: A Theology of Making, Silence and Beauty, Refractions, and Culture Care. He is also the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2023 Kuyper Prize for Excellence in Reformed Theology and Public Life and the American Academy of Religion’s 2014 Religion and the Arts award. From 2003 to 2009, he served as a Presidential appointee to the National Council on the Arts. He is a celebrated speaker and advocate for the arts and is the recipient of four honorary doctorate degrees. -
Carlos Whittaker is bringing hope to humans all over the world. And he’s pretty good at it: he’s an author, podcaster, and global speaker backed by the power of a massive Instafamilia, his enthusiastic social followers who tune in daily to join forces with Carlos to find connection, do good, and be in community.
When Carlos enters a room, he makes people feel seen. His super power is creating spaces—online and in-person—where people are safe to engage in conversation about the topics that matter most but are often avoided. His motto: don’t stand on issues, walk with people. That’s the professional stuff—but all day every day, Carlos is a family man.
He and his wife Heather live in Nashville, Tennessee, with their three amazing children, where you can find them working on the family farm, planning trips around the world, and dancing to Single Ladies (seriously, Google it). -
MŌRIAH is a multi-talented artist in both music and film. After signing with SONY/Provident in Nashville, her album BRAVE reached No. 9 on Billboard's CCM Charts, featuring GRAMMY-winner Andy Mineo. In film, she starred in Because of Gracia (2017) and portrayed Loyce Whiteman in the Ronald Reagan biopic alongside Dennis Quaid (2022). MŌRIAH also made her theatrical debut in Journey to Bethlehem (2023), and currently plays Bathsheba in The Chosen (2023).
Alongside her husband, Joel Smallbone, MŌRIAH co-hosted the podcast BECOMING
and co-produced the Lionsgate film Unsung Hero (2024). She recently released her EP Curtain Call and is working on a new album with GRAMMY-winning producer Paul Mabury. Based in Nashville, MŌRIAH continues to inspire through her art and positive message.
-
Haejin Shim Fujimura serves as Embers’ CEO where she leads the strategy and engagement that fuels Embers’ growth and vision. Haejin builds and manages the core teams in the U.S. and India and oversees and develops the programs and partnerships to protect, restore, and empower the victims of injustice.
Haejin is also the founder and managing partner of Shim & Associates, P.C. and an experienced lawyer. She has successfully litigated over 450 lawsuits and has represented over a hundred companies ranging from startups to publicly traded companies in their internal and external business disputes and transactions. She founded her law firm with the vision of cultural renewal for the legal industry and has its offices in New York and New Jersey.
In addition, Haejin is the President of Kintsugi Academy, and with her husband Makoto Fujimura, a renowned contemporary artist, leads the movement of “Beauty + Justice”. She also serves as the Team Leader of NYC Advocacy & Mobilization Team of International Justice Mission, the largest anti-slavery organization in the world. She has served on the board of a number of nonprofit organizations.
Haejin received a B.A. in Psychology and Urban Studies from Barnard College, Columbia University, and a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.
-
Erin Mae Miller is a Nashville based film and TV producer, director, and principal of Ignite Studios. Miller has produced and managed productions for 15 years, starting in non-scripted television and documentaries, creating shows for PBS, TLC, E!, Discovery, History, and VH1. Miller’s passion for people, ethics, and history drives her development, understanding that stories shape our culture.
Previously, Miller was an executive with Big Indie Pictures (Manchester By The Sea) where she worked with Amazon Original Movies, and then as a creative executive with Endeavor’s Third Coast Content. She most recently Produced the feature film BOUNDARY WATERS starring Carol Kane set to release 2025. Miller produced IDENTITY CRISIS directed by Shari Rigby & feature documentary UNASHAMED about Christian Hip Hop to be distributed by Sony.
Miller is a board member of Women Independent Producers. -
Creative Arts Collective
Dr. Steve Guthrie is a professor of theology at Belmont University, where he teaches courses on theology, the arts, and worship. His diverse background includes roles as a pastor, musician, and even a commercial window washer, all of which contribute to his unique approach to theology. Passionate about the intersection of faith, art, and community, Dr. Guthrie enjoys building meaningful relationships with students, viewing theology as a shared journey. He also serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for The Rabbit Room, a non-profit focused on Christianity and the arts. Outside of academia, he enjoys weightlifting, playing his Fender-Rhodes piano, and cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dr. Guthrie lives in Nashville with his wife, Julie, and their four children.
-
Creative Arts Collective
Virginia Briley is a passionate advocate for her hometown of Nashville, with a strong background in education, leadership, and creative strategy. Currently serving as the External Engagement & Creative Strategist for the Creative Arts Collective, Virginia has also held key roles as a Consultant and Grant Program Coordinator at Belmont University. She is the 2023 President of Women In Numbers (W.I.N.) and was honored as one of Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30 in 2022. A member of the Nashville Emerging Leaders Class of 2021, Virginia previously worked as a Legislative Coordinator and Government Relations Coordinator at Jigsaw TN.
With a Master’s in Instructional Practice and a Bachelor’s in History and Political Science from Lipscomb University, Virginia has extensive experience as a middle and high school educator, mentoring students in both private schools and MNPS. Known for her creative spirit and love of the arts, she continues to contribute to Nashville’s vibrant community through her leadership and engagement.
-
Creative Arts Collective
Rick Rekedal is the Chief Creative Officer and Executive Director of the Creative Arts Collective for Christian Life & Faith at Belmont University. With over three decades of experience, including more than 20 years at DreamWorks Studios, Rick has played a key role in iconic projects like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and The Prince of Egypt. His work has earned multiple awards, including two Annie Awards and Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards. Rick also runs TheStoryCrate.com, where he develops original content, and he previously served as interim CEO of David C Cook & Integrity Music. He is a Senior Fellow for Storytelling at Belmont and a trustee of Los Angeles Pacific University. Rick and his wife, Vicki, have three daughters and have been married for over 30 years.
-
Russ Ramsey is a pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, where he lives with his wife and five children. He grew up in the fields of Indiana and studied at Taylor University and Covenant Theological Seminary (MDiv, ThM). He is the author of REMBRANDT IS IN THE WIND and VAN GOGH HAS A BROKEN HEART
-
Prior to joining Porter’s Call in 2010, Beth Barcus worked within nonprofit organizations for 10 years providing crisis intervention counseling and care. Beth received her Masters degree and was trained in counseling. However, at Porter’s Call she gets to lay down the title of therapist to pick up the title of Co-Executive Director + Porter. As a Porter, she has met with thousands of touring and recording artists/partners. It’s been her great privilege to provide confidential support & encouragement to individuals, couples, and bands, speaking/teaching, and leading groups, retreats, & intensives. Beth is passionate about helping people find freedom and healing, as she seeks to be a safe friend who guides people through their pain to the gift of hope found on the other side. When Beth is not at the office, she enjoys time with her husband Blaine of 26 years, and their 3 children: 21yr old twins- Jude & Kenya and 17yr old Micah.
-
Chad received a Master's degree in counseling in 1995, combining his training and passion for providing tailored guidance, coaching, and care to diverse individuals and organizations. In his seven years at Porter’s Call, he has spent thousands of hours with artists and their partners. He also enjoys working with bands in his work as a Porter, as well as supporting partnerships within the industry as a whole as a Co-Executive Director. Chad and Meeka have been married for thirty-four years and have three kids and two daughters-in-law. Chad enjoys riding bikes and supporting Liverpool Football Club and Nashville Soccer Club. -
A native of Mississippi, Chad Holley lives in Los Angeles with singer-songwriter Claire Holley and their two sons. His fiction and essays have appeared in, among other places, Shenandoah, Greensboro Review, storySouth, and Houghton Mifflin’s Best American Mystery Stories. His work has received support from the Sewanee Writers’ Conference, the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley, and Wedgwood Circle's Good Lit Writers Retreat. He was awarded a 2022 Lincoln City Fellowship from the Speranza Foundation. Chad's debut novel SHIELD THE JOYOUS appears this fall (November 2024) from Bull City Books.
-
Joanna Taft serves as Founding Executive Director of the Harrison
Center, an artist studio center in Indianapolis. A cultural
entrepreneur, she is also founder of Herron
High School and creator of civic initiatives such as the Cultural
Entrepreneur Initiative,
Porch Party Indy, City Gallery: Indy's Urban Living Center,
PreEnactment Theater, The Greatriarchs, and the Polklore Micro-Museum.
For these endeavors, she has received the Governor's Arts Award,
Indianapolis Business, Journal Women of Influence Award, the Girls
Inc. Touchstone Award, Hoosier Heritage Lifetime Achievement Award,
Arts Council of Indianapolis ARTI Award, Jefferson Award, and two
Cultural Vision
awards. -
In addition to chairing the Image Board, Mark Sprinkle is an artist, writer, curator, forager and cook. A phi beta kappa graduate of Georgetown University, his Ph.D. from the College of William & Mary focused on the phenomenology of art in domestic environments. He previously served as Senior Fellow, Arts + Humanities at the BioLogos Foundation, and now convenes conversations on art, faith and food from his home in Richmond, VA.
-
A Pacific Northwest Native, Ryan Pemberton’s career has spanned business, ministry / theology, and higher education. Ryan graduated from Western Washington University, before spending four years working in public relations, marketing, and communications at a small PNW agency. Moving to Oxford, England in 2010, Ryan was a scholar-in-residence at The Kilns, C.S. Lewis’s former home; he served as the President of the Oxford University C.S. Lewis Society; and he was a founding member of the Oxford Open Forum, a weekly interreligious dialogue group. After earning his MA in Theology from Oxford, Ryan moved to Durham, North Carolina, where he later earned his Master of Theological Studies at Duke Divinity school. For five years, Ryan led University Ministries in Berkeley, California. For two years, he served remotely as Marketing and Communications Manager for the Graduate Theological Union, an interreligious and interdisciplinary consortium of theological graduate schools in North Berkeley.
Ryan is the author of two books, Called: My Journey to C. S. Lewis’s House and Back Again (Leafwood Publishers, 2015) and Walking with C. S. Lewis (Lexham Press, 2017), as well as a regular contributor to Sojourners Magazine, Christianity Today, and other publications. He is a Board Member at Edible Hope Community Kitchen, a ministry of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Ballard, where he serves on Tuesday evenings; a member of Redmond Presbyterian Church, where he is an inquirer in the ordination process; and a Board Member of Radix Magazine. Father to Emma and Hudson, Ryan enjoys cheering his kids on at their sports games, running Queen Anne Crown, reading, writing, and hosting thoughtful conversations around home-cooked meals.
-
With more than three decades of publishing experience, Becky joined the Forefront team in 2023. Having worked at Simon & Schuster and Random House, Becky has a deep knowledge of the publishing industry. Skilled at developing new and established authors, she has edited a diverse range of writers and has spent her entire career bringing inspired voices to the mainstream. Known for acquiring and editing books that live at the intersection of faith and popular culture, Becky has managed a broad list of titles that address how we find meaning and enjoy life.
With nearly fifty New York Times bestsellers to her credit Becky has worked with such notable authors as Emmy award–winning comedian Tim Conway, Emmy award-winning actress and producer, Roma Downey, Grammy award-winning musician Brad Paisley, award-winning comedian Leanne Morgan, popular online influencer Mallory Ervin, The Duck Dynasty Franchise, Sarah Bessey, Dave Ramsey, Karen Kingsbury, Jay Sekulow, Devon Franklin, MLB All-Star player Darryl Strawberry, and Senator Joe Lieberman.
-
Laura Waters Hinson is an award-winning filmmaker and Assistant Professor in the Film and Media Arts Division of the School of Communication at American University. Laura’s films focus on personal journeys, especially among women, exploring themes of reconciliation, human resilience, and entrepreneurship. Her first feature documentary, As We Forgive, about Rwanda’s reconciliation movement, won the 2008 student Academy Award for best documentary, the Cinema for Peace Award in Berlin, and was broadcast nationally on public television.
-
Jennifer Cadena is a multifaceted actress making her directorial debut with the short film Hills Like White Elephants, an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s classic story. Over the past two decades, she has captivated audiences with her nuanced performances, including her role in A Journey to the Heart, which has topped Mexico’s box office for three weekends in a row this past month and was distributed by Disney. Now transitioning into directing, Jennifer brings her deep emotional insight as an actress to her work behind the camera. Though Hills Like White Elephants is still in post-production, it has already generated excitement around her promising new path as a director. As a co-founder of Movie to Movement, Jennifer remains committed to producing life-affirming films that inspire and elevate, and she’s eager to explore this new phase of her storytelling journey.
-
The Waterfall Arts Foundation (a 501c foundation) exists to see artists flourish spiritually, creatively, and economically.
We restore the hopes and dreams of artists everywhere in recognition of the vital role they play as a creative catalyst for human healing and community cultivation.
Kate is the founder of The Waterfall Arts Foundation, which aims to cultivate a culture of care for artists and provide a safe place to have their worldview shaped, of which directly impacts their artwork. They emphasize the storytelling of artists background and creative process to the community to inspire dialogue and expand imagination.
-
DAVID FISCHER – DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS AFFAIRS & ACQUISITIONS AT ANGEL STUDIOS
David Fischer is the Director of Business Affairs and Acquisitions at Angel Studios. In his role, Fischer oversees feature films and television shows that pass the Angel Guild and works with filmmakers and investors who are attached to each project as they find their way in a distribution partnership with Angel Studios.
Fischer comes to Angel having worked in finance and entertainment for the past two decades producing and executive producing titles including:
· FATIMA (starring Joaquim de Almeida and Goran Visnjic) released by Picture House and Netflix about Our Lady of Fatima,
· SWEETWATER (starring Jim Caviezel and Richard Dreyfuss) about the first black NBA basketball player to sign with the New York Knicks
· SIGHT (starring Greg Kinnear and Terry Chen) about a revolutionary discovery that has saved the sight of millions of people in the world today; and,
Fischer was born in Minnesota where he attended the University of Saint Thomas School of Law and entered the Minnesota State Bar in 2006. Fischer’s career has specialized in law and finance centered around private equity and venture capital investing as well as strategic non-profit leadership and fundraising. Early in his legal career, Fischer got his start working with the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota, a $600M foundation, as their head of legal affairs and gift planning. After years of working in finance and investments Fischer received a unique opportunity to work with a production company out of Manhattan Beach Studios in LA. The rest is history. After getting a taste for working in entertainment, Fischer fell in love with bringing great stories to life. Most recently after producing the feature film SIGHT and releasing it in over 2000 theaters in May 2024, Fischer was approached to join Angel Studio's team and help run business affairs and acquisitions. Fischer joined Angel in July 2024.
Fischer resides in St. Paul, Minnesota with his wife of 21 years and children ranging in ages 20 to 2 years old.
The Schedule
Plan to arrive by the late afternoon on Wednesday, November 13th for our Opening Night Reception & Dinner and stay until NOON on Friday, November 15th.
Wednesday, November 13th
Opening Night @ The Hotel Fraye
5:00PM to 7:30PM Opening Night Reception & Dinner
8:00PM to 10:30PM Film Screenings @ Belmont’s Curb Theater
Thursday, November 14th
Panels, Presentations and Breakouts @ The Hotel Fraye
7:30AM to 8:30AM: Breakfast
9:00AM to NOON: Morning Session
NOON to 1:30PM: LUNCH
2:00PM to 4:30PM: Afternoon Session and Industry Breakouts
4:30PM to 6:00PM: BREAK
6:00PM to 8:30PM: Dinner
Thursday, November 14th (Evening)
Music Night @ the National Museum of African American Music
9:00PM to 11:30PM Wedgwood’s Music Showcase
Friday, November 15th
Wrap-Up Session @ The Fraye Hotel
7:30AM to 9:00AM Breakfast
9:00AM to 11:30AM Final Session