Lance Hool

CEO

Lance Hool possesses a uniquely multifaceted background in film and media, having worked as an actor, writer, director, producer, executive producer and chairman of a distribution company. Over the last four decades he has produced twenty-five major motion pictures, two of which have reached the coveted number one at the box-office rank: Missing In Action (1984) and, more recently, Man on Fire (2004), which was released by 20th Century Fox.

Lance's work has taken him to five continents, which has granted him the unparalleled opportunity to observe studios all around the world and continually hone his own expertise in studio operation. He enjoys an unrivaled reputation for successfully shepherding a story from the page to the screen, and for delivering films on-time and on-budget. Because of the high priority he places on delivering value to his financiers, he has promptly repaid all of the production loans for his movies. Equity investors have been in the enviable position of always receiving their investment back, with a return.

Born and raised in Mexico City in a family environment of international politics and art, Lance spent his formative years in the film industry working as an actor on motion pictures such as Ralph Nelson's Soldier Blue, starring Candice Bergen, and Howard Hawks' Rio Lobo, starring John Wayne.

In 1971, he entered the film business full-time, gravitating towards production. From 1977 to 1980, Lance ran the US operations of Pelmex, the Mexican national film distribution company. Under his adroit management, the company co-produced more than 20 films and released upwards of 100 theatrical releases per year, while Lance himself became a master in overseeing the complex orchestration of people, locations, equipment, time and money that is required to successfully bring a motion picture to fruition.

Because of his wide-ranging aptitude for the intricacies of every stage of the process - from acting to physical production to directing - Lance also possesses an exceptional knack for managing a film's schedule and budget, while simultaneously facilitating the magic of the creative process.

Lance holds a BA and an MBA from the Universidad de las Americas, and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Directors Guild of America, the Screen Actors Guild of America and the Screenwriters Guild.

Jason Hool

President

Jason Hool boasts impressively diverse commercial credentials, ranging from multinational product development to international private equity. Growing up in an entertainment industry family, he worked on numerous motion pictures as cast and crew, developing a distinctive set of skills that culminated in the production and direction of his own documentary film, St. Patrick's Battalion (1998).

Jason began his corporate career in 1998 at Hitachi, where he established the company's first non-Japanese research and development laboratory, in Silicon Valley. From 2001 to 2004, he worked as a turnaround consultant for numerous international clients, including the London Underground, FIAT Auto and NOKIA.

Most recently, Jason was with senior management at Terra Firma Capital Partners, one of Europe's largest private equity firms. At Terra Firma, Jason refined his expertise in the multifarious aspects of portfolio investment, becoming adept at analysis, structuring, financing and risk mitigation and liquidation.

Additionally, he served as a senior advisor on a number of entertainment industry transactions, including the €1.0 billion purchase of the Odeon and UCI cinema chains in Europe and a US$300 million tax-driven P&A financing structure for a major Hollywood studio. While at Terra Firma, Jason was also the owner's representative on the largest real-estate development project in Italy, valued at over €150 million.

Jason has served as an innovation and technology-transfer specialist for the Commonwealth Secretariat, as an industry expert for the Coronado Ventures Forum and the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce, and is a founding member of the Santa Fe County Arts, Culture and Entertainment (ACE) Taskforce. Jason serves on the advisory committee for the Santa Fe Community College Film Program. Additionally, Jason is on the Board of Directors of the Motion Picture Association of New Mexico.

Jason holds a B.S. in Engineering and a B.A. in Philosophy from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from London Business School.

Conrad Hool

President: Production

Conrad Hool. With more than 40 years of international experience in the film industry, Conrad has had the good fortune to work with some of the all-time greats, including Howard Hawks, John Wayne, Burt Lancaster, Robert Duvall, Gene Hackman, Sam Peckinpah, Ralph Nelson and Stanley Donen.

His career has taken him on location to more than 30 countries, where he developed a strong command of all aspects of physical production. Conrad's involvement with a film begins during the planning stage, during which he oversees the creation of detailed line-item budgets for up to 25 different departments. In the pre-production phase, he immerses himself in location scouting and analysis, the creation of daily shooting schedules and associated logistics, and the securing of any production incentives or soft monies.

During production, Conrad joins forces with the director and crew to continuously revise budgets and schedules — whatever is required to keep a film running smoothly and on track. He then helps wrap up the process by collaborating with the director and post-production facilities to assure that the film is delivered as envisaged.

In addition to his extensive film industry experience, Conrad possesses a comprehensive business background, having overseen the management and operation of several corporations in both the United States and Mexico.