Joe Hartnett
Joe Hartnett
Joe Hartnett is the president and executive producer at Pacific Film Foundation. Joe has over 30 years experience in content development, including pioneering work with Disney Educational Media, creating, developing, and producing animated content for middle and high school health classes using Disney characters and original voices. He was a writer for the Smurfs animated series produced by Hanna Barbera, and worked under the direction of Smurf creator, Peyo on story ideas, outlines, and scripts.
At PFF, he is guiding development and production of three documentary films, Prison of Peace, The Forever Fix and Social Chips. He is a producer of a short documentary shot at City of Hope, A Delicate Balance. Joe has produced award-winning television shows such as Hawaiki Nui Va’a: World Championship Race for ESPN; Freeze Frame: Switzerland and Freeze Frame: Tahiti for The Travel Channel; and a weeklong broadcast of E!TV Talk Soup produced on location in Tahiti. He has also produced digital and traditional media and content for major worldwide brands in addition to Disney, including McDonald’s, City of Hope, USC/Norris Cancer Center, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Blue Shield, Tahiti Tourisme, Switzerland Tourism, Crystal Cruises, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Petco, Panasonic, and Toyota.
Joe is a founding Board Member of thinkLA, past Board member of the Brentwood School Board of Trustees, and past Chairman of the Board of the American Cancer Society, Los Angeles. He also mentors a high school student as part of the Fulfillment Fund, Los Angeles.
Dayle Davidson, Ph.D.
Dayle Davidson, Ph.D.
Dayle Davidson is the Director of Education and Development for the Pacific Film Foundation. Dr. Davidson founded, built and chaired one of the nation’s premier English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. The program grew to over 2,500 students, 32 full and part-time teachers, and currently transfers more students to UC and other leading four-year institutions than any other program in America.
Her groundbreaking research on brain hemisphere preference in language learning is quoted and used in university-level classes and textbooks. She brings to the foundation 40 years of experience in teaching, curricula and program design, and program management.
She has secured significant grant funding for her programs, and leads the foundation outreach effort. She is a recognized workshop leader and mentor, and a published author of professional articles, staff manuals and creative, cross-cultural curricula.
Christian Whittaker
Christian Whittaker
Chris started as an associate producer on the acclaimed ESPN athlete profile show, THE LIFE. He was promoted to segment producer and went on to produce shows for ESPN, TLC, and the Discovery Channel.
Shifting his focus from documentary storytelling to narrative features, Chris served a one-year stint as a creative executive at Union Entertainment before launching Fourth and Forever Pictures. As partner and creative director of Fourth and Forever, Chris developed and packaged numerous independent film projects, working closely with directors such as Domenica Cameron-Scorsese (SPANISH BOOTS) and Jeremy Passmore (SPECIAL), and executive producer Michel Shane (CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, HOUNDDOG and I, ROBOT).
In addition to several film and television projects currently in development with partner Scott Brooks, Chris just produced (with ManInHat Productions, Tribeca, NYC) the very first Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Special in 3D, now in distribution by Sony Entertainment. He graduated from Yale University.
