TEAM

FOUNDING PARTNER

Darren Goldberg

Darren is proud to be born and raised a New York City kid. After graduating from the George Washington University, Darren worked his way through the trenches of the NYC indie film scene and started producing in 2002. His first feature as a producer, Manito, premiered at Sundance and was nominated for several Independent Spirit awards. Darren spent the next five years producing low budget films and handling the US production for international productions that would shoot in the States.

In 2007 Darren partnered with Chris Marsh and opened Atlantic Pictures in order to produce smart films with broad appeal, as well as commercials and branded entertainment. Films produced by Atlantic have gone on to win awards at Cannes, Toronto, Venice, and other major festivals.

FOUNDING PARTNER

Chris Marsh

Chris Marsh is a cofounder, partner and producer at Atlantic Pictures, where he brings creative solutions, strategic thinking, and extensive production expertise to every project. With over twenty years of experience in the entertainment and media industry, Chris has overseen a wide range of work for diverse clients across sectors, including financial services, technology, and non-profits. His background spans independent film, branded entertainment, and corporate content, where he has developed a reputation for delivering exceptional results and a genuine passion for telling stories that connect and resonate.

Prior to Atlantic Pictures, Chris built his career in various production roles, working on everything from feature films to TV shows and commercials— experiences that left him with plenty of stories and a deep appreciation for the art of collaboration.

PARTNER

Alden McLellan

Alden got into film like everyone else — by being forced to watch the works of Kurosawa at the age of seven. (That was everyone, right?)

He manages the firm’s operations, finances, and the development of its film and series projects. In his decade-plus time at Atlantic, Alden has overseen its growth and provided production services for film and series including “High Maintenance” (HBO), “AKA Wyatt Cenac” (Topic), “How to With John Wilson” (HBO), and more.

Prior to Atlantic, Alden got his start in entertainment with an internship for Dan Lin on the Warner Bros. lot. He received his MBA from the University of Michigan and started his career as a management consultant predominantly for financial services clients including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley.

PARTNER & BACKLOT COO

Amanda Weisenthal

Amanda Weisenthal has been working in entertainment since graduating from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 1993. She has worked as both a scout, assistant and manager in locations, and has worked on feature films and episodic TV with companies such as HBO, Showtime, Netflix, and Paramount Pictures. Her projects have ranged from the TV show Ray Donovan to the feature film Twister.

Amanda understands the needs of a wide array of clients, from the requirements for a film crew to the needs for your back office. Her wide array of knowledge in the industry and background in scouting and locations made her the perfect candidate for Head of Productions and Operations at Backlot.

Amanda was the first hire at Backlot in 2019 and is very excited to continue to grow the company in NYC and beyond.

HEAD OF PRODUCTION (FILM/TV)

Buzz Koenig

Scott “Buzz” Koenig has been working in film production for more than three decades, with experience across the continuum from commercials to development to post-production. He has worked with acclaimed directors along the way, including Joe Ruben (RETURN TO PARADISE), Boaz Yakin (UPTOWN GIRLS) and Todd Haynes (FAR FROM HEAVEN).

As a Production Executive at Focus Features, Buzz shepherded both live-action and animated films, including IN BRUGES (dir. Martin McDonagh), EASTERN PROMISES (dir. David Cronenberg), and 9 (dir. Shane Acker).

In 2009, Buzz founded the independent film company Opposite Field Pictures, through which he has collaborated on a number of notable independent films. Buzz has also taught as a Visiting Professor at NYU’s Tisch Undergraduate Film School, focusing on Producing and Production Supervision.

CREATIVE PRODUCER / VFX SUPERVISOR

 Mark DePasquale

Mark discovered a love for filmmaking as a child making stop-motion videos with his toys and hasn’t stopped creating content since. As a writer/director and producer, Mark’s body of work includes award-winning short films, branded content, and corporate videos that all have an emphasis on strong storytelling and style.

Mark’s VFX skills grew out of his passion to craft stories without being limited by budget or location access, and now he has a toolset that allows him to make just about any client’s idea come to life. He graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a degree in Film & TV production in 2016.

SENIOR PRODUCER

Mary Ann Voskamp

Mary Ann has been working commercial and branded content in New York City for the last seven years. With a strong background in video production, her producing experience ranges from post production, VFX, web development, virtual and augmented reality, and experiential. Previous clients include Viacom, Saint Laurent, Macy’s, Wells Fargo, and the Japan National Tourism Organization.

PRODUCER

Sarah Wharton

Sarah produced her first feature on a shoestring budget with no prior filmmaking knowledge—and sold it to Netflix. That experience launched her into a career shaped by thinking outside the box, challenging conventions, and a deep love of storytelling. She’s developed and produced narrative, unscripted, and branded projects for Amazon, Showtime, Paramount+, and Samsung. She’s a board member of the Lower East Side Film Festival and the creator of The Stay Indie Project, a development fellowship for emerging filmmakers. Having grown up moving all over the globe, she’s now happy to call NYC her home, where she spends most of her free time hanging out with her rescue beagle.

PRODUCER

Nate Crowley

Nate is a consummate journeyman. Hailing from Philadelphia, he attended The University of Oklahoma to study media production before taking his talents to South Africa. After producing commercials for Pepsi Africa, LG and Barclays for two years, he moved back stateside to New York. He spent 5 years working on hundreds of television sets before settling into the role of production coordinator at Atlantic Pictures.

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Gabi Wilson

Gabi has been providing production support to film and video projects in the New York area for 4 years. Her passion for creating the structure necessary to turn an idea into a fully-realized project has driven her success across agency, corporate, and documentary work. She has experience Production Coordinating, Post Production Coordinating, and Associate Producing, and holds degrees in Film&TV and Communications from Fordham University. In her free time, Gabi enjoys practicing yoga, processing her film photographs in the darkroom, and collaborating on passion projects in the roles of Producer or Production Designer.

CREATIVE PRODUCER & GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Jerry Liu

Jerry is a Canadian filmmaker, graphic designer, producer, and DP with a BFA in Film & TV Production from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. From a young age, Jerry has loved bringing stories to life through creative and cinematic visual language. Throughout film school, Jerry not only continued to hone his visual storytelling skills and knowledge, but also discovered his love and passion for producing. Currently, Jerry is in the process of producing and developing a TV series pilot with his good friend and long-time creative collaborator. Outside of the world of film, Jerry can be found sailing on the waters of Vancouver, British Columbia.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER & DIGITAL ASSETS COORDINATOR

Mercedes Fernandez

Mer was born and raised in Mexico City and attended a French school before moving to Berlin, experiences that enriched her multicultural perspective. She later relocated to New York City to study film and liberal arts at Columbia University, graduating in 2023. During and after graduation, she gained hands-on experience as a production intern at Elara, the Safdie Brothers’ production company, and worked as a PA on various film sets in both Mexico and NYC. Outside of her professional work, Mer is dedicated to volunteering with local nonprofits that support the Latinx community. She also really loves dogs.

OFFICE MANAGER

Kemp Atkinson

As Office Manager, Kemp organizes the internship program at Atlantic Pictures and oversees Operations at THE HUB for Backlot. With a history in acting and writing he is excited by the challenges that come with working in New York production.

CONTROLLER

Kimbrad Fraser

Kimbrad was born and raised in Tortola, British Virgin Islands and migrated to New York City in 2001. Kimbrad has worked in the production and entertainment industries on the accounting side for over 20 years. Outside of work, Kimbrad loves to travel and explore with his young family.

OPERATIONS/ACCOUNTING MANAGER

Lance Johnson

Lance, a native of Michigan, has a diverse background that includes serving in the U.S. Navy and received his BSBA from Felician University. Lance joined Atlantic Pictures in 2020 and played a pivotal role in the successful launch of Backlot, the company’s subsidiary. As the Operations/Accounting Manager, Lance oversees a broad spectrum of responsibilities, seamlessly managing operations while also providing essential support in accounting matters.

POST PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR

Halie Laviano

Halie is a versatile post-production professional with a background that spans both on-set special effects and post-production workflows. She began her career in SPFX for major productions while living in New Zealand, eventually transitioning into post, where she now focuses on editorial and VFX with a strong eye for detail and efficiency.

She has post-produced across industries including commercial real estate, sports entertainment, and educational institutions, adapting quickly to each project’s demands and leading workflows from offline through final delivery. With a full-picture understanding of the production pipeline, Halie brings technical fluency, creative intuition, and a collaborative approach to every project.

DIRECTOR/EDITOR

Michal Labik

Michal grew up in Slovakia and got his undergraduate degree at Harvard. He’s directed videos for clients including Legends, Mandarin Oriental, Silverstein Properties, and One World Trade Center, and edited content for Samsung, IBM, Nasdaq, and Sprite. Michal’s work went viral on social media multiple times – his brand video for Dropps received over 100 million impressions across Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. On the documentary side, he’s edited short films for The New Yorker, Independent Lens, Louisville Courier-Journal, and IF/Then Shorts, as well as editing the feature documentary “Building a Bridge”, executive produced by Martin Scorsese.

EDITOR

Doug Lane

Doug is a filmmaker and creative. He grew up in Massachusetts and studied film at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He has edited for major brands like Nike, Samsung, and Condé Nast, and has done video work for non-profit organizations including the Natural Resources Defense Council. As a director, he has worked with fashion labels such as Todd Snyder and Willy Chavarria to create successful brand videos. A journeyman of the film industry, Doug draws from his wide variety of on-set and post production experiences to inform his creativity.

EDITOR

Bea Young

Bea is a Filipino-born Singaporean-raised filmmaker who received her BFA in Film & TV from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She started her career as a freelance producer, honing her skills in project development and management before following her passion and becoming an editor at the advertising agency dentsumcgarrybowen. There she cut ads for clients like American Express, Subway, United Airlines and Chevron.

In her spare time edits narrative short films and music videos, most notably the ‘Come Around’ music video which was shot in Tokyo and won runner up at the 2019 Musicbed Challege. Though editing and filmmaking are her greatest loves, her passions include music (she has a particular weakness for glam rock), and travel.