Staff 2023

Robin is a critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker whose films have won awards in over a dozen major film festivals including Banff and Telluride Mountainfilm. Her films,”Grandpa’s In The Tuffshed” and “Dead Last: A Tale of Triumph” went on world tours, traveling from Athens to Antigua. Robin traveled to festivals all over the country and overseas prior to founding the Boulder International Film Festival. Robin has also been a top salesperson for a wide range of high-technology firms.

Kathy was a regional marketing director at Wild Oats Markets for seven years. At Wild Oats, she handled community relations and PR in addition to her marketing responsibilities, and managed a staff of 25 people. Prior to Wild Oats, Kathy worked for four years for the World Trade Center Alaska, opening new offices in the Russian Far East, and moving to Moscow and starting her own business in 1992. As a producer for her sister Robin’s films, Kathy traveled to film festivals all over the country and overseas before partnering with Robin to found the Boulder International Film Festival.

In a career spanning more than 30 years in the event industry, Kevin has created and produced hundreds of events for Fortune 500 companies including firms like Fidelity Investments, Boston Scientific, and Price Waterhouse Coopers. His unusually diverse background also includes in-depth research on corporate innovation for Polaroid, the creation of custom team programs for companies like Ocean Spray, Fidelity, and ITT, and years of writing, performing, and producing improvisational comedy with ImprovBoston and Midnight Snacks. He has served on the programming board of the International Special Events Society, and brings a wealth of creativity and event production experience to the BIFF family.

Shawna Sprowls joined the BIFF team in 2015 as a member of the volunteer support committee and was hired as Program Manager in August. Shawna brings over fifteen years of nonprofit and programming experience, having spent nearly two decades working in community broadcasting for Colorado radio stations in Crested Butte, the Roaring Fork Valley and, most recently, at KGNU Boulder/Denver. She is passionate about the arts, community engagement and social impact and is thrilled to be a part of the BIFF team

A Boulder native and BHS grad, Chris was thrilled to return to her hometown to find a vibrant and thriving local film festival. As film geek of long standing, Chris brings many years of advertising, promotions, marketing and sponsorship experience to her role at BIFF. In her past life, she was Manager of Youth and Family Marketing for Burger King Corporation, making millions of Star Wars, Spiderman, Shrek, Simpsons, Powerpuff Girls and SpongeBob SquarePants toys. Other highlights included catering The Kids Choice Awards afterparty, creating a futuristic BK for the film Men in Black 2, and managing Burger King’s title sponsorship of the 2001 Backstreet Boys Tour. Her ears have just recently stopped ringing from all the high-pitched screaming.

Dave is the owner of Space Farmer Productions, a Denver based audio/video, staging and events company that specializes in film presentation. He’s also the founder of the Outdoor Cinema Network, which includes the Boulder Outdoor Cinema and two dozen other outdoor movie programs around Colorado. His company provides professional technical support and screening equipment for a variety of film festivals including the Boulder International Film Festival, Boulder Adventure Film Festival, Vail Film Festival and MountainFilm in Telluride. Adding to this a long history in the computer technology industry, he is the ultimate super geek who loves jammin’ on his drums!

Ron brings more than 30 years of experience to his role as Special Event Producer & Host for the Boulder International Film Festival, including hosting on-stage special guest interviews since BIFF ’07 (Alan Arkin, Alec Baldwin, Shirley MacLaine, Oliver Stone, Blythe Danner, William H. Macy, James Franco, Rep. John Lewis & more). Among his varied past roles are: Entertainment Director/Start Line Announcer for Boulder’s annual BolderBoulder 10k road race; Morning Show Host & Promotions Director at the Festival’s radio sponsor, 105.5 The Colorado Sound; and live music booker for the nationally-syndicated radio show eTown.  His background also includes film/commercial production/post production in Boston for seven years and handling national/regional/local accounts for an international advertising agency. And as a true fan of cinema, he has run his own Academy Awards Oscar Pool for 25 years.

Eric is a bioentrepreneur and the co-founder of Evolve Biosciences, a local company which specializes in the commercialization and transfer of bioscience technology. He is active promoting Science, Technology, Education, and Math (STEM) programs, volunteering with the Broomfield Public Library as a member of their Science Task Force and running their after-school tutoring program. Eric has been managing the Stage Manager team for many years now and he enjoys the opportunity to celebrate the art of film.

Arlene is an Emergency Trauma Registrar with many years of experience. She has been volunteering for film festivals for the last four years and has several years of outdoor leadership volunteer experiences. Her twelve years of customer service experience are the key to her success as BIFF’s Registration Coordinator.

Rosalie Sheffield brings a wealth of experience to BIFF. She started her career as a news editor for CNN and the ABC affiliates in Houston and Austin, and worked with the Texas Music Association to launch the first SXSW. Here in Colorado, she has managed high level business celebrations and awards shows for the Boulder Chamber and the Boulder County Business Report, and currently serves as the Conference Manager for the Rocky Mountain VidExpo in Denver. Now running her own company, Dynamic Special Events, Rosalie continues to bring creativity and enthusiasm to events throughout the region. And, yes, BIFF rocks!

Eileen Dolbeare is a writer and photographer who is thrilled to integrate her liberal arts degrees in French, film and journalism into the role of inspiring young filmmakers and audiences.