Founder of TheWIFTS Concept
Commerce & Creativity - Passion & Integrity
Elspeth Tavares
Elspeth Tavares
is the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of
The Business of Film, an independent film
industry trade publication founded in 1980. Educated in London, she began her career
in publishing with London’s The Observer newspaper where she learned the printing
and ad sales business. Her success with this prestigious national Sunday newspaper
led to an appointment with the UK’s major film trade newspaper, Screen International,
where she rose to the position of Managing Director, restructuring the company and
making it into a highly profitable enterprise. It was subsequently acquired by a
leading UK publishing house. Her experience in consumer, trade and national newspaper
publishing, coupled with her expertise in the international film industry, resulted
in the founding of The Business of Film with offices in London and Los Angeles.
With her own publication, she has been at the forefront of encouraging new young
talent and for the first decade of its existence, The Business of Film operated
a trainee journalism scheme for graduates from Oxford and Cambridge to ground them
in the complexities of the international film business. Tavares is a member of the
British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) and a founding member of Women
in Film, London. For more information:
www.thebusinessoffilm.com
 Board Member
Katy Haber
Biography – Film And TV
Katy Haber’s career in the film industry started in England on various film productions. Her work with Sam Peckinpah on Straw Dogs brought her to the US working on 7 films with him,that included Junior Bonner, The Getaway, Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid, Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia, Killer Elite, Cross Of Iron and Convoy. She then worked with Michael Deeley at EMI FILMS and worked as Post Production Supervisor on The Deer Hunter.
In 1981 Michael Deeley and Katy produced Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner , she then returned to EMI as Head of Production and was the Executive in Charge of Production on Paul Bartel’s Not For Publication. She continued her career in the film industry until moving into the TV arena as Head of Development at Consolidated Television and Head of Creative Affairs at Island World Productions, developing Movies of the Week and reality programming. She also co-produced Sam Peckinpah Man Of Iron a documentary for BBC/A and E co-produced 2 documentaries for Channel 4 on Straw Dogs and the other on Pink Panther.
Biography - Non Profit
In Addition to her work in the entertainment industry, for thirteen years, she was the Executive Director of Justiceville/Homeless USA’s Dome Village transitional housing community for the homeless. She is also co-founder of the LA Krickets and the “Compton Homies and the Popz”, homeless and inner city youth cricket teams that toured England in 1995, 1997 1999 and 2001 with the support of HRH Prince Edward
BAFTA LA
She is a founding member and Board member for 18 years of BAFTA LA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in Los Angeles. She has served as Secretary of the Board, and was elected Managing Director/ Co-Chair for Five years.
 Board Member
Alma Saghi
Alma Saghi has spent 25 years in banking, from 1988 until she retired in 2008 Saghi worked for City National Bank Head Office in Beverly Hills. Saghi arrived in the US in 1965 from London, and after living in New York, moved with her husband to Tehran, where he had business interests. In 1977 Alma and her husband returned to the United States settling in Los Angeles. In 1984 she entered the ban king business working for Mitsui Manufactures Bank in Beverly Hills. Prior to coming to America, Alma Saghi worked for the UK’s famous production and distribution company Associated British Picture Corporation. ABC made films that include The Dam Busters(Alma worked for the producer) and Summer Holiday which starred British singing icon of 60’s, now Sir Cliff Richard. With her extensive experience in the financial world TheWIFTS is proud o to have Alma as a member of TheWIFTS Committee, and it’s Showcase & Festival Coordinator.
 Board Member
Sandi Craig
Sandi Craig has defied the odds by going back to college in mid-life. She graduated in 2000 with a B. A. in Broadcasting Communications, achieving Cum Laude honors and receiving numerous scholarships and awards, among which was the Associated Press Scholarship. During college she worked as a Reporter for a daily newspaper and won many awards for her reporting skills. She also had stories go national and international on the Associated Press wire service. She worked at the University’s Cable TV Station and garnered many local, state, regional and national awards for her work as a Reporter, News Anchor and Producer of their live, daily newscast. During college Sandi was also a Writer for an entertainment magazine.
After college, Sandi got a job as Reporter for a CBS affiliate in Texas, where she had numerous stories go national on the CBS feed. A year later she was hired as a News Anchor and News Director for an ABC affiliate. Not only did she anchor the primetime live daily newscast, she produced the daily show and managed a team of Reporters. She also filled in as Noon Show Host and was the Weather Reporter when necessary.
She currently works as a freelance writer and has written various TV scripts along with a feature-length screenplay and has a detective fiction novel in progress along with another feature-length screenplay. Sandi also works part-time in Public Relations.
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