Bios

Board Member/Publisher Michele Meek pioneered the development of NEFilm.com, the premiere magazine and resource for indie filmmaking in the northeast, which she founded in 1997. Soon after, she launched BuyIndies.com, an international community for buying and selling 50,000 independent, educational, and hard-to-find films. Respected as a young entrepreneur and champion of independent film, she received the 2005 Baldwin Award for Alumni Recognition in Film & Video by Boston College and the 2000 Image Award for Vision and Excellence by Women in Film & Video New England. Her entrepreneurial successes have been lauded in Inc. Magazine, National Public Radio, and The Boston Globe, and she has spoken on numerous panels including the National Alliance for Media Arts & Culture, Convergence at Tribeca, Global Entertainment Network Summit.

Board Member/Editor-in-Chief Mike Hofman is the executive editor of Inc. magazine, which he joined in 1996. At Inc., he edits articles on a variety of topics, from the economics of immigration to religion in the workplace. He has written more than 20 feature stories and frequently represents Inc. in the media, commenting on published articles and business news. In 2006, Hofman was part of a team of writers nominated for the prestigious Webby Award for best business blog. From 2002 through 2004, Mike was named one of the 30 most influential financial journalists under the age of 30 by TJFR, and industry trade publication. In 2004, he was also awarded the first-ever Publisher's Award for outstanding contribution to Inc. magazine. He lives in the East Village in New York City. Please e-mail him at mike@independent-magazine.org.

Board Member John Bodt is the Director of Finance at Bluewater Wind, one of the nation's leading developers of offshore wind energy projects. Previously, John was an independent business strategy consultant based in New York providing advice to organizations regarding strategic growth initiatives, governance, sustainability, and reputation issues. He continues to provide pro bono consulting advice to Docutribe, a non-profit film production company dedicated to celebrating and promoting cultural diversity through documentary film. Additionally, he has over 5 years of experience in the publishing industry, where he was responsible for publishing a dozen scientific research journals, including one that he helped to found.

Managing Editor Erin Trahan is a Boston-based freelance writer and editor with expertise in independent film and youth media issues. She has been a frequent contributor to NEFilm.com (which she currently edits), Teen Voices, Daughters, The Wire, and other regional publications. Her tips for viewing media with youth have been featured on See Jane, Common Sense, and TIME for Kids. She has also written and helped produce several short films and coordinated public forums and film series for Boston Public Library and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. In addition to her work in film, Erin has more than 10 years of experience working with local, statewide, and national nonprofit organizations. She has helped allocate more than $2 million in grants and has developed, implemented and evaluated numerous nonprofit programs. She served as the board president for Women in Film & Video/New England and on the board of the YWCA of Grand Rapids.

Associate Editor Nikki Chase is a freelance writer, editor, and sometimes-distant traveler, based in Boston, Massachusetts. She frequently contributes to NewEnglandFilm.com, national travel website 10 Best, and the South End News. Her work has also been featured in Bay Windows and has been presented at the national Media and the Sexual Minorities Conference in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Nikki's creative writing has been published in the NYU literary magazine and she is currently in the throes of working on her first book, a non-fiction work, so far untitled, about her travels through California with her long-lost brother. Check out her website at www.chasethestory.com.

Web Architect Geoffry Meek has led critical web application development for start-up companies since the birth of the commercial Internet. He custom-built his first ecommerce product with real-time credit card processing for Internet pioneer Baudway Communications in 1995. Currently, Geoff works as a consultant for enterprise-level content systems. His clients have included Bayer, 3M, Chase, Fidelity, Harvard University, and Deloitte & Touche. In addition, Geoff designed the technology behind several start-ups that successfully serve niche markets, such as CentralDispatch.com, NewEnglandFilm.com, and VDay.org. He has trained groups through the U.S., Europe and Asia on web content management and has provided technical reviewing for Apache, the Definitive Guide, 2nd edition, published by O’Reilly and Associates, the leading publisher of technology books.

Identity & Site Designer Christian Harrison has designed web sites and identities for dozens of successful companies – including V-Servers, Windows95.com, Extreme Games and Digital Harbor. As a founding member of ICentral, he created the graphical interface for the ecommerce software ShopSite which was purchased in May 1998 by Open Market, Inc. Since then, he has been an integral part of Open Market’s new brand creation and corporate web site re-launch. Since 1999, he has also consulted as the site designer for many of NewEnglandFilm.com’s client sites including Harvard Film Archive, Filmmakers Collaborative, among others.