About — Rom Com Fest

Screen Shot 2019-12-12 at 3.11.26 PM.png

The Story

There’s a film festival for everything, but what about the romantic comedy? Especially nowadays, we all need something uplifting to escape to. Routinely dismissed by film critics as a lesser genre artistically, romantic comedies aren’t simply traditionally beloved, but also a true art form which has produced some of the most classic and enduring films we know today. These films should receive the recognition they deserve along with an experience to bring together a community of film fans that flock to them. Thus, we created Rom Com Fest.

Rom Com Fest is founded by Miraya Berke, female entrepreneur - founder of Pop Productions event boutique studio and founder of Dessert Goals, the popular dessert festival in New York and Los Angeles. With a background in events and partnership and a personal love of romantic comedies, she is passionate about the romantic comedy genre and its legitimization in the eyes of film fans, filmmakers, and critics, in addition to the pure enjoyment of the films themselves.

Advisory Board

Rachel Bloom

Actress & Writer
Rachel is best known as the star of the CW musical dramedy CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND, which she co-created and executive produced alongside Aline Brosh McKenna. For her performance as Rebecca Bunch, Rachel won the 2016 Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Series – Musical or Comedy, Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actress in a TV Comedy and TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy. In addition to other Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice and TCA Award nominations in further seasons, she is also a 4-time Emmy nominee for both the songwriting of CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND and her past writing work on the Adult Swim sketch series ROBOT CHICKEN.

Rachel will be featured next in ANGRY BIRDS 2 opposite Jason Sudeikis for Columbia Pictures as well as TROLLS 2 for Dreamworks opposite Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake. She previously starred in the SXSW comedy, MOST LIKELY TO MURDER. She also recently voiced the role of Batgirl in BATMAN VS. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES.

Bloom has been prominently featured in The New York Times Magazine, Elle, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, Time, Psychology Today and Backstage, among others.

Bloom got her start performing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater at which she put up two live musical sketch comedy shows, RACHEL BLOOM IS A TRIPLE THREAT!!! and SING OUT LOUD, LOUISE. Her 2010 music video, FUCK ME, RAY BRADBURY, went viral and was nominated for a Hugo Award. In 2012, Bloom performed in the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal in the NEW FACES: CHARACTERS Showcase. Before CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND, she self-released two albums of comedy music: PLEASE LOVE ME (a compilation of old/new hits) and SUCK IT, CHRISTMAS!!! (A CHANUKAH ALBUM).

She currently resides in Los Angeles with writer/director Dan Gregor (her husband), and their dog, Wiley.

Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith

Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith co-wrote the films Legally Blonde, 10 Things I Hate About You, She’s the Man, Ella Enchanted, The Ugly Truth and The House Bunny.

Kiwi recently executive produced and co-created Trinkets, a half-hour Netflix series based on her YA novel.

She is the co-author of two comic book series, Misfit City and Smooth Criminals, as well as a poet; her poetry has appeared in Rookie, The Gettysburg Review, LA Review of Books, and more. Her first YA novel, The Geography of Girlhood, is a novel in verse.

Screen%2BShot%2B2019-02-09%2Bat%2B7.02.54%2BPM+%281%29.jpg

Mara Webster

Programmer & Producer
Mara Webster is a film & television festival programmer and panel & conference producer. She currently works as the Program Manager in New York for SAG AFTRA Foundation programming screenings and conversations. She previously programmed and produced panels, conferences and special events for Tribeca Film Festival where she grew this segment of the program into a highly regarded and recognized series of talks.

She was the event producer for the first TIME'S UP conference which saw over seventy five women across entertainment and other industries come together in a celebration of feminism and equality. Mara has worked for film festivals including Sundance, Tribeca, Nantucket, Hamptons, First Time Fest, Abu Dhabi and more. She is currently a programming associate for Sundance in features and episodic and recently consulted for the programming team for Vulture Festival LA. As part of many roles she has also moderated numerous panel conversations with actors, filmmakers and other notable talent in entertainment. Additionally she works as a consulting event producer for The New York Times as part of their subscriber events team. Originally from England she has lived in New York for over a decade and is an unabashed cheese enthusiast.

Lela Meadow-Conne

Executive Director, Film Festival Alliance
Lela Meadow-Conner serves as the Executive Director of the Film Festival Alliance, a position she has held since April 2017. Prior to that, she served as the Executive Director of the Tallgrass Film Festival for 15 years, and has served in consulting roles for the Woods Hole Film Festival and Geena Davis’ Bentonville Film Festival.

Before joining the film festival community, Lela spent several years working in various facets of the film industry, including feature film marketing, production and entertainment publicity. She is a recipient of both “40 Under 40” and “Women in Business” honors from the Wichita Business Journal, has served on many film festival juries and is a frequent panelist on film festival and women in business related topics. Lela has amassed a deep understanding of the cultural significance that cinematic arts organizations bring to a community, and is passionate about arts advocacy. She is currently piloting her film series mamafilm, which celebrates the global village of nurturers through the power and accessibility of visual storytelling.

Kara MacLean & Kevin McLean of K2 Publicity

Kara MacLean and Kevin McLean are the presidents of the LA-based agency K2 Publicity, and have represented films at the top festivals around the world, including Sundance, TIFF, Cannes, Tribeca, Berlin, SXSW, Venice and others. They, individually and on behalf of the company, have worked on the international and domestic campaigns for multiple films and has worked with some of the world’s most talented filmmakers.

In addition to running the PR campaign for the inaugural Rom Com Fest in 2019, they also ran publicity for the 2019 Inside Out LGBT Film Festival, and 2019 NewFest Film Festival. K2 Publicity specializes in a hybrid of traditional and digital PR services and strategic consulting to clients in both the US and international markets. Services include campaigns for domestic and international film festivals, domestic theatrical/digital releases, corporate publicity for production/sales companies, as well as PR support for arts and entertainment events, including film festivals. Kara and Kevin happen to have very similar last names but are not related or married, despite the number of times they've been asked. They are both originally from Toronto, Canada, joined forces three years ago to create K2, and each now call Los Angeles home.

Amanda Krentzman

TV Content Executive
Amanda Krentzman graduated Wesleyan University with a BA in Economics. She loves business strategy and worked first in Management Consulting focusing on consumer facing digital products. Her passion for TV led her to move to LA and to work her way up from the mailroom at William Morris Endeavor Agency.

After two years, Amanda's interest led her to TV production and the international TV business, so she joined Ben Silverman at Electus to focus on creative development and talent relationships. Some of the shows she worked on were Jane the Virgin, Mob Wives, Fashion Star and more. Following that she worked at the Fox Co-Owned Studio, The Jackal Group, and produced Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life for Fox and development. Amanda joined Netflix in 2016 to focus on buying, producing and launching International Original Netflix TV series. She has worked on shows in Latin America, India, The Middle East, Asia and Europe.