Baltimore Next Media Web Fest 2027

By Laura Dowling Shea

This festival is dedicated to my brother, Paul A Moscatt, Jr, who we lost in August, 2025.

Welcome to BNM Webfest!! Our 9th year just passed in April, 2026, and now we're open for Submissions for our 10th year - which will be May 13th thru 16th, 2027.

Jump right in there and submit your project! Our Submissions Site is open on our FilmFreeway Page here:

https://filmfreeway.com/baltowebfest

For 20% off - use this code: bnm27website

Our Full Winner's List for our 2026 festival can be seen here:

Check out our Winner's List HERE.

We are so excited to introduce Lisette Alvarez as the Director of Audio Fiction and Actual Play for BNM Webfest 2027!! Welcome Aboard, Lisette, we're so excited to be working with you this year!!

We will have more details here about our 10th year as the time gets closer. In the meantime - please check out all the phenomenal web fests in the Web Series World Cup, and the Audio Fiction World Cup here: https://digitalmediaworldcups.com/

We're so grateful for our 2026 VIP Guest speakers, hosts and musical entertainment. See you next year!!

VIP Panelist: Actress, Producer, Director - Reece Odum

Award winning Actress/Producer/ Director, Reece Odum, a rising star in the television and film industry, has worked along side some of the heavy hitters in the industry and her career is one to be reckoned with. Even with several films and TV shows under her belt, like most actors she still has very high career goals and many more actors / producers/ directors that she plans on working with in the near future.

During her acting career, Odum has had the opportunity of completing several film and television projects where she performed in a lead or principal role. She landed recurring roles on AllBlk's hit show "Kold x Windy", "Saints and Sinners" now on Hulu and "The Vampire Diaries" now on Netflix,. Some of her more work includes: Tyler Perry's: Divorced Sistas on BET, BMF on Starz, and so many more.

VIP Panelist: Screenwriter, Author, Producer Paul Chitlik

Paul Chitlik has written for all the major networks and studios in English and in Spanish. He was story editor for MGM/UA'S "The New Twilight Zone," and staff writer for Showtime's sitcom "Brothers." He directed episodes and was coordinating producer for “Real Stories of the Highway Patrol” and “U.S. Customs Classified.” He wrote and produced “Alien Abduction” for UPN. He wrote, produced, and directed “Ringling Brothers Revealed” a special for The Travel Channel. (He had been a roustabout for Circus Vargas years earlier.) He wrote, produced and directed “The Wedding Dress,” for Amazon Prime. He received a Writers Guild of America award nomination for "The Twilight Zone" and a GLAAD Media Award nomination for "Los Beltrán,” for Telemundo. He won a Genesis Award for a Showtime Family movie. Science fiction, comedy, and children’s movies are his focuses.

He taught in the MFA programs of UCLA, the University of Barcelona’s film school ESCAC, Cuba’s film school EICTV, Chile’s film school UNIACC, The University of Zulia in Venezuela, The Panamerican University in Mexico City, The Story Academy of Sweden and Loyola Marymount University. His book, “Rewrite,” is available in English, Chinese, and Korean. His latest novel is “Lies, All Lies.” His latest screenwriting book is “The Screenwriting Sensei.”

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Now available: The Screenwriting Sensei https://mwp.com/product/the-screenwriting-sensei-a-complete-guide-to-writing-your-first-script/

Paulchitlik.com

VIP Panelist: Actress, Producer, Director - Juliet Landau

Juliet Landau is an actress, director, producer and writer. As an actress, highlights include her role as Drusilla on Joss Whedon’s BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER & spin-off ANGEL and co-starring in Tim Burton’s ED WOOD as Loretta King. Last season she played the recurring role of Rita Tedesco on Amazon’s number one series, BOSCH. She started shooting the recurring role of Cordelia on TNT’s CLAWS before quarantine.

Juliet just helmed her visionary, feature film directorial debut, A PLACE AMONG THE DEAD. An incredibly personal film, Juliet likens telling this revealing tale to skinning herself alive. She stars in the venture, which includes cameos with Gary Oldman, Ron Perlman, Robert Patrick, Lance Henriksen, Joss Whedon and Anne Rice, appearing for the first time in a movie.

Also in the works and partially completed is THE UNDEAD SERIES. Think Jerry Seinfeld’s COMEDIANS IN CARS GETTING COFFEE… This is VAMPIRES IN COFFINS GETTING BLOOD! … It’s the only series ever to gather the A-list of the genre together. Every one of the talented artists in A PLACE AMONG THE DEAD came back to participate in her series, as did Tim Burton, Willem Dafoe and many other notables.

Other acting work includes starring opposite Whoopi Goldberg in THEODORE REX as well as starring in over 20 other films, appearing in many more, guest-starring frequently on television, extensive voiceover work in features, tv, video games and garnering rave reviews for her roles in the theater.

Juliet’s previous directorial efforts include two short subjects. TAKE FLIGHT explored Gary Oldman’s creative process and was produced by Gary. DREAM OUT LOUD featured interviews with Guillermo del Toro, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Rian Johnson. Both projects were produced with her husband Deverill Weekes under the Miss Juliet Productions banner.

Landau co-wrote two issues of the ANGEL comic book for IDW. She is now penning the companion coffee table book to THE UNDEAD SERIES called BOOK OF THE UNDEAD.

VIP Panelist: Actor, Author, Musician - Tray "Poot" Chaney

Tray Chaney (born August 2, 1981) is an American actor, author, and producer best known for his role as Malik "Poot" Carr on the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire. A Maryland native, he started as a dancer and actor at age four before transitioning into film and television.
IMDb
IMDb
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Key Career Highlights
The Wire (2002–2008): Secured his breakthrough role as "Poot" after an initial audition for a different role on the show.
Other Roles: Appeared in Head of State (2003), The Salon, and as a regular on Bounce TV's Saints & Sinners.
Recent Work: Known as "Bleek" on STARZ’s BMF (Season 2) and appeared in HBO's We Own This City.
Author & Entrepreneur: Released an inspirational autobiography, The Truth You Can't BeTray, in 2007. He also created his own unisex fragrance line, Aye Body, and produces independent films under his own brand.
Background: Began his career as a dancer, winning competitions at the Apollo Theater.

VIP Panelist: Tressa Azarel Smallwood of MegaMind Media

Tressa Azarel Smallwood, founder and CEO of MegaMind Media, is an award-winning television and film producer; earning nominations in 2024 for the NAACP Image Awards’ for Outstanding Television Movie and the NAMIC Awards’ in 2023 for Best Original Picture.

Smallwood’s production company specializes in creating compelling original content for female audiences for networks such as AMC Networks, Viacom, Fox's Tubi Originals Platform and more. In seven years, under her leadership, MegaMind Media has produced over 42 projects including the two-time NAACP Image Awards nominated feature for Outstanding Television Movie and Outstanding Directing In A Television Movie, First Lady Of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story, Secrets, “Wicked City” (renewed for a third season), BET Original Films, Trophy Wife, The Sound of Christmas,Fighting to Be Me, and the NAMIC Awards’ nominated film, A Rich Christmas.

An advocate for mental and spiritual health, Smallwood partnered with BET Networks and BETHer to produce an episodic series designed to bring awareness to women’s health issues. This powerful and important series entitled The Waiting Room and The Couch were indeed a true labor of love. Smallwood successfully collaborated with Sheryl Lee Ralph, Meagan Good, Vanessa Bell Calloway, LisaRaye, Kim Fields, Vivica Fox and more to bring this project to fruition. Smallwood spends most of her time mentoring those entering the film and television industry and leading the distribution charge for independent filmmakers. She is also a board member for Black Girls Film Camp mentoring young girls.

Tressa "Azarel" Smallwood

Actor, Producer, Founder - Roderick McCarthy

Roderick McCarthy is an actor, producer, and founder building at the intersection of entertainment and technology. As an actor, Roderick has appeared in 40+ television series including Law & Order, Lucifer, General Hospital, Justified, NCIS, Parks and Recreation, Scandal, Bones, The Mentalist, and Workaholics. He has also produced multiple projects, including a television pilot currently being shopped to networks. Roderick is the founder and CEO of QuickFlick TV, a fan powered streaming platform currently in early beta where audiences vote on pilots and help decide what gets made. QuickFlick TV merges Netflix style streaming with Facebook style social engagement, creating a participatory model for discovering and greenlighting new shows.

VIP Performer: Actor, Producer, Singer - Johnny Alonso

Outer Banks, Gotham, One Tree Hill, What Death Leaves Behind. Johnny Alonso is an American actor. He was born in New York and raised in Baltimore City. Well known nationally and internationally for his subtle approach and intense style of character acting, most notably for his breakout 6 episode recurring role as Joey D. the hard nosed, no nonsense band manager on One Tree Hill Straight off the WB/CW Network sound stage Johnny landed the top host slot for the Emmy award winning series NASA 360 which led him to shoot 14 episodes worldwide. Johnny Alonso went on to star in the critically acclaimed Coffin film franchise (Coffin. Coffin II, Coffin III) as the charming anti hero, charismatic, cunning mastermind Trick. Johnny has produced the franchise taking the series to a whole other level with limited national theatrical release, national distribution thru Redbox and all streaming platforms including VOD, DVD, Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Hulu, Horror Channel, IFC, Sundance. To add to his never ending list of credits Johnny was booked and costarred as the colorful horse riding outlaw Big Joe for the period western film Bill Tilghman and the Outlaws. Raised around the lively arts Johnny's strong musical and singing abilities have scored him many film and television projects including 2 episodes as recurring angsty, goth bass player Kazz for the television series Gotham https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3749900/reference , costarring lead role as Mickey DiNizio, rock n roll boyfriend to Crissy Sevear on Growning Pains Reunion Return of the Seavers https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403087/reference, Johnny Kowolski, bad boy bass player in 10 episodes for PBS series Numbers Alive and the dark, edgy, troubled rockstar Peter Gunn in the haunted house horror The Riddle House. With Johnny's strong edgy look and attitude this rock and roll character type has suited him well making Johnny the quintessential band member type for any project out there. And let's not forget his masterful and unforgettable acting performance as dark character Jody for the critically acclaimed film What Death Leaves Behind.

Johnny is a singer and a musician that plays the guitar, bass, piano and drums, A gear head who loves to rebuild classic cars and motorcycles has a love for motorcycle riding, going off road with his Jeep or ATV, horseback riding and is a pro level snowboarder

VIP Performer - Callum

Callum is an 19-year-old recording artist from Berlin, Maryland, known for her unique tone and synesthetic approach to music. blending alternative rock with jazz-folk, her sound draws comparisons to finneas, Phoebe bridgers, and Hayley Williams. With emotionally raw lyrics and a captivating stage presence, Callum creates music that feels personal and timeless - whether solo or with a band, her performance will leave a lasting impression.