John Stauber, an investigative writer, public speaker and democracy activist, founded the Center for Media & Democracy in 1993. Since high school in the 1960s, he has worked with public interest, consumer, family farm, environmental and community organizations at the local, state and national level. He edits and writes for the Center's quarterly newsmagazine, PR Watch , and in collaboration with PR Watch Editor Sheldon Rampton he has co-authored three books, Toxic Sludge Is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry (1995); Mad Cow U.S.A.: Could the Nightmare Happen Here? (1997); and Trust Us, We're Experts: How Industry Manipulates Science and Gambles With Your Future (2001).

Before founding the Center, he worked for five years for the Foundation on Economic Trends, a Washington, DC non-profit organization, researching possible health and economic impacts of recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) and organizing concerned citizens and farmers. Stauber is frequently featured, interviewed or quoted in media including the Washington Post, New York Times, USA Today, ABC's Good Morning America, CNN's Burden of Proof, Fox News Channel, and NPR's Marketplace

Paula Silver has more than 20 years experience in developing, producing and marketing of motion pictures.

She is the marketing strategist behind Gold Circle Films and Playtones surprise 2002 Indie hit, My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Ms. Silver developed a marketing plan relying heavily on a grass roots and localized publicity strategy, to augment the initial opening media spend of $700,000. This plan continues to support the film at its current number five box office position, and has grossed 150 + million dollars

At Disney, she is known for creating an award-winning marketing campaign for Mr. Holland's Opus, which revitalized grass roots marketing, for the industry, and contributed to that films $90 million box office success.

Ms. Silver has served as the marketing executive for Polygram Filmed Entertainment and Interscope Communications, Inc. In that capacity she oversaw the marketing campaign for What Dreams May Come, and produced the special companion piece entitled Visions from Heaven and Hell for Showtime. She was also a creative executive for Interscope Communications, Inc., where she developed films, television, interactive and multimedia projects. Ms Silver directed and produced the documentary film on the Sundance Institute, which aired in the U.S. and Japan.

Before joining Polygram-Interscope, Ms. Silver was President of Marketing and Publicity at Columbia Pictures Worldwide where she supervised a staff of over 100 people, managed a $480 million annual advertising budget, and oversaw the development and implementation of marketing campaigns for over 18 major motion pictures each year. At Columbia she created marketing campaigns for such films as Boyz 'n the Hood, My Girl, Dracula, Prince of TIdes, and A League of Their Own, among many others. Those campaigns were especially noteworthy because they succeeded in attracting a much broader audience than the Studios initial, primary demographic targets.

Paula spent 15 years working in the advertising industry prior to becoming a Hollywood studio executive. Her Madison Avenue experience included working as a VP Creative Director at Kenyon Eckhardt leading creative teams in the new business unit at DMB&B, and being a creative consultant to Wells Rich & Greene.

She established and led the entertainment division at R. Greenberg Associates (RGA), a leading graphics, and cutting edge technology company, where she created the Tri-Star logo, among many other corporate identities. During her career as an agency executive, Ms. Silver worked closely with all the major Hollywood studios developing and executing the marketing campaigns (mini-branding) for such major hits as: Kramer vs. Kramer, Alien, Tootsie, The Big Chill, and Ghandi.

Paula has applied her communication skills outside the entertainment industry. She coined the slogan ONLY ELEPHANTS SHOULD WEAR IVORY for the National Wildlife Foundation, creating a Public Service Campaign. A passion for cultural and civic issues has lead Ms. Silver to become an active member in organizations and foundations promoting the arts and social well being for others. She created and currently sits on the board of The Mr. Hollands Opus Foundation, which is dedicated to keeping music in the schools by collecting and donating instruments to lower income institutions. Similarly, she spearheaded the inception and sits on the board of Dr. Keith Blacks Brain Trust created for the continued funding of revolutionary neuro-surgical research at Cedars Sinai. She is also on the board of the Morning Star Commission, Hillel, and The White House Project. She is on the board of the Women and Film Foundation. Previously, she served on the boards of the Public Broadcasting Service, The Sundance Institute, The Junior Committee of MOMA, The Joffrey Ballet, Manhattan Theater Club, The Childrens Defense Fund and The Second Stage. Her special interest in teen issues motivated her to organize and facilitate the First National Girls Conference- Girls Speak Out, at the UN in 1997. In 1982, after giving birth to a premature baby (3lbs. 2oz.) Ms Silver formed a Hot Line at Lenox Hill Hospital to help other mothers in similar circumstances.

John De Graff has been producing documentaries for 26 years. Fifteen of his programs, including the popular specials, Affluenza, Escape from Affluenza, and Running Out of TIme, have been broadcast nationally in primetime on PBS. With their focus on environmental and social issues, his programs have often been used in activist campaigns.

John is the recipient of nearly 100 regional, national and international awards for filmmaking. He is also the co-author of the book Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic, and editor of the upcoming Take Back Your Time, the handbook for Take Back Your Time Day, a national event scheduled for October 24, 2003 and aimed at fighting overwork and time poverty in the U.S.

He is also the President of the Board of the Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Network and co-chair of the public policy committee of the Simplicity Forum, an international network of voluntary simplicity leaders. He has taught at the University of Washington (extension) and at The Evergreen State College. He is currently producing documentaries on world hunger and on ecological and social labelling systems (Fair Trade coffee, certified wood, etc.). He is an independent producer with an office at KCTS Television, the Seattle PBS affiliate.