Trey Ganem
Meet our judge Trey Ganem. Trey has been involved in the TV industry and was the star of the A&E show Trey The Texas Medium. He is also the owner of Soul Shine Industries which is always making headlines for the good works it does. He is currently a resident of Victoria. @spottedape
Craig Tracy
Thrilled to have @craigtracyart as a judge this year. Craig was born and Raised in New Orleans La, USA, Craig Tracy has always been an Artist. Craig credits New Orleans with it's authentic and vibrant culture as a significant factor in what is at the heart of his passion, creativity and bliss. Craig's early years were filled with drawings and paintings of idealized love and beauty. He continued to expand his artistic horizons well into his teen years by trying different styles, mediums and techniques. He went on to become a graduate with honors from The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Craig was a professional Freelance Illustrator by the age of twenty. This early adult period of his work dealt primarily with Airbrush Illustration for Advertising Agencies and editorial publishing houses. Surprisingly, Craig did not find satisfaction as an illustrator and by his late twenties he was again experimenting and searching for an artistic and creative way to fulfill his desires and passionately utilize his artistic ability. Fine Art Bodypainting was never an artistic career option but through talent, skill, vision, determination and a pioneering spirit, Craig would by 2002 start creating Bodypainting work unlike any the artistic word had seen before. Craig’s first series of Fine Art Bodypaintings truly took the world by storm and he has only grown and gained momentum and recognition since. Winning the World Bodypainting Championship in 2005 he went on to judging such competitions and becoming recognized as a true leader in the Bodypainting Movement internationally. Craig’s work is sold and collected globally and he is a producer and permanent judge on the hit network TV show SKIN WARS as seen on GSN/Netflix. His work focuses on Beauty, Mystery and Creativity and of course the majesty of the natural human form. His work is both real and surreal as none of his images are digitally altered or manipulated in any way.. He continues to push the boundaries of contemporary art by proving that creativity and passion are alive and well within his work and within his soul.
Zachary Wendel
Zachary was born in Meyersville, TX. He graduated from Texas A&M University with a BA in English Rhetoric and a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. He is proud to call Victoria his home. Zachary is the Community Development Planner for the City of Victoria, the Secretary for the Friends of the Victoria Public Library, and serves as the Vice President of the Nave Museum. Zachary is also a member of the Homeless Coalition of the Golden Crescent and volunteers with Keep Victoria Beautiful. Serving his community is his passion because a strong, vibrant community yields great opportunities for everyone.
Scotty Peterson
Meet our judge Scotty Peterson. Some projects Scotty has worked on: What If Secret Invasion The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Cocaine Bear Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Murmur The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday WAKANDA FOREVER Black Panther: Wakanda Forever The Good Doctor Werewolf by Night She-Hulk: Attorney at Law I Am Groot Ms. Marvel The Man from Toronto Raised by Wolves Cha Cha Real Smooth Hawkeye Spider-Man: No Way Home The Good House Enchanted Kingdom The Amazing Spider-Man 2 The Lego Movie Metallica Through the Never The Smurfs 2 Man of Steel The Little Mermaid * Scotty started in the entertainment industry at Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA), and spent about 13 years in video games at 3 different companies over that span of time * Then, he worked for a year in Hollywood Post-Production * After that he was the Creative Director of global content for Unity * He has spent the last two years running a studio and then moving onto business development in L.A., dedicated to employing and finding jobs in the Entertainment industry for individuals on the Autism Spectrum * In his spare time, he enjoys working out, watching sports and movies, playing video games, playing hockey, and of course spending most of his time with his Golden Retriever, Farley. 🙂
Tony Vasquez
Tony Vasquez is a born-and-raised Victoria native. He serves on the Board of Directors for Victoria Fine Arts Association and is the Chairman of Victoria Ballet Theatre. In his free time, he enjoys adventures with his friends and partner Zach, reading, playing tennis, and volunteering with Friends of Victoria Public Library and Keep Victoria Beautiful. He has been with the Victoria Advocate for over eleven years and assists in covering local cultural and charitable events. He is also a contributor to Discover361 Magazine.
Shaira Barton
Meet our judge, Shaira Barton. She is an Actor, Model, Host, and Voice Over Talent. Known for her roles on Netflix' House of Cards, and the feature films Tri, What Death Leaves Behind, PanAmerican and most recently The Long Game starring Dennis Quaid. @shaira_barton
Jesse Kove
Excited to announce our judge Jesse Kove, who was born in Los Angeles California into a Film, Television and Theatrical family. Raised on classic films and movie sets around the world. Jesse follows in his father's (Martin Kove) footsteps proudly. When he was only 10 years old Jesse would create movies using his father's video camera, and perform skits for the whole family. The entertainment world has been his passion ever since. Studying in various performing arts and improv classes and working throughout his younger years up into high school Jesse continued to cultivate his craft of Cinema. Even venturing to New York to perform off Broadway, for his enthusiasm for the art of acting never ceases. Jesse recently Co starred alongside Joseph Fiennes in the highly anticipated World War II drama "On Wings of Eagles" (The un-official sequel to "Chariots of Fire" ) starring in the upcoming 2017 thriller "Bring Me a Dream" Jesse also co-produced and co-stared in the acclaimed teen crime drama "As Night Comes". Starred in Alloy Entertainment's episodic show "First Day", and went on to star in the SyFy channels "Axe Giant" also continuing to helm many more films such as "The Shadow", "Show no Mercy", "The Black Hole" and co-starred in the first ever live streamed episodic "Steve The Intern". @jessekove
Keith Kohn
Keith Kohn is executive editor of The Victoria Advocate. He joined The Advocate after many years as a journalist and editor across the United States and as a foreign editor in China. He's been local editor at newspapers in Florida, South Carolina, New York and California.
Marques Anderson
Marques Anderson is a former UCLA and NFL football player. He has had experience in the world of entertainment and is also a Cyborg Anthropologist and renowned speaker. He currently also has a podcast.
Matt Maust
Matt Maust, the talented bass player of Cold War Kids and a renowned artist, will be serving as a judge at this year's Viva Texas Film Festival. With a deep-rooted passion for film and a genuine appreciation for the creativity of others, Matt brings a unique perspective to the judging panel. @mistermauster
Rob Royer
Robert Royer is the President/Founder of Building Brands Marketing, a local production and marketing agency located in downtown Victoria, TX. After graduating in 2014 with his BBA and a concentration in marketing, he has worked in leadership positions in local media and the advertising industry in Victoria. Royer has been involved in various areas of video production over his career in the marketing industry and has also been involved in acting and stage production since he was 10 years old.
Greg Werner
Meet our judge Greg Werner. Greg is a final colorist who has worked in the television post production industry since 1995. He attended the University of California at San Diego taking an interest in communication and visual media practices leading to a Bachelor of Arts in Communication. With an affinity for the film and video medium he began his career in Los Angeles as a tape operator/telecine assist working on a plethora of film and television projects. Gaining knowledge and hands on experience Greg naturally progressed to the role of dailies colorist. He garnered a wealth of experience working primarily on episodic television series such as Freaks and Geeks, The West Wing, 24, HBO’s Creature Features, and various MOWs to name a few. Greg has worked on a wide array of material over the years and as a result of strong work ethic and dedication to his craft has progressed to final color on shows like Bones, Prison Break, Outsiders, and TURN: Washington’s Spies.
David Faskas
David Faskas is a managing member of KMH Wealth Management, LLC. David is the Past-President of the Victoria Fine Arts Association, and Vice-President of the Victoria Bach Festival. David is a classical and jazz guitarist who performs with his Jazz group, Take 3 Jazz Combo.
Fe Vela Royer
Fe Vela Royer is the Lead Social Media Strategist with Building Brands Marketing. In addition to being a local artist and heavy contributor to the Victoria art community for over a decade, Fe has been behind the scenes and in front of the camera for multiple independent films created in Victoria.
Brian Phipps
Brian is a senior motion editor whose most recent credit is Avatar: The Way of Water. He is currently hard at work on the future installments of James Cameron’s epic saga. Brian spent 18 years in and around the motion capture department for Sony Computer Entertainment. While there, he worked on dozens of titles including God of War, Spider-Man, and MLB: The Show. Brian lives in San Diego with his wife and one-eyed beagle.
Greg Cipes
Meet our judge Greg Cipes. Greg is best known for his roles as Beast Boy in Teen Titans, Teen Titans Go! and Young Justice: Outsiders, Chiro in Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, Kevin Levin in Ben 10, Michelangelo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012), and Splaat from RoboSplaat!. He has made appearances in the television series Gilmore Girls, in the season four episode "Ted Koppel's Big Night Out", and Deadwood. Cipes has also guest starred in an episode of Ghost Whisperer in the episode "Love Still Won't Die". He appeared as a freegan in the Bones season six episode "The Body and the Bounty". He also played a man who camps out in Roseanne's yard in her series Roseanne's Nuts. From 2009 to 2018, he appeared in a recurring role as Chuck, Mike Heck's freewheeling co-worker, in the ABC television series The Middle. His film career includes playing the character Dwight Mueller in Fast & Furious, Reed in National Lampoon's Pledge This!, Sam in Vile and many more. He also has the coolest dog Wingman!
