Our Team

Winter Film Awards is masterminded and produced by industry veteran George Isaacs. Isaacs has worked with a number of production companies including Round House Pictures, I.D. Films, Park Avenue Post and Red Reel Pictures on projects ranging from commercial advertising campaigns to full-length feature films. Over the years, he collaborated to produce music videos for many of the industry’s renowned artists including Eve, Shai and Ruff Ryders, with film production credits including Paradox Lake, One Blood and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s Before I Self Destruct.

His big picture expertise, industry contacts and proven number-crunching abilities in new media and project management are foundations for the smooth operation and expansion of this organization. George created WFA in 2011 in order to give back to the NYC film community.

Lesley Sigall is a Managing Director at a major Swiss bank located New York City. She is the Chief Operating Officer in their Corporate Real Estate & Services department, where she is responsible for cost management,operational risk and controls, internal communications, performance management, and human capital strategy. Lesley was awarded as a 2017 Women Worth Watching in STEM by Diversity Journal.

Prior to joining the Swiss bank, Lesley was CFO for IT at a large insurance broker in NYC. Lesley holds an MBA in Finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University (NYU), where she graduated with distinction. She also holds a BA in Liberal Arts from the Gallatin School at NYU, graduating with honors.

Steffanie Finn has been Winter Film Festival Executive Director and Board Member since 2012. Steffanie is an active member of the Film Festival Organizers community and mentors emerging filmmakers in production management and fundraising. She is also an occasional props master, costume manager and special effects makeup artist for small indie films.

Steffanie is an IT Professional with over 30 years experience in technical design and data architecture, project management, business intelligence and strategic planning, specializing in information technology Program Management for large-scale infrastructure projects. Steffanie holds a BA in Russian History and Mathematics from Wesleyan University and lives in New York City.

Chairman Patron of the Cinema Award | Curator & Co-Programmer Winter FEARS Awards

Radio personality, author, editor, critic, journalist, screenwriter, web designer; Joe Mauceri is always on the cutting edge of pop culture. A New Yorker, Mauceri began his career in the mid 80’s at WBAI (99.5 FM), producing segments for the station’s daily arts program. With the Creative Unity Collective, an improvisational troupe, he produced, wrote, and directed a monthly half-hour horror radio drama titled “J.B. Macabre’s Macabreotorium.” He currently he co-hosts a weekly program with Michael Sargent, “Niteshift,” where the show’s theme, “Life is like Science Fiction,” covers a broad spectrum of topics and genres.

Vaughn Murphy has over a decade of combined experience in the media (video and film) and technologies (I.T.) industries working with industry top players. His passion for I.T. and media are evident in his hobbies, which include music production and engineering, website design, general editing, photography and special effects creation. On any given day you can find him in front of his computer doing what he loves, at work or at play.