Mission Statement

Inferno is a self financed production company with studio distribution, run by a team of passionate, creative and talented individuals who are committed to producing, financing and distributing profitable, high quality entertainment which we are excited and proud to put out into the world.

Inferno launched its operation in 2002, with its primary focus being financing, production and worldwide sales of major motion pictures and television programming. Inferno’s foreign sales and production operation have continued to achieve rapid growth by securing quality projects with A-level talent and providing strategic partnerships with both private and public equity funds. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles and has additional offices in Germany - Berlin and Taiwan - Taipei.

Inferno continues to pursue a full range of new relationships and strategic alliances with financiers, independent production companies, producers and studios. It is committed to establishing a rising presence in the domestic and international film community by offering financial strength coupled with the goal to produce and/or co-produce high quality and diverse films.

Company signed a two-year joint venture deal with Magnet Media Group to co-finance ten films over the next two years. (10/08) Multipicture co-financing and domestic distribution pact with Sony Pictures Entertainment. Deal gives Sony all media rights to films produced by Inferno, and is expected to yield five to ten films. (5/07)

Bill Johnson

Bill Johnson is a native of Chicago who was an All-American tennis player at California State University, Northridge and later, attended film courses at both the University of Southern California and the American Film Institute. After college and with one desk and a phone as assets, Bill founded an insurance brokerage firm which, within a few short years, was employing 50 people and writing over $25 million in annual premiums. After guiding the company through several acquisitions and divestitures, the highly profitable LIBERTY COMPANY and its online subsidiary CLICKINSURE, is presently managed day to day by a minority partner as it continues to grow and sell property and casualty insurance to consumers throughout the United States. Bill’s foray into the entertainment business began in 1996 when he wrote two screenplays and directed one film Within the Lines, which was produced in 1997. Bill left the day to day management of Liberty in late 2002 in order to focus on his passion for the film business. Shortly thereafter, he partnered with Jim Seibel to found Inferno. Once again, in a few short years, this start up venture quickly grew into becoming one of the top production, finance and sales companies in Hollywood and is currently producing 3 to 4 feature films per year in addition to handling international sales on other productions. Under Seibel and Johnson’s direction, Inferno has raised over $250 million in institutional financing and closed a multi-picture distribution deal with Sony Entertainment. On the philanthropic side, Johnson founded a public charity called The Enlightenment Network which has the mission of supporting young artists and art programs that put a focus on creating positive, inspirational and consciousness raising art. Bill has developed a passion for yoga and meditation which includes 14 years of in-depth study and practice including four teacher trainings. This has led him to occasionally teach yoga classes at several Los Angeles based studios in recent years. Bill lives on the beach in Venice, California with his wife Leah and three children Skyler, Jett and Jade.

Jim Seibel

Jim Seibel is co-founder and Partner of Inferno. Mr. Seibel engineered the launch of Inferno’s foreign sales arm in 2003 by negotiating a sales agreement with German media fund Cinerenta Feature Films. This achievement enabled Inferno to manage international sales of 34 feature films and the launch of a foreign sales shingle. In the past 4 years, Mr. Seibel has executive produced 12 feature films with top tier talent. His film passion is to create commercially viable films which are positive, inspirational and raise consciousness. Mr. Seibel started his career in the mailroom at Saban Entertainment. Shortly after, Mr. Seibel became the executive assistant to both Mel Woods (COO) and Haim Saban (CEO) of Saban/Fox. Mr. Seibel advanced through the executive ranks at Saban/Fox where he was responsible for development and sales of feature films. In November 1999, Mr. Seibel departed Saban/Fox with an offer to become VP of Sales at Unapix Entertainment. This new position’s responsibilities included domestic television distribution, syndication and acquisitions. Unapix was the leading independent supplier of feature films to such broadcasters as HBO, Cinemax, Starz/Encore, VH1, TBS, TNN Showtime, iNDEMAND, etc. A native of Florida, Mr. Seibel began his college education with the focus on Pharmacology. Realizing that he had an entrepreneurial spirit with an interest in entertainment and finance, Mr. Seibel relocated to Los Angeles in 1995 to learn the trade. He currently lives in Beverly Hills.

Andrew Mann, Finance
Australian businessman Andrew Mann joined Inferno in 2005 on a full time basis. Raised and educated in Australia, he started out with Coopers and Lybrand in 1988 gaining his Chartered Accounting designation in 1991. For the last 10 years Mr. Mann has specialized in film financing for companies in Canada and more recently as the CFO for Infinity Media Inc. based in Los Angeles. During this tenure, Mr. Mann was responsible for thefinancial operations of the company and assisting in the financing, production and distribution activities for some 40 feature films costing approximately $400 million.

Tracee Stanley, Head of Production and Development
Tracee Stanley is an industry veteran who has overseen the production of over 100 films. Her career began as a development executive for Phoenician Films where she brought in and oversaw projects such as Monument Ave. directed by Ted Demme. She became an integral part of the newly formed Franchise Pictures in 2000, serving as the Head of Development and Productions for both Franchise and its Classic’s division.

The success of The Whole Nine Yards, which Tracee brought into Franchise and also co-produced, helped to secure a strong relationship with Warner Bros. Over the next few years Tracee worked very closely with Warner Bros. to develop, oversee and produce over 15 films, including Heist, directed by David Mamet and The In-Laws, starring Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks. She also solidified a strong relationship with Screen Gems by overseeing and packaging over 10 smaller genre action films that have grossed tens of millions of dollars in revenue.

As the head of Franchise Classic’s, Tracee produced David Goyer’s directorial debut Zig Zag, starring John Leguizamo and Wesley Snipes. Tracee left Franchise in 2004 to become an in-house producer for Mobius Pictures where she produced 5 films in two years including Bordertown, starring Jennifer Lopez and The Wendall Baker Story with Luke and Owen Wilson.

Tracee joined Inferno in March of 2008 as its Head of Development and Production and has most recently produced Powder Blue starring Forest Whitaker, Jessica Biel, Ray Liotta and Lisa Kudrow. Tracee’s expertise lies in packaging and utilizing strong talent relationships and identifying commercial material. Her many years of experience in independent production are both from a producing and financing perspective, allowing her to identify projects that have a unique voice, can attract talent, are commercially viable and can be made with fiscal responsibility.

Corey Trent Ackerman, Vice President of Development and Production
Corey Trent Ackerman is a seasoned development and production executive with unparalleled creative instincts, and a proven track record for identifying and developing scripts that attract top level filmmakers and talent. Before joining Inferno Entertainment Ackerman spearheaded development for Southpaw Entertainment, producers of Warner Bros. Pictures’ August Rush, where his creative efforts resulted in projects with Ann Hathaway, Barry Sonnenfeld and Jason Reitman, to name a few. Ackerman’s first development executive position was creative executive at Sony Pictures’ Red Wagon Productions, producers of Gladiator, Memoirs of a Geisha, Spy Game, Stuart Little and Girl, Interrupted.

Prior to that, Ackerman was assistant to Dede Gardner, then vice president of production at Paramount Pictures. The studio produced Titanic, The Truman Show, Election and Beavis and Butthead Do America during Ackerman’s tenure. He has held other similar posts, including at Witt-Thomas Films, and began his career working in marketing and production at Trimark Pictures. Ackerman is a proud volunteer and supporter of the Young Storytellers Program, in which entertainment professionals teach storytelling to elementary school children.

Ackerman graduated from Townsend Harris High School at New York’s Queens College. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in television, radio and film from the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, New York.

Kimberly Fox, President, International Sales
Before joining the company, Fox served for four years as Executive Vice President of International Distribution at QED International, where she handled all aspects of foreign sales and distribution on such titles as the Peter Jackson produced DISTRICT 9; Oliver Stone's W.; David Twohy's  A PERFECT GETAWAY; NEW YORK I LOVE YOU; the Michael London produced SMART PEOPLE and numerous other projects. Prior to her tenure at QED, Fox was Vice President of International Sales at Kathy Morgan International (KMI) for eight years, where she handled the distribution of pictures such as THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT, RAISE YOUR VOICE and IN THE LAND OF WOMEN.

Pamela Pickering, Head of  Int’l Distribution & Marketing
Pamela Pickering is a veteran motion picture executive with extensive experience in the international licensing and distribution of independent and studio level motion pictures. Before launching her consulting business, Pickering served as President of Sales and Distribution for Graham King’s Initial Entertainment Group, and served in similar capacities for Mutual Film Company (Mark Gordon/Gary Levinsohn) and Spelling Films International. She was the first woman to be elected Chairman of IFTA (formerly AFMA). Sales and/or distribution credits include: DeLaurentiis’ Hannibal Rising, Michael Mann’s Ali; Martin Scorcese’s Gangs Of New York, and The Aviator, Milos Forman’s Man On The Moon, Scott Rudin’s In& Out, Bryan Singer’s The Usual Suspects, Curtis Hanson’s Wonder Boys, Jonathan Mostow’s Breakdown

Travis Mann, Exec. VP Business Development
Prior to joining Inferno, Travis was head of business affairs for Crystal Sky Pictures where he negotiated and drafted a wide variety of motion picture production, finance and distribution agreements. Earlier in his career, Travis practiced entertainment law with Rosenfeld, Meyer & Susman, LLP and the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Over the course of his career, he has served as production attorney on numerous films including City of Angels, A Time to Kill, The Negotiator and U.S. work on The Matrix. Travis received a B.B.A. in Finance from Southern Methodist University and a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law where he was an editor of the UCLA Law Review.

Philip J. Strina , Sr. VP Business Affairs.
Prior to joining Inferno, Phil served as counsel in business & legal affairs at New Line Cinema where he was primarily responsible for New Line’s film acquisitions, co-productions, and negative pick-up transactions. Phil began his career as an associate attorney at the law firm of Costa, Abrams & Coate, LLP where he represented a number of independent film producers on transactional entertainment matters, with a focus in the areas of financing, production, and distribution transactions for motion picture and television projects, entertainment and general business matters, guild and union arbitration claims, and intellectual property law. Phil received his undergraduate degree from The College of New Jersey and graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law with a concurrent juris doctorate degree and degree in alternative dispute resolution.

Lesly Gross, VP International Sales & Administration
Prior to joining Inferno, Lesly was Vice President, Sales and Administration at Mutual Film International. She was responsible for the creation and supervision of the International Operations Department of this independent production and distribution company and for sales in a multitude of foreign territories. Lesly began her career as Manager, Film Services at New Regency Films and quickly advanced to Vice President, Sales Administration where she developed and supervised the International Sales Department for the Warner Bros. based production and distribution company..

Jana Toepfer, VP International Sales
Coming from Europe with extensive knowledge in marketing and production, Jana joined Inferno in 2005. Selected as one of the international marketing trainees at BARTZ+BARTZ Group, Berlin, Germany, Jana gained first experience in TV programming and acquisitions while working on the Telemesse Television market. After completing the traineeship, she was responsible for creating new marketing concepts, and overseeing productions such as fashion shows and concert productions for MTV and others. After 3 years in Los Angeles, Jana has returned to Europe and has launched an office in Berlin, from where she continues to handle international sales, acquisitions, and European relationships.

Campbell McInnes, Creative Executive
Campbell McInnes recently joined Inferno from New Line Cinema, where, over his six year tenure he witnessed the studio launch a number of successful franchises, Including Lord Of The Rings, Rush Hour, and Austin Powers. At New Line he was instrumental in the development of a number of successful films including the recent releases He’s Just Not That Into You, The Time Traveller’s Wife, the 3D hit The Final Destination, as well as the upcoming release Valentine’s Day. Prior to New Line, Mr. McInnes worked with talent managers Shelly Browning and Dolores Robinson. He began his career during college working in production on feature films, commercials and music videos.

A native of Chicago, Campbell graduated of Kent School in Kent, Ct., and holds bachelor degrees in both English and Anthropology from Occidental College. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Kristin, and their two year old daughter Eleanor. When not reading scripts or watching movies, Campbell is an avid cyclist and soccer player, and volunteers with the less fortunate through the LA Regional Food Bank.

Gary Preisler, Business Development
Gary Preisler's career in the entertainment industry is unique. His abilities as a creative force (he has written twelve screenplays, four original sitcoms, a novel, a graphic novel as well as directed) are matched by his business expertise (he has functioned in a number of executive capacities, sold films internationally, produced five feature films and raised millions in private equity). Prior to joining Inferno, Preisler was President of Tampico Entertainment. There he set up projects with New Regency, 20th Century Fox, RKO, Radar Pictures and 1821 Pictures.

Preisler served as President of Delfino Entertainment where he raised private equity, established a domestic theatrical releasing company and wrote and directed Gold Diggers (a $900,000 comedy that to date has generated over 11.5 million in DVD sales and rentals). Preisler’s television background includes sales of original pilots to Columbia Pictures Television and 20th Century Fox Television and served as a producer for TVG (the first live horse racing network funded by Gemstar and Fox Sports). He started his career at Walt Disney/Touchstone as a Manager of Production Resources and optioned his first script to producers Larry and Chuck Gordon at Fox while still in High School. He is a member of the WGA and SAG.

James MacLean, Head of International Delivery
Mr. MacLean comes with extensive experience in filmmaking. He began his film career as a casting assistant in Vancouver where he worked on TV hits The X Files and Da Vinci's Inquest and feature film The Pledge to name a few. From there he came to Los Angeles and helped Infinity Media set up offices and develop financial and International distributor relationships. Mr. MacLean joined Inferno in 2003 in the International Sales department and is since 2009 concentrating on delivery of films.