PRODUCERS TEAM

DJ Freedman

DJ received his Master’s in TV Production from the University of Southern California, and went to work for Bill Mechanic, former head of Fox Studios, at Pandemonium Films.

He went on to produce a movie review show for Public Television, Just Seen It, followed by a stint at Crackle TV, Sony’s digital platform, as part of the production team for Crackle’s original programming including Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Snatch and Super Mansion.

DJ is an avid surfer and currently serves as one of the supervising producers for all eight Critics Choice Awards (Yes, there are eight now). He is on the executive council of the Producers Guild of America and on the executive producer’s council for the TV Academy. DJ office at Sony was across the hall from Norman Lear’s office and they frequently chatted and had coffee together where Norman gave DJ lots of great producing advice. God rest Norman’s soul.

DJ recently received his degree in aeronautical sciences from the University of Hawaii and also just received his private pilot’s license. He enjoys Falafel with a lot of sauce.

Leah Aldridge

Leah’s relationship with the industry began as a dancer and actress, appearing in early 1990s favorites such as Coming to America and House Party. Leah realized that her real talent was behind the scenes, crafting and producing stories. Her commitment to family life and social activism provided her with nearly two decades of community-based, non-profit work focused on violence prevention.

Still, Leah maintained her passion for storytelling. Leah would return to graduate school: at UCLA she would earn an MFA in Screenwriting, and later for  PhD at USC in Film & Media Studies. USC is where she met DJ Freedman and worked as a film and television critic for his show Just Seen It.  While still in grad school and appearing on Just Seen It, Leah became a cast member on the hit WeTV reality show, LA Hair, for five seasons, featuring her sister, celebrity hairstylist, Kimberly Kimble.

Leah completed her PhD in Film & Media Studies from USC and is now an Assistant Professor in two programs at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts — Screenwriting and Film & Media Studies.

Her commitment to storytelling is unwavering whether teaching new generations of storytellers, or working on Airspeed Alive.

Marc Steinhilber

Marc earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Hawaii—Manoa and subsequently achieved the prestigious position of Naval Aviator carrier attack pilot.

Over the course of an illustrious 32-year career at Delta Air Lines, Inc., he excelled as a captain, instructor, and check pilot. Currently Chief Pilot at Backcountry Aviation, Inc., Marc indulges his passion for aviation while also being a dedicated motorcycle track day enthusiast. Beyond his professional pursuits, he finds joy in mentoring aspiring pilots, sharing his wealth of experience, and promoting the thrill of aviation worldwide.

In addition to his dynamic career and aviation interests, Marc has a penchant for poppy seed bagels adorned with strawberry cream cheese.