TBA News
Our Team
Joey Zhou - Chairman
Joey Zhou (Joey Zhou Zheng) is an international TV host, event producer, founder of The Beverly Arts, the Los Angeles Beverly Arts (LABA) Biennial International Art Festival, producer/director of the "Zhou Zheng Art Channel", and founder/host of the “Zhou Zheng Show”, an independent TV talk show with millions of viewers (channels 62.3 and 31.2). Originally from China, Joey came to the U.S. on an academic scholarship and completed a fellowship with the White House Information Agency in media communications. He returned to China to teach college and began a career as a media host doing interviews for newspapers, radio, and television. Joey was appointed to be an honorary member of the Royal Society of St. George (RSSG), California Branch in 2019 and was made an honorary member of the United Nations Association of the USA in 2020. In 2021, he received the 1st Annual LABA Icon Award, and in 2022, the RSSG American Culture Award.
G. James Daichendt, Ed.D - Advisor
G. James Daichendt, Ed.D is an art critic, art historian, professor, author, and a co-chairman of the Los Angeles Beverly Arts International Art Festival and The Beverly Arts Online Exhibition. He is the author of six books, including his most recent book called Robbie Conal: Streetwise: 35 Years of Politically Charged Guerrilla Art. His educational background includes a doctorate degree from Columbia University and graduate degrees from Harvard and Boston Universities. He is currently a Professor, Dean of the Colleges, and Vice-Provost at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California, and is serving as Chairman of the Judging Committee for the Los Angeles Beverly Arts International Art Festival.
Lisa Schulte - Advisor
Lisa Schulte is an American artist, also known as "The Neon Queen", who is best known for her work in expressive neon sculpture. Her work is exhibited at galleries and museums internationally. Schulte started bending neon in the early 1980s, creating custom neon signs and neon prop rentals to the entertainment industry under her Los Angeles-based neon studio, Nights of Neon. In addition to making her own art, Schulte produces custom designs and signage for clients that have included: Showtime, The WB, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, ABC, Nike, CBS, Chanel, Calvin Klein, Gucci, HBO, Hulu, Netflix, YSL, KARMA Automotive, & NBC.
Todd Williamson - Advisor
Todd Williamson is a Los Angeles contemporary artist and former Arts Commissioner for the City of West Hollywood, California. He studied at the American Academy in Rome Italy, the Nuove Opere Napoltane in Naples Italy, the Skopelos Foundation-Skopelos Greece, the Scuola Internazionale di Grafic Venice Italy, and the Louise Bourgeois’ Artists Salon in New York. Williamson has exhibited around the world, and was the recipient of the prestigious Pollock Krasner Foundation award grant. His work can be seen in galleries including Galerie Michael in Beverly Hills, Georges Bergés Gallery in New York City, Nicole Longnecker Gallery in Houston, Texas, Premium Modern Art in Germany, and Art 1307 in Italy.
Rosana Largo Rodriguez - Advisor
Rosana Largo Rodriguez is a Spanish artist who creates contemporary surrealist paintings inspired by classical techniques. She incorporates a variety of techniques and materials to create engaging visual elements and chromatic softness. Largo is the Director of the Museum of Science and Children's Literature in Spain and has exhibited her works in galleries throughout the world. She has received many awards including the Michelangelo International Prize in Rome in 2019, one of the most prestigious art awards to be received, as well as the Top 10 LABA-MIMV Artist Award in 2022.
Paul N. J. Ottosson - Advisor
Paul N. J. Ottosson is a three-time Oscar winner, sound mixer, and sound designer who has worked on over 150 films. He won two Oscars for the "The Hurt Locker", one for "Zero Dark Thirty" and was nominated for a fourth for "Spider-Man 2". He is also a film maker, member of Academy of Motion Pictures, Cinema Audio Society and M.P.S.E.. Paul was born in Sweden and came to United States in 1987 as a musician. He soon turned to producing music and became a re-recording mixer working record albums, movies, and commercials. Paul has also won an Emmy Award and a BAFTA award for his work.
Princess Karen Cantrell - Advisor
Princess Karen Cantrell is an entrepreneur, activist, visionary, philanthropist, and humanitarian who descends from a noble background and royal heritage. Princess Karen Cantrell, Her Excellency Princess Karen Cantrell, or Ratu Muda Karen Cantrell are the names she has been entitled to due to being honored by both the Imperial House of Ethiopia and the Royal House Kupang in Indonesia. She is President and CEO of Rancho Mirage Golf Inc./Lady Golf, and former Rotating Chairman of the LABA International Art Festival 2021-2022. Karen is also very active with charitable and social causes in the U.S, Africa, and Indonesia ranging from children’s rights, animal welfare, and education.
Jiannan Huang - Advisor
Jiannan Huang is one of the world's finest artists, specializing in Western oil painting and Chinese ink. He is ranked third on the 2023 Hurun China Art List and 19th on the 2020 Hurun Global List with sales of $29 million. Jiannan holds several positions - Director of the Chinese Traditional Culture Promotion Association, member of the French National Artists Committee, art consultant for the World Low Carbon Cities Alliance, and France Geany City Gold Medal Honorary Citizen. He was awarded the title of "Earl" by the Indonesian Royal Family. In 2021, he was given an honorary membership into the Royal Society of St. George (RSSG), California Branch, and received the RSSG "Master of Arts" Award and the Top 10 LABA Most Influential and Most Valuable Artist Award in 2022.
Homeira Goldstein - Advisor
A descendent of the Qajar Royal Family in Middle East, Homeira Goldstein is an avid contemporary art collector, an artist in vision and nature, and a multi-talented force dedicated to the arts. She has an unrivaled reputation for promoting art and culture in South Bay and the Greater Los Angeles, and has been instrumental in creating opportunities for artists using her expertise in business, education, and the international art world. She is Chairman of the Board for the Manhattan Beach Art Center and TIME4ART, an educational art foundation, and has served on the boards of many arts organizations.
Cynthia Penna - Advisor
Cynthia Penna is art curator and the founder of ART1307, an organization which acts as a bridge between the art worlds of Italy and California, connecting artists to exchange ideas, build relationships, and create new opportunities for their art. Over the years she has curated more than a hundred exhibitions internationally, including prestigious museums such as the Archaeological Museum of Naples, the Royal Palace of Caserta, the Musa Center at the Royal Palace of Portici, the Museum of Art and History of Lancaster, California, the Metropolitan Museum of Tokyo, the Municipality of Teglio, the Istituto Arte Japan in Milan, and the Ambassade du Tourisme in France.
Carlos Amezcua - Advisor
Carlos Amezcua is an award-winning news anchor and co-founder of BEOND.TV, a full-service media and technology company. A winner of 22 Emmy Awards, Carlos has spent the past 40 years covering news stories around the world for major news organizations that have included CBS, KTLA, and FOX. He has received awards from the Associated Press, the Radio Television News Association's "Golden Mikes" and was part of the team that won the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award. Other on-air activities have included guest-hosting radio shows on ESPN Radio, KFI, and KEIB, as well as serving as the on-air voice for the annual national Latin Grammy Awards. Carlos is also an accomplished artist and oil painter. Many of his paintings have been showcased at art galleries and fine art shows in California.
Harrison Engle - Advisor
Harrison Engle is an award-winning director and film maker who has produced over 80 documentaries and dramatic productions. Most of his work is focused on the subjects of history, biography and the arts. Mr. Engle has directed performances of many leading personalities including: James Earl Jones, Beau Bridges, Helen Hunt, Oliver Stone, Meryl Streep, Jimmy Stewart, Steven Spielberg, Martin Sheen, Sean Penn, Senator John Glenn, and astronaut Neil Armstrong. He most recently completed a documentary called "Chasing the Dream", which focused on the stories of Chinese immigrants who successfully established new lives and careers in the United States.
Sharon Amezcua - Advisor
Sharon (Clayton) Amezcua is Chairman of the Board of the Los Angeles Beverly Arts and the Co-founder of ESE Partners, LLC, and ESE Fund Ltd., a financial services company and associated private equity fund that builds and invests in emerging and established companies in targeted sectors across the world. She is also the Co-founder of SSG, LLC, a technology transfer company managed by five women at the top of their fields, that was created to build companies in the US and Middle East/North Africa. ESE and SSG both have a strong focus on traditional industries converging with new technologies particularly in media, telecommunications, healthcare, technology, alternative energy, and financial services.
Michael Warren - Advisor
Michael Warren is a former UCLA basketball player and actor who is best known for playing "Officer Bobby Hill" on the NBC television series Hill Street Blues. His role on the show won him an NAACP Image Award and Emmy® nomination. He also co-starred in the films "Norman Is That You?" starring Redd Foxx, and "Fastbreak" starring Gabe Kaplan, before fulfilling his dream of becoming a producer with the television pilot, “Home Free.”. Warren’s love for photography and nature has led him to further explore his artistic and creative side, where he now exhibits artworks in shows and galleries. In 2023, he was awarded with a LABA Icon Award.
Douglas Ivanovich - Advisor
Doug Ivanovich has 40 years of professional experience in entertainment, broadcasting, marketing, public relations, finance, and business development. He is the Founder and CEO of World Peace One Concerts, the World Peace One Foundation, WP1 Music, and principal architect of WP1’s Global Strategy and Global Peace Initiative. He is also the founder and Executive Director of Storm Aid, and the past CEO of World TV Productions. Humanitarian event origination, production and distribution experience includes Live Aid (2.2 billion viewers), Farm Aid I & II, the World Environment Day broadcast (to 1.5 billion viewers), and the Pope’s Prayer For World Peace & Human Unity (1.4 billion viewers).
Ike Khamasani - Advisor
Ike Khamasani was born in a Business and Humanitarian family. He has vast knowledge, experience and expertise of profit and nonprofit organizations. He has held various high ranking positions in business, professional and humanitarian organizations globally. Ike's professional memberships besides of the United Nations' Association of the United States of America, being a goodwill ambassador, a member of the Global Diplomatic Corps and a goodwill ambassador for peace in the area of international human rights. His objective in life is to follow the belief and slogan of the family "Service to humanity is service to God".
Joe Davidson - Advisor
Joe Davidson is an artist who focuses his work on sculpture and large scale installations. His work touches on themes of gravity and impermanence, with the use of unexpected materials. He graduated in 1995 with a Master's of Fine Art (MFA) degree in Sculpture from San Francisco Art Institute in San Francisco, California and in 1992 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Sculpture from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts. He has exhibited throughout North America and Europe, and in 2009, received the C.O.L.A. Fellowship from the Department of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles, California.
Roccie Hill - Advisor
Roccie Hill is an American writer and has worked as a magazine journalist, copywriter, PR and marketing professional, short story writer, poet, and author of book "Window of Exposure". She studied Philosophy at UCLA and has a graduate degree in English/Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. In addition to being a writer, she has produced short films, taught creative writing, and enjoys painting and photography.
Jesse J. Weiner - Chief Legal Counsel and Head of Fiduciary Services
Jesse Weiner is the chief legal counsel of LABA, with deep experience in the art world, representing artists, gallerists, and dealers worldwide. He is also a partner of YK Law LLP, where his practice also includes entertainment and corporate matters with a focus on film financing and development transactions and intellectual property. Having worked in China for more than 10 years – and representing Hunan TV in the largest-value outbound investment into Hollywood at the time -- he is well-versed in international affairs and business culture. Besides being a registered attorney in both California and New York, he earned a graduate degree in music. He initially went to China as a composer/conductor, first working at the Central Conservatory, the preeminent music school in China.