Tribeca/ESPN is pleased to welcome the official 2009 Sports Film Festival Ambassadors. These five esteemed individuals will support the Sports Film Festival and its emerging filmmakers by participating in various appearances such as panels, red carpet galas and media opportunities.
Spike Lee
ESPN Ambassador
Spike Lee revolutionized the role of Black talent in cinema as a forerunner in the DIY school of independent film. Among his films are Miracle at St. Anna, Inside Man, 25th Hour, The Original Kings of Comedy, Bamboozled, School Daze, Jungle Fever, Mo' Better Blues, Malcolm X, and Summer of Sam. He showcased a series of provocative sociopolitical critiques in films like Girl 6, Get on the Bus, the Oscar®-nominated Do the Right Thing, and Clockers. His debut film, She's Gotta Have It, earned him the Prix de la jeunesse at Cannes in 1986. Lee's other films include. Born in Atlanta, Lee was raised in Brooklyn, later graduated from Morehouse College, and received his MFA in film production from NYU. He founded 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks and has had an extensive career creating commercial campaigns, documentaries (4 Little Girls, When the Levees Broke), and books about his films.
Aimee Mullins
ESPN Ambassador
Aimee Mullins’ recent films include Quid Pro Quo and the upcoming Into the Woods. Her film debut was a starring role in the highly acclaimed film by contemporary artist Matthew Barney, Cremaster 3, first presented in the US at the Guggenheim Museum in 2003. Aimee first received worldwide media attention as an athlete. Born without fibulae in both legs, Aimee had both her legs amputated below the knee on her first birthday. By age two, she had learned to walk on prosthetic legs, and spent her childhood doing the usual athletic activities alongside her peers. While attending Georgetown University, she became the first woman with a ‘disability’ to compete in the NCAA. She went on to set world records in the 100 meter, the 200 meter, and the long jump. In 1999, Aimee made her runway debut in London alongside top supermodels and was later named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World.” Aimee recently served as President of the Women's Sports Foundation and is currently a trustee on the foundation's board. She has been immortalized in exhibits at institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the NCAA Hall of Fame, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Tate Modern.
Steve Nash
ESPN Ambassador
Steve Nash is a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Steve emigrated with his Athlete parents to Canada, where the family played a variety of sports, including soccer, hockey, lacrosse and tennis. Steve recognized the value of education and the importance of classroom achievement in athletic success, and was rewarded with a college basketball scholarship at Santa Clara University. After leading the Broncos to one of the NCAA's all-time biggest upsets he graduated with a degree in Sociology, entered the 1996 NBA Draft, and was drafted 15th overall to the Phoenix Suns. Steve also played for the Canadian National Team at tournaments all over the world, including the Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He went on to play with the Dallas Mavericks before returning to the Suns and being honored as MVP in 2005 and 2006. Off the court, Steve serves as president of the acclaimed Steve Nash Foundation, dedicated to "growing health in kids." In 2007, Steve was awarded the NBA's prestigious J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in recognition of his commitment to the community.
Bill Simmons
ESPN Ambassador
Bill Simmons has been a columnist for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine since 2001 and hosts the “B.S. Report” podcast. His first book, Now I Can Die In Piece, has been updated and re-released. His second book, The Book of Basketball: The NBA According to the Sports Guy, will be published in October by Ballantine Books. A native of Boston, Bill now lives in Los Angeles.
Jonathan M. Tisch
ESPN Ambassador
Jonathan M. Tisch is Co-Chairman of the Board and a member of the Office of the President of Loews Corporation, one of the largest diversified financial holding companies in the U.S. He is also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of its subsidiary, Loews Hotels. His leadership philosophy, explored in his best-selling book, The Power of We: Succeeding Through Partnerships, provides a blueprint for achieving enduring success through partnerships that empower employees, satisfy customers, contribute to communities, and improve the bottom line. His best-seller follow-up book, Chocolates on the Pillow Aren’t Enough: Reinventing the Customer Experience, was nominated for a Quill Award. To get a better perspective on the essential connection between upper management and entry-level employees, Tisch starred in the premier episode of Now Who’s Boss?, a television series by TLC and New York Times Television, that explored what happens when a CEO is put back in frontline positions at his own company. Tisch also hosts Beyond the Boardroom, a television series on PlumTV that also has run on CNBC, Fox Business, and PBS where he goes one-on-one with the nation’s leading CEOs.
