George T. Marshall

George Thomas Marshall is the founder and producing director of the Flickers the Newport Film Society & Arts Collaborative, a non-profit organization with 30 years of experience producing arts programming and providing creative outlets for filmmakers and visual / performing artists. In addition to producing the acclaimed Rhode Island International Film Festival, one of Flickers' most successful events to date, it also created the annual Jubilé Franco-Américain - a week-long celebration of French Canadian culture, art and cuisine which was held from 1995-2005 in Northern R.I. This event was awarded the Governor's Tourism Award and drew over 20,000 annually.

Mr. Marshall is also the founder of G.T. Marshall Communications, a multi-faceted agency specializing in creative advertising, video/film production and collateral projects. Clients have included Brooks Pharmacy, Time Magazine, Citizens Financial Group, Shell Oil, the Rhode Island Historical Society, Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, Hewitt Associates, New England Patriots, Park Place Presentations, Sonalysts Studios, Weather Services International, UNIFI Communications and Roger Williams University. He is an award-winning producer/creator and is well-respected among communications industry peers.

From 1986-2000, Mr. Marshall created, produced and hosted the fine arts informational television program, "Between Takes," which received numerous awards from the states of R.I., Massachusetts and national recognition. His work has won three and been nominated for five New England Emmy awards, won four national Telly awards, top prizes at WorldFest Houston, and won three national Communicator Awards for Excellence. He also teaches communications, television production, public speaking and acting for camera courses at various colleges and universities in the area and serves as media / marketing consultant to businesses and non-profit organizations. Mr. Marshall is a frequent contributor and participant on industry panels and seminars exploring the evolution, culture, growth and future of independent film.

Mr. Marshall holds bachelors and masters degrees in political science with a focus on communications from the University of Rhode Island and Brown University, respectively, and studied film at the University of Southern California. He served on the board of directors for Christmas in Newport and has served as the vice chairman of the Newport Cultural Commission, where he created the city of Newport's First Night Celebration, the annual Scholarship Award, and the January Film Festival. He is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, a Media Panelist for the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Alliance for Community Media, the International Television Association and listed in the International Who's Who of Professionals. He was selected in the fall of 2002 and 2003 as "One of the Most Influential People" in Rhode Island by the Providence Phoenix. In 2003, he was made a Rhode Island Foundation Fellow for his role as an arts leader in the state. In January 2005, he was presented with an Alumni Achievement Award in the Arts from the University of Rhode Island. In 2007, he was recognized by Mayor David M. Cicilline and the City of Providence with a Citizen Citation for his achievements in the arts and the media industry. In 2008, he was cited by the Providence Phoenix as one of "30 Local Luminaries" in the state of Rhode Island.

In 2006, he created a Special Topics Course at Roger Williams University on Documentary Film and Journalism, which he now teaches yearly during the Spring semester. He completed a chapter entitled "Teaching Digital Documentary Film New Technologies Meet the Art of Storytelling" for the college text book: “Teaching with Multimedia: Pedagogy in the Blogo/Websphere,” which was released in 2010. He was on a committee that developed the New Media & the Global Diaspora Symposium, at RWU October 2008, where he chaired a panel on international media and film. He worked with faculty to develop a Film Minor for the Communications Department at Roger Williams University. In the Fall of 2009, he introduced the first Introduction to Film and Video course on campus. In the Spring of 2010, he introduced to the curriculum: "Curation and and Film Festival Production," a senior-level seminar. Currently, he is engaged with school administration in establishing the Roving Eye Internatonal Film Festival as a yearly event on campus and brought the Tournées French Film Festival to campus on a yearly basis.

In the Fall of 2008, Mr. Marshall chaired a panel on Documentary Film at the Ruff Cutz Indie Film Conference, Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University, Waltham, MA. and presented on a panel at the International Film Festival Summit (IFFS) in Las Vegas, Nevada. His topic was creating new modalities for "Building a Culture of Community Outreach." In 2010, along with the Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival and the Woods Hole Film Festival, he was a principal in the creation of the New England Film Festival Alliance (NEFFA), an organization designed to link New England Film Festivals and create a nexus for joint sponsorships, information sharing and cross-promotion. In 2011, he expanded the RIIFF Youth Jury into a Youth Jury Association whose mission is to reach beyond Rhode Island.

In the Fall of 2010, Mr. Marshall introduced a new film Festival that he created to the New England region: the Flickers: North Country Film Festival. Launched in late September at The Balsams in Dixville Notch, NH, the annual Festival has been designed to spur cultural tourism and job creation. In 2011, the Festival secured a partnership with the Brattleboro Retreat in Vermont with plans to undertake joint programming.

He is also working closely with the Anthony Quinn Foundation and the Advancement Office at Roger Williams University on the development of new outreach programming for the Foundation.